LAS VEGAS (AP) — Paolo Banchero showed off the Orlando Magic in his two Summer League appearances.
And the Magic decided that was enough.
The No. 1 pick will see the remainder of the summer league after averaging 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in his two games in Las Vegas. The Magic made the decision so they can evaluate other players joining them this summer and see who deserves a spot on the list or a chance in the G League.
“I want to give these other guys a chance to play, to show a little bit of what they’re capable of,” said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. “That’s the point of Summer League, you know, give them a shot… a chance for these other guys to see what they’re capable of. And we’ve seen what Paolo was capable of.”
The Magic are also expected to release Admiral Schofield and RJ Hampton for the remainder of the summer league, giving players even more minutes to get their chance in Las Vegas.
Mosley said Banchero made the most of the summer experience.
“His understanding of what to do in certain situations, the concepts we preach offensively and defensively, he grabs on to that,” Mosley said. “Watching a movie together, he observes those things. He explains to me the things he sees on the floor. It’s only two games, but you watch those movie sessions and you realize how he records it all. So that’s how you can make the judgment that it’s time to let these other guys have those moments.”
RJ THE REFEREE
Richard Jefferson was called up for 2,637 fouls in his playing career, along with 45 technical fouls. He made a mistake in 14 games. He was even sent away twice.
He always suspected that it was not easy for umpires.
He’s now sure they won’t.
Jefferson, who played 17 seasons in the NBA and now works as an analyst for ESPN, made his official Summer League debut Monday night. The NBA said he would work the second quarter of a game between New York and Portland.
“I didn’t want to do this,” Jefferson said. “The NBA asked if I was interested. I have such a huge respect for the umpires, how important they are to the game and I’ve always treated them as such. I just respect them because I know how important they are to our game and to the integrity of our game.”
This is not an honorary assignment. The NBA put Jefferson to work getting him ready.
He spent hours teaching this 10-minute performance, studying video with other umpires and NBA executives. He has learned the terminology that referees use, along with the responsibilities that come with working in each of the three positions on the duty crew.
Jefferson said he is confident the experience will make him a better analyst.
“It was great because I love basketball,” Jefferson said. “I like to talk about basketball, so now I get the chance to learn a whole new part of the game. That’s like my dream, for a basketball junkie, to sit there and see how the umpires think, how they talk, how they act, how they work together as a team. That kind of thing is so useful to me.”
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
The NBA’s board of directors will meet on Tuesday, expecting them to finalize a change in how transition violations are handled. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last month there would be a rule change, and for summer league games, the penalty for such a violation is one free throw –
Also on Tuesday’s agenda: holding the play-in tournament, which is widely regarded as a success.
PRIMO OFF
San Antonio security guard Josh Primo has entered NBA health and safety protocols and was banned from the Spurs’ game against Houston on Monday.
Primo will likely miss the rest of the summer league.
TIEBREAKERS
With no playoffs in the summer league, it will almost certainly require tiebreaks to determine which two teams make it to Sunday’s championship game in Las Vegas.
If there is a tie between two teams, the order of the tie-break is a head-to-head result, followed by a points difference and then a coin. If there is a tie involving three or more teams, the first criterion is the difference in points, followed by the toss of the coin.
All 30 teams played four games on Friday, then everyone gets a fifth and final game on Saturday and Sunday. But there is no tournament, except the championship game.
†
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
