Maalik Wayns made his NBA Summer League debut in Orlando this morning, playing point guard for the Magic as he worked to try and impress the scouts and team personnel in the building enough to earn a spot on a regular-season roster somewhere. Wayns impressed observers, operating as more of a distributor than a scorer while he was on the floor and doing so successfully.
He played for 28 minutes in the game and had 11 points, 10 assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds, leading the team in assists. His +/- of +15 was tied for the best on the team. On the negative side, he committed 4 personal fouls and 3 turnovers in the game, both areas easily forgiven by the high assist number and the fact that he tallied a double-double.
The Magic aren't the only team who will be watching Wayns in Orlando, but they may be a good fit, with a lot of moving parts on their roster currently. Jameer Nelson is returning as their point guard however, but Wayns may be able to work his way into a back-up role.
One thing is sure, if Wayns can keep up today's stat line through the summer league schedule, he will be invited to a training camp somewhere.
The summer league is different from NBA D-League or other "minor" leagues. Current NBA draftees and veterans will play in the summer league as well as undrafted rookies, looking to catch on with a team. If the summer league does not result in a camp invite or NBA contract, players will have the option of entering their name in the D-League draft.