NBA Summer League: Day 3 -- D-Leaguers Get Scrub Nasty on Wizards

Day 3 of the NBA Summper League began in forgettable fashion for the Wizards. The D-League select team they faced was on a mission to defeat all the “scrub” stereotypes and the Wizards had nothing to counter it early on. Only 90 seconds into the game when the Wizards found themselves with 3 turnovers and zero shot attempts, surrendering 9 consecutive points to the D-Leaguers. The Wizards were able to quickly revert and trailed by 3 at the end of one, however the start second quarter didn’t fair much better. The offense was completely stalled at one point, with the Wizards having missed 24 of their 30 shot attempts. Shelvin Mack and Bradley Beal snapped the Wizards back to reality from that point on with an offensive surge that pulled the Wizards to a 9 point lead at the half.  The roller coaster continued in the 3^rd with the D-Leaguers outscoring the Wiz kids by 18 thanks to a rash of turnovers and a LOT of missed shots. The Wizards fell victim to traps and full court pressure, a detriment that has plagued the team for most of the Summer League thus far. The Wizards gained some ground late in the 4th, going on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 10, and another surge to bring them within 4, but that was the extent of it. Final score: D-Leaguers win 85-78.

A few post-game thoughts:

• First of all, a warm happy birthday to Kim Tillie! You earned your 6 minutes tonight, brah!
  
  
• Chris Singleton came out sweating, one of few players that seemed poised early on. Proved that when he posterized some guy wearing #9 to break the early 9-0 run.
  
  
• We talk a lot about Bradley Beal’s perimeter shooting, but I also love his skills when he puts the ball on the floor – so controlled, yet so tough slashing to the rim in between defenders. This guy is going to be a stud in this league. Stamp it.
  
  
• Tomas Satoransky is continuing to justify the Wizards’ decision to draft him early in the second round. His passion and hustle on the court is very pleasant to watch and contagious to his teammates.
  
  
• I’m compelled to believe the Summer League and forthcoming training camp will have wondrous results for Jan Vesley’s offensive game. Never really felt Vesely had bad form in his jump shot, he always just simply missed them. His continued progress in his shooting is a pure depiction of how important practice is (don’t tell that to Allen Iverson).
  
  
• John Wall and newly acquired Emeka Okafor were found sitting courtside. Wall spoke highly of Jan Vesely, noting his progression over the past few games. John also expressed excitement about the new additions to the team.
  
  
• Of the no-namers on the team, Earl Calloway had a productive game. His long-range game seems pretty decent, going 4 for 6 from the 3-point line, including a late 3 that put the Wizards within 4.