OKC Thunder: Opportunity knocks for Deonte Burton and Tyler Davis

Burton impresses in Vegas:

In limited time during Summer League, both players had their ups and downs. It wasn’t always pretty, but both showed enough promise to get some run in the NBA. Just don’t mistake them for lottery picks.

The player who Thunder fans had their eye on the most going into summer ball was our own Deonte Burton. After a slow start in the loss to the Hornets, Burton hit double digits in scoring in the win against Brooklyn. He went on to post nine points against the Raptors and just two in the loss to Memphis, before hitting the game winner against Orlando in the finale, scoring a team-high 17 points.

Other than scoring, Burton did a surprisingly good job on the glass with eight rebounds in two games. However, consistency is lacking for the young wing at the moment. Burton had a pair of two-point outings, each with around 20 minutes of playing time. He also had his fair share of turnovers with six in the opener against Charlotte and four in the win over Toronto.

Davis role plays with Nets:

For Davis, his role with the Nets was more limited to Burton’s with OKC, but it was still enough to earn him a temporary roster spot. Davis’ presence was felt in more ways than one on the court, as the big man bullied his way to the rim multiple times.

Being undersized, he was still able to generate some mismatches in the post thanks to pick-and-roll opportunities which came often due to his scoring ability. He showed excellent touch around the rim on several occasions and has a respectable jump shot with a pair of 3-pointers in his four outings with the Nets.

While there weren’t any glaring weaknesses to Davis’ game during summer league, it’s hard to believe his strengths are going to carry over quite as well in the NBA. He might’ve been able to throw his weight around with relative ease during summer ball, but doing it against the league’s best rim protectors will be a different story. And mismatches may not be so severe against versatile wings who can guard multiple positions.