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The Summer League is in full swing and there are a bunch of former Big Ten players in action. Though this is not an NBA site, many of these former Big Ten players are fighting for a roster position in the Summer League. Success in the pros is highly related to a program's success, which makes the Summer League highly relevant for many of the programs in the Big Ten. Here are some of the highlights from the day.
We detailed the full Summer League rosters and now we are going to be following those players during their games this summer. Here are the highlights so far:
- Day One
- Day Two
- Day Three
- Day Four
- Day Five
- Day Six
- Day Seven
- Day Eight
- Day Nine
- Day Ten
- Day Eleven
- Day Twelve
- Day Thirteen
- Day Fourteen
- Day Fifteen
With that, let's take a look at how the Big Ten performed on this day of the Summer League.
2014 NBA Summer League Day 16 Stats
Sacramento Kings
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Nik Stauskas - Michigan
- 26 mins, 10 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 0 blks, 1 stl
- 26 mins, 10 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 0 blks, 1 stl
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Day Sixteen Thoughts
First, here is my intro I am putting in each of these posts:
"Please insert a "grain of salt" warning with everyone of my statements regarding the Summer League. The competition is much different than your typical NBA regular or postseason game. Frankly, you just aren't going to run into your LeBron or Durant type of players in the Summer League. This means that there are some weaknesses in players that just don't get exposed in these type of scenarios."
Essentially, it's fine to watch the Summer League and keep tabs, but if I say a guy is doing very well, don't just assume he's going to be NBA Rookie of the Year next year. Everything is in the context of the Summer League.
In terms of Day 16, Nik Stauskas had a decent night, but I think the biggest thing for him was being able to witness the Sacramento Kings win the Las Vegas Summer League. Whatever your opinion on the Summer League, winning is always a good thing and Stauskas got to experience that feeling from the start. Maybe it will be a sign of things to come for the Big Ten's highest Draft pick in 2014.
With Day 16 in the books, the 2014 NBA Summer League is officially in the books. In total, 37 former players from the Big Ten participated on a total of 22 different teams. Not a single day of Summer League action did not feature at least one former player from the Big Ten. In short, it was a big couple of weeks for the Big Ten.
We will have to wait and see what the impact of these games are on the Big Ten's overall representation in the NBA, but it seems pretty likely that the Big Ten is going to get a boost in the upcoming season. Not only did the conference do very well in the 2014 NBA Draft, but many players did well in the Summer League, including some players who were not on NBA rosters are the end of last season such as Kalin Lucas, Darius Morris, and Deshaun Thomas. Who knows who will make the rosters, but it seems pretty likely some of these guys are going to get some deals next season.
All in all, it was a big Summer League for the Big Ten and we will continue to cover it over the next few days as we wrap things up.
Stay tuned to BTP for more Summer League posts and follow @tbeindit for updates.