Tag: Kenny Lofton Jr.

‘That’s a grown man’: Kenneth Lofton Jr. impressing with size, strength

Lofton has seemingly dazzled with his size and strength in each game in summer league.

Kenneth Lofton Jr. has made five appearances in summer league with the Memphis Grizzlies, and has seemingly dazzled with his size and strength in each game.

That was once again on display Tuesday in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Lofton, who went undrafted last month, finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes of work. He shot 4-of-9 from the field, including one 3-pointer, and finished a game-high plus-23 while on the court.

The 6-foot-7, 275-pound standout from Louisiana Tech has dominated the competition in the paint throughout the Grizzlies’ time in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He has proven to be too much at times and once again bullied an opponent, this time Nets forward Yves Pons.

The play had C.J. McCollum talking, who was calling the game for ESPN.

Lofton entered the draft highly touted for his ability to bully opponents and score in a variety of ways. He has proven to be able to work from virtually all over the court, especially down low. He has nifty footwork in the paint and often has little issues scoring.

The Grizzlies signed Lofton to a two-way contract after the draft and believe he can develop into a key player in the future. He will likely need time in the NBA G League this season, but he has the potential to eventually earn a standard contract from the team.

In the meantime, expect to see Lofton working more in the paint.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=78505,78387,22932]

[mm-video type=video id=01g7sczp9yhh619pf6sx playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g7sczp9yhh619pf6sx/01g7sczp9yhh619pf6sx-163169c1ffe10fca1297aeffdce98109.jpg]

[listicle id=78368]

No, Kenny Lofton Jr.’s dad is not THAT Kenny Lofton

In case you wondered about if Kenny Lofton Jr’s dad is THAT Kenny Lofton …

Former Louisiana Tech forward Kenny Lofton Jr. has gotten noticed in NBA Summer League action for the Memphis Grizzlies after he went undrafted, specifically because he was out there bodying up Chet Holmgren on Wednesday night in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And that had a lot of people asking: Is he related to Kenny Lofton? As in, the former Cleveland, Atlanta, Yankees and many other teams outfielder who played until he was 40 in Major League Baseball?

The answer is: No.

We have an answer from the News Star in Louisiana, and it’s Kenneth Lofton Sr. who didn’t play baseball:

Kenneth Lofton Jr.’s parents are Kenneth Sr. and Gina Duhon Lofton.

Kenneth Lofton Sr. served in the U.S. Army and attended Lamar University. He then worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 18 years, according to Lofton’s bio following his election to the Port Arthur school board.

There you have it. Here are some highlights from his son:

[listicle id=1928145]

Ja Morant dapped up Kenneth Lofton Jr. after draining a 3-pointer

Lofton dropped a game-high 19 points, and earned praise from teammate Ja Morant.

The Memphis Grizzlies may have lost on Wednesday, but the performance of rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. in the Salt Lake City Summer League caught the attention of everyone watching, including Ja Morant.

Lofton, who went undrafted last month, produced a game-high 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes of work in an 87-71 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He went 8-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range.

The 19-year-old went to work quickly, scoring 14 points alone in the first half. He faced little resistance inside the paint on several occasions and even got the best of former USA Basketball teammate and Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren a few times.

Lofton entered the draft highly touted for his ability to bully opponents and score in a variety of ways. He had each of those areas of his game on display throughout the contest, including a deep 3-pointer early in the third quarter of action.

The shot earned a mid-game dap from Morant.

The performance by Lofton followed up a solid debut on Tuesday.

He recorded nine points, three rebounds and one blocked shot on 4-of-5 shooting in that win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Memphis has one game left in Utah before heading to Las Vegas as Lofton will look to build upon his latest effort.

The Grizzlies signed Lofton to a two-way contract after the draft and believe he can eventually develop into a key player in the future. He will likely need some time in the NBA G League throughout the year but has the potential to eventually earn a standard contract from the team.

It certainly looks like Morant is a fan of the rookie.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=78387,42317,22713]

[mm-video type=video id=01g6az407vtap12gv711 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g6az407vtap12gv711/01g6az407vtap12gv711-98a4430fef1ff7e67f353f703119aeca.jpg]

[listicle id=78368]

Marcus Sasser among prospects invited to draft combine from elite camp

Sasser is among the draft-eligible prospects selected to advance from the NBA G League Elite Camp to the draft combine.

Houston junior Marcus Sasser is among the draft-eligible prospects selected to advance from the NBA G League Elite Camp to the draft combine, the league announced.

Sasser, who played just 12 games after undergoing season-ending foot surgery in December, emerged as one of the standouts from the two-day event in Chicago, Illinois. He averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists on 52.6% shooting from the field.

Along with Sasser, LSU forward Darius Days, Louisiana Tech center Kenneth Lofton Jr., UConn guard Tyrese Martin, Seton Hall guard Jared Rhoden, Texas Tech forward Bryson Williams and Kansas guard Jalen Wilson were also invited to the combine.

The full list was first reported by Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2z4affyx8fnwr5cc5 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2z4affyx8fnwr5cc5/01g2z4affyx8fnwr5cc5-b49be1b443aa877b53ad5bab73c3f815.jpg]

The combine will begin on Wednesday and feature 5-on-5 games, strength and agility testing, shooting drills, measurements and other related on-court exercises. With the addition of the seven players invited from the elite camp, the combine will have 83 prospects competing this year.

Those underclassmen that filed as early-entry candidates will also have the chance to interview with teams and gain feedback on their draft positioning. The information will be helpful in forming their decisions on staying in the draft or returning to school before the June 1 deadline.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=75899,75847,75787]

[listicle id=75918]