Las Vegas Summer League Preview: Day 8

Anyways, here are the previews.

3:00 PM: Los Angeles Clippers vs. New York Knicks

The first game of the day provides us with another chance to watch this Clippers' talented roster. Guys like Samardo Samuels, who bullies his way around the basket. Reggie Bullock, who has made a name for himself this week shooting the basketball. Jerome Randle, who is one of the top point guards out here and should have a job come the start of the season. For the Knicks, Toure Murry is still someone to keep an eye on. He's impressed many out here at summer league and will certainly be invited to the Knicks' training camp.

Player to Watch: C.J. Leslie
Leslie was an undrafted free agent signed by the Knicks this year. He had the talent and athleticism of a first rounder, but fell due to a percieved lack of work ethic. Leslie has looked good in summer league play, attacking the ball defensively then going at the rim as hard as he can in transition. He has a great second jump that allows him more opportunities to get an offensive rebound and putback.

5:00 PM: Sacramento Kings vs. Atlanta Hawks

This game gives us a great point guard match-up. Ray McCallum and Dennis Schröder have both been impressive in their summer league stints, and should be fun to watch as they o head to head. Schröder has been the better point guard in summer league, showing off his gorgeous passing and somewhat understated scoring ability. McCallum has been good, but not great in his stint, but, his good was great enough to earn him a three-year guaranteed deal with the Kings.He can get to the rim and has lots of athletic potential. Not bad for a second round pick.

Player to Watch: Mike Scott, Atlanta Hawks
Scott has been the best scorer for the Hawks in summer league, getting 17 ppg on 48% from the field. The former Virginia Cavalier has shown a variety of ways to score. He's capable of banging down in the paint a bit, can run the lane in transition and has a decent enough jumpshot. He should be able to do all of those things on this Kings frontcourt.

7:00 PM San Antonio Spurs vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Spurs will again likely try and roll with the players that they have invested time and energy into already. However, if some of those guys are banged up a bit, as Cory Joseph has been for the past couple games, other guards could get more playing time. That's why Marcus Denmon and Duran Scott were playing so many minutes on Thursday. Watch for them to get another opportunity tonight and see how they play. The Bucks will be a tough matchup at every position, as they have a veteran summer league roster. Seeing how well the Spurs can guard players like John Henson and Dominique Jones will again be a good benchmark for where they're at. Against Cleveland, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, both NBA vets, played well. Let's hope the same doesn't happen tonight for the Bucks.

Player to Watch: Ish Smith, Milwaukee Bucks
This will be the last time we get the privilege of watching Ish Smith play big minutes for a long, long time. Watch him, appreciate him, and as always: Free Ish Smith.

9:00 PM: Chicago Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks

Both of these squads are very fun to watch, and hopefully this nightcap will be a great game. The Bulls have two of the top 5 leading scorers in summer league in starting guards Andrew Goudelock (18.3 ppg) and Marquis Teague (18.3 ppg). Goudelock is more of an attacking guard and is always looking for his shot. He has a nice floater and midrange game, giving him the ability to score from most areas on the court. Teague is more of a pure point guard, but he's been running the pick-and-roll very well in summer league and is getting points at the rim as a result. The Mavericks have Jackie Carmichael, who has been consistent in all aspects of the game this summer league. He has a good jumper and gets a lot of points off of offensive rebounds. He's also the defensive lynchpin for this Dallas team, making good rotations, staying vertical and altering shots.

Player to Watch: Tony Snell, Chicago Bulls
There were a lot of people that didn't like Chicago taking Snell with the 20th overall pick (including me), either because they didn't know who Snell was or because other swingmen like Jamaal Franklin were still on the board. Well, Snell has made the Chicago front office look good for taking him so far. He's really skinny, but is extremely quick and can put the ball on the floor in addition to coming off of screens and being a great shooter. I like Snell's game a lot, and I think he has a bright future with the Bulls as soon as he learns their defensive system.