Stan the Man showing up in Summer League!!! Drops 24 & 9!

[ZMonkey11]

I didn't get to watch, but saw highlights. 24 pts, 9 rebs for our young, up and coming star. Ooooohhhh wwwweeeeeeee!!!!!

Was anyone able to catch the game and can comment on his play??

[Aussie Dunker]

I was able to watch the game ^^

First thing I have noticed in the first two games - he is a LOT quicker than I first thought - he actually can get by his man very well,

I hate floaters, but he seems to have a nice little feather touch on his that seems to work,

He is a VERY angry / aggressive / energetic player,

I think he will lead all rookies in tech fouls - he plays on edge, I like it

He is stronger and more physical than everyone he has played against, he is far ahead of guys his age physically,

He has some handles, he looks confident with the ball in his hands,

So far he has not disappointing, and half way through todays game I was pretty confident that we have chosen the best player for us in the draft,

Only 2 games down, wont get too excited, let's hope he continues

[ZMonkey11]

Wow great to hear. I hope that rubs off a little on KCP and Drummond. I want to see Drummond always play angry.

Good stuff aussie

[Aussie Dunker]

He just keeps getting more confident, he looks like he could legit average 2 steals and 1 block as a rookie wing - he had another huge chase down block today, think that is about the 5th time in 4 games he has had a chasedown block. He looks confident with his drive, his shot and his handling...

I think we have made the right decision,

** I know that Nastradamus was very high on Turner, good call mate! I have this was the second Pacers game I watched and he just looks like a beast. He is clearly going to be a C though, he reminds me a little of Gobert with the way he moves and the way he protects that rim. Not sure he would have worked out as a good fit for us - but I will be watching his rookie year with interest!

If Stanimal wasn't delivering then I might have felt a bit bummed though - lucky that isn't the case!

[DeuceWallaces]

Another good game (20/10). Has to get the fouls under control.

[Aussie Dunker]

As good as he has looked, and as much as he has surpassed our expectations (apparently his weakness was finishing - finishing has looked like his strength so far!) we just have to remember this:

If Marcus Morris was playing in summer league, he'd be dropping 40 and 10 most nights...

But I think he has now played himself into a position where he can atleast compete for additional minutes and perhaps the starting position through the season if he is outplaying Morris, or is a better fit than Morris...

[embersyc]

He gonna be good.

Maybe Piston's best rookie since Grant Hill.

[Aussie Dunker]

He gonna be good.

Maybe Piston's best rookie since Grant Hill.

I don't know man - Darko was pretty damn special,:pimp:

[Aussie Dunker]

In all seriousness though, hard to make a call such as "best rookie since Hill" before a sample of atleast 20 regular season games,

Who has been the best Pistons rookie since Hill though?... hrmmm...

Rookie 1st team
Knight,

Rookie 2nd tem
Drummond / Monroe / Singler / Jerebko / Stuckey / Rebraca (LOL)

[embersyc]

I was very fond of Mehmet Okur as a rookie, or Prince although his season didn't really start until the playoffs.

I guess the obvious choice is Drummond.

[dd24]

Stanley is #1 in the rookie ladder on this website.
http://www.nba.com/2015/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/07/17/rookie-ladder-after-day-7/index.html

[Aussie Dunker]

Well deserved - I think he surpassed all expectations of what we were hoping for in SL from him, and a lot of analyists are also calling him a "steal" of the draft at #8 already (very premature, but these guys are smarter than i'll ever be!) -

Larry Bird: "I think Stanley Johnson is a spectacular player," Bird said last week on NBA TV. "You know Stanley is a guy that takes it to the hole. He doesn't jump into people to get fouled. He's a man."

When the real season kicks off though, he will likely fall back to the middle of the rankings as there are going to be some rookies getting a lot more playing time than him you would think - KAT, Okafor, Mudiay, Kaminsky

If I had a crystal ball I'd predict Stanley to finish somewhere between 4th - 7th, and push for a spot on the rookie 1st team,

[dd24]

I think Turner is going to get quite a bit of PT in Indiana this season. He looked pretty good in summer league too.

[Aussie Dunker]

Yeah he looked great ^^

But players like him are usually brought along a little slower than others - They have Hill and Mahinmi who will probably start in the frontcourt, along with Larry Bird wanting Paul george to log a lot of minutes as a stretch 4.

