Summer Leaguer Charles Bediako would be ‘strong addition’ to Spurs

Should the San Antonio Spurs give Charles Bediako a chance?

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As the San Antonio Spurs‘ offseason progressed, it was clear that Victor Wembanyama was the center of attention, and rightfully so. The Spurs made him the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and considering the 19-year-old is already an international superstar. In his Summer League debut, the arena sold out.

But he wasn’t the only player on the Spurs’ Summer League squad. It was full of other interesting talent, including the likes of Julian Champagnie, Dominick Barlow, and Malaki Branham (although the latter had an up-and-down stint). And among the youngsters, rookies, and “veterans,” undrafted free agent Charles Bediako made a name for himself.

According to Matt Guzman of Inside the Spurs, Bediako would be a “strong addition” to the team should San Antonio look to bring him aboard.

“Should Barlow end up with a two-way contract, that does lower the odds of Bediako earning one as well, but then again, it could happen.

San Antonio will likely be monitoring his status around the league before making a decision, but if it does decide to test the waters with Bediako, he’s already shown them that what he can do … and that would be a strong addition to the Spurs’ roster,” Guzman wrote.

In five Summer League games, Bediako averaged 5.2 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 50.0% from the field.

At 6-foot-11, Bediako has good size and showed enough skill in Summer League, and at just 21 years old, he still has plenty of time to develop his game and put on even more muscle.

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Javon Freeman-Liberty receives perfect grade for Bulls’ summer league

Chicago Bulls Summer League standout Javon Freeman-Liberty received a perfect grade for his performance in Summer League.

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As the summer began, the Chicago Bulls were focused on improvement, but adding youth to their squad should have been viewed as a priority, too. Their current core isn’t a championship-caliber group. While there’s merit to simply competing for the playoffs, adding younger players to secure a brighter future is crucial.

In turn, summer league was an important event for the Bulls. It allowed them to look at some young talent. Dalen Terry had all the eyes on him when summer league started, but by the end, Javon Freeman-Liberty was the story. The 23-year-old guard was Chicago’s best player by a mile.

And according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, Freeman-Liberty deserves a perfect grade for his showing.

“He was the Bulls’ best and most consistent all-around player. The 6-foot-4 guard who played 17 games with the Windy City Bulls last season also made the best case to break through and crack the regular roster.

“Freeman-Liberty averaged a team-leading 21.2 points on 49.3 percent shooting, including 46.2 percent on 3s, with 4.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

“Along the way, the Chicago native who starred at Whitney Young High School before going on to Valparasio and DePaul, showed some of everything a team would want in a floor general: reliable ball-handling, speed and quickness, change of pace, court vision, defense, 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting and finishing ability.

The Bulls might want to keep him around,” Mayberry wrote.

With Ayo Dosunmu’s uncertain future, Freeman-Liberty could have a legitimate pathway to a role on the Bulls. Should they give him a chance?

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Spurs’ Dominick Barlow looked like ‘whole new player’ at Summer League

San Antonio Spurs big man Dominick Barlow looked great during Summer League.

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Last season, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the worst teams in the league. But this summer, that all changed, as they were able to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, completely changing the future outlook of their franchise. The 19-year-old is already a superstar.

But he’s not the only player on their roster, and at Summer League, they were able to take a look at some of the other young talent they will be surrounding Wembanyama with. And while some players fell flat, big man Dominick Barlow showed out, proving that he’s worthy of an NBA contract.

According to Marilyn Dubinski of Pounding the Rock, Barlow looked like “a whole new player” at Summer League, as he struggled a bit during his time with the Spurs this past season.

“I’ll go with Dominick Barlow. He looked so lost on an NBA court for the majority of last season but seemed like a whole new player at Summer League,” Dubinski wrote. “Yes, the competition level is different in Vegas, but I didn’t expect him to come out and tear up the court the way he did. He has made his case to be on a guaranteed NBA contract, and hopefully that comes with the Spurs. Runner-up would be Julian Champagnie, who already had a guaranteed contract coming in but more than justified the Spurs’ decision.”

In four Summer League appearances, Barlow put up 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per contest while shooting 62.5% from the floor.

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2 former Bulls summer league players sign for same team

Two former Chicago Bulls Summer League players just signed for the same team.

