Bulls Fans, Don’t Rush to Judgment During Summer League
By Ben Rains
For Chicago Bulls fans looking to project future NBA success based on performances in the Las Vegas Summer League, please do. Just understand that the results may vary.
Over recent years, playing well or playing poorly in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City or Orlando has not necessarily translated into any quantifiable measure of future NBA success. Summer league stats can be useful, although the eye test is probably a better approach. Sometimes neither work.
This is a good sign for fans that have grown concerned about the Bulls’ latest first-round pick Denzel Valentine’s struggles so far in Las Vegas.
Valentine’s numbers have been pretty bad through the SummerBulls’ first three games. He has shot poorly, especially from three-point range, including some horrific air balls. Despite his shooting woes, he has displayed almost everything that Bulls fans thought they would see when he was drafted 14th overall.
He can create his own shot, help facilitate the offense and he has a good feel for the game, but he’s also a turnstile on defense.
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Should this be concerning? Does this mean he cannot succeed in the NBA? Not at all, it just makes predicting it all the more fun. Effort often shines in summer league. Valentine is working hard, but as he gets blown by time and time again, it is cause for concern.
But, the summer league is a strange world. Most of the guys playing over the summer won’t play in the NBA.
Still, the summer leagues are a great chance for fans to see some of the league’s next big stars and it’s also a chance for first-round picks and players heading into their second or third seasons to get more game reps. After the summer, it comes time for a hardcore fan to dissect what marginal talents can possibly play at the next level. It’s rarely aesthetically pleasing, highlighted by disjointed play and incoherent lineups.
That’s the purpose of the summer action. It’s a time to experiment. The NBA has used it to see how 40-minute international style games look. Coaches test players, lineups and roles. If winning is a result, all the better.
Playing hard can stand out in summer league just as it does in primetime. The Bulls themselves have started off 3-0 in Vegas. Bobby Portis has played well along with others, while guys like Jerian Grant have struggled mightily.
For the Bulls, the summer leagues have been an odd case study over the last 10 years.
Related Story: SummerBulls go 3-0, pick up No. 2 seed in LVSL tournament
Derrick Rose’s first and only summer league action took place when the Bulls were still playing in Orlando in 2008. He played in only two games and shot an abysmal 29 percent from the floor while averaging just 9.5 points per game. Despite the numbers, Rose showed flashes of his attacking brilliance and oddly enough, foreshadowed the sad course his career would take, sitting out the final three games due to knee tendinitis.
Jimmy Butler did not make his summer league debut until after his rookie year due to the lockout. In his first and only action in Las Vegas, Butler shined. He displayed the array of skills that would earn him all of his future NBA accolades. He led the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points in four games. He also got to the line a ton, making 35 of 39 free throw attempts. He showed Bulls fans his tough-nosed defense while previewing the heavy minutes that he would go on to play.
Tony Snell had a relatively pedestrian first summer league stint, then followed a bit of a trend and played in Las Vegas before his second season and dominated.
Watching Snell in his five games during the summer of 2014 was a joy. He averaged 20 points per game and earned a spot on the All-Las Vegas Summer League first team. Snell was shooting three-pointers without hesitation and canned most of them, shooting 50 percent on almost seven attempts per game. He made floaters and attacked the rim finishing with authority. His play suggested he would become a good player for the Bulls.
Since then, he has shown flashes, but more often than not, his streakiness and lack of confidence has earned him a permanent spot on the bench instead of highlights.
The summer league is fun. For some players, it will be the only time they get to put on a jersey with the Bulls’ logo or the logos of other NBA teams. For others, it’s one small step towards future NBA dominance.
Over the last few years, the Las Vegas Summer League has tried to conjure some more excitement by going to a tournament-style format. Champions are crowned and MVP awards are won.
Next: SummerBulls go 3-0, pick up No. 2 seed in Las Vegas
Future NBA All-Star Damian Lillard won the MVP in 2012. The lesser-known Glen Rice Jr. won it in 2014.
Las Vegas is a crapshoot. The SummerBulls have a chance to win the title, after earning a first round bye. If they win, that’s great. If they lose, that’s okay.
If Valentine and Grant continue to struggle, don’t mark them down as failures just yet. If Portis continues to dominate in his second summer league, don’t peg him a star.
Just watch. Take it for all that it is, and all that isn’t.