Day 2 of the Orlando Summer League will have a tough time topping Day 1 for the Indiana Pacers with Lance Stephenson turning heads in the gym.
Tonight the Summer Pacers play the Summer Nets with rookies Derrick Favors and second-year player Terrence Williams which should give the Pacers a different look than the Magic threw at them yesterday. One thing we learned about Lance Stephenson yesterday is that he can play. He may play some point guard he may not, but he is a player regardless of position.
The key going forward, and the main reason he was available at 40 in the draft, is how he will handle success and adversity. The NBA is a big boy league and whether you win, lose, score 50 or score 2 with 10 turnovers you have to stay on the grind and keep working to improve.
From all reports, Stephenson has been very coachable so far and yesterday he worked hard looking to pass first and run the team as things were rolling for the Pacers. I kind of hope he struggles in a couple of games just to see how he reacts. Can he let it go and move on to the next play and next game? Since he's not yet 20 years old, I guess it's fair to give both he and his game a chance to mature on the pro level.
After the jump, more links from summer league including the debuts of locals Gordon Hayward and Luke Harangody along with Amar'e Stoudemire heading to the New York Knicks. Considering Stoudemire has lit up the Fieldhouse on past occasions, I'm not really looking forward to seeing him more often. Hopefully he'll be the main cog for the Knicks, although that won't go over too well in New York. Also, Paul George's post-game interview with NBA TV.
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PACERS: Strong start for Stephenson
Pacers.com report on the Pacers win and the strong play of the rookies. -
Stephenson's big start: 21 points for Pacers
Indy Star report on the Pacers first summer league game. -
Summer League guy to watch: Lance Stephenson - ProBasketballTalk
Kurt Helin liked what he saw from Lance Stephenson on Monday. -
Hayward starts slow, picks up steam in summer league debut
Tony Jones reports on Gordon Hayward's first summer league game with the Jazz. -
Luke Harangody scores 23 points in Orlando summer league debut
Former ND forward and Region legend had a strong debut for the Boston Celtics. -
Hot hand in Luke Harangody
Steve Bulpett reports on Harangody's hot start in Orlando for the Boston Celtics. -
New York Knicks reach agreement with 'confident' Amar'e Stoudemire, zero in on Dwyane Wade
Frank Isola reports on the Knicks signing Stoudemire and all of New York hoping that he's not the only free agent signing this summer. -
NBA summer league notes: Draft picks show transition to pros not easy
Orlando Sentinel report on NBA rookies getting their feet wet in summer league. -
Short ‘n not-so-sweet for Orton « NBA.com
Fran Blinebury reports on Daniel Orton's tough day at the office for the Magic.