OK, first time I've been to Cap City League this year. I only made it for the second and third games.
Niang looks more trim. His outside shot was horrible, but I suspect that is mostly related to weight-lifting and conditioning. His moves underneath when he twists around and lays up a reverse with his left hand are amazingly sweet. Great quickness with the ball near the basket and incredible knack for making the shots.
Dorsey-Walker had a so-so game, but he has really stepped his control of the game. He is a play maker who could do anything he wanted. My favorite moment was when he ripped a rebound away from somebody. His extra weight and strength make a huge difference for him.
Thomas is very disciplined for a kid right out of high school. One thing I noticed is that he is very composed. He didn't get rattled by missing shots or making an occasional mistake. He is also much stronger looking in person, especially his arms. Of course, he has a beautifully sweet spot-up jumper, but he also made nice moves to the basket, including one where he cradled the ball, took a bunch of swipes at it, and still went up strong to make the layup. It was the sort of thing I was looking to see if Dorsey-Walker could do, but nobody seemed to cover him as tough as last year when he made his moves. I love the combo of Dorsey-Walker and Kane making the action happen with Thomas spotting up for shots. There are a lot of points right there.
The star of the second game was Hawley from Drake. He was making tough shots from all over the court and really seemed to know how to be in the right place at the right time to finish plays initiated by others.
Palo was typical Bubu in CCL. He was able to drive and make plays at will. At one point near the end of the game, he got pulled to the bench and obviously wanted to get back in the game because the score was close. Like to see that fire to win. He went back in after a minute or so.
Gibson as noted was not trying that hard. On offense, he mostly stood outside and threw up 3s. On defense, he mostly took up space. He looks like his body is in good shape (I remember him being heavier last summer). I think he is just protecting his hand and not playing in a way that might injure it. As someone else posted, what happens all day outside of CCL is probably most important for someone like Percy.
Babineaux from Drake was a subtle force for Palo and Gibson's team. He scored something like 20 points on 6 dribbles. He has really long arms and would just get the ball underneath and make shots.
Naz Long was on fire offensively during his game. I didn't see the defensive fire that was constantly present with him last year, but he could fill up the basket. And he is a coach on the court. He is always scanning the court, giving ideas to others, and "helping" the refs. I also saw visions of McGee on many of his 3s where he catches the ball, jumps high, and releases quickly.
Abdel Nader was a delight to watch. The guys seems to really enjoy himself out there. He has very good size and strength, but I was very surprised to see how quick he was and how smooth his outside shot is. He is also pretty tough on defense with really wide shoulders.
Well, for what it is worth, those are my thoughts after seeing my first two CCL games this year.
