The Summer League Nuggets are off to a hot start in Vegas. Denver is sitting at 2-0 after wins over the Timberwolves and the Celtics and they’ll look to snag their third win in four days against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
The Bucks Summer League team is highlighted by D.J. Wilson and Donte DiVincenzo, though the latter hasn’t played yet for Milwaukee thanks to a groin injury. The Bucks have split their first two games and are coming off of a 81-78 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (2-0) vs Milwaukee Bucks (1-1)
When: 7:00 PM MT
Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
How to watch: ESPN3
Who to Watch
Tyler Lydon failed to stand out in the Minnesota game and he never touched the floor in Denver’s shellacking of the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. It is unclear if Lydon will play tonight, but he’s running out of time to impress the coaching staff and earn the trust of the fans. His performance against Minnesota was fine, he played solid defense and corralled seven rebounds, but he took just three shots. Lydon will never be a first, second, or third option offensively, but against this level of competition it would be nice to see him assert himself as a capable and confident player.
The pressure on Lydon to perform has intensified thanks to the rise of Vlatko Cancar. Cancar’s box scores haven’t been all that impressive, but he’s passing the eye test with flying colors. Cancar has displayed tremendous instincts, sneaky athleticism and frankly, he just looks like an NBA player. His size, the way he moves, the way he sees the game—everything we’ve seen from Vlatko thus far suggests he’s closer to NBA ready than we ever imagined.
Kenrich Williams has shown flashes of NBA level defense and rebounding but he hasn’t made much of an impact offensively. Williams was invited to Vegas for that tenacious defense and infectious hustle, but he wasn’t as limited offensively in college as he’s looked through the first two games. Williams is still in the running for that second two-way contract and could use a stronger performance on the offensive end.
Malik Beasley needs to be better. The respectable point totals have been there—and will probably be there again tonight—but he’s just not showing any growth as a player. Malik is a hooper—he fears nothing and relishes every opportunity to show off his ludicrous leaping ability. Attack mode would be an understatement. But he’s just not thinking the game through at an NBA level yet. The poor decision making is becoming concerning.
