Category: NBA Draft

It’s not too early to say the haters were wrong about Zach Edey

Zach Edey looked every bit the part of a well above average NBA big man in a 23 point preseason performance for Memphis on Monday.

Even after winning the college basketball National Player of the Year Award – two years in a row – few truly believed former Purdue Boilermakers big man Zach Edey’s success would translate at the NBA level.

Many argued he should be a second round pick – if picked at all – due to the fact that his playstyle is a remnant of a previous era: calling for the ball on the block, reading the defense, making a post move or two, and going up for a little hook shot in the paint.

Even after going No. 9 to the Memphis Grizzlies and playing well in a short stint in the Summer League, the doubters persisted. But now, after a dominant preseason performance – playing against legitimate NBA competition – Edey is finally starting to sway those same doubters.

Edey dropped 23 points with nine rebounds and one steal on 10-of-15 shooting in just 18 minutes of action, coming off the bench for the Grizzlies on Monday against the Pacers.

His otherworldly size, standing 7’4 and weighing 300 pounds, and remarkable durability forces opposing teams to adjust to his presence on the court, else he make quick work of defenders who can’t prevent him from catching the ball on the block.

Edey is also a quality free throw shooter who draws a ton of contact, and while he can be exploited in certain matchups defensively – his lateral mobility and incredible wingspan give him more of an advantage on that end of the floor than many realize.

The era of back-to-the-basket bigs dominating in the NBA – guys like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Shaquille O’Neal – passed nearly two decades ago, replaced with versatile bigs who can also step out and space the floor and orchestrate an offense from the high post, a la Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Domantas Sabonis.

However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a spot at all for more traditional bigs, especially ones as skilled, durable, cerebral, and frankly, as huge as Edey is. On a team that has more mobile bigs in Jaren Jackson Jr and Brandon Clarke, Edey is a perfect change of pace big man who can dominate certain matchups while taking a backseat in others.

Edey is already the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and in a draft class most felt was weak, it would not be a surprise to see the Purdue big man end up being the best player to come out of the class when all is said and done.

Two time national champion point guard signs with Indiana Pacers

Former UConn Huskies point guard Tristen Newton inks two-way deal with Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers inked former UConn Huskies guard Tristen Newton to a two-way contract on Saturday.

Newton was the 49th player selected in the 2024 NBA draft, joined in the draft class by fellow UConn starters Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, and Cam Spencer.

The 6’5 guard averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across five Summer League games, although he shot just 20% from the field and 18.2% from the three point line.

“Tristen Newton, tremendous [growth] from game one to game five,” Pacers summer league head coach Jannero Pargo said. “Understanding our offense more, playing more confident. Being able to call plays and run our sets and be more comfortable out there.”

Newton averaged over 15 points, six assists, and six rebounds in his final season with UConn, leading Dan Hurley’s team to back-to-back national championships as the primary ball-handler.

Now, his experience, winning mentality, facilitation, and positional rebounding skills will give Indiana additional point guard depth available throughout the season, although Newton will likely spend most of his time in the G League with the Mad Ants.

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft

OKC Thunder adds pair of players in early 2025 NBA mock draft.

Roughly a month after the 2024 NBA draft concluded, experts have already turned their focus to the next cycle.

Next year’s draft class is centered around Duke’s Cooper Flagg. He’s seen as a blue-chip prospect that teams will likely tank for next season.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman conducted an early 2025 NBA mock draft on July 18. The Oklahoma City Thunder took a pair of first-round players from the class. They will accompany Nikola Topic as 2025-26 OKC rookies.

The Thunder gained the No. 10 pick via the LA Clippers, who they own swap rights. They added Georgia forward Asa Newell. The 18-year-old is viewed as a lottery prospect.

“At 6’11” with a live motor, Asa Newell should deliver immediate activity around the rim, easy baskets and putbacks to Georgia. He covers a lot of ground and loves to crash the glass and sprint the floor in transition.

But his developing three-point stroke and post skill is what will help push him up draft boards in 2025.”

The Thunder’s second selection comes at the No. 25 spot via the Philadelphia 76ers. OKC owns a top-six protected pick by the Sixers. They added Duke forward Isaiah Evans.

“Evans, who’s 175 pounds, will have to be very efficient with his shot selection and shooting to give Duke consistent minutes and production. But scouts may ultimately be willing to look past any inconsistency for a wing with Evans’ caliber of perimeter scoring versatility.”

Despite being championship contenders, expect premium draft capital to head toward the Thunder for the foreseeable future. They own significant assets from other teams for the rest of the 2020s.

This could help them either boost their depth with cheap, young talent or have valuable trade currency in case OKC wants to add veteran players.

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Former Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham dominates in Summer League finale

Rob Dillingham dropped 25 points and 12 assists for Minnesota in his Summer League finale on Sunday.

