5 Things We Learned from Summer League
The 2017 Orlando Pro Summer League is history, but not before providing some helpful hints of what’s to come this upcoming season. It also gave the franchise its first glimpse at the future of the team. Here are five takeaways from this year’s summer league:
Jonathan Isaac is the real deal
Yes, he is still very young, and has plenty of untapped potential, but it was obvious that he can become a star. Isaac used his size and athleticism to have his way at times. However, he really needs to hit the weight room if he is going to make a difference at the next level. All too often, Isaac was out muscled by players, making him a liability and easy target for other teams to attack, which is a concern for the team’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman:
“I think it’s fairly obvious that his physical maturation is priority one for him. We want to make sure he grows physically the right way. Stays healthy as he gets stronger and bigger and just kinda grow into his game a little bit.”
Wesley Iwundu should find himself on the 15 man roster
He may only be a second round pick, but Wesley Iwundu will likely be playing in Orlando this season, instead of down the road in Lakeland. Iwundu flashed enough on defense that Coach Frank Vogel will want him as a practice body if nothing else. While Iwundu has room to grow on the offensive end, he certainly looks like someone who can become a lockdown defender at the next level.
There is still hope for Tyler Harvey
Up until now the 2015 second round pick has been a forgotten man for the Magic. But the former NCAA scoring champ showed improvement at this year’s summer league, and could still end up helping the Magic at some point. At just 23 years old, Harvey elected to spend this past season playing overseas in Italy instead of the D-League.
The Stephen Zimmerman experiment is over
After one less than memorable season with the Magic, the team was quick to pull the plug on 2016 2nd round pick Stephen Zimmerman. The forward was cut on July 4th, and left the Magic scrambling to find another center to take his place on the summer league roster. Last season Zimmerman played in 19 games, averaging 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in limited action. Clearly Zimmerman was not in the plans for Jeff Weltman and the rest of the front office.
No Shortage of players for Lakeland Magic
By hosting the Orlando Summer League once again the Magic were able to get a first-hand look at some of the players that could earn a spot on the Lakeland Magic roster. With so much movement in the D- League there is always need to have a few players on speed dial, especially ones that you are familiar with.