I say Turner might be looking at 17 - 20 minutes a game this year,

I personally would start him from the get go... The Pacers have nothing to lose...

[ZMonkey11]

Yeah he looked great ^^

But players like him are usually brought along a little slower than others - They have Hill and Mahinmi who will probably start in the frontcourt, along with Larry Bird wanting Paul george to log a lot of minutes as a stretch 4.

I say Turner might be looking at 17 - 20 minutes a game this year,

I personally would start him from the get go... The Pacers have nothing to lose...

I'd start him, too. He could pull a Whiteside, Gobert type year.

[dd24]

I think he should start too. Although Hill has been a starter for a few years now and I could see them giving him the starting job for the beginning of the season at least. He'll end up injured and then Turner would "need" to start at that point.

[Aussie Dunker]

Yeah the quicker turner gets inserted into a prominent role for the pacers the better. I feel like in 3 or 4 years time they can make another push at the title building around George / turner.

This current pacers team doesn't scare the heavyweights of the league the slightest.

[dd24]

It's still a better lineup than the Pistons have. Ellis, George, Turner is a pretty nice core (assuming Turner ends up being what we think he will). I'm not sure how Copeland replaces West, they're definitely thin at PF. But Ellis is a major upgrade from Stuckey. I don't think he can be the man on a contender but it's enough to keep them ahead of Detroit in the standings. Of course one injury and all that could change too.

[Aussie Dunker]

^^ I'm not so sure, as it stands I think we have a lot more room for improvement than they do, we don't have a Paul George - but we also don't know if he is going to be the same player he was in his first year back...

As much as a stiff Hibbert is, he and West gave them a lot of credibility as a defensive frontcourt, it's a big downgrade going to Hill / Mahinmi / Turner.

Turner (think he is going to be great) will still have a lot of teething issues like all rookies have, so can't see him being a big factor this year.

Hill / Ellis I think will actually work quite well together, with Stuckey playing that 6th man role.

I just don't see any of the players on the Pacers team improving, I think Hill / Ellis / J.Hill have all peaked - George wont be as good as he was (atleast for his first season back, confidence thing),

On the flip side, I think Reggie / KCP / Morris / Dre are all getting better...

[ZMonkey11]

Will Indiana finish higher than us in the standings?

Probably.

Would Indiana rather have our roster?

Probably.

[Aussie Dunker]

^^ Pretty decent evaluation,

I just think as it stands our roster has more potential,

But Pacers are at the beginning of a rebuild even if they don't know it - George and Turner two great young pieces, let's see how they can add to them over the next couple of years - If Lawson wasn't such a fruitcake he would make a lot of sense - George Hill to me has always been an ELITE 6th man type player, but i'v never been high on him as a starter...

[Nastradamus]

It's still a better lineup than the Pistons have. Ellis, George, Turner is a pretty nice core (assuming Turner ends up being what we think he will). I'm not sure how Copeland replaces West, they're definitely thin at PF. But Ellis is a major upgrade from Stuckey. I don't think he can be the man on a contender but it's enough to keep them ahead of Detroit in the standings. Of course one injury and all that could change too.

I like our roster better than Indy's myself, though George is the best of the bunch. Position and health make it close with Drummond though IMO and I'm not sure how George at PF is going to go. Could be amazing, could be a disaster. I like Jackson better than George. I'd rather have Meeks than Stuckey myself, as I prefer shooting and neither can defend.

I'm not a big Ellis fan, but guys who can create offense do have value. Its another hit to their defense though.

They can definitely be better than us,but I also think they can be worse. I think Vogel is overrated and SVG is elite to me. He doesn't have elite pieces to work with,but he has guys who fit his system throughout the entire rotation.

In the end, the key to how good we are is probably how well and how quickly guys like KCP,Johnson and Morris mature and improve as players.

[dd24]

In the end, the key to how good we are is probably how well and how quickly guys like KCP,Johnson and Morris mature and improve as players.
I totally agree with that last part. It really does depend on the young guys and how they develop.

[Aussie Dunker]

Both teams are likely to be battling for the 6-8 seeds in the East this year I would say, but I think by the following year we re more likely to be making a push for a top 6 seed than the Pacers... Assuming our players grow both individually and as a team under SVG...