Summer League Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks – Game #4
After losing all three of their summer league games in California, the San Antonio Spurs dropped their first game in Las Vegas. This time, San Antonio fell to the Atlanta Hawks. The good guys were down 27-15 after the first quarter and things just got worse and worse from there. When the smoke cleared, the Hawks had a 93-66 summer league victory.
Stats: Spurs vs. Hawks
Spurs vs. Hawks – Final Grades
Carter Bryant
In the first half, Bryant was really bad. He was 0-for-5 from the field with three turnovers. It was like he was waiting for Wemby, Castle, Fox or Harper to come to the rescue. His defensive intensity was low, he settled on offense and he was slow to attack. Thankfully, Bryant played a lot better after halftime. He was 4-for-8 in the second half and his defense was a lot better. He pressured the ball on defense and made fast decisions on offense. Overall, though, it was still a disappointing showing for Carter. He needs to play with urgency from the opening tip and needs to rebound better and playmake more.
Grade: C-
Tarris Reed Jr.
Given the competition level, this was Reed’s most impressive showing of summer league — particularly in the first half. Prior to halftime, the big man was 5-for-7 from the field and had 12 points and seven rebounds in only 12 minutes. He made strong moves on offense, showed off deft touch and exhibited a surprising amount of skill with the ball. Reed’s production slowed down after halftime but, all in all, this was a good performance by the 26th pick in the draft.
Grade: B+
Ja’Kobi Gillespie
I thought Gillespie was pretty good. His 2-for-6 shooting from downtown isn’t impressive at first glance but it’s important to consider that the rest of the team was 2-for-28 from three-point range. Gillespie added some quality finishes, totaled six assists and turned the ball over only once. It’s also important to state that he played good defense for the majority of his 23 minutes. Gillespie could stand to be more efficient and a little more demonstrative, but his play wasn’t the issue on this day.
Grade: B
Maliq Brown
Brown’s quick hands and anticipation continue to shine. Unfortunately, the rest of his game is missing in action. His individual defense was nothing to right home about. His rebounding is substandard. Offensively, he went without a field goal in 23 minutes. There were a couple good passes sprinkled in but Brown needs to dial up the intensity.
Grade: C
Emanuel Miller
Miller continues to underwhelm as a 26-year-old who has NBA experience and ended last season as a two-way player for the Spurs. He hit a three-pointer, did good on the boards and was noticeable in the open court. Sadly, he gave most of that away by turning it over four times, registering just one assist and attempting only three two-point attempts. The Spurs need more from Miller if they hope to escape the cellar of summer league.
Grade: C-
RJ Davis
Davis once again looked like a professional scorer, especially when compared to his compatriots. He was 5-for-7 from two-point range and authored a pair of three-point plays. Unfortunately, he missed all three of his long balls and didn’t move the needle much in the playmaking department. Davis tried hard on defense but he’s not really big enough to impact the proceedings much on that end.
Grade: B-
Jayden Nunn
Nunn looked good early in summer league but has started to flatline. He was 0-for-4 from the field in 17 minutes. He did good work on the boards and provided energy on defense but the Spurs need more from him, especially because he played in Austin last year and should be further along than most of these guys.
Grade: C-
Hyunjung Lee
Lee is advertised as a shooter so it’s troubling that he’s 3-for-18 from three-point range in the four summer league contests. If he can’t space the floor, he doesn’t bring enough else to the table. His defense is getting better and I like his aggression … but, yeah, he needs to hit shots.
Grade: C-
RJ Melendez
Melendez had a nice dunk but he turned it over three times. He’s a good athlete and can handle it a bit but there’s a lot that needs to be cleaned up.
Grade: C
Igor Milicic Jr.
Milicic had a layup but he was one of the many shooters who was inept from deep. He was 0-for-3 from deep and he didn’t look confident shooting the ball. I like Milicic’s motor but his skills are obviously still a work in progress.
Grade: C
Miles Barnstable
Barnstable had been shooting it straight but his accuracy left him this game. Against the Hawks, he was 0-for-4 from the field, including 0-for-3 on three-pointers.
Grade: C-
Harry Wessels
Wessels has a strong body and pretty good timing. He should have a chance to carve out a career in Europe or his native Australia.
Grade: Inc.
Tyon Grant-Foster
Considering the health hurdles Grant-Foster has had to overcome, it was good to see him hit a slick layup in transition.
Grade: Inc.
Zakai Zeigler
Imagine how good this kid has to be at basketball to make it even this far at 5-foot-9.
Grade: Inc.
Corliss Williamson
This hasn’t been the greatest start to summer league for Williamson. The Spurs got embarrassed in this game and he didn’t seem to do much to help things. I didn’t really like his rotations because the subs were too indiscriminate and too formulaic. That added to the disjointed nature of San Antonio’s attack.
Grade: C-
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