Speaking of Scoot though third pick in the draft, had the best half of basketball this side of Jabbari Smith in the twenty twenty three Summer League. He is special. He is an athletic freak. He can pass like a man possessed. He is just just throwing laser beams. No looks behind the back passes, he's cutting to the rim. He's in twenty one minutes. He let everyone know what
was what He is a star. Hit a three couple of good middies, and more importantly, he finished really well at the rim, consistently beat the number four pick Aman Thompson off the dribble. He pressured the Rockets guards and transitioned while they were collapsing to cut off easy buckets. He was incredible. And then, of course, you know, because I'm a Blazer fan and I can't have nice things,
he hurt his shoulder and they thought he separated it. Actually, they thought he dislocated his fucking shoulder in Summer League in the first half. And guess what, That's exactly what happened to Shaden Sharp. He tore his laborum in the first quarter of the first game in Summer League a year ago. So whatever it's fine, but I can't wait to see Shaden and Scoot together because Shaden looks much better when Scoot is on the floor. In Game two,
Shaden didn't look nearly as impressive. But these two are going to have an electric season. Speaking of the Thompson twins, hold me now because I very sad that I did not get to see them battle it out on the floor. They have never been separated for more than a few days. They've never played against each other at a real level, and Aimon and Auscer were supposed to square up in this battle to split the zeygo you know what I mean. But Aimon got hurt in that same game. Actually, he's
gonna miss the rest of the Summer League. He showed explain moves, he had a decent mid raand shot, even though he struggled to stay with Scoot defensively. He's gonna be fun. The Houston Rockets in general are gonna be fun. And then auser, auser might be better than Ayman, Like really, I like that way he fits on this Pistons roster. If they used him more in their offense, I tell you what, they would be better. They're not gonna be looking for him to pick up twenty points in a game.
They want him to sit back picket spots. He's still a really good passer. I know Aiman's obviously a good passer too, But the best way to acclimate a guy like him into the league is to just let the game come to him. Both I think are going to be solid, solid pros. Do you guys? Hear my voice is just like absolutely declining as we go through, So we've got to get through it. Finally, we got to talk about Anthony Black. He went sixth overall to the
Orlando Magic. Damn he is good. I love some Anthony Black. Seven for ten, seventeen point performance in his debut. He had five rebounds, five assists. That's just like a really good summer league line. Like, even though he turned the ball over six times, I do not care. That is the nature of summer league. That is the nature of people trying to impress gms and you know, coaches, and that's just it. That's just the way it is in an exhibition game. And I don't think it's flaws in
his offensive game at all. His second game was was very inefficient. He was three for twelve, he had eight points, but you could see even in that game, this man can get wherever he want on the court. You can't stop him. He's very in control, plays in his own speed. His pacing is really good, his footwork is good. He is eight seven and three. Summer League slash line was mostly due to the fact that the team that they played, the Pacers, have guys who really should not be on
a summer league team, like Ben Mathern. What is Ben Matherin doing on the summer league team trying to win the summer league? What is Andrew Nemhard doing on a summer league team? Nothing like they should not They should not be there. They are too good for July basketball. And they made life really tough on Anthony Black, and they were getting their asses but beat they were getting just blown out early. Overall, I really like Anthony Black, Polish player. I think he's gonna be maybe a player
to watch for Rookie of the Year. I think it's thirty to one for his Rookie of the Year odds depending on the book that you look at. So maybe sprinkle a little money on that and thank me later. Let's talk about some other rookies that you might not have thought about originally. They have balled out Kyante George. Kyante George's second and scoring in the Summer League. He is thirty three per game. Is fucking insane. First and assists at Summer League. Is He's the breakout star. This
is him. It's the Donovan Mitchell. They got a new Donovan Mitchell. That's what they have. Maybe a better Donovan Mitchell, maybe a bigger one, maybe a more a better shooter. Everybody was like, oh, Kyant George can't shoot. It seems like he can shoot just fine to me, I don't know what. I don't know what that situation was that scouting report, Like we all knew Victor and Scoot and Chat would ball out, but I didn't see Kyante George coming like this. Trader Danny must have seen it, because
the man is killing it. In Summer League. The Jazz went from like a few outside threats to an abundant of three point shooters next to Keyante George and Bryce Senseiba. He is my dark horse, dark dark horse for Rookie of the Year. I think he's sixty six to one. We gotta talk about Amani Bits. Man. Amani Bits went middle of the second round to Cleveland and He is reminding us why he was one of the top recruits in the country before he flamed out at Memphis and
get and got hurt. At Eastern Michigan. He went for twelve, eight and two in his first game, his Summer League debut, and then he followed it up with twenty one points, two blocks, two steals, five threes in their win over Memphis. Jesus Christ. He looked so good out there. I'm telling you. You watch him with your own two eyes, You're like, wow. He can get his own shot quite easily. His handle's there, he moves without the ball. Cutting is good, defense is good,
catch and shoot is good. If his mental holds up and he keeps his head on straight, he could really be a nice addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Up next is Marquise Noel. Marquis Nowell. Everybody knew because he was the bell of the final fourty of the March Madness Ball. You know, Kansas State. I am rooting for him. He's five to eight on a good day. He blew it up. He was lighting it up. Now he's a two way with the Raptors, so we're gonna see him in some
games with the Raptors this year in Summer League. He struggled a little bit to get a shot off, but he's still incredible as a passer, deadly in the pick and roll with Moses Brown. Moses Brown, by the way, also impressing people. He's averaging eleven four and five in this little van fleet role. They like their they like their light skinned under six foot guards, don't they in Toronto.
