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The NBA Summer League held in Las Vegas never fails to generate buzz due to the high anticipation from fans to watch the newest draft picks compete with their new teams. In most cases, people aren’t paying too much attention to who is winning it all, but rather to how the rookies can translate their game to a version of the NBA, along with how sophomores have developed over the summer.
General manager Bobby Webster has set the bar pretty high when it comes to the Toronto Raptors. With the No. 19 pick in the first round of this year’s draft, he selected Santa Clara forward Allen Graves. The WCC Sixth Man of the Year Award winner was an interesting selection to many due to the heavy need at point guard and center, coupled with the availability of picking Labaron Philon Jr., Chris Cenac Jr., or Jayden Quaintance.
Toronto Raptors forward Allen Graves | David Banks-Imagn Images
These three all have star potential, and given that they seamlessly fit Toronto's positional needs, they would all have qualified as no-brainer picks. The same cannot be said about Graves because of the plethora of forwards on the Raptors’ roster, including Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, and Kyle Anderson. Simply put, if Graves isn’t good right away, he won’t be seeing the court for Toronto.
Luckily for both him and Raptors fans, this will not be an issue. Through three Summer League games, he has made his mark right away and is winning over the fans in the process. Over the four-day stretch, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward has averaged 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game on 51/44/100 shooting splits. Beyond the numbers, he has backed up all his interviews with the “winning plays” he constantly described.
Former Santa Clara forward Allen Graves (22) | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Getting offensive rebounds at the end of overtime against the Boston Celtics, diving for loose balls and living in the passing lanes, and moving off the ball to get open for his teammates are all things he has made a living off of in just his first three games. He very quickly went from people pondering whether he could crack the Raptors' regular rotation to those same people now debating whether or not he deserves to be in the closing lineup because of his winning instincts. The Raptors have just one more game before the Summer League playoffs, and there is no doubt that people will continue to watch to see how high Graves can continue to climb as a superstar in his role.
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General manager Bobby Webster has set the bar pretty high when it comes to the Toronto Raptors. With the No. 19 pick in the first round of this year’s draft, he selected Santa Clara forward Allen Graves. The WCC Sixth Man of the Year Award winner was an interesting selection to many due to the heavy need at point guard and center, coupled with the availability of picking Labaron Philon Jr., Chris Cenac Jr., or Jayden Quaintance.
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Toronto Raptors forward Allen Graves | David Banks-Imagn Images
These three all have star potential, and given that they seamlessly fit Toronto's positional needs, they would all have qualified as no-brainer picks. The same cannot be said about Graves because of the plethora of forwards on the Raptors’ roster, including Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, Collin Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, and Kyle Anderson. Simply put, if Graves isn’t good right away, he won’t be seeing the court for Toronto.
Luckily for both him and Raptors fans, this will not be an issue. Through three Summer League games, he has made his mark right away and is winning over the fans in the process. Over the four-day stretch, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward has averaged 14.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game on 51/44/100 shooting splits. Beyond the numbers, he has backed up all his interviews with the “winning plays” he constantly described.
You must be registered for see images attach
Former Santa Clara forward Allen Graves (22) | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Getting offensive rebounds at the end of overtime against the Boston Celtics, diving for loose balls and living in the passing lanes, and moving off the ball to get open for his teammates are all things he has made a living off of in just his first three games. He very quickly went from people pondering whether he could crack the Raptors' regular rotation to those same people now debating whether or not he deserves to be in the closing lineup because of his winning instincts. The Raptors have just one more game before the Summer League playoffs, and there is no doubt that people will continue to watch to see how high Graves can continue to climb as a superstar in his role.
Continue reading...
