How should we value Summer League play? Having never been to NBA Summer League it’s hard to actually quantify what it means for what matters. As fans of the Dallas Mavericks, it’s encouraging to check out Justin Anderson‘s stat-line engorged with 29 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three. On the other hand is AJ Hammons a bust if he can’t score double digits?

 

Summer League, much like the Draft, is an incredibly fun inexact science. We don’t have a ton of statistics to really dive into this either. There are however, a few factors that we need to consider while we enjoy @JusAnderson1 and the Mavs run of games in Las Vegas.

 

Evaluating Justin’s play is the same inexact science, but thanks to his production it’s been just as fun.

 

The level of competition, as it should be, is halfway between the D-League, the NBA, Rucker Park, and well… it’s also in Las Vegas and there’s a lot of stuff to do here. Yeah, stuff…

 

The Mavs dominated their 83-64 bout with the Miami Heat mostly because, outside of Briante Weber (who has a non-guaranteed contract anyway), none of the guys in that game will be taking their talents to South Beach.

 

There are players from all walks of NBA Career-dom playing in Summer Leauge. On the Mavs roster alone there is one first round pick, two second round picks, six undrafted players from the 2016 Draft, and five undrafted players from previous drafts.

 

Warren Legarie, creator of the Las Vegas Summer League and the agent of basically every NBA Coach that got paid this summer and Rick Carlisle, always says that the Summer League is “an audition for everyone.” It’s a place for everyone to try to get better and to make it. So there is also incentive for some players to take matters into their own hands on occasion.

 

Another factor that may seem obvious but this whole situation is so new, unfamiliar, and temporary for every single player.

 

Prospective players finish a year of career training, then two months later is the biggest interview of their lives. Sometime in those two months they have to decide if they are ready for the job or not and declare. Five weeks after the combine (interview) teams all line up for the draft deciding maybe the next ten years of these player’s lives; where they live, their coworkers, how far away they are from family, everything. What if they don’t get chosen…? Now what? Well, nine days after that night is a chance to show everyone they were wrong. They join a Summer League roster and are grouped with 15 other players looking for the same opportunity. Some players have never met before and some of them don’t even speak the same language. For 10 days they “work together” and set out to accomplish one collective goal. While, truthfully, carrying out their own separate individual agendas. At the end of the day, they all need jobs.

 

For someone like 28 year old undrafted guard Jonathan Gibson, the Summer League may be his only shot to prove to an organization that he’s worth their attention and apparently he has…

Sources: The Dallas Mavericks and summer league guard Jonathan Gibson have agreed to a three-year deal, with guarantees.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2016

For someone like Justin Anderson, Summer League is a test of development. While getting increased reps that he wouldn’t normally get in regular season play.  He was drafted, making Summer League a very different experience than Gibson’s. Anderson is signed and under team control for at least the next four years, so his roster spot isn’t really in question.

 

Anderson and Gibson have been arguably the two best players on the Mavs team so far but couldn’t be in more contrasting situations. Anderson, should, be rewarded for doing the little things to help his team; hustling, staying active on defense, and hitting the open shots that he should get. Gibson however, is slated to make the Mavs roster but behind Seth Curry, Deron Williams, JJ Barea, and Devin Harris who are all probably getting minutes at the point this season. All that being said, how we view Justin Anderson’s stat-line should be different than how we view Jonathan Gibson’s stat-line.  Anderson’s trying to get better.  Gibson’s trying to prove he belongs.

 

There’s also a weird paradox that occurs when an audition process turns into an evaluation process. Audition implies no prior connection or agreement. Evaluation implies a partnership and desire to explore new possibilities in that.

 

The Mavericks are auditioning players like Gibson while also further evaluating their actual players like Justin Anderson.

 

Some coaches, maybe even the Mavericks coach (maybe he said this directly to me, maybe not) utilize their actual players in the same way that they will during the regular season. So we shouldn’t expect Anderson to be bringing the ball up on offense and running pick-and-rolls. Simba only executed pick-and-rolls as the ball handler 32 times last season, and only 5 times in the playoffs. For reference, JJ Barea ran a pick-and-roll 455 times last season.

 

In Summer League Justin Anderson should get 16-19 shots, as he has, but tonight he only attempted 10 shots which is fine. Some nights during the regular season Justin’s role in the offense doesn’t call for that many attempts and he can contribute in other ways.

 

Summer League is an amazing place to showcase certain players. Justin Anderson has been bringing it every game engaging on defense, constantly talking with guys during off moments in the games, and hitting shots as we saw last night. Hopefully Simba takes this momentum and rides it into this upcoming regular season. Even considering the few factors mentioned, Justin Anderson’s play and demeanor should have Mavs fans encouraged.