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It’s been quite a ride with this merry band of misfits that made up the Milwaukee Bucks summer league team. They’ve given us drama, with failed comeback attempts against Minnesota and Philadelphia. They’ve given us triumph, with a quite boring win over Atlanta. And they’ve given us world supremacy, conquering towering Team China with Zhou Qi and Yi Jianlian, who has gone from wrecking chairs in the post to firmly planting his caboose in one. Now, we say goodbye to Jock Landale, the rim-rolling Aussie, Matt Farrell, the man who looks the most like a Fighting Irish Man I’ve ever seen and the rest of the gang. They have a chance to notch the Bucks first winning summer league record since 2012. This has also been a cool aspect of Darvin Ham’s first year at the Vegas helm:
Josh Longstaff serving as head coach for the Bucks tonight. Patrick St. Andrews took the third Summer League game. Darvin Ham took the first two.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) July 11, 2019
Talked with Ham about not taking all four games earlier today and he mentioned how important it is for those guys to get reps as HC.
Bucks Player to Watch: Matt Farrell
Rayjon Tucker’s aerial acrobatics aside, Farrell has been my favorite watch of this summer team. His tenacity makes him look like an actual bulldog, and he plays like one on the offensive end. Mercilessly driving to the rim despite his diminutive size and pulling up from three when it seems quite irresponsible. I’ll miss seeing his close-cropped beard play with a whip-fast leap on his jumper and his reckless abandonment. Hopefully he and fellow Notre Dame alumni Bonzie Colson and Pat Connaughton got to hang.
Blazers Player to Watch: Anfernee Simons
Simons was a top high school recruit who reclassified before the draft, and the Blazers took a shot on the prospect hoping he could be a hit in the 20’s. He played balls-to-the-wall in last season’s finale where a shorthanded Blazers squad pulled off an upset the team never wanted, but he’s continued that trend in Summer League, averaging 22 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Here are his highlights from the 35-point outburst against the Jazz. Hitting the triples are nice, but his move snaking the pick and roll around the minute mark is much more impressive.
Game Details
A reminder that this will be used as the game thread again for anyone staying up on this delightful Friday evening. Happy commenting!
Tipoff time: 9:00 PM CST
Where to Watch: ESPN U