Summer Summary: There were plenty of bright spots for the Phoenix Suns this summer in Las Vegas
Jul 21, 2015, 11:03 AM | Updated: 11:04 am
Despite falling short in the championship game of the Las Vegas Summer League on Monday, the Phoenix Suns have plenty to hang their hat on after compiling a 5-2 overall record during NBA Summer League action.
The biggest payoff? The encouraging production from hopeful future mainstays in second-year pro T.J. Warren and rookie shooting guard Devin Booker.
The Suns also received a more expansive look into the evolving games of center Alex Len and guard Archie Goodwin — who each enter their third year with Phoenix next season — and a glimpse at potential diamonds in the rough in Mike James and Josh Harrellson.
Below we take an in-depth look at each of the aforementioned players, reviewing the summer that was for the Suns in Sin City.
Roster players
T.J. Warren
Warren was the team’s leading scorer during the Las Vegas Summer league with 18.7 points per game, which boosted him to be named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team. He played all seven games, adding 17 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes during the Summer League Final against the San Antonio Spurs.
Devin Booker
The 18-year-old was the Summer Suns’ third-leading scorer with 15.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. The No. 13 overall pick shot 40 percent from behind the arc, and scored 10 points in 29 minutes in Phoenix’s Finals loss to the Spurs. His Summer League high came Sunday, where he scored 31 points (and shot 5-for-9 on 3-pointers) against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Alex Len
Len missed two games due to precautionary reasons, but still averaged 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game during the summer. Len nearly had a double-double in the title game, finishing with nine points and 13 rebounds.
Archie Goodwin
Goodwin was the team’s second-leading scorer during the summer, averaging 15.9 points per game and shooting 46.8 percent from the floor. He scored 12 points in 28 minutes in Phoenix’s 93-90 Finals loss.
Hidden gems
Mike James
A Summer League roster invitee out of Lamar University, James played all seven games (starting five), averaging 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent on 3-pointers. The 6-foot-1 guard led the team with 32 points in the championship game. James had been playing overseas for Laboral Kutxa Vitoria in Spain before receiving the Summer League call.
Josh Harrellson
Harrellson averaged 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds on 57.1 percent shooting across seven games during the Summer League. The 6-foot-10 forward played just nine minutes against San Antonio, tallying three points. The former Kentucky Wildcat has not played in the NBA since 2013-14 with the Detroit Pistons.
