Diamond Stone leaves an impression
One of Stone’s many nicknames is “Chunk“. Why?
The No. 40 overall pick was called that because he was chunky most of his life.
However, that no longer describes the 19-year-old’s body.
At Maryland, Stone started taking diet and excercise seriously. He displayed an NBA body and chip on his shoulder in Orlando.
Stone also made some his own highlights at the Summer League.
Stone’s best performance was a 20 points and 7 rebounds outing during the first loss to the Knicks.
Overall, Orlando was a solid outing for Stone. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games.
“The big man ran the floor, showed good hands catching the ball at the end of the break, displayed nice post moves and even stepped out to knock down some mid-range jumpers.” NBA.com’s Fran Blinbury wrote about Stone.
Ultimately, Stone may not play a lot this year. He fell out of the first round because of questions about his polished NBA game. Stone needs to improve at rebounding and defense. However, he did showcase a lot of tools that indicate he play in the association. These include soft hands, explosive at the rim, solid passing and much more. Luckily, Stone will have time to learn behind DeAndre Jordan and Mo’ Speights.
Next: Who stepped up for C.J.?