That's fucking crazy, fun player who will definitely hook on if Massai u Zieri actually wants to do his fucking job. And finally, hat tip to the Summer League Vets as they showed up to a frenzy and had to peel off layers of dust to play in summer league games, because that's what Toronto does. Let's move forward. Let's move forward on the guys who are second league players in the league who decided that they were going to play in summer league, which is actually an evolution of the game.
And we were talking about this, me and a friend of mine talking with David mcmanhamon last night about how second year players are starting to play out summer league as just a matter of course, that's what they do. The only two that did not play in the Summer League this year are Palo Bencaro and Jeremy Sohan, but you had multiple players in their second year. Just ball out like Jabari Smith. Jabari Smith best player in Summer
League right now. He had a great first game thirty three point performance, ended up hitting the game winner with the last second three thirty, and then he followed that up with thirty eight, seven and six, and then he sat the fourth quarter. The best part is it feels like he's got his confidence back. He's out there shit talking Marvin Bagley on the bench looking like he's having fun all the way. By the way, Marvin Bagley talking
trash back to Jabari Smith is just absolutely hilarious. I think he called Jabari Smith garbage when he had thirty eight in Summer League. That's amazing. You are the best bust to ever decide you're gonna clap back to one of the top players in the drafts My god. Crazy. He did an interview though, saying that he's looking forward to not losing all the time, and Steven Silas was sitting right next to him, which I think is just
that's just incredible. Pay no mind, Jabari, Just keep talking your shit and just keep shooting, work on your handles, and you're gonna be maybe the NBA's most improved player this year. Andrew Nemhart continues his upward cycle. He's bawling out. In his first game he had fourteen to eight and three, which was okay, But then in his second game he had sixteen and five with two steals at halftime, at halftime before finishing with twenty one seven and three twenty
one seven with three steals. Only reason he didn't have more points and more just the only reason in Statlan wasn't better is because the Pacers had five players with thirteen or more points and they were blowing them out. They were just blowing Orlando smooth fuck out. His coach, Gennaro Pargo said this about him. He played great. It's just a comfort level of having him out there with the ball. He makes the right read, he makes the right plays, he keeps us settles, he gets us into
the offense without any problems, makes the right plays. That's what you get from against Zaga guard. Finally, there are always Summer League surprises. A couple of players who just come from the clouds and they are on the scene like a Tornado. This year, it's our man, Bell BIV Devo. Now you know, yep, Michael Devout out of Georgia Tech is playing for my Blazers in the Summer League and that Scoot Henderson injury has made his role expand like crazy.
On a team full of bucketgetters. This guy has balled the fuck out twenty nine points in a win over the Spurs, five for seven from three. He had five assists and two steals. So he played on the Clippers G League team last year and a bunch of the Clippers front office people were sitting baseline right next to me and they were like, that's Bell BIV Devo. Now you know. They were rooting him on. It was so great. The second player is Orlando Robinson out of Miami. He's
also leaving bodies on the ground too. He's averaged twenty five and twenty five point five in his first two games, fifty seven percent from three. That is the kind of player that pat Riley finds a way to use. That's the kind of guy he just collects in the wild. They're just sitting in a bush eating berries, doing nothing, and he's like, hey, you look like you go put up twenty five. It's I'm really you want to come
on my team. He's six' ten From. Fresno he's really good and it would appear that he is the perfect replacement For Max Truces. Loose the third player who's killing it is a player that is near and dear to my heart because he destroyed my bed AND i said his name wasn't, real and he has proved that it. Is he's actually a real, person and it Is Xavier, moon WHO i just was reasonably sure that's not a real. Person but there is nothing fake About Xavier. Moon the
guy is really. Good he played two. Games he's averaging twenty two five and, four hitting sixty four percent from. Three the motherfucker just can't. Miss LIKE i slandered him and then he went he had heat. Checked he literally just heat checked. Me what a terrible. Roster but he's gonna get a lot more. SHOTS i don't know whether he's AN nba, player but he's very, fun and, that, folks is the. Point The Summer league is not like anything. ELSE i for one love, it maybe more than anything
else in THE nba. World so we'll keep giving you coverage from around The Summer. LEAGUE i don't leave Till, saturday so my trip isn't even close to. Done that is all the time that we have for The Heat. Check come Back, Friday, no, Yes, friday for an all new podcast live From. Vegas it's been a long day and it's only one. Pm check out the feed for past episodes and many episodes which drop unexpectedly throughout the, day and follow The Heat. Check we are boots on
the ground In Summer. League do not forget to, download, subscribe and please tell your, friends every single one of, them and follow us on SOCIAL i add This Heat check and At Trister creek on, TikTok instagram And. Twitter many thanks to my, Producer Nick berlanski for making this thing, go and many thanks to you all who have been so nice to come up to me In vegas and mention how much you love the podcast cast and The instagram and the. TikTok so without, you this is not.
Possible so we'll see You. Friday