Lots of news from former Bay Area high school and college talents, highlighted by former Palo Alto and Ivy League star Jeremy Lin.
Kevin Arvonitz spotlighted Lin in Day One of the Vegas Summer League roundup.
Harvard standout Jeremy Lin worked off the ball tirelessly for Dallas, running the baseline and cutting through the half court to free himself up. When he got opportunities with the ball, Lin displayed composure. His athleticism isn't freakish -- most of his drives to the hole are straight-line routes -- but his incursions into the paint were fearless. He finished with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. He also racked up five turnovers when the speed of the game escalated. Lin acknowledged that there's a chasm between Ivy League play and what transpires here in Las Vegas. "I think the style of the game, NBA rules, pick-and-rolls, the speed and athleticism are the biggest differences," Lin said. "I'm just trying to figure out when to attack, when to shoot, reading defensive coverages. It's a lot more complex than it was in college."
Updates on Omar Samahan as well as Jerome Randle, Rod Benson and Patrick Christopher. (Landry Fields has yet to play).
Randle has struggled, as Jeff Faraudo reports for BearTalk. He did not play
One day after not playing in the Orlando Magic’s third NBA summer-league game, ex-Cal star Jerome Randle saw 19 minutes today, contributing two five points and two assists. He shot 1-for-8 from the field including his first 3-pointer in three games, but the Magic lost 80-78 to Oklahoma City, falling to 0-4.
Through the three games in which he’s played, Randle is averaging 7.0 points, 3.7 assists and just 1.3 turnovers in 22 1/2 minutes per game. But he’s shooting just 6-for-25 (24 percent) from the field, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.
Christopher has played only once so far. He will meet up against the Warriors tonight, but his first performance did not inspire.
Christopher, an all-Pac-10 player for Cal last season, signed with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent last month after going undrafted, and he played a little more than 10 minutes in the Pistons' first summer-league game in Las Vegas.
The 6-5 Christopher took two shots, mssed both, and had no points, no rebounds and no assists in the Pistons' 89-84 victory over the Lakers. He did pick up two personal fouls, however.
Samahan did pretty well, although nothing to wow scouts.
St Mary’s product Omar Samhan finished with just 4 pts and 7 rebounds. Samhan had a couple of nice finishes around the basket but did look slow getting up & down the court. He & Brian Butch (8 pts 4 rebs) had an interesting battle throughout the game. They could be destined for another showdown in Europe before long.
Rod Benson, who continues to flirt with that D-League/pro line, seems to be doing his thing. Ridiculous Upside remains his biggest fan.
Rod Benson, C, Utah Jazz - Not to brag, guys, but I totally called this. Benson played a little under 13 minutes, and in that time scored 12 point on 5-8 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and had two assists. He also was active on defense, going to work not just on the big men but forcing penetrating guards farther under the basket and altering shots. He also used his body well on offense and generally looked really good out there. Meanwhile Steve Smith repeated some of the knocks on Benson that haven't been true for two years. I believe the kids say "smh."
Fields should make his debut tomorrow afternoon against the Nuggets at 1 PM PT. Catch all the action on NBA TV or on NBA.com (must pay money to watch online though)!