NBA Summer League 2014: Evaluating Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins was another former Iowa State big guy that’s struggled to make it in the NBA. He’s bounced all over the place — in the NBA, in the D-League, and overseas. But did a full season overseas and an opportunity with the Portland Trail Blazers this season improve his stock?

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Fresh off of a full international season with Stelmet Zielona Gora, Brackins played as their center in 42 games, averaging 7.5 points, 3.02 rebounds, and shot 66 percent from the free-throw line.

Brackins is hoping to make a comeback in the NBA and participated in his third summer league. In four games with the Blazers, he totaled 17 points, went 8-of-19 from the field overall (1-of-7 from downtown), had no free throw attempts, collected seven rebounds, two steals, one block, and three fouls and two turnovers.

Logging in just shy of 40 total minutes, there was a severe decline in action that he saw in previous stints with Boston and New Orleans (approximately 87 minutes and 122 minutes, respectively).

Brackins has played in a total of 17 NBA games and started one game between 2010 and 2012. After going back and forth between the Sixers and the D-League, the Los Angeles D-Fenders picked up Brackins on March 13, 2013, and he played in nine games.

About four months after that, he committed full-time overseas in hopes to make a return to the NBA.

Outlook: The clock is ticking for Brackins. If he’s going to make it in the NBA, this is the stage of his life where it has to happen. He’s committed to doing so, but unfortunately he didn’t really prove himself with the Blazers in the summer league.

There’s still hope that he’ll get picked up by a D-League team, but otherwise he may have to spend another team overseas.

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