New Orleans Pelicans: Live from Summer League
To most, Summer League is a poor man’s D-LeagueAll-Star game filled with rosters thrown together at the last minute made up of NBA castoffs, well known 2nd year players and superstar rookies. The result is some really ugly basketball, but, for fans, it offers the chance to witness young stars get their feet wet for the first time.
Many veteran NBA writers will be the first to warn fans that Summer League results should not be taken seriously. On the other hand, fans will crown their rookie a savior or a bust before he has had a chance to play an actual NBA game. Still, as a guy who lives in Las Vegas, Summer League represents the only chance I have to witness (barely) NBA level talent play basketball.
Summer league ball is all about trying to make enough of an impact to make a roster, there really is no other narratives or anything to take too seriously. Every year since I moved from New Orleans to Las Vegas I’ve attended Summer League, but this year felt different.
Rarely have I been excited for a Summer League game like the way I was on Friday night. Maybe it was due to the fact the New Orleans Pelicans had a rookie first round draft pick playing for the first time since 2012, or maybe because I was well aware that I would be a Pelicans fan lost in a sea of Lakers fans. Whatever it was, it was an awesome experience being a fan again.
It is rare that I am able to see a Pelicans game live, let loose and forget about objectivity. In Summer Leagues past, fans have been reduced to fantasizing about Seth Curry. It represented the Pelicans fans thirst for something new, a product we have not seen yet. ENTER BUDDY HIELD
Buddy Hield undoubtedly has brought a buzz to the fanbase as he embodies the pedigree and natural charisma to endear himself to the flock. I will include myself among that bunch. Summer League is something I attend every year, but I maybe go one day and, for sure, no more than two. This year was different. Once the Summer League schedule came out, I put in my vacation request so I could witness the beginning of the “Buddy Hield era” firsthand.
Summer League Day 1
The first day of my Pelicans Summer League experience began with unwavering optimism. I was extremely excited to watch a series of games with my die-hard Laker-loving girlfriend. Being in Las Vegas, I was well aware that I would be severely outnumbered by Laker fans. Fully prepared to accept my heel role for the evening, I made sure I wore my Anthony Davis shirsey.
I readied myself to take Laker nation head on as Buddy Hield drained threes at their expense. Arriving in the arena, I made sure that we secured great seats, and I was willing to suffer through the Memphis Grizzlies and D-League Select game to make this happen. With the seating arrangements established, I sat in anticipation waiting for Buddy Hield to spoil the party for Lakers fans.
THE GAME
The actual game was a huge letdown and a good reminder that maybe expectations need to be reinged in. By no means is that a slight of Buddy Hield; he won’t be asked to create as much in the regular season and will have much better teammates to provide better spacing. Still, while there were flashes of greatness in the form of a beautiful reverse layup in traffic and some stifling defense that resulted in two turnovers, there were many faults.
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The faults largely can be attributed to a poor offensive gameplan, as no Pelicans player was able to establish any type of rhythm. New Orleans’s offense relied heavily on isolation and often stalled after one pass. Literally, there is nothing that could have been taken away from it as these players will never find themselves in this position often.
Chieck Diallo showed flashes as well, but he struggled to gain position against the big bodies of the Lakers due to his thin frame. For me, though, the game was largely comprised of me eating crow for all of the pregame ribbing I was giving fans. I lost my voice screaming at the Lakers while doing my best to maintain a friendly presence for the Pelicans amongst a very energetic Laker nation.
With each Buddy Hield brick, each Laker block and each D’Angelo Russell basket, I tried to push onward, but my voice began to fade away. The night ended with me being ridiculed and mocked, and, quite frankly, I finally ran out of things to say. The Lakers youngsters completely out-played the Pelicans’ Summer League squad.
Even the shots New Orleans made were not good, and, frankly, I am only surprised the score was not worse. In the grand scheme, this game will not matter, and this poor performance is in no way an indicator of Buddy Hield’s trajectory.
Tonight, Lakers fans had their night, and they made sure to let me know it. I deserved all the grief that was sent my way, but I’ll make sure to check back in when the games actually matter. On a serious note, I highly doubt anyone from the Summer League roster besides Chieck and Buddy make the team. From poor defensive rotations, to one dribble pull up offense, it was horrible basketball; no one stood out as even average. There were few passes before shots got up, and I cannot remember many easy buckets from the contest. That should be something to expect to change over the course of summer league.
Next: Tyreke's time has run out
Finally, dope tribute to Bryce DeJean Jones before the game.