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For the past few weeks, the Chicago Bulls have been able to keep an eye on their young talent during summer league. Javon Freeman-Liberty and Adama Sanogo showed out, while others, such as Dalen Terry, struggled to live up to expectations. Regardless, summer league is the perfect opportunity to evaluate rookies, sophomores and other unproven talent.

However, not every player who appears in summer league will earn a shot in the NBA. In fact, very few will. Some will end up in the G League. Some will make their way overseas. Two former Bulls summer-leaguers signed with the same overseas club.

According to Daniel Greenberg on Twitter, Yago Dos Santos, who played for the Bulls summer league team this year, and Marko Simonovic, who played in summer league last year and was recently waived by Chicago, have both signed with KK Crvena Zvezda Belgrade.

KK Crvena Zvezda Belgrade is located in Serbia who competes in the EuroLeague and Serbian KLS. Last season, former NBAers Jaylen Adams, John Holland, and Facundo Campazzo played for the club.

In four appearances for Chicago’s summer league team this year, Dos Santos averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from the field and 44.4% from distance.

Meanwhile, in five summer league appearances last year, Simonovic averaged 15.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2 assists per contest while shooting 50.8% from the floor.

They will team with Mike Tobey, Milos Teodosic, Shabazz Napier and Joel Bolomboy on KK Crvena Zvezda Belgrade’s squad, giving it a team full of former NBA players and NBA-level talent.

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SB Nation: Max Christie deserves to make Lakers’ rotation following summer league performance

SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell thinks Max Christie deserves to make Lakers’ rotation following summer league performance

The 2023 NBA Summer League might be over, but the summer league takes are just getting started, and a lot of those takes are centered around former Michigan State Spartan Max Christie, now with the Los Angeles Lakers.

After averaging 19.8 points per game along with 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists, Max Christie has NBA analysts buzzing. One of the takes regarding Christie came from SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, who listed Christie as one of six players who have earned a bigger spot on their respective teams’ rotation based on their summer league performances.

You can read the full article and what O’Donnell had to say about Christie here.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Dalen Terry receives above-average grade for Bulls’ summer league

After a rocky Summer League, Chicago Bulls guard Dalen Terry received an above-average grade.

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The Chicago Bulls began summer league with high hopes for their group. While their goal this offseason was to put together a winning roster capable of making a playoff run, the summer league provided them with an opportunity to take a look at their young talent in an attempt to secure a brighter future in Chicago.

Javon Freeman-Liberty established himself as the best player on the roster by far, and rookies Julian Phillips and Adama Sanogo played well, too. But Dalen Terry, who was the focal point of the team heading into the event, fell flat. He struggled with efficiency throughout the majority of summer league.

Despite that, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic still gave Terry’s summer league showing a “B” grade.

“But, in his last chance in Las Vegas to show why anyone should believe in him, not only as a possible contributor on next season’s roster but also for the franchise’s future, Terry supplied a reminder of what the Bulls love about him — he just keeps coming,” Mayberry wrote.

Terry played extremely well in Chicago’s final summer league game, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. Combined with his relentless hustle, it was a nice note to finish on after a struggle-filled summer league.

“Terry certainly had difficult moments individually, but he accomplished the chief goal Chicago put before him, which was to lead a young and largely inexperienced collection of hopefuls,” Mayberry wrote. “The best part of Terry’s performance was that he led by example. His decision-making was questionable, but his effort was not once deserving of examination.”

What grade did Terry deserve for his summer league showing?

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Bulls’ Javon Freeman-Liberty receives summer league honors

Chicago Bulls Summer League standout Javon Freeman-Liberty was named to the All-Summer League Second Team.

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This summer proved fruitful for the Chicago Bulls. Obviously, they re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, and they brought in veteran free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. However, summer league was also a great opportunity for them to evaluate young talent, and it worked out well.

Dalen Terry didn’t play as well as the team may have hoped, and Julian Phillips was OK, but point guard Javon Freeman-Liberty was phenomenal. The 23-year-old guard put up great stats throughout the summer and was by far the best player on Chicago’s team. For his elite play, the guard earned summer league honors.

As announced by the NBA’s PR Twitter account, Freeman-Liberty was named to the all-summer league second team.

