Summer League: Studs & Duds Day 3

Day 3 of the Orlando Summer League is in the books and by now all of the players have played at least two games, with the Thunder and Nets playing their third game on Monday. Having at least their second game under their belts, the players have had a chance to knock off some of the rust and get rid of the first-game butterflies and jitters. The competition for the studs and duds for Day 3 amplified significantly and here are the players who performed accordingly:

Studs:

F Willie Reed – Indiana Pacers

18 points (8-12 FG), six rebounds, four blocks and three assists

Willie Reed came up big for the Pacers in their 96-77 win over the Celtics, filling up the stat sheet in multiple categories. Reed has bounced around the league on a couple of different teams, including multiple stints in the Development League so a performance like this could help him land a more permanent spot in the league. After the game, Reed even received props from Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

G Sadiel Rojas – Indiana Pacers

11 points (3-3 FG), five rebounds and two assists

Sadiel Rojas was part of a balanced scoring attack for the Pacers, adding 11 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Rojas managed to score 11 points on just three field goal attempts as he was able to get to the line nine times, where he added five more points.

G Elfrid Payton – Orlando Magic

12 points (5-5 FG), nine assists and eight rebounds

Elfrid Payton rebounded nicely for the Magic in his second game in the Summer League. The Magic opted to hold out Victor Oladipo in Monday’s game, which led to an increase in minutes for Payton, who played in 28 minutes in Game 2 versus the 17 minutes in Game 1. Payton was just one assistant and two rebounds shy of a triple-double and didn’t miss a shot from the field all afternoon.

Duds:

G Nick Johnson – Houston Rockets

13 points (3-12 FG), seven fouls and five rebounds in 29 minutes

Nick Johnson managed to score 13 points on Monday, but scored six of those points from the foul line. He made just three of his 12 field goal attempts in 29 minutes and also committed seven fouls. The Summer League institutes a no foul-out rule, meaning any foul committed after number six awards the opposing team two free throws.

F Ron Anderson – Oklahoma City Thunder

0 points and six fouls in 18 minutes

Ron Anderson scored no points in 18 minutes for the Thunder on Monday, and only mustered up one shot attempt in the game. Making matters worse, Anderson also committed six fouls and forced the hand of the Thunder coaching staff to remove him. It wasn’t all bad for Anderson, though; he did contribute five rebounds and three assists, so it wasn’t all for nothing.

G Marcus Smart – Boston Celtics

11 points (3-15 FG), four assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes

Marcus Smart turned in another less-than-average performance on Monday, recording just 11 points on a total of 15 shots from the field. Smart’s shooting performance mirrored his teammates’ performance, as the Celtics shot just 34 percent from the field for the game. Smart hasn’t been dreadful in Orlando, but he isn’t dominated as one would expect from a top pick.

As mentioned in the introduction, there were many more great all-around performances on Monday. An honorable mention goes out to Day 1 dud Marcus Lewis. He rebounded from zero points and seven fouls in his first outing to score 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field on Monday for the Thunder. Mason Plumee also had another dominant performance by scoring 13 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting.