After missing the first of his Summer League games due to the flu John Henson got on the hardwoods for his squad’s second match, and did so in a very nice way. The former North Carolina basketball player almost had a double double in his debut as a professional basketball player as the Milwaukee Bucks lost a tight one to the Miami Heat, with the final score being 78 to 75. In the game, which was played at the Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, NV, Henson scored 20 points (8 for 17 ~ 0 for 0 ~ 4 for 4) while having nine rebounds, a steal, a blocked shot and a somewhat high five TOs while being +1 pts differential in just over 34 and a half minutes of playing time. Not a bad start in the NBA for the 6’11″ forward, who with some extra pounds on him will be very good at his position for many years to come.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFLOXIt5ZwY&w=640&h=360]
In watching the game one thing came to mind… John Henson can be a scorer if given the chance, and not just an average one, but a reliable scorer. He had two nice hook shots go in that looked like no one in the NBA could block, as well as a couple of nice offensive rebounds that turned into points as he went up strong, something that admittingly he didn’t do as much as he should have when playing for head coach Roy Williams at North Carolina. And yes, just like I have said with all the other newcomers into the league one game does not a season (or a career) make, but it can give you indications on how the young man can fare going forward. From what I saw in the 30 plus minutes of action, I have to say Henson is looking good for the next level.
With three more games for the young man out of Chapel Hill it’s going to be interesting to see how the chemistry with Tobias Harris keeps going. In the first game they seemed to be in total sync, if it continues this can only be good news for the Milwaukee franchise. With three more games for the squad and for the former North Carolina basketball player there is plenty of more of oppurtunities to see what he can do on both sides of the ball, which should be a sneak preview to what the regular season could be for Henson. You can watch the power forward Thursday vs the NBDL squad (10:00 pm EST), Saturday vs the Boston Celtics (10:30 pm EST) and finally Sunday vs the Chicago Bulls (4:00 pm EST) on NBA.tv. And of course for all the updates on the quartet in the Summer League make sure to check back here on isportsweb!