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Batts Wraps, Cotton Begins SL Play

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Friday marked the end of the Orlando Summer League, and the beginning of summer league play in Las Vegas, meaning Kadeem Batts was finishing up, while Bryce Cotton was just beginning.

The early returns for both have been very good.

In four games, Batts averaged 9.3 points per game for Orlando, scoring in double figures in three of the four games he played. Batts shot nearly 55% (well up from his field goal percentage at PC) and grabbed over five rebounds in just 19.8 minutes per game. His most efficient showing came in his last game, when he scored 11 points in 14 minutes against the Celtics on Thursday.

Now Batts will wait to see if he met his goal: parlaying a strong summer league into an invitation to an NBA training camp.

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Friday night also saw Bryce Cotton start strong in Vegas. Like Batts, Cotton was extremely efficient for San Antonio, scoring 12 points on just four field goal attempts in 16 minutes.

The Spurs offense was unSpur-like (Austin Daye and his 5-18 from the field and 1-8 from 3 was tough to watch), but Cotton came off the bench and stayed patient. All three of his field goals were from long range — the first a step back from just inside the three point line with the shot clock running down, the next off of a crossover and jumper from 20 feet, while the third was vintage Cotton: a three point shot in which he was fouled.

Cotton made all five free throw shots he attempted in a very good night.

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Friday also featured Ricky Ledo (Dallas), Kiwi Gardner (Golden State) and MarShon Brooks (Sacramento).

Ledo wasn’t bashful, making 4-14 from the field, 1-4 from three and 5-9 at the free throw line, on his way to 14 points. He showed his diversified shot making potential with a 14 foot floater, a three, and a pretty step back, but he also turned the ball over six times.

Gardner and Brooks were bit players. Brooks made 2-3 from the field, while Gardner played just three minutes and missed his only shot attempt.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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