The expected three-Jayhawk NBA Summer League matchup was not to be Thursday night, as Gradey Dick and David McCormack both sat out for Toronto, but Jalen Wilson softened the blow to Kansas fans a little.
Wilson scooped up an offensive rebound on an errant layup attempt by Kennedy Chandler, tossed it high off the backboard and fist-pumped as it sank in for the overtime game-winner as his Brooklyn Nets defeated Toronto 99-94.
The Summer League’s overtime format follows the Elam Ending popularized by The Basketball Tournament, in which the clock switches off and teams begin playing to a target score (in this case, 98) late in the game. Wilson’s putback prevented any chance of Toronto scoring the last four points to snag the victory.
It also completed a productive night for the second-round pick on which he scored a team-high 17 points and added seven rebounds and an assist. Those numbers almost exactly matched his averages across four Summer League appearances.
The stats are particularly meaningful because Wilson has teamed up with Wilson, the sporting goods brand, to donate $100 per point and $50 per assist to Brooklyn chapters of the YMCA. That means he’s up to $7,050 through four games, with more action left to go — as of Friday morning, the Nets were positioned well to make it to the Summer League semifinals as one of the top four teams in the competition. (They’ll still get to play more either way, though.)
Dick, who was the Raptors’ lottery pick, and McCormack didn’t play Thursday night but have had their fair share of moments in Las Vegas so far, most notably combining for a highlight-reel play against Detroit on Wednesday. McCormack saved a ball from going out of bounds and slung it to Dick, who used a pair of slick spin moves to slice through the Pistons’ defense for an acrobatic layup at the hoop. Dick led all players in that game with 22 points and tacked on seven rebounds.
While typically known as a shooter, he’s just 5-for-22 from beyond the arc through three appearances; however, he’s found other ways to impact the game, as evidenced by that Pistons play and a game against Cleveland in which he led his team in points, rebounds and assists.
McCormack, playing in his second Summer League (last year he was with Minnesota) and hoping to earn a contract, has found his playing time more limited to just 24 total minutes, in which he’s managed seven points and 10 rebounds.
Toronto Raptors guard Darryl Morsell (37), guard RJ Nembhard (12) and center David McCormack (30) watch the ball get away during the second half of the team’s NBA summer league basketball game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Basko/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Elsewhere in Vegas, Ochai Agbaji, whose presence in the Summer League was a bit of a surprise to begin with considering how significant a role he played for the Utah Jazz late last year, has shone early and often. Gifted several additional opportunities to play due to Utah’s own Summer League competition that began on July 3, he scored 17, 18 and 22 points in Salt Lake City, moving on to Vegas with 21- and 14-point showings, resting Monday against Minnesota.
It hasn’t all been roses; Agbaji managed to foul out of a game against Philadelphia on July 5, which was especially remarkable given that he played 27 minutes and 10 fouls are required to get disqualified in the Summer League. But generally, while continuing to come into his own as a professional scorer, he has, like Dick, found other ways to get involved. On Wednesday he made the NBA Twitter account with a chase-down block on Denver’s Armaan Franklin, swatting a would-be layup hard off the backboard.
NOT in Ochai Agbaji’s house ❌
The Jazz guard with a massive chasedown block!#NBA2KSummerLeague on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/m9XdBXL8nK
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2023
Agbaji’s roster spot is certain, but his former KU and Jazz teammate Udoka Azubuike’s NBA future hangs in the balance. Now a fourth-year player with 68 NBA games under his belt and some rough injuries, the Nigerian center is trying to catch on with the Boston Celtics by impressing in Vegas. He’s displayed much of the same inside-scoring and rebounding skill set that characterized his Utah tenure and shot an impressive 87.5% from the field through his first three appearance.
Miami Heat center Orlando Robinson looks to shoot as Boston Celtics center Udoka Azubuike guards him during an NBA Summer League basketball game, Saturday, July 8, 2023, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Boston Celtics center Udoka Azubuike (51) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Alex Fudge scramble for the ball during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Azubuike has had to come off the bench for Olek Balcerowski, an undrafted signee by Boston following the 2022 NBA Draft, but has still managed to make an impression on the stat sheet. In a narrow loss to Washington on Sunday, he went 7-for-7 on his way to a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. He averaged 9.3 points and 7.7 rebounds entering a game with the New York Knicks Friday night.
Those Knicks have featured the final Jayhawk in Vegas this year, Marcus Garrett, who is looking to work his way back up to the NBA level after spending last season in the NBA G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Garrett got off to a strong start with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in his opening game against Philadelphia last Saturday but has struggled to make his mark since, despite about 20 minutes of playing time in each game. He’ll play his fifth and final game in Vegas on Saturday night against Denver. The Summer League continues for most teams through the end of Sunday before the championship Monday night.