Former Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham’s up-and-down Summer League performance finished on a high note Sunday when the No. 8 overall pick tallied 25 points and 12 assists in Minnesota’s 115-100 win over Orlando.

Dillingham shot 11-18 from the field and 3-7 from three in the contest, also grabbing three rebounds and a pair of steals. It was far and away the rookie guard’s best Summer League performance, highlighting his exceptional scoring and facilitating ability to close out his time in Las Vegas.

Dillingham finished Summer League averaging 13.6 points on 36% shooting from the field and 30.8% from beyond the arc. His 7.6 assists per game led the entire league, with former Marquette guard Tyler Kolek coming in second at 7.0.

The 6’3 guard was among the best players in all of college basketball last year, despite coming off the bench for John Calipari in Lexington.

His outside shooting and passing skills intrigued NBA scouts, although concern about his size and defensive impact lingered and led to him falling toward the back half of the top ten where he was snagged by the Timberwolves – where he can develop as a microwave scorer off the bench behind Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards.

Performances like Sunday may not come around too often in the NBA, but it shouldn’t be a huge surprise when they do – he’s more than capable of lighting it up when he gets going.

Donovan Clingan blocks five shots in first half in Summer League loss

Former UConn center Donovan Clingan is a shot blocking machine so far with Portland in the NBA Summer League.

Heading into Friday’s contest, former UConn star Donovan Clingan was averaging 4.3 blocks per game – the highest average in Summer League history.

‘Cling Kong’ wasted no time increasing that number, blocking five shots in the first half of Portland’s loss to Charlotte – once again looking like a dominant enforcer around the rim.

Clingan finally had an offensive breakout as well, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in his finest all-around performance as a pro.

The 7’2 big man from UConn also displayed an outside shot, knocking down a pair of threes on seven attempts as he works to add that versatility to his game ahead of his first NBA season.

Clingan was the seventh player selected in the 2024 NBA draft, and he heads to a Portland franchise that has an established starting center in DeAndre Ayton and a young, high-upside core of guards in Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Anfernee Simons.

While Zach Edey drew most of the headlines for his excellent first Summer League game a few weeks ago, Clingan already looks like an All-Defensive caliber rim protector – and while his shooting percentages leave quite a bit to be desired, the way he moves without the basketball, his passing and screen setting skills, and developing outside shot give him sky-high potential.

Developing behind Ayton and growing with this young core in Rip City could be the perfect scenario for the native of Bristol, who has a very good chance of becoming the best NBA player in this draft class.

Bronny James hits pair of threes in strong NBA Summer League performance

Bronny James had his strongest performance so far in NBA Summer League, but the Lakers guard has a long way to go to quiet the doubters.

It’s no secret Bronny James has not looked good in NBA Summer League. The Los Angeles Lakers guard, who was picked 55th in the NBA draft last month, went 0-11 from three in his first two matchups in Las Vegas before putting together a quality performance Wednesday evening in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

James finished with 12 points on 5-11 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes – including a game-tying triple in the fourth quarter – while also flashing good pick and roll navigation in the early going.

James has been the recipient of a bevy of criticism the past year, stemming from the decision to declare for the NBA draft after a mediocre performance as a freshman at USC.

Players with his level of production (4.8 points on 36.6% shooting from the field and 26.7% from three) and lack of size (6’1 without shoes) rarely even stay in the draft process, nevermind get selected and signed to a multi-year guaranteed contract.

However, James is not your run-of-the-mill teenage basketball prospect: he’s the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, who – despite walking this statement back – made it clear at one point he wants to play with his son at the next level (side note: who wouldn’t want that?).

Still, Bronny not producing in college, or at the NBA combine, and now struggling in Summer League has given the anti-LeBron crowd, and the larger anti-nepotism crowd, plenty of ammunition to criticize the James family.

While Bronny’s solid performance on Wednesday almost certainly won’t quiet the haters – nor should one game turn the tides much – it’s at least a sign that an NBA caliber player is hidden in there somewhere.

The bar to clear as the 55th overall pick is quite low, and while he will never be judged fairly based on his draft stock, any level of NBA production would be a win for the Lakers and another incredible story to add to LeBron’s legacy before he rides off into the sunset.

Wednesday’s game was a start.

Former Dayton star DaRon Holmes suffered torn achilles in Summer League debut

Former Dayton Flyers star and All-American DaRon Holmes II will miss his rookie season after tearing his achilles for the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

DaRon Holmes, a first round pick by the Denver Nuggets last month, suffered a torn achilles and is likely to miss the entire 2024-25 NBA season.

Holmes suffered the injury on Friday in Denver’s 88-78 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes, before he was seen leaving Cox Pavilion on crutches.

The Nuggets made Holmes the 22nd overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft out of Dayton after he posted an extremely impressive junior season for the Flyers in the A-10.

