No one who played in the Summer League or Rocky Mountain Revue may have more misleading numbers than Amundson. Not only did he play hurt in 7 of his 8 games, but he also saw limited minutes in most of Philadelphias contests. Amundson is the type of workhorse player that quickly grabs attention in a Summer League setting, translating his aggressiveness into production.
On the offensive end, Amundson works hard for everything he gets. He fights for position on the block, and never gives up on offensive rebounds. Amundsons rebounding numbers arent representative of his impact on the glass, since he tips numerous misses to teammates and grabs essentially every loose ball even remotely in his area. Though his jumper isnt terribly consistent, it can be a weapon when he has time and space. Most of Amundsons baskets this week came from dunks and layups off of posts up, fast breaks, and pick and rolls. Amundson finishes quite a few tip dunks, since he runs the floor so hard behind the initial break.
Amundson is dynamite at using pump fakes when he faces resistance around the rim, and protects the ball with his body to get to the line. Amundson appeared to have turned things around from the line early in the Summer League, but quickly reverted back to his inconsistent nature. The only positive on that front is that his shot appears to have much more touch, and that is something that wasnt true about his stroke from the line in the past.
Defensively, Amundson goes after every shot that goes up in his vicinity. Though he doesnt always get the block, he does a sound job of altering shots without fouling. In back to the basket situations, Amundson doesnt give up any easy buckets, fronting his man and using leverage to take away passing angles. One of the things that made Amundson an effective defender this week was his competitiveness. Amundson is not afraid to get dunked on, and didnt back down from anyone in any situation.
It is hard not to enjoy watching Amundson play, as he does all the little things to help his team win. Take his screen setting ability for example; Amundson gets low and wide when setting screens, making it easy for his teammates to rub their man off and turn the corner. While things like that wont show up in the boxscore, they are the things that made Amundsons performances in Vegas and Salt Lake City so impressive. Amundson was easily the hardest working player in the Summer League, and he did his best work on a sprained ankle that caused him to miss an entire game. His production while injured is a telling example of type of player he is.
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