It's fun when your team plays deep into the playoffs. It basically eliminates the word "off" from the off-season. Today we start the 10 days of Christmas in July that is NBA Summer League hoops.

Summer League is more about vibes than wins and losses. It's about getting first glimpses of rookies and seeing second year players look head-and-shoulders above the competition (hopefully). It's about end of roster players earning a spot on the team to begin the year.

Needless to say, I'll be watching closely whenever any of the three rookies, Johnny Furphy, Tristen Newton, and Enrique Freeman, are on the court.

Novelty aside, I think the two players with the most to gain (or lose) are Kendall Brown and Jarace Walker. Carlisle has said that Walker is fully under the microscope due to a perceived lack of motor last season. Nobody has questioned his work ethic, so the issue seems to be more if his play style fits with the team. If he simply can't play with the aggression they want from him, you wonder if the front office doesn't get tempted to trade him for a piece that can help the Pacers return to the Conference Finals this year.

While Brown has a contract, he's the first guy on the chopping block should the team decide it needs to create space. He's been a tantalizing athlete since he came into the league two years ago but he hasn't quite proven he belongs. In fairness to him, he missed significant time during his rookie year with injuries, so he's playing a bit behind the curve. Still, this is a cut throat business and if he wants to stick around he'll need to show that he's better than the average Summer League player.

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET.

TV: NBATV

See ya in the comments!

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