In five summer league games, Freeman-Liberty averaged 21.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% shooting from the floor and 46.2% shooting from behind the 3-point line.

Joining Freeman-Liberty on the second team were Emoni Bates of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Max Christie of the Los Angeles Lakers, Xavier Moon of the LA Clippers, Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets and Jalen Wilson of the Brooklyn Nets.

The all-summer league first team consists of Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz, Sam Merrill of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Robinson of the Miami Heat, Hunter Tyson of the Denver Nuggets and Cam Whitmore of the Houston Rockets.

Freeman-Liberty is very clearly an NBA player, and the Bulls need to keep him around, because if they don’t, another team will.

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Ranking: The best players of the Vegas Summer League

Beyond the Victor Wembanyama hype, there’s nothing like the Vegas Summer League, a unique mix of the young talent in the league with free agents eager to earn a spot in the NBA. Who balled out in Sin City? Here’s the answer.

Beyond the Victor Wembanyama hype, there’s nothing like the Vegas Summer League, a unique mix of the young talent in the league with free agents eager to earn a spot in the NBA.

Who balled out in Sin City? Here’s the answer.

Bulls’ summer league star Javon Freeman-Liberty deserves a shot

After an impressive Summer League stint, it’s clear that Chicago Bulls guard Javon Freeman-Liberty should be in the NBA.

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The Chicago Bulls entered summer league in hopes of getting a look at their young talent. Dalen Terry headlined a team of promising young prospects; he was the Bulls’ first-round pick in 2022. In addition, rookies Julian Phillips and Adama Sanogo were intriguing guys who Bulls fans were eager to watch hit the hardwood.

But as summer league progressed, it was clear one guy was the star of the show, and it wasn’t any of those players. It was Javon Freeman-Liberty. The 23-year-old guard dominated summer league and was not only Chicago’s best players but one of the best players in the entire event.

Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation believes Freeman-Liberty deserves a chance in the NBA, whether with the Bulls or another squad.

“You already know who is the biggest winner of the Summer League, though. I have very little doubt that Javon Freeman-Liberty will be sitting on an NBA bench this season on at least a two-way deal,” Schuster wrote. “The question is whether or not that will be in Chicago. The Chicago Bulls have plenty of options at the guard position right now, so it might have to take the departure of Ayo Dosunmu for them to consider giving Freeman-Liberty a spot. But, yeah, it’s clear this dude deserves a shot somewhere in the league.”

If Ayo Dosunmu departs in free agency, Freeman-Liberty could be a suitable replacement. Regardless, Chicago should look to retain him. But if it doesn’t, another NBA team will undoubtedly look to bring Freeman-Liberty aboard.

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‘Hard to imagine’ Dalen Terry earns Bulls minutes unless shot improves

Dalen Terry may not be able to earn minutes for the Chicago Bulls until he develops a consistent three-point shot.

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For every team, including the Chicago Bulls, summer league provides a perfect opportunity to scope out young talent and look for a new wave of developmental players. Chicago is obviously looking to make the postseason next year, but adding a consistent wave of young talent will be crucial.

Heading into the summer, Chicago’s first-round pick from the 2022 NBA draft, Dalen Terry, was the most hyped player. Most expected him to be the best guy on the court, but that didn’t end up being the case. Terry struggled throughout most of summer league, especially when it came to efficiency.

According to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Terry will not earn rotation minutes for the Bulls unless he improves his 3-point shot.

“On the plus side, the second-year guard fared well in a wide variety of defensive assignments, using his length and activity to be a persistent nuisance. He posted nine steals overall.

“After a rocky first half in his first game, Terry also displayed prowess in making solid reads off screens, including an ability to make crosscourt passes off the dribble with his left hand. The issue is that this skill is somewhat offset by his lack of self-creation.

“How Bulls’ Jevon Carter plans to make on-, off-court impact
along those lines, with Terry’s relative inability to beat defenders off the dribble on his own, he needs to become a more reliable shooter. Terry needed a strong finish with a 7-for-10 showing against the Wizards just to finish summer league at 33.8% shooting.

“That included 34.8% from 3-point range. And while Terry does have potential as a connecting piece, if he can’t improve his shooting, it’s hard to envision him getting regular-season rotation minutes,” Johnson wrote.

Will Terry earn minutes next season in Chicago?

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