Collision in the Ville: Sunday Afternoon MVPs

Dimitry Baylor-Nard looked impressive against the Bulls Elite. He showed multiple ways of scoring around the rim. He came away with a steal and scored in transition, finished in traffic, and hit a runner over a defender. He also drove and finished through contact. Some of his points came from the free throw line, as he showed that he can knock them down. His impact also came from his rebounding, as he was able to grabbed an offensive rebound and a few other rebounds.

James Amend was arguably the most impactful player that I saw at the event. He did all of the little things right, impacting the game in a multitude of ways. His help defense and shot contesting ability was at a top tier, he was coming away with steals, and even blocking shots. He knew how to utilize his height to make a massive impact on defense, but there was more to it. He came down with some rebounds and showed the ability to rack up points in multiple ways. He used his size advantage to drive to the basket and finish through contact, finished in transition, knocked down some free throws, and was able to get good positioning and finish inside. One thing that stuck out the most to me is his unselfishness. He was constantly putting his body on the line by setting one bruising screen after another, sometimes multiple times in one possession. He was not demanding the ball, but he would look to make the right play, not forcing up shots. It was a remarkable performance by him that expanded to things outside of the boxscore. Reminded me of Nick Collison with how he was constantly sacrificing and just cared about winning.

Justin Adkison played at an elite level against O.W.E UA Future. He was an elite shooter, knocking down five threes in the game. They were not all open either, as he knocked down contested jumpers that the defender was a step late on. He was also getting out and running in transition, where he was able to draw a foul and knock down the free throws. It was an impressive game shooting the ball for him.

James Pyter was effective on the glass against the O.W.E UA Future. He grabbed several rebounds, with a couple of them being offensive rebounds. He was able to turn one of these offensive rebounds into second chance points, where he finished inside over two defenders. That was not the only time that he scored, as he was scoring inside multiple times in this one. He provided solid defense with some good shot contest in this one, as well. It was a solid game from him, especially on the glass.

Robert Wright Jr. looked solid for his team. He showed the ability to regularly get to the free throw line, getting there multiple times and knocking down his free throws. He also showed the ability to drive gaps and either finish at the rim or make a nice pass. There was one play that he drove and made a nice pass to a cutter. The cutter missed the shot at the rim, but it was impressive that he fit a quick pass in a small window. He also came away with a couple of rebounds. It was a solid game for him against the Bulls Elite.