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Thursday, July 6, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Walton, Irvin adjust to
summer league competition
By JACOB SHAMES
Summer Managing Sports Editor
Unlike D.J. Wilson, his former
teammate on the Michigan men’s
basketball team, Derrick Walton
Jr. wasn’t projected to be draft-
ed in the first round of the NBA
Draft — or even in the second
round, for that matter.
Despite a collegiate career
steeped in accomplishments —
Walton left Ann Arbor third in
program history in games start-
ed, fourth all-time in assists, tied
for fourth in three-pointers made
and is the only Wolverine to score
1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds
and dish out 400 assists for his
career — NBA teams shied away
from him, due to his perceived
lack of explosiveness and short
stature, at only six feet tall.
But this by no means signaled
the end of Walton’s NBA hopes.
In recent years, similarly accom-
plished but undersized college
point guards such as Indiana’s
Yogi Ferrell and Penn State’s Tim
Frazier have played their way
onto NBA rosters and become
key rotation pieces despite going
undrafted.
Shortly after the draft, Walton
accepted an invitation from the
Orlando Magic to join their team
at the Orlando Summer League.
And If Walton’s performance
in the summer league play has
been any indication, he appears
to have a legitimate chance to
follow in the footsteps of Ferrell
and Frazier.
Over the course of the Orlando
Summer League, which began
July 1 and ends July 6, Walton
has averaged 10 points and 3.5
assists in 20.8 minutes per game,
while shooting 50 percent from
behind the arc and 46.8 percent
overall. With a 3.5 assist-to-turn-
over ratio, he has led the Magic
to a plus-21 rating when he’s on
the court, showing the same effi-
ciency he displayed at Michigan.
“We don’t get across the finish
line without him,” said Orlan-
do summer league coach Chad
Forcier in reference to Sunday’s
game against the Miami Heat,
in which Walton hit five of seven
shots, including two 3-pointers,
to help the Magic to an 81-68 win.
“We had a stretch there in the
second half where they cut into
our lead and it was starting to get
a little bit tight. He came up with
a couple baskets and ended up
controlling the tempo and giving
our team a sense of calm and hit
a couple timely shots. He’s been
tremendous and he has a fan in
me.”
Much of Forcier’s statement
will likely sound familiar to Wol-
verines fans. Michigan’s offense
ranked fourth in adjusted offen-
sive efficiency last season at
122.3 points per 100 possessions,
and it was Walton’s steady hand
that was responsible for much of
this success. He was a true floor
general — a collected, intelligent
presence with the ball in his
hands who had a knack for big
shots in key moments.
“I have a lot of confidence in
my abilities and every time I get
a chance to go and play, I just go
and showcase it,” Walton told
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free
Press
Sunday.
“Shooting
has
always been one
of the things
I’ve stood on
and running a
team and find-
ing guys. I’m
just going out
here and trying
to do it at the
highest level.”
The
skills
that Walton has shown so far in
Summer League action — basket-
ball IQ and shooting ability — are
the skills most likely to translate
to that highest level. Dynamic
athletes and high scorers such as
Russell Westbrook, James Hard-
en and Kyrie Irving have increas-
ingly taken control of the NBA
in recent years. And with this,
finding players able to operate an
offense at a high level when the
starters rest is crucial.
And even though he may be
lacking a few inches compared to
most of his competition, Walton
appears to fit that job description
quite nicely.
“A guy of my size and stature
is kind of a risk for most teams,”
Walton said. “I’m firm in my abil-
ities and being able to show it is
a relief. It’s easy for me because
I go out and do
what I do and
the doubters I
don’t pay any
mind.”
Sunday’s
game
might
have had some
extra
signifi-
cance for Wal-
ton, as Zak Irvin
suited up on the
other
sideline
for the Heat, scoring five points
on two-of-four shooting.
But despite having played
alongside Irvin for four years,
there was nothing unusual to
Walton about playing against his
former teammate for a change —
to Walton, it felt “like practice.”
“We compete all the time in
our spare time, one-on-ones and
things like that, but that’s my
brother,” Walton said. “It was fun
to see him out there.”
Added Irvin: “It was good to
see him. It was definitely weird
going up against him, us playing
four years. He did give it to me a
little bit. They did beat us. Hope-
fully, I get a chance to see him
down the road to get the chance
to even things up.”
Like Walton, Irvin was not
among the 60 players selected in
the NBA Draft, and accepted a
Summer League invitation short-
ly after.
Irvin, however, hasn’t had the
same level of success in Orlando
as Walton. The Heat are 0-4
in Summer League action, and
Irvin has struggled to find his
shot — he’s made just one of his 13
three-point attempts so far and
is averaging just 4.8 points per
game.
But Irvin, who is tied for first
all-time in games played for
Michigan and third in three-
pointers made, will have more
chances, as the Heat will begin
play at the Las Vegas Summer
League July 8. For now, Irvin
just hopes to gain experience as
he adjusts to professional basket-
ball.
“I’m enjoying the experience,”
Irvin told the Free Press. “I’m
trying to be a sponge and learn as
much as I can out there and just
getting better each game.”
“I’m just going
out here and
trying to do it at
the highest level”
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Zak Irvin has averaged 4.8 points per game in Summer League play with Miami.
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Derrick Walton Jr. has made a positive impression with the Orlando Magic.