NBA Summer League Day 5: Johnny Furphy's legendary dunk, Kyle Filipowski, Jazz put on a show
Johnny Furphy's legendary dunk
This whole game was fun. The Bulls and the Pacers combined for the most entertaining game of the Summer League so far.
Advertisement
However, it was the Pacers' Johnny Furphy who stole the show with a legendary dunk.
Poor Noa Essengue is about to be a meme.
To be fair, Essengue scored 21 points, while Matas Buzelis showed why he is too good to still be playing in Summer League, scoring 28 points. It wasn't just those buckets; it was that the Bulls were getting theirs with flair in an up-and-down, fast-paced game. —Kurt Helin
Spurs and Jazz put on a show
The matchup between the Spurs and Jazz ended up being one of the best games of Summer League so far.
Kyle Filipowski dominated early and often, knocking down three triples in the first four minutes of the game and finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds and five three-pointers. He had a layup to give Utah a late lead before Dylan Harper tied it up to force overtime, and Filipowski also had a dunk with two seconds left in overtime to tie the game before Riley Minix nailed the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Filipowski has been fantastic through Summer League in both Utah and Las Vegas, and it wouldn't be shocking if they opted to shut him down for the remainder of the summer. With John Collins now in Los Angeles, Filipowski should be a key contributor for the Jazz this season.
John Tonje made his Summer League debut for Utah and finished with 16 points and four three-pointers. The 24-year-old rookie shined at Wisconsin last season and could be an NBA-ready scoring option for the Jazz this year, though the amount of depth Utah has will make it difficult for him to earn minutes.
Advertisement
Carter Bryant continued to play high-level defense, and Dylan Harper was solid despite not being quite as good as he was against Dallas, but David Jones-Garcia was the star once again. He dropped 28 points in the win, which was his fifth-straight game scoring at least 20 points this summer. The only time he didn't reach 20, he finished with 18 points. Jones-Garcia has certainly played his way into at least a two-way contract, especially if he keeps this up. —Noah Rubin
Other notes from Summer League
• Kel'el Ware responds after Spoelstra's criticism. In his first game at the Las Vegas Summer League, Miami's promising young big man Kel'el Ware was uninspiring, scoring 10 points with six boards and kind of coasting through the game (it's a concerning sign when a guy who got so much run as a rookie does not dominate in Summer League). The next day, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra showed up at Summer League practice and had some pointed words for Ware:
Advertisement
"A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day. He has to get better with that. It's learning how to become a pro. I understand it. He was 20 last year, and he's 21. We have bigger expectations...
"The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is. Our standards are not going to change, and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it, and the other stuff will come along with that."
Ware got the message. He was much more intense and focused against the Cavaliers on Sunday, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shots, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. On Sunday, Ware had another strong game with 21 points and 15 boards against Boston. —Helin
• Kon Knueppel looks better. Kon Knueppel struggled in his Summer League debut on Friday and then sat out on Saturday. However, he was finally able to get things going against the Mavericks. He made an impact in a variety of ways, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three three-pointers. He was solid on defense, created shots for his teammates and had a double-double after not recording one during his lone season at Duke. Oh yeah, and he can shoot too. —Rubin
• Așa Newell's 3-point shot. Asa Newell hit four three-pointers on Sunday, which was an encouraging sign for his development. Deep-range shooting will be a huge swing skill for his future in the NBA.
Advertisement
On Monday, he only hit one, but it was clear the defense respected his shot. Early in the first quarter, he got his defender to jump on a pump fake, which set up a strong drive to the basket and a pair of free throws. Newell doesn't need to be an elite stretch big for the Hawks; they have Kristaps Porzingis for that. However, if he can at least space the floor enough for the defense to respect his shot, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson won't have any issues getting to the rim when Newell is in the game.
