Psychological strength is a very important aspect of every player who performs in the NBA.
However, many stars struggled with the mental aspect of personality during the history of the most popular national league on the planet. Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, Royce White, and many other players that left a mark in basketball pointed out the significance of psychology in preparation for the fixture and reaction to the game.
One of the guys who put himself on the basketball map thanks to willpower was DaJuan Summers. He used his best characteristics to improve his skills on the court and off the court.
What happened with DaJuan in his high school days?
At a very young age, Summers enrolled in a McDonogh School in the state of Maryland. DaJuan scored 20.4 points, and 11.6 rebounds per game leading his team to an excellent 23-6 score and qualifying for MIAA A Conference final.
In his senior 2005/2006 year, DaJuan Summers averaged 29.2 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists per game helping the squad to a 19-6 record. After the end of high school days, he attracted the attention of many experts scoring 1502 points.
Eventually, the star of today’s story was included in the list of best small forward and overall best players in the nation finishing in 9th and 23rd place respectively for 2006.
What did the player’s college career look like?
Following two years spent in the high school team, DaJuan moved to college to represent Georgetown.
In the first season, Summers scored 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game which was enough to be appointed in the 2007 Big East All-Rookie Team.
The second season was more lucrative for DaJuan Summers as he averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game during the 2007/2008 campaign.
This was followed by junior season where the hero of our today’s story represented Georgetown in 31 fixtures scoring 13.6 points, grabbing 4.1 rebounds, and making 1.3 assists per game.
Which club was DaJuan’s first in the most popular national league on the planet?
Detroit’s coaching staff saw what Summers was capable to do in college and high school days and decided to pick him in the 2009 NBA Draft. DaJuan was signed with the 31st overall pick and joined the roster where already were Ben Wallace, Will Bynum, Tayshaun Prince, etc.
Eventually, Pistons ended the season in disappointing 12th place in Eastern Conference with a 27-55 score, while Summers averaged 3 points and 1 rebound in 9.2 minutes per game.
How was DaJuan’s second season in Pistons?
Playing together with Will Bynum, Tracy McGrady, and Ben Gordon in Motor City was a magnificent experience for Summers.
The second campaign brought challenges to DaJuan as Detroit was facing new problems in games during 2010/2011. Pistons were struggling with form, but that didn’t affect the ex-college star’s performances in the 22 games in which he participated.
Finally, his scored 3.4 points per game were in the shadow of Detroit not qualifying for the playoff. The team from Eastern Conference needed a change of strategy and tactics since they missed the playoff for the second time in a row.
Where did DaJuan Summers try to find his luck next?
Following two campaigns with Detroit, Summers wanted to experience something different and that desire took him to Europe. Italian giant Montepaschi Siena made a two-year deal with DaJuan hoping he would bring a new dimension of quality to the roster for the national and European challenges.
After only four months, a team from Siena and DaJuan Summers surprisingly decided to end the collaboration. The player ended European adventure with only 4 points per game on his score sheet representing Montepaschi in only one fixture in Euroleague.
What was next DaJuan’s station in the NBA career?
After parting ways with Detroit Pistons, Summers was in search of another employer in the most popular national basketball league in the world. New Orleans, the team from the city of jazz, hired DaJuan by signing a contract with him on December 9, 2011. The Hornets squad included Marco Belinelli, Emeka Okafor, Jarret Jack, and many other stars and aimed to make big results in that season.
In the 2011/2012 season, DaJuan Summers scored 4.5 points and grabbed 1.5 rebounds per fixture. Despite his numbers increasing compared to 2010/2011, New Orleans Hornets ended a poor campaign in the last place of the Western Conference standings.
Where did Summers play after the disappointing New Orleans experience?
Signing a 10-day deal with La Clippers on March 15, 2013, was the next move for Summers in chase of NBA glory. An amazing roster full of good players like Chauncey Billups, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Lamar Odom welcomed warmly newcomer and ex-Detroit small forward.
DaJuan searched for his form in an attempt to revive his career in the city of Angels, but he simply couldn’t find it. The finishing campaign in which La Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the playoff with 1 point per game and miserable 3.5 minutes per game was not a major boost ahead of the next player’s challenges.
How was playing DaJuan’s experience after Los Angeles?
Team Budivelnik from the Ukrainian city Kyiv decided to buy DaJuan Summers ahead of the beginning of the 2013/2014 season believing that he can complete the missing part in the squad. The one-year deal was signed, so the American small forward started playing in the Ukrainian league and EuroCup for Budivelnik.
The team from Kyiv won the 8th league title by winning against Khimik with 3-1 in the finals, while this club lost the EuroCup’s quarterfinal against Red Star Belgrade. DaJuan Summers ended time in Kyiv scoring 12.3 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds per fixture in 10 played games.
Where did DaJuan Summers play in the Big3 league?
Major setbacks marked DaJuan’s career in NBA, while experts had the impression that the ex-La Clippers star didn’t meet expectations of him. Something told him that it was time for a new environment in 2022, so Summers appeared in Big3 2022 draft. Team Tri State picked the hero of today’s paragraphs in the first round within 7pick.
A powerful quartet of Nate Robinson, Justin Dentmon, Larry Sanders, and Jason Richardson were already a threat to the biggest teams of Fireball, so strengthening with Summers and Garlon Green only made them fiercer.
At the end of the season, Tri State didn’t qualify for the playoff making Summers disappointed once again. Consolation for the player was getting the 4th Man of the Year Award scoring 12.25 points per game off the bench.
DaJuan Summers was criticized early in his career because of his focus on scoring, instead of contributing to the team’s goals. Improving in this segment and concentrating on other ways of affecting the team’s performance was a great decision. His workaholic mentality, ability to shoot for three points, and versatility make DaJuan desirable for many clubs on the market.
At first, his physical strength was something that Summers was missing. Later, DaJuan worked on his athleticism and evolved in this area.
Da Juan Summers maybe didn’t win any major accolades in his playing biography. However, his drive and determination were visible to spectators, teammates, and basketball experts throughout whole Summer’s career. It is undeniable that fans saw in his moves passion and honest love towards this magical game.
His major message to anybody who wants to try to become the new LeBron James or Stephen Curry is to work hard and never give up. According to his opinion, character is a crucial factor that separates success from failure. This attitude still didn’t bring him any trophy. But, who says it won’t in the future?
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