Memphis Grizzlies youngsters have solid performance in Summer League

Summer League is here and if you are watching, congratulations: you are one of the real sickos for the game. Some of these outings aren’t the prettiest, but are very entertaining because of the hustle of many youngsters trying to impress after being taken high and others trying to make a roster.

Friday was day two in Las Vegas and the Memphis Grizzlies, a team with lofty expectations, got comfortable late in the game and their offense fell apart, shooting 31.6 percent in the fourth quarter. They won narrowly by one point (97-96) thanks in part to the Bulls committing a poor backcourt foul making it a two-possession game with 10 seconds left. On top of that, Chicago's highly touted rookie, Caleb Wilson, was the best player on the floor, and his 35 points were the most in a Las Vegas SL debut.

Cedric Coward:

Cedric Coward, the team's standout rookie last year, got significant time, guarding well and was looking to do everything after giving his teammates the reigns in the first quarter. He was playing in a different lane, and he made some excellent reads, one being a sweet left-handed pass on the move despite not being counted as an assist. His biggest criticism is that needs to get stronger because bigger players pressuring him can still throw off his shot and his dribble is not tight enough.

Coward had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists at halftime, and followed up the next half with one basket, yet it helped the team get out of Chicago's reach in crunch time. He slowed down, but he gets a B+ since his defensive pressure didn't cool off.

Cameron Boozer:

Boozer spent a good chunk of time against the fourth pick Caleb Wilson, even guarding him before half court on multiple possessions, causing a pick-6 on one and his pressure forced two other turnovers on the wing. It was as if his instruction was “don’t let him see daylight,” and he obliged as long he could, but he was still overzealous, causing a foul on a deep jumper.

Offensively, Boozer was very aggressive, especially against Wilson and threw a sweet alley-oop pass early in the second quarter. He also moved well off-ball, scoring multiple baskets off cuts.

Of course, no one wants to overreact, but the Grizzlies should feel very pleased with what they’ll have in Boozer in year one. He's strong enough to overpower smaller players, and he could get many of them in mismatches by running inverted screen rolls.

Wilson outscored him by 12 points, and Boozer committed two unnecessary fouls against him. Strangely, Boozer recovered only six rebounds and all of those were in the second half.

Other Notes:

Chicago's Wilson is a talented rookie who plays with an edge offensively. His deep jumper was falling, and he went on a scoring spree, making two treys and a long-two consecutively early in the third quarter and his next one came late in the game.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper played a bit out of control, but he hustles like the rent is due at midnight. One of the top highlights of the game was him finishing a lob in transition.

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