NBA teams use the summer leagues primarily to give rookies and first-year players valuable playing time. But they're also looking to uncover hidden gems.
No better example of that is guard Anthony Morrow, an undrafted 2008 rookie out of Georgia Tech who used last year's summer league games as a springboard to an NBA contract with the Golden State Warriors.
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Morrow scored 37 points in his first NBA start — the most by any player in his debut since the league first tracked such things in 1970. He went on to lead the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (46.7%).
"Last year's summer league changed my life," Morrow said. "If I hadn't gotten that opportunity, I probably would've gone overseas to play in Ukraine. The only thing I knew about the Ukraine was that it was cold."
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Morrow had played with the Miami Heat in the Orlando Pro Summer League, then Golden State's team, which played in the Las Vegas and Rocky Mountain Revue leagues. In seven games he made 17 of 23 three-pointers and averaged 18.1 points.
The Warriors signed him to a contract before he left Salt Lake City. He made their roster and averaged 10.1 points last season, starting 17 games.
After the strong rookie year, he's back playing summer league ball. He got 47 points Thursday against the New Orleans Hornets, the most in a game in the six-year history of the Las Vegas league.
"I think he can be a star player," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "I think he can average 20 points a game in the NBA. I've never had a harder-working player."
Morrow said he wants to improve his defense, passing and attacking the basket. He also knows teams will begin pressing him at the three-point line, so he'll have to do a better job of coming off screens.
"You can learn to be a good defender, and learn to see the game better," Nelson said. "But if you don't have a good touch, it's hard to develop one. Morrow has a pure stroke."
After drafting rookie Stephen Curry, the Warriors are crowded with perimeter players. They have Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette, so Morrow's star turn is likely to happen over time. Next season, his niche will likely remain as an offensive spark off the bench.
"He'll be in the rotation," general manager Larry Riley said. "We'll see how things shake out, who will start. All that's up in the air."
Are there any Anthony Morrows out there this summer? Riley doesn't see anyone of that quality. But Ryan Blake, the NBA's assistant director of scouting, believes some unheralded players could make NBA rosters.
"There are a number of guys who could be potential diamonds in the rough," he said. "But there's a fine line between great college players making a team and never getting in the league."
Sacramento Kings power forward Jon Brockman, from the University of Washington, "is a bull who can get after it," Blake said. Brockman was the No. 38 pick overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, who traded his rights to Sacramento. "He'll rebound, set picks and he's more than just a garbage scorer. If he's open, he can knock down shots."
Josh Heytvelt, a 6-11 undrafted forward/center from Gonzaga, "could easily fit on a team," Blake said.
He also likes two undrafted shooting guards — Dionte Christmas out of Temple and Antonio Anderson out of Memphis. He thinks Anderson also could play point guard and small forward.
"He's not a great shooter, but he's a great defender," Blake said of Anderson. "He's a guy who can pass, do the dirty work and go inside and score."
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