So, the Wizards let their first summer league victory get away from them as Portland came back in the final minutes of the game to win 78-73. But, so what. The Wizards — who had travel difficulties and didn’t arrive in Las Vegas until hours before the game instead of Sunday night, which was the original plan — showed some good. They also showed some, eh, not quite bad, but not that great either. Here are a few observations:
Andray Blatche — At times he looked like a fourth-year man playing against rookies — dominating, dictating, commanding. He showed some nice moves, some hustle and made some nice passes. Other times, he looked sub-par. But 17 points and eight rebounds and a block in 30 minutes is still pretty good.
Nick Young — Like Blatche, there was good and bad. He started off shooting poorly, terrible shot selection. Then settled down a bit and really had his shot going. He’s got a sweet shot, just needs to be more patient. Still can’t play defense, but there’s time.
JaVale McGee — Started the game jacking 3’s, but eventually turned in some impressive plays — a fadeaway jumper, swatted some shots, even drilled a 3 late in the game. You can tell the potential is there, but he needs to get stronger. Fortunately for him, he has time. The Wizards won’t rush him. But 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes is a good start.
Vladimir Veremeenko — Only saw limited action, but he turned in a few nice plays. He displayed some smoothness and some toughness at times. Six points, five rebounds and a block in 14 minutes. Not to shabby considering he flew halfway around the world Friday night, had a few cram sessions despite the fact that he barely speaks a bit of English, and then flew out to Vegas.
On another note, Agent Zero gave his state of the summer address in his latest blog, talking about everything from free agency, his travels and JaVale McGee and Dee Brown.
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