2008-09 News and Features

2009 Summer League: Day 1

The buzz around RDV Sportsplex, the site of the Orlando Pro Summer league, following the opening game was all about Marreese Speights 28-point performance.

More than one onlooker could be heard saying something along the lines of “that kid can play.”

However, it should come as no surprise as to who Speights biggest critic in the gym was.

“We’d still like to see him execute better,” said Sixers Head Coach Eddie Jordan to the media post game. “Stats don’t mean a whole lot. He may have had 28 or 30 [points], but he could have had 20 and given his teammates 10 somewhere along the line.”

For Speights, that message of tough love was a quick reminder that just because he’s no longer considered a rookie doesn’t mean he’s earned a golden pass with his new coach.

Jordan didn’t end it there. Of all of the impressive numbers Speights put up in the first game [28 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks]… Jordan’s biggest reaction was to a different stat.

“He shot some threes?” Jordan questioned after being asked if Speights two three-point attempts was something they were working on. “He shot two? No, he should have been closer to the basket a lot more!”

Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski has his own ways of motivating Speights. At the end of the season, Stefanski met with Speights and presented him with some areas in which he wanted to see him improve upon.

“We wanted him to rebound the ball better,” Stefanski said. “In this game, he had 11 rebounds. We wanted him to go after the ball a little more. Obviously, he’s big enough and athletic enough to get more rebounds.”

One game in, it looks as though Speights plans on making good on Stefanski’s request.

“He told me to go after all the rebounds that I could,” said Speights. “I’m a big man, so I got to be down there as the anchor.”

Although Stefanski was most impressed by Speights rebounding total, he didn’t forget about the 28 points he scored.

“He can shoot the ball!” laughed Stefanski. “He’s not afraid to shoot it either.”

*****

On the other end of Coach Jordan’s tough love for Marreese Speights was his assessment of 19-year-old Jrue Holiday’s first game as a professional.

“We like Jrue Holiday,” said Jordan. “We really like the way he defends. We like the fact that he’s a very poised young man, on the floor and off the floor; and he really competes. There’s no fear. He’s got a lot of confidence out there as a point guard.”

Holiday showed some of the poise Jordan spoke about when it was his turn to address the media.

“It’s a learning experience,” said Holiday. “There was some miscommunication out there. I blame it on myself, but it’s a learning experience.”

“I did have some bad turnovers, but it was my first game and I’m probably the youngest one out there,” admitted Holiday. “Everyone makes mistakes. My coaches and family are going to tell me what I did wrong, and that’s what I’ll work on.”

Stefanski also wanted to make sure nobody jumped the gun in their assessment of Holiday after one game.

“It’s summer league,” said Stefanski. “I thought he got tired down at the end and made some poor decisions because he was tired. But that’s something you have to learn to play through.”

With four rebounds, four steals and two blocks in his first experience as an NBA player, it’s clear Holiday can have an huge impact on the defensive end.

“What I really like about the kid is that he’ll defend,” said Stefanski.

****

Game 1 of the Orlando Summer Pro League probably won’t go down in the annuls of basketball history, but it was the first time Holiday and Speights shared the court, giving Sixers fans a glimpse of the maybe not so distant future.

The duo ran numerous pick and roll plays over the course of the game with just about every variable imaginable.

Speights combination of height, athleticism and shooting range presented quite the conundrum for the Pacers defense.

“He can definitely pop and shoot and can get to the basket,” said Holiday of his new teammate. “He can handle the ball… he’s pretty much an all-around player.”

Holiday displayed an effective crossover with the ability to drive either direction and hit nice 22-footer in the third quarter by way of a screen by Speights.

“He’s a pretty good young player,” said Speights of Holiday. “He’s exciting, athletic and can really play.”

It’s clear we’ll be hearing quite a few “Maaaarreese Speights! From Jrue Holiday!" calls over the public address system at the Wachovia Center for the foreseeable future.