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DaJuan Summers

DaJuan Summers profile
Drafted #35 in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Pistons
RCSI: 26 (2006)
Height: 6'8" (203 cm)
Weight: 243 lbs (110 kg)
Position: SF/PF
High School: McDonogh School (Maryland)
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
AAU: Cecil Kirk
College: Georgetown
Current Team: Goyang Carrot Jumpers
Win - Loss: 17 - 33

Articles

Situational Statistics: This Year's Small Forward Crop

Matt Williams
Matt Williams
Apr 24, 2009, 07:43 pm
DaJuan Summers has some very obvious physical tools and upside, but he will need to make some serious adjustments to his game to improve his efficiency.

His overall PPP of .96 is just below average, and much of his inconsistency can be attributed to how many catch and shoot jumpers he forced with a hand in his face. Summers took 54 guarded looks, hitting only 14 of them, but hit 45% of his 60 open looks. Considering those guarded attempts account for almost 20% of his shots and he finishes at a below average rate around the rim (1.16 PPP), Summers needs to improve his shot selection and learn how to use his terrific body around the rim in order to improve his efficiency. The fact that he doesn’t do much off the dribble either, being a very poor ball-handler, makes his jumper (clearly his biggest strength) that much more important to his offensive game. He isn’t overly efficient or weak in many other areas, and does draw fouls at a slightly above average rate (13.1%), but needs to show more versatility to complement the virtues and compensate for the weaknesses he displays from the perimeter.

College Road Report: UConn – Georgetown

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Dec 31, 2008, 10:34 pm
Georgetown’s leading scorer thus far, DaJuan Summers appears to have turned the corner midway through his college career and become a far more productive and efficient player. Not only is his scoring rate up by 25%, he’s also shooting the ball much more efficiently from the field, going from hitting 43% of his field goal attempts as a sophomore to 54% as a junior. From beyond the arc he’s making 42.5% of his 3-point attempts as opposed to 34% last season, while getting to the free throw line at a substantially better rate (7.4 attempts per-40 pace adjusted compared to 4.7). These numbers will likely drop as Georgetown enters the tougher part of their schedule with 17 more Big East games on tap, but his improvement thus far should be duly noted.

According to Summers, the difference has been in his overall mentality and approach to the game. In the press conference following the UConn game, he readily admitted that he was not always as team oriented as he needed to be last season, while talking about the importance of shot-selection and decision making. It was pretty impressive to see him take that type of responsibility rather than deflect the blame.

Summers is a pretty unique threat in the college game. Standing 6-8, with above average athleticism, and an excellent body, wingspan and frame, he’s a big-time mismatch threat at the power forward position for Georgetown. Now that he’s not relying quite as heavily on the 3-ball as the lone source of his production (42% of his field goal attempts come from beyond the arc this season, compared with 52% last season), he’s far more capable of making use of those physical tools to get the job done. Georgetown’s offense gets him many open looks around the basket thanks to the extensive motion and ball-movement they employ, and Summers has done a great job taking advantage of that, showing nice athleticism in the process.

Still a bit too turnover prone, Summers has regardless improved his ability to put the ball on the floor on straight-line drives and get to the rim, where he finishes very well. He’s using the threat of his shot to pump-fake and then take the ball strong—the main reason he’s getting to the free throw line so much better. Not the greatest ball-handler you’ll find, he definitely has his limitations as a shot-creator, and will still get into trouble on occasion when he tries to do too much with the ball.

Until he improves his skill-level—becoming more dangerous shooting off the dribble, being more explosive creating his own shot, improving his passing ability, or adding something resembling a post-game—Summers still projects primarily as an off the ball role-playing specialist—think Donyell Marshall. While he has the tools to be a very good defender (a big key for him as an NBA prospect), he’s not quite always as tough or active as you might hope, and is a pretty poor rebounder—something he must continue to work on this season. Whether NBA teams are ready to project him as a full-time small forward is anyone’s guess, but he’s certainly making strides in the right direction, and will have plenty of opportunities to continue to show himself.

