Day 3 of Orlando Summer League has come and gone, and once again there were a select few individuals who stood out among the pack. Interestingly enough, all three of the top performers from Monday have never appeared in a NBA regular season game. Two of them – rookies – seem to have bright futures ahead while the final member of the group is looking to finally get his shot in the league after spending the last few years overseas and in the D-League.
Below are the top three performances from the third day of action in Orlando:
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3. Willie Reed
Reed led the Pacers past the Celtics to kick off the set of games. After struggling out of the gate, Indiana ended the first half on a 22-2 run to take a 48-41 lead. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Reed emerged as the leading scorer, tallying 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding six rebounds and four blocks.
Reed most recently played for the Springfield Armor and Reno Bighorns of the D-League, averaging 14.7 points and 9.9 rebounds last season.
Following his impressive outing on Monday, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge was spotted giving Reed props for his play. If he continues on this path, Ainge may be giving him a contract offer, too.
The 10th overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft bounced back after a rough Summer League debut. Payton dropped 12 points – draining all five of his field goal attempts – while dishing out nine assists and grabbing down eight rebounds, falling just short of recording his first triple-double.
Although the 20 year-old is known as a defensive stopper, Payton can certainly hold his own on the offensive end, too. This will be vital to his success in Orlando for the upcoming season and beyond.
1. Mitch McGary
In his second Summer League game, McGary took form as the player we were accustomed to seeing at Michigan. The rookie dominated Brooklyn from start to finish, knocking down jumpers, driving into the lane aggressively, playing solid defense against 2013 All-Rookie First Teamer Mason Plumlee and even taking over some of the dribbling duties. The 22 year-old finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and one swipe.
And now, the big man is looking like one of the steals of the Draft as he slipped to No. 21 overall.
Who will shine on Day 4?
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