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Three Key Areas to Watch for Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas Summer League
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- Three Key Areas to Watch for Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas Summer League
(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
The NBA's Salt Lake City Summer League is over. For fans around the league, though, the real Summer League begins in Las Vegas.
Participation in Salt Lake was limited to just four teams. The Vegas festivities will feature every team in the league, so it's a much larger sample size of competition.
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The Memphis Grizzlies were one of the teams that found themselves in Utah. Despite finishing 1-2, they gave fans plenty to be encouraged by.
Here are three statistical areas they should keep an eye on heading into Vegas.
1. Cameron Boozer 's Efficiency (and Volume)
The 16.5 points per game Boozer averaged in Salt Lake City won't knock your socks off, but it's the way he got those points that was impressive.
Boozer shot 65.0% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. That level of efficiency almost certainly won't hold up over an 82-game season. If anything, the Grizzlies would likely prefer Boozer to hunt for a few more shots, even at the expense of efficiency. If he's going to be a featured NBA weapon, he's going to have to get used to being aggressive, even if sometimes it feels like it's coming at the expense of team basketball.
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Still, it's worth noting that his shot selection in Salt Lake City was fantastic. That's likely to carry over into Vegas, and even into Boozer's NBA career. Once he finds the right balance, he should be unstoppable.
2. Olivier-Maxence Prosper 's Production
Boozer didn't singularly lead the Grizzlies in points per game in Salt Lake City, as his 16.5 per game actually tied with a teammate. The fact that the teammate was Olivier-Maxence Prosper came as quite a surprise.
Prosper is an intriguing NBA player, but he's largely been viewed as a standstill shooter on offense. That wasn't the case in Salt Lake. Prosper was creating his own shots and was quite efficient (52.6% from the field, 45.5% from deep) while doing it.
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Whether it's a sign of what's to come, and whether Prosper finds a larger role with the main roster next year, is hard to say. But as a solid defender and floor spacer, his NBA projection changes considerably if he can add shot-making to his list of qualifications.
3. The Grizzlies' Assist Total
Throughout Salt Lake Summer League, Memphis averaged 23.7 assists per game. That was the best mark in the tournament.
In their final loss to the Hawks, they managed just 17 helpers. Granted, Boozer wasn't playing. He's an offensive fulcrum that encourages ball movement across the roster, and the Grizzlies will want to get back to that identity once he's back on the floor in Las Vegas. It's an approach that complements their roster and could fuel their success throughout the Boozer era, which, according to some, starts in Vegas.
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