Summer League Studs & Duds Day 5

On Wednesday at the 2014 Orlando Summer League, there was a lot of competition for the stud label and a few new names appeared on the list. Take a look and see who played well and who didn’t play so well:

Studs:

G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Detroit Pistons

26 points, nine rebounds and three assists

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had another impressive performance, this time against the Boston Celtics.  He currently leads all players with 27 points per game and is shooting 42 percent from the field. He has focused on improving his game during the offseason and it shows. During Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed nine defensive rebounds. He was aggressive throughout the game and nearly led the Pistons to a victory, but his efforts fell short.

G Casper Ware – Philadelphia 76ers

24 points, eight assists and two steals

Casper Ware has played very well throughout the entire Orlando Summer League. He is averaging 19 points per game over four games, which ranks second among all players. Ware lead his team to a 92-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday afternoon by scoring 24 points and making eight assists. Ware’s teammate Nerlens Noel continued to impress as well, finishing Wednesday’s game with 14 points (on 4-of-8 shooting), nine rebounds and five blocks in 25 minutes.

F Justin Harper – Detroit Pistons

19 points, six rebounds and two steals

Justin Harper did not miss a shot during the Pistons game on Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics. Harper hit all four shots from downtown and grabbed six boards. He also had two steals in just 19 minutes. He gave the Celtics good bench production and helped them beat the Detroit Pistons, 92-90.

G Donald Sloan – Indiana Pacers

19 points, six assists and two rebounds

Donald Sloan has consistently played well throughout four Summer League games. On Wednesday afternoon, he shot 70 percent and made four shots from deep. He ended up with 19 points and six assists in just 24 minutes. He played 42 games for the Pacers last season and averaged just 2.3 points per game. In the past week, he has shown significant growth. Sloan will match up against Shabazz Napier when the Pacers take on the Miami HEAT on Thursday afternoon.

– Mary Stevens

Duds:

G Jeremy Lamb – Oklahoma City Thunder

12 points (4-17 FG, 1-9 3-PT), three rebounds and two assists

On the outside looking in, having 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in a game isn’t necessarily that bad of a game. It’s when you really look at Jeremy Lamb’s box score that you can see how he didn’t have a great game. Lamb scored 12 points, but needed 17 shots to get there and made just one of nine three-point attempts. It’s not even that Lamb missed eight three-point shots; it’s how badly Lamb missed those shots. On a few of those shots, Lamb was nowhere near the rim.

F DaJuan Summers – Brooklyn Nets

5 points (2-12 FG), five rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes

DaJuan Summers entered the day averaging 11 points and four rebounds in three games for the Nets, but failed to reach that scoring production on Wednesday. In 25 minutes, Summers scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field. After seeing what Summers has accomplished thus far in the Summer League, it seems Wednesday’s sub-par performance was a one-time thing and he should look to bounce back on Friday.

G Xavier Thames – Brooklyn Nets

2 points (1-6 FG), four steals and two assists in 19 minutes

Xavier Thames in four games has been hit or miss for the Nets, and he continued to flash that inconsistency on Wednesday. Thames scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting in the Nets’ last game on Monday, but followed up that performance by scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting on Wednesday. Overall, Thames didn’t add much to the game besides four steals and a couple of assists, so it wouldn’t be too crazy to think that he’ll have another inconsistent game on Friday in the Nets’ Orlando Summer League finale.

F DeAndre Liggins – Detroit Pistons

4 points (1-8 FG), six rebounds, six fouls, five turnovers and three assists in 25 minutes

Detroit Pistons forward DeAndre Liggins came into Wednesday’s game as one of the better Pistons’ players, averaging 9.7 points on 64 percent shooting from the field in three games. Liggins scored just four points in 25 minutes of action on Wednesday and made just one out of the eight shots that he took. He also turned the ball over five times and committed six fouls – very different from his performances during the Pistons’ first three games.

– Cody Taylor