Newell's lone shot from deep came late in the game to tie things up at 99, and he followed that up with a Euro step layup in transition to give Atlanta the lead. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the overtime victory. —Rubin
• The highs and lows of Kobe Bufkin. Sure, there were plenty of mistakes, especially early, but Kobe Bufkin still had some positive aspects to his performance. He scored a game-high 25 points, including five of Atlanta's seven in overtime. However, he turned it over nine times and committed seven fouls. Yikes. Not what you want to see out of a first-round pick entering his third season. Bufkin would probably benefit from some extra games this summer. —Rubin
Advertisement
• Kennedy Chandler looking good. Kennedy Chandler continued to shine for the Rockets. He finished with 22 points, seven assists, and three steals and is now averaging 19 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this summer. He had the ball in his hands a little extra with Reed Sheppard shut down for the rest of Summer League. Whether or not it's with Houston, Chandler has made a case to earn a two-way contract next season. —Rubin
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
43 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Real Salt Lake takes shutout streak into matchup with Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati (14-6-3, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Real Salt Lake (8-10-4, 11th in the Western Conference) Sandy, Utah; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Real Salt Lake +116, FC Cincinnati +210, Draw +245; over/under is 2.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Real Salt Lake heads into a matchup against Cincinnati after recording two straight shutout wins. RSL is 5-4-1 in home games. RSL is 4-1-0 when it scores two goals. Cincinnati is 7-4-1 in road games. Cincinnati ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference with 38 goals led by Evander with 15. Saturday's game is the first time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Diego Luna has eight goals and two assists for RSL. Johnny Russell has scored two goals over the past 10 games. Evander has 15 goals and five assists for Cincinnati. Kevin Denkey has five goals and one assist over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: RSL: 4-3-3, averaging 1.1 goals, 4.3 shots on goal and 5.2 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.0 goal per game. Cincinnati: 5-3-2, averaging 2.0 goals, 5.6 shots on goal and 4.2 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.7 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: RSL: Matthew Bell (injured), Tyler Wolff (injured), Javain Brown (injured), Zac MacMath (injured). Cincinnati: Obinna Nwobodo (injured), Kevin Denkey (injured), Yuya Kubo (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
"I'd pull him to the sideline and start saying, 'Hey, don't try to do too much yet'"- Phil Jackson on when he realized he couldn't treat Kobe Bryant the same way he did Michael Jordan
"I'd pull him to the sideline and start saying, 'Hey, don't try to do too much yet'"- Phil Jackson on when he realized he couldn't treat Kobe Bryant the same way he did Michael Jordan originally appeared on Basketball Network. Phil Jackson's career as an NBA head coach gave him the rare and possibly impossible to replicate task of managing not one, but two fiercely driven superstars with eerily similar skill sets and even more explosive competitive fire. Hint: they both were glabrous above and stuck their tongue out as adrenaline roared. However, as the years unfolded and the rings stacked up, Jackson began to understand that similarity in playstyle didn't mean sameness in personality — or coaching approach. Holding him back Jackson first arrived in Los Angeles when Kobe Bryant was barely 21. The young guard was already a three-time NBA All-Star, known for his aggressive scoring instincts and almost maniacal obsession with the game. Phil wasn't walking into a developmental situation; he was walking into a fire that had already been lit. He just had to tone it down a little bit. "I had a relationship with Kobe that started 21, 20 years of age when I got to the Lakers," Jackson recalled. "And it was like he was there to learn and he was very attentive. When the game started going, I had to kind of hold him back at times, because he would go out and he'd want to get himself in a situation. "I'd pull him to the sideline and start saying, 'Hey, don't try to do too much yet." Bryant's will to dominate every second of play was aimed at control. He believed in his ability to bend games to his will and he wanted that responsibility early, every night. Jackson had to temper that instinct without muting it. A balancing act he hadn't dealt with in quite the same way during Michael Jordan's formative years. Jackson once famously called Bryant "uncoachable," but it wasn't a slight. It was an acknowledgment of a fundamental truth: The Los Angeles Lakers icon may have mirrored Jordan's game and approach to offense almost to the detail, but internally, he burned with something different — something sharper and more consuming. Jackson had sculpted the greatest dynasty of the 1990s around Jordan's brilliance. Walking into the Lakers' locker room in 1999 with the triangle offense and Jordan-tested wisdom in hand wasn't a guaranteed formula for control. And perhaps that was the key difference. The Chicago Bulls legend had matured into a surgical closer by the time Jackson took over the Bulls in 1989. Bryant, by contrast, was still trying to carve his identity out of the Jordan mold while fighting to assert himself alongside Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most dominant big men in league for the system Jackson's approach to coaching was built around the triangle offense, a system designed to maximize team cohesion and minimize ego-driven, one-on-one play. Before he arrived in Chicago, Jordan was the best individual player in the league. He had already claimed a Defensive Player of the Year, five scoring titles and an MVP — brilliant, but incomplete as the Bulls were playoff casualties. Jackson helped him understand that less can lead to more, the same thing he wanted Bryant to learn early on. "That's one of the reasons I brought Michael and said, 'Wait until the fourth quarter," Jackson said. "Wait until there is a need and the game demonstrates that there is a need for individual action, then go into your game and go into the things you can do well." It was a system built on trust. Trust the offense. Trust the team. And the moments of brilliance will still find you. Jordan embraced it, even as his scoring average dipped from 37.1 points per game in 1987 to a more sustainable 31.5 by 1992. But those years brought championships — six of them. Bryant, though, wasn't just trying to win. He was trying to define himself. When Jackson implemented the same structure with the Lakers, he initially chafed. In his eyes, holding back was self-limiting. Phil wanted him to wait for the right moment. Bryant wanted to be in the moment. Still, the system worked. From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers won three straight titles. Bryant adjusted enough to fit, learned when to dominate and when to defer. But friction remained. Even in later years, when Jackson returned to L.A. in 2005, the tension between Bryant's hyper-focused individuality and Jackson's system-first ideology never fully dissolved. It simply evolved. By the time Bryant won two more titles in 2009 and 2010, he had fully taken on the closer role Jackson once reserved for Jordan. But unlike the five-time MVP, Bryant never quite accepted being just a piece of the system. He respected it, but he never surrendered to it. That was the compromise. And it story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Top NBA free-agent point guards: Damian Lillard returns to the Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks under the stretch provision certainly changed the landscape for the Bucks, who used the flexibility to sign free-agent center Myles Turner. But Lillard's availability also impacted the free-agent market. A number of teams pursued him even though he will not play next season. He ultimately agreed to return to the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year, $42 million contract. Let's look at the rest of the point guard free-agent market. (Note: Positions are being determined off Basketball-Reference's positional breakdowns, meaning a player will be listed at the position in which he played the most minutes. So if you're looking for James Harden and Kyrie Irving, you'll find them in the shooting guard section.) Free-agent position rankings: Shooting guards | Small forwards | Power forwards | Centers 1. Fred VanVleet, Houston Rockets Status: Agreed to a 2-year, $50 million deal Since becoming an All-Star in 2022, VanVleet has seen his scoring diminish every year since. That doesn't mean he isn't important to the Rockets as their main facilitator, but almost $45 million for a guy who barely cracked 14 points and didn't even crack 38% shooting overall is a lot. Given that this year's market flat-out isn't flush with cash, the Rockets were wise to decline the $44.9 million option and negotiate a deal at a lesser price. 2. Chris Paul, San Antonio Spurs Status: Unrestricted free agent Paul loved his stay in San Antonio, which is worth noting in terms of his future, but the franchise did not make the postseason, which you have to assume is a priority to him. Also a priority is spending time with his family, which means he's likely exploring all angles. At 40 years old, could one of those options be retirement? What makes sense: With Paul residing in California, and the Lakers acquiring Luka Dončić this past season, it may make sense to link up with him and LeBron James, the latter of whom is a close friend. 4. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Status: Agreed to a 3-year, $42 million deal Lillard unexpectedly his the free-agent market while also rehabbing a torn Achilles. That didn't matter to the Trail Blazers, who were interested in bringing back one of the greatest players in franchise history. Lillard is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best shooters in league history. He also isn't going to play next season while he recovers. 3. Tyus Jones, Orlando Magic Status: Agreed to a 1-year, $7 million deal Jones' plan of signing with the Suns for a starting role and perhaps competing for a title didn't go as planned as Phoenix failed to make the postseason. Could this influence his value? Given that he signed a minimum deal last summer, the arrow only points up. The 29-year-old remains one of the league's most secure ball-handlers and a strong 3-point shooter (41.4%), which virtually everyone has a use for. Being a backup point guard on a good Magic team is a fine role for Jones. 4. Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls Status: Restricted free agent The raw numbers make Giddey look like a future All-Star, but the advanced numbers unearth several concerning areas, such as a general shooting inefficiency and defensive issues