NBA Summer League kicked off today in Orlando, and while you can’t put much stock in anyone’s performance, it does provide a chance to see the NBA’s top rookies get their first taste of (somewhat) structured pro action. One game Saturday morning featured two such players: Aaron Gordon (Magic) and Nerlens Noel (76ers). Noel, you’ll recall, sat out last season while rehabbing from an ACL injury suffered in college. Gordon, meanwhile, is the athletic superfreak from Arizona who was selected #4 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Both of them made their presence known early. Noel’s first bucket came 20 seconds into the game on a nice dunk following a pump fake. Gordon’s first basket — also a dunk — came about two minutes later on a fast break two-hander. In the fourth quarter, Gordon showed off his athleticism by corralling the ball on an incredible block to stop a fast break.
Noel finished the game with 19 points, 4 steals, 2 rebounds and a block, while Gordon finished with only 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field.
[NBA]
