I'm very impressed with Jackson. Spent one game just watching him. Very smart player that knows how to slide to the open spot on the floor. Knows when his man turns his head for a sec. He has better lateral quickness than I thought. He does a good job of staying in front of his man. Dennis Smith made a couple of shots on him, but he was very well guarded. That was a good player making a tough shot. About the only thing Jackson could have done to stop him was tackle him. Jackson also has very good handles. If he can add about 15 pounds of muscle, the Kings might have their SF of the future. Very impressed.
It's a shame that Fox tweaked his ankle again against Smith. That was going to be a great match up. But that's a duel we'll see many times in the future. Speaking of Smith. If he can continue to play like that, he's going to be an excellent player. He and Fox are the quickest players in this draft. As I said, I never doubted Smith's ability, just his attitude. It was reported here that he didn't get along with his coach. While I guess you could use that as an excuse, I don't think it's a good one. However, I'm willing to chalk it up to immaturity. We will see. He's exciting to watch.
Skal was a disappointment. He was trying too hard to fit into the offense. Not a bad idea, but it is if it stifles your aggressiveness, and that's what appeared to happen. At least I hope so. I have to say that to some degree summer league was a little disappointing with a lot of the main players I wanted to see go down with injuries. But I had a great time with the Capt, Uncia03, and for a brief moment, Cruzdude, who had a rather bad experience. I don't know if he's related it here or not, and if not, I'll leave it to him to decide if he wants to tell his story.
I thought Sampson made a case for a training camp invite. He's a very good athlete, with a physical style of play. His shot has improved. I'd say he's at least in the running for a two way contract. I see the Lakers quickly signed Caruso to a two way contract. Ball's whatever injury gave him a chance to show off his tool box. He was outstanding in that game against us. Naturally! As I already posted, Ball was just horrible in his first game. Better in his second, although the Celtics defense in that game was terrible. His third game was very very good.
However, right now he's not a good defender, and I'm being kind when I say it that way. The delivery on his shot is a big problem in traffic, which means he doesn't have much of a mid-range game. His 3 pt shot is also suspect. Everyone goes under the pick on him, and they don't guard him very closely on the perimeter. His end to end speed is a little better than I thought, and in transition, he's outstanding. It's his halfcourt game that I would worry about. So he has some holes in his game, but most are correctable. I think he's going to be a very good PG in the league. I wouldn't put him in the HOF just yet though.