Holmes averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 58.5% from two and 38.6% from the three point line, earning a consensus All-American nod.

His 6’9 frame, high level athleticism, passing skills, switchability on defense, and outside shooting made him a highly sought after prospect, and he was expected to be Denver’s primary backup center this season behind superstar Nikola Jokic.

The injury is of course a huge blow to Denver, who is attempting to win its second NBA Championship in the past three years, as well as for Holmes who now has to spend an entire year rehabbing before he can realize his dream of playing NBA basketball.

Former UConn star Cam Spencer shines for Memphis Grizzlies in Summer League

Former UConn Huskies guard Cam Spencer performed well for the Memphis Grizzlies in NBA Summer League on Tuesday.

It’s been a splashy week for Memphis Grizzlies rookies. First it was Zach Edey dominating in his NBA Summer League debut, posting a 14 point, 15 rebound double-double with the game-tying tip-in.

Then on Tuesday the headlines belonged to second round pick Jaylen Wells out of Washington State, who had a game-high 27 points including the game winning floater to secure a win for Memphis over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wells may have had the bigger statline, but fellow second round pick Cam Spencer may have had the more impressive performance. Spencer, who helped bring a second straight national championship to UConn last season after playing the previous year at Rutgers, dropped 18 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in about 35 minutes of action.

He shot 7-14 from the field and 3-7 from deep, with one steal and just one turnover on the night.

Spencer signed a two-way deal with Memphis on Monday in a move that already looks promising for the Grizzlies – who used this draft to add NBA-ready talent to a team hoping to compete right away with a fully healthy Ja Morant in the mix.

Edey is expected to start at the center position, while Wells has the size and outside shooting ability to be a rotation player right away. Spencer is a lights out shooter who will get a chance to contribute as a rookie right away as well.

It’s not hard to imagine Spencer’s intensity, scoring ability, winning mentality and experience leading him to a role as a floor spacer and hard-nosed energy guy for this Grizzlies team in Year 1, potentially giving them a trio of contributors out of what was widely considered a weak draft class.

Thunder GM Sam Presti details draft philosophy to always move up

Thunder GM Sam Presti details draft philosophy to always move up.

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2024 NBA draft with one selection and exited the two-day event with three rookies.

The Thunder stood pat at the No. 12 spot and selected Nikola Topic. It’s a calculated swing. OKC can afford to wait out a redshirt year and not rush the 18-year-old to play.

For the other two rookies, it was a multi-step process to acquire them.

The Thunder shipped five future second-round picks to the New York Knicks for the No. 26 selection to add Dillon Jones. The next day, OKC made a series of trades to go up to the No. 38 pick to draft Ajay Mitchell.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti detailed the process to add Jones and Mitchell in the 2024 rookie introductory presser. He said it aligns with their philosophy of always being aggressors during the draft.

“We’ve always done everything we can to move up the draft. That’s something we’ve done every year,” Presti said. “If we’re picking 12, we try to get to 11, we try to get to 10.

“If we’re picking — in some cases we didn’t have picks. We’re trying to get in the draft and then seeing if we can work our way up just because we really try to follow the board the best that we can.”

The Thunder have a wealth of draft capital at their disposal. They’ve built it up over the years for these exact moments. OKC can afford to overpay for a draft selection without leaving a dint in its treasure trove.

“There have been a lot of times we’ve tried and haven’t been successful. But these situations worked out for us,” Presti said. “The players that we wanted were there. I’m really excited about it.

“But philosophically we’re always trying to maneuver and move ourselves up there, and some years are different than others.”

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Lakers sign Bronny James to four-year guaranteed contract

Bronny James signed a four-year guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and will play with his father, LeBron James, next season.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed second round pick Bronny James to a four-year contract worth $7.9 million, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The deal includes $4.4 million guaranteed and a team option for the fourth season. Bronny will officially be on the roster with his father, NBA superstar LeBron James, who is re-signing with the club to go after another NBA championship alongside Anthony Davis and new head coach JJ Redick.

Second round picks don’t often sign multi-year guaranteed contracts, although it’s not unprecedented. Andrew Nembhard signed at the time the largest guaranteed contract for a second round pick back in 2022, although he was the first player picked in the second round.

Chris Livingston is perhaps a better example, as the former Kentucky product was picked with the second to last pick in the 2023 NBA draft and signed a four-year, $7.6 million deal with $3 million guaranteed. Livingston was represented by Rich Paul, the same agent representing both Bronny and LeBron.

Bronny had a pedestrian freshman season at USC, averaging under five points per game while shooting 36% from the field and under 27% from beyond the arc.

However, his testing at the NBA combine was solid and the opportunity to have the first father-son duo in league history ultimately led to the Lakers bringing Bronny on board – and could lead to him getting real minutes at point guard behind D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent.