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If you’re really hungry for basketball action, maybe you can catch some NBA Summer League games, as the Orlando Summer League began on July 1st and the biggest, the Las Vegas Summer League, will go from Friday until July 17th. Several recently departed Tar Heels will be in action throughout SL action, and a few have already been playing. Let’s check up on how they’re doing:
Marcus Paige: The Tar Heel fan favorite transitioned from Utah to Oklahoma City this offseason, a good move for him as OKC is much shallower at the point guard position than Utah was. He entered Orlando Summer League play with a real shot at the backup point guard position, his main competition being 2014 second-round pick Semaj Christon. So far, Paige has played decently, averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. Christon has gotten the lion’s share of minutes at the position, however, but Paige has been given a good opportunity to shine. His best game was a 12-point, 6-assist effort against Charlotte.
Tony Bradley: Tar Heel Blog recapped Bradley’s first game as a member of the Utah Jazz, in which he scored eight points and grabbed five defensive rebounds in 22 minutes. In his second game, against the Philadelphia 76ers, he repeated his scoring performance in 19 minutes, along with three rebounds (two offensive) and a blocked shot. Bradley continues to do most of his work around the basket, though as he has been playing center and not power forward, this is to be expected. Bradley has been shooting the ball very efficiently, going 7-12 over two games.
JP Tokoto: Tokoto also appeared for Utah in the aforementioned opening game, putting up a very respectable stat line of six points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 19 minutes, including going 2-2 from beyond the arc. He did not play in the second game, but he will be a player to watch going forward. He may stick around if he keeps putting up “energy-guy” type numbers.
Several more Heels will make their 2017-2018 debuts in the Las Vegas Summer League, including 2017 graduates Kennedy Meeks (Toronto), Isaiah Hicks (Los Angeles Clippers), and Nate Britt (Atlanta) and 2017 first round pick Justin Jackson (Sacramento). We wish them the best of luck.