Building A Career

Sonny Weems had a very nice pro debut on Saturday night.  In his first game of the NBA Summer League, Weems scored 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting as his Denver Nuggets defeated the 76ers, 99-85.

But what kind of pro will Weems be in the NBA?  That’s hard to tell right now, of course, but NBA scouts and general managers earn their salaries trying to find players like Sonny Weems.

Leading up to draft day, the knock on the former Razorback could be summed up in one word: inconsistent.

Nevertheless, the NBA is always looking for hidden gems who possess athleticism and potential, but that need skill development and coaching to succeed at the professional level.

And given the right environment and coaching, I think Weems will turn out to be a good — maybe even very good — player in the NBA.

Sonny made his case for the pros in the last half of his senior season and especially in the NCAA tournament against Indiana.  SI.com noted that in his draft bio:

“Maybe no player among this year’s crop helped his draft status more in one game than Weems did.  He had 31 points on 12-of-14 shooting in a first-round win over Indiana to lead Arkansas to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1999.  That game showed the promise Weems possesses following just two seasons against top-flight competition after transferring from junior college.”

The departure of Weems, along with the rest of the seniors that graduated this past year, closed out the Stan Heath era — a time period that produced more expectations than quality wins.

For all the talent supposedly recruited by Heath, only two of his players who made it on campus were drafted into the NBA.  And some might say that Weems and Ronnie Brewer had enough raw skill and athleticism to make it to the next level no matter who was coaching.  In reality, that’s probably pretty close to the truth.

But now it’s up to Sonny to make the most of this opportunity by working hard and learning how to consistently maximize his talent.  And being consistent means getting it done night in and night out…starting tonight with his second professional game against the Toronto Raptors.