Orlando Summer League preview

The smaller of the two summer leagues, Orlando hosts the hometown Magic along with the Celtics, Jazz, Nets, Pacers, Pistons, Sixers, and Thunder. Despite have quite fewer teams, the Orlando Summer League is home to some very interesting players and should be quite entertaining. He's a breakdown of who to watch on each team.

Boston Celtics
Jared Sullinger, Forward
This will be our first chance to answer the two questions most asked about Sullinger: how much will his back effect him and can he deal with against NBA length and athleticism. Sullinger will face some several current and future NBA bigs this summer, so we'll see just how much of his effectiveness in college will translate to the pros.

Fab Melo, Center
Melo has been much maligned by Celtics fans, but he can still be an productive NBA player if he can boost his rebounding and learn to play man-to-man defense. If Melo continues his shotblocking and help defense, and can pull down a respectable number of boards, it'll go a long way to ease concerns about his ability to contribute.

Utah Jazz
Enes Kanter, Center
Kanter was buried in a deep Utah frontcourt, but when he did get playing time he showed he could be a excellent rebounder and score in the post, which was expected but he didn't shoot the ball as well as it was thought he could. If Kanter can regain that shooting stroke, to go with his rebounding and post game, Kanter could become a dominate force that allows Utah to trade Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap.

Alec Burks, Guard
Like Kanter, Alec Burks was very productive in limited minutes, next season he'll be given more minutes now that Raja Bell has moved on and it will be interesting to see how much he has improved, because he could be a crucial part of the Jazz next season. Look out to see how much his shooting and playmaking has improved.

Brooklyn Nets
MarShon Brooks, Guard
Brooks had a solid rookie season and should be penciled in as Joe Johnson's primary backup for the Nets. Brooks will be asked to provide scoring off the bench, the question will be whether he can do it efficiently or not. How he does in a setting like the Summer league will go a long way to answer that question.

Tyshawn Taylor, Guard
A second round pick, Tyshawn Taylor has all the talent in the world, he just needs to learn to harness it. Taylor will be Deron Williams backup this season and most likely be asked to do two things: take care of the ball and play defense. He's pretty good at the latter, but needs work on the former.

Orlando Magic
Andrew Nicholson, Forward
With Ryan Anderson being traded to Hornets, Nicholson looks to have a chance to earn some minutes as a rookie. If Nicholson can continue to shoot the ball as well as he has and play defense, he could have a nice impact. It will be interesting to see how he does in this setting and whether he can up his rebounding totals.

Justin Harper, Forward
Harper was downright terrible as a rookie, shooting 29% from the field, 15% from 3, and missed the only free throw he attempted. This may be Harper's last chance at a career in the NBA, he needs to impress here or it could be the end.

Indiana Pacers
Miles Plumblee, Center
One of the more criticized picks of the first round, Miles Plumblee produced very little in four years at Duke despite having great size and athleticism. This isn't a make or break deal for Plumblee, especially since he's on a guaranteed contract, but it will help to show whether this was a wasted pick or not.


Lance Stephenson, Guard
Stephenson has become more famous for what he's said than for his production on the court. Stephenson has a chance to earn some minutes in a jumbled Indiana backcourt, but he won't unless he can improve his shooting and decision making.

Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond, Center
Perhaps the player that will be the most interesting to watch, Andre Drummond will be the center of a lot of attention. The top physical talent in the draft, Drummond fell to the Pistons at 9 because of questions about his motor. It will be interesting to see how he performs now that he's away from the dysfunctional Connecticut team. We know he'll be an excellent defender and rebounder, but can he bring anything to the offensive end?

Brandon Knight, Guard
Knight had a solid rookie season, but needs to improve in several areas if he and the Pistons going to take the next step. Knight shot the ball well from deep, but struggled inside the arc, he also needs to learn to run the team better and draw more fouls. Knight is more talented than pretty much all of the other point guards in Orlando, so he should be able to dominate.

Philadelphia 76ers
Maurice Harkless, Forward
I'm not sure how Harkless fits on the Sixers, but he's definitely talented and should help Philadelphia get more shots close to the rim, something they struggle with, provided he can find minutes on a deep Sixers frontcourt. If Harkless shines, it may embolden Philadelphia to trade Andre Igoudala or Evan Turner.


Nikola Vucevic, Center
Vucevic had a solid rookie season, but he was pretty foul prone and had trouble staying on the floor. With Philadelphia amnestying Elton Brand, Vucevic will be called on to play more minutes, so he'll have to cut down on the fouls and improve his overall game.

Oklahoma City Thunder
Perry Jones III, Forward
Despite being a top 5 talent, Jones fell all the way to 28 because of a knee injury and inconsistency. Jones, along with Drummond, will draw the most attention in Orlando and it will be interesting to see how he plays and how much of a chip he has on his shoulder.

Cole Aldrich, Center
For an 11th overall pick, Cole Aldrich has been pretty disappointing. Aldrich will now do battle with another disappointing top pick, Hasheem Thabeet for Oklahoma City's backup center position. If Aldrich can't beat of Thabeet, it may spell the end of his career in OKC and maybe the league, so this summer league will be big.