Undrafted Boston College guard Tyrese Rice will be playing with the Washington Wizards summer league team. At first glance, this does not look like the best fit for him. Obviously undrafted players rarely make NBA rosters right away, but the Wizards are set up so that Rice may not even get minutes on their summer league team.
First, let's look at the NBA Wizards. In terms of guards, they have Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye, Javaris Crittenton, and both Nick Young and Mike Miller are capable of playing shooting guard too. Mike James is also available, and played major minutes while Arenas was injured. So it does not appear likely that Rice could make the Wizards, which is not a major problem.
However, let's look at the Wizards summer league roster so far. Only five players have been named so far, but four of them are guards. In addition to Rice, Crittenton and Young both will be playing in Vegas. Since both were first round picks and have guaranteed contracts, they will likely get the bulk of the minutes in the backcourt. It is possible that Young will play small forward, but unlikely. The other guard on the roster is West Virginia's Alex Ruoff, who I personally do not consider a real threat to Rice but will probably get some minutes.
Crittenton is a tall (6'5") point guard and as such would fit well with Rice next to him. I would be interested to see how Rice plays next to him (if they get the chance), as a team with a tall PG would be ideal for Rice coming off the bench. Crittenton is not much of a shooter, which is fine because Rice can knock down open looks with the best of them.
Rice's summer league performance is essentially just an audition for a future NBDL team. It will be interesting to see how the Wizards use Rice in Vegas, and may give us a better idea of what NBA teams see as Rice's future. The same will be true for whatever role he ends up playing in the NBDL.
Continuing on the topic of Rice, Steve Lavin named the Eagles star to his 2009 All-Undrafted Second Team at shooting guard, behind Marquette's Jerel McNeal. Here's what Lavin had to say about Rice:
"Rice is a diminutive, lefty combo guard who, pound for pound, was one of the most productive players in all of college basketball over the past 3 seasons. The accolades are endless for Rice who was All-ACC during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. Don't forget his 25 points and 8 assists to lead BC over the National Champion UNC Tar Heels at the Dean Dome last season. With a pure jump shot and a feared scorer's mentality, Rice reminds me of the one-time Bearcat and NBA guard, Nick Van Exel. Tyrese is one to keep an eye on."
Lavin pretty much hits the nail on the head here. Rice had some struggles last season, but his shooting and fearless nature could give him a shot at making an NBA roster long-term. Van Exel certainly had a long and prosperous career despite being just 6'1", a second round pick, and far from a natural point guard.
One more note about Boston College basketball. Andy Katz of ESPN has just published his Top 25 for next year. He has the Eagles checking in at #22, and although that may be high, it is good to see the Eagles getting national respect. Katz has this to say about Al Skinner's squad:
22. Boston College: The Eagles lost Tyrese Rice. But anyone who watched this squad knows they were at their best when he wasn't the focus. BC is a solid team that won't be knocked easily. Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, Joe Trapani, Reggie Jackson, Biko Paris, Tyler Roche and Josh Southern aren't going to scare anyone individually. But that collection of players and Al Skinner's consistent approach results in consistent wins.
Though I am not sure what Tyler Roche is doing on this list (or in Al Skinner's rotation), the Eagles have lost just one player (albeit a big one) from last year's team. Sanders and Raji made a great deal of progress last season, and Southern flashed potential to be the man in the middle BC has lacked the past couple seasons. Jackson had an up and down freshman season but showed that he has a good base of skills and is fearless going to the rim.
Although Tyrese Rice was the Eagles' best player, the team did better when they were not standing around waiting for him to take charge. I think this bodes well for Rice in the future, as no NBA team would ask him to be the focal point of their offense, but to chip in with a few buckets off the bench. Rice's summer plans will give BC basketball fans something to watch this summer while waiting for fall basketball at the Heights, a season for which there already seem to be high expectations.
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