That statistic really tells you all you need to know.
The Sonics finished out Summer League last night with an 0 for 5 record. What does that record really mean?
Not much.
Give the blame to guys who are completely irrelevant like Zabian Dowdell and Jermain Jackson who simply did not provide any guard play to speak of. Send a little more towards now 3 year veteran Johan Petro who should have been expected to showcase his experience at this camp. However remember that Petro's irrelevant also and you don't have to worry to much about the guys who will be the future of this franchise.
For the second consecutive game Kevin Durant showed why a huge part of his game is going to take place at the free throw line. The rangy, 6'10 player gets his shots off so quick, and will see so many of them that he practically lives at the foul line, going 11 for 13. In his career he may wind up with a FG% below .500 but there will be a lot of nights like tonight when he manages to go 8 for 19 from the field (42%) but still scores 28 points on those 19 attempts.
I am starting to come to the conclusion that Durant will play SG for the Sonics this season. Members of the staff have indicated that to me and if you look at his frame in extended minutes I am not even certain he is ready to play the 3(SG), let alone the 4(PF). It seems possible that he could begin his career on the wing, and transition straight over to the PF slot while Jeff Green anchors the SF position.
Speaking of Green...
What's not to like about Green's 32 point, 13 reb game?
Maybe the 5 turnovers were not so good...
Summer league stats do not mean much and even tonights 60 point combination was about as meaningful as the final score. Still I think Sonics fans should be extremely encouraged by the versatility Green showed. His buckets came from every part of the court. He handled the ball to create offense, took spot up jump shots, and cleaned up the glass for putbacks. The diversity of his skillset was not only impressive, it was entertaining. Green showed signs of why he could soon become a fan favorite and provide reason to watch games in a season when wins may be tough to come by. Here's the story on Green. He's a lot like former Sonic Desmond Mason except he has a jump shot, and a handle, and happens to be 4 inches taller. We all liked Mason right?
All in all a fun night for Sonics fans despite the loss. I certainly hope that the team keeps track of how much interest has been generated by broadcasting these summer league games. They will now move on to Salt Lake City for another 3 games in the Rocky Mountain Review, none of which will be televised. My hope is that they bring in a PG(Could we see Delonte West there?) and try to combine the Green/Durant scoring combo with some wins. That would build excitement moving forward.
Props to Gary Payton for being on the broadcast yesterday. GP has made it known in basketball circles that he would love to finish out his career with the SuperSonics and you could count me in as a supporter of that idea. While fans may remember a surley Payton who would resist any role as a backup or mentor it seems clear from the Glove's tenure in Miami as well as his comments last night that he has matured to the point where he should not be judged by his early years. A reunion between him and the Sonics, whatever the role would be a win, win, win as the team would benefit from marketing the franshise' most beloved player, Gary could go out on his own terms, and Kevin Durant would get the mentorship he expected from Ray Allen without having the ball taken out of his hands.
Lets do it.