By Patrick Hayes

Former Michigan and Detroit Pershing star DeShawn Sims had some impressive moments as a member of the Phoenix Suns’ Summer League team. In order to get a better feel for how he performed, I reached out to Ryan Weisert (follow him on Twitter), who covers the Suns for Valley of the Suns in ESPN’s TrueHoop Network. Here are Ryan’s thoughts:

What I like most about DeShawn Sims is his inside-outside game. At 6’8″ 225, he has the size to score and rebound inside, especially against smaller defenders. He is also an excellent shooter from beyond the arc. In the 2010-11 D-League season, Sims shot 39.5 % from three. He continued to have confidence in that outside shot during the Vegas Summer League. By making defenders respect his ability to score from range, DeShawn gives himself the opportunity to penetrate and get into the key making him a very versatile offensive player. One of the things I would like to see him improve on however is his ability to finish at the rim off the dribble. The other flaw to correct is his free throw shooting. Small forwards hoping to catch on with an NBA team have to shoot better than 70% from the line.

In terms of whether or not DeShawn will get an invite to Suns’ training camp, there are a few things complicating that issue. The first is the signing of P.J. Tucker. Tucker was another wing on the Summer League team who I wasn’t particularly impressed with, but who received a contract nonetheless. The other complicating factor is the impending acquisition of Wesley Johnson. While the deal is currently being held up for CBA reasons, it will give the Suns another option at small forward which could leave Sims on the outside looking in. Overall though, I think Sims was the most impressive player on the Suns’ Summer League team aside from Markieff Morris. The one thing that might prevent him from garnering an invite though, is the fact that he seemed to regress over the course of the five games after his 16-point debut in Vegas.