LAS VEGAS -- There might be some teams kicking themselves for passing on 6-foot-5 Italian combination guard Marco Belinelli in the NBA draft if his early showing at the Las Vegas summer league is an indication of his ability.
Bellinelli was sensational by scoring 37 points in his opening game and then added 23 in the Warriors 94-87 win over the Sixers.
Golden State selected the 21-year-old Belinelli as the 18th pick in the first round. He has a Kyle Korver-type release on his shot and deep range. Bellinelli shot 5 for 8 from beyond the arc against the Sixers. He was only 9 for 23 overall from the field, but even many of his misses looked good.
When he scored 37 in a 110-102 win over the Detroit Belinelli hit 14 of 20 fro the field, including 5 of 7 from three point range.
Said one scout: “He’s played against great competition at a high level and I think he is the type of player who can help Golden State immediately.”
The Sixers had the 12th and 21st picks and it says here that they made a solid picks with Thaddeus Young at No. 12. The only way they could have gotten Belinelli is if they traded up higher than they did. (The Sixers did move from 21 to 20 in a trade with Miami that landed them Jason Smith.)
Now again, we have to give the usual disclaimer – this is only summer leagues, and just two games, so let’s not get too hasty with our judgment.
Still, Belinelli is playing for a Warriors team whose fast-paced offense is suited to his needs. The Warriors offense gets players open shots and Belinelli will surely benefit from that. At the least here’s one prediction – Belinelli will one day win the NBA three-point shooting contest during all-star weekend. We’re not ready yet to put him in the actual all-star game, but will be watching closely.
Belinelli also showed an ability to get to the basket during one impressive driving layup against the Sixers. And in the first few days, he has been one of the most impressive players in Las Vegas.
Who knows what type of career he will have, but there are likely some teams that are reassessing what they did in draft night to allow him to fall past the middle of the first round.
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Belinelli Begins Unbelievably
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Marc Narducci is in his 23rd year as a sports reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 2007-2008 season will be his first as the 76ers beat writer. For the past two seasons, Marc had been the backup writer for the Eagles. Over the past few years Marc covered the NBA, NHL and Major League baseball as well as writing on sports media. Prior to covering professional sports, Marc was a long-time high school sportswriter for The Inquirer's South Jersey section.
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