Too good for summer league

Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz: Though abetted somewhat by summer league’s more liberal foul-out rules (he finished with eight personals in two different games, because in Vegas you get 10 before fouling out), Filipowski, who was named summer-league MVP on Monday, was probably the best second-year player I saw. He dropped a 32-6-5 line on Charlotte and 35 points and 11 rebounds on San Antonio before Utah shut him down. His launch rate from 3 (23 attempts in his final three games) is an encouraging sign that he’ll lean harder into his stretch capability for the regular season.

Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves: Shannon got in three summer games before the Wolves shut him down, scoring 68 points in 88 minutes and standing out athletically. Of note is how often he launched from 3, taking 26 of his 42 attempts from beyond the arc. If Shannon can become a reliable volume 3-point shooter, it’s much easier to see him filling the wing minutes vacated in Minnesota by Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s departure.

Ajay Mitchell, Thunder: OKC’s second-year pro showed a lot of encouraging signs as he was usually the best player on the court during his six summer games. Mitchell created offense with ease and had high rates of rebounds and defensive events to go with a smoother-looking stroke than he showed a year ago. Nitpickers will point out a turnover rate that was still too high.

But hey who needs a quality backup PG that can play defense, an athletic 6-6 scoring wing, and a stretch 5 off the bench? Definitely not us.

* technically we did draft Mitchell at 38

I got started late, early 20’s, had a decent 10 year run hooking up with ladies, but early in my 30’s my health was so poor, romance wasn’t much an option for a long time…

seriously, the current phase I’m in now might be the most romantically satisfying ever…

ha, imagining some of our younger lurkers thinking: ugh, old people fucking, how gross 😊

Rip chuck Mangione 🙁