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East (Part Two: #6-10)

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Scott Nadler
Scott Nadler
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Joey Whelan
Joey Whelan
Oct 27, 2008, 02:35 am
DaJuan Summers enters the 2008/09 season after a disappointing sophomore year where he showed little to no improvement. After the departure of Jeff Green to the NBA, expectations were high for him to elevate his game and become a legitimate NBA prospect. This did not happen, as Summers was unable to show the versatility needed to develop into a top scoring option on a very good Georgetown team. This year, those same expectations are present, and scouts and front office executives will be looking to see if Summers can break out of his shell and develop into the type of player many thought he would become after the intriguing glimpses of potential he showed as a freshman.

In terms of physical attributes, Summers looks the role of an NBA small forward, showing good size at 6-8 and 241 pounds. He will need to expand his offensive game if he wants to be an NBA 3-man, the position he will most likely be asked to play at the next level. As of right now he plays power forward for the Hoyas and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can make the transition.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the reasons for the lack of improvement for Summers, but one reason may be his decision making, and lack of versatility. He turned the ball over at a very high rate considering how little he put the ball on the floor, and shot far too many 3-pointers considering the type of accuracy he enjoyed. Over half of his attempts from the field came from beyond the arc, but he hit only 34% of them, which is not a very impressive clip.

That’s not to say he doesn’t have potential in this area as a floor spacer. Summers has an effortless stroke with very little wasted motion. His quick release allows him to get his shot off despite little elevation. Although his shot is a great asset, it may also contribute to his lack of development. According to Synergy Sports Technology, 43.35% of his offense consists of spot-up jump shots. Clearly, Summers relies way too much on his outside shot and settles for contested looks when he should be attempting to create more high-percentage looks.

With a good stroke and a willingness to let it fly, defenders are likely to bite on pump fakes which will open up driving lanes. Within the offense there are opportunities to penetrate and finish or drive and kick. It’s going to be interesting to see if Summers can take advantage of that or if Coach Thompson will have to put a few wrinkles in the system to accommodate his talents.

In accordance with that, Summers will need to show that he has improved his ball handling skills and is willing to attack the basket. Right now he is only attempting three free throws a game, which shows his reluctance to dribble drive. He has displayed flashes of what he can do, but not nearly enough to impress scouts. What is impressive is his length on the court and his overall skill-level. He is also a good (not great) athlete who can finish in transition and runs the floor well. With all of these factors, there’s no reason for Summers to rely solely on his outside shooting.

Defensively, Summers has all of the tools to be outstanding with good size, strength and athletic ability. With limited lateral speed however, Summers has a hard time keeping his man in front of him. He’s often late to close out, or simply can’t contain slashing forwards who like to attack. On the positive side, Summers does a great job contesting shots. With his long wingspan, he’s good at getting a hand up on shooters and disrupting shots.

This is a very important year for Summers, as his development appeared to stunt compared to what was expected from him. Perhaps with the absence of Roy Hibbert clogging up the middle, Summers will feel more comfortable stepping up and showing more versatility.

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East (Part Three: #11-#15)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Joey Whelan
Joey Whelan
Oct 25, 2007, 12:40 am
A freshman starter on a Final-Four bound NCAA tournament team, DaJuan Summers had plenty of opportunities to make an impression in the lofty shadows cast by Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green. Summers delivered for his team particularly down the stretch, scoring 15 and then 20 points against Vanderbilt and North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 respectively. With Green now off to the NBA, Summers will get his wish for a bigger share of the spotlight, likely stepping into the role of 2nd option offensively behind the unselfish Roy Hibbert.

Summers definitely seems up to the task, both physically and in terms of his mentality on the court. Built well at 6-8 and 240 pounds, Summers already looks the part of an NBA small forward. He’s a pretty good athlete on top of that, blessed with good quickness and noticeable explosiveness finishing around the basket. He’s also not afraid to use his athleticism either, possessing more of an aggressive go-to mentality than we typically saw from his predecessor Jeff Green for example, but not quite the versatility.

In terms of skills, Summers was primarily a spot-up shooter for Georgetown last year. In fact, 42% of his offense came in that fashion according to Synergy Sports Tech’s quantified stats, followed by transition play (16%), cuts to the basket (12.5%), offensive rebounds (10%), and finally one on one isolation plays (8%). Summers possesses a quick release and pretty good shooting mechanics, leading you to believe that he will develop into a dangerous perimeter shooting if he continues to put the work in. His shot was a little streaky in his freshman season—only hitting 33% from behind the arc and 41% overall—but that probably has more to do with his shot selection than with his touch or form. He did hit 42 3-pointers on the year, second most on the team.

Summers has two big challenges ahead of him before he will be able to garner immediate consideration as a legit NBA small forward prospect—his ball-handling and perimeter defense. In terms of his slashing game, Summers has a nice first step, along with the mentality needed to take advantage of unbalanced defenses, which means that he’s already going in the right direction. He also is smart enough to know how to move off the ball and find open spots, a necessity in Georgetown’s Princeton-style offense. The ball slows him down significantly, though, and he does not have the ability to execute advanced ball-handling moves needed to create his own shot from the perimeter on a consistent basis. He also lacks any real semblance of a mid-range game, something that is needed from a small forward at the next level.

Defensively, Summers has good tools: size, length, and strength, but does not take advantage of them enough to be a consistent threat on this end of the floor. His lateral quickness is average, making it a bit difficult to see how he will be able to stay in front of some of the more talented slashing small forwards the NBA has to offer, or be able to hedge or switch out defending the pick and roll. A lot of this has to do with experience, though, something Summers will definitely pick up playing heavy minutes at Georgetown, where the importance of defense is at a premium.

Rumors out of our nation’s capitol say that Summers is a little more eager to declare for the draft than your typical Georgetown player, so it’s not out of the question that he throws his name in the mix after this season.

At the Jordan Classic: Main Event and Regional Game Recaps

Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Apr 24, 2006, 12:35 am
Dajuan Summers had a pretty solid performance, continuing to show the same skillset he’s shown the past two days in practice. Summers got his points by spotting up from mid and long-range, and by using his combination of strength and quickness to get to the basket and score or draw a foul. Summers had trouble at the line today, missing four of six free throws, so that’s probably something he should work on. He did get to the rim very well, though, using his face-up game from the perimeter to take opposing forwards off the dribble. In driving to the hole, Summers on separate occasions used both and up-and-under move and a spin drive, which he laid in off the glass after taking some body contact in the lane. Summers wasn’t hitting most of his jumpers today, but did have an impressive fadeaway from three-point range, and has consistently shown pretty good form.

Defensively, Summers was active in the passing lanes, breaking up some passes and stealing a couple of others.

Summers is very well built for a high school senior and looks as if he’d be best served developing his game towards the PF position. But in talking with him, Summers plans to mold his game more towards a SF, noting that one player he looks up to is fellow Maryland native Carmelo Anthony. Time will tell what direction Summers’ game heads in, but his combination of strength and athleticism at a very well built 6’9 would certainly be intriguing for a SF. Summers didn’t show any back-to-the-basket moves during the Classic, but he did say that he is capable of scoring from the post, and that given the matchups here, he thought he was best suited playing a more perimeter-oriented game. At either SF or PF, Summers should be able to instantly contribute for Georgetown next season. In the meantime, he needs to develop more consistency on his shot, and perhaps work on those post moves that we’ve yet to see.

At the Jordan Classic: Friday Scrimmage

Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Apr 22, 2006, 09:35 am
Dajuan Summers followed up yesterday’s practice nicely, showing a diverse offensive game that is still lacking any back-to-the-basket moves. He showed nice form on his shot from three-point range, hitting one of his two spot-up attempts. He also hit a mid-range jumper from the baseline, to go along with drawing fouls on a few driving attempts. He also showed off his creativity in transition, having to adjust on one of his lay-ups for a reverse off the glass. Summers has yet to put his strong frame to work in the post, though it should definitely be in the cards in his future.

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