Originally posted July 12, 2018
The Summer Spurs, who finished round robin play with a 1-2 record and the 19th seed, take on the Summer Bucks at 5pm PST (7PM CST, 8PM EST) on Thursday.
If you missed the round robin action, my game recaps over on Project Spurs will catch you up:
The Summer Spurs will be without Summer League standout Derek White who remains out with a quad injury and second round pick Chimezie Metu who injured his wrist during the second game.
Regardless, with Coach Hardy holding the team to a higher standard, look for the Summer Spurs to be ready to play after having a day off.
The Summers Spurs will look to Lonnie Walker IV and Jaron Blossomgame to lead the way if they are to advance. Walker has shown flashes of athleticism and skill that has Spurs fans excited and Blossomgame has been the Summers Spurs most consistent player averaging 14 points and 7.7 rebounds on shooting splits of 16-25 (64%), 1-2 (50%) & 9-11 (82%).
Who joins Walker and Blossomgame in the starting lineup remains an open question.
While Oliver Hanlan is likely to start in the backcourt beside Walker he has struggled for most of Summer League, averaging 4.3 points on 5-21 (24%) shooting from the field. After an impressive Summer League last year and a solid season with the Austin Spurs, it would nice to see Hanlan seize the opportunity with White out and demonstrate the progress his his game.
In terms of the bigs, Drew Eubanks and Cory Jefferson started last game, with the latter quickly subbed out after the Spurs got off to a slow start. While Eubanks had some nice finishes at the rim, he is clearly a rookie and still has a lot to learn.
Regardless of who starts, look for Austin Spur Amida Brimah to get more playing time and for Coach Hardy to rely on veteran Jeff Ledbetter to be a stabilizing factor and a threat from downtown.
The Summer Spurs tip-off at 5pm PST (7pm CST, 8pm EST).
Go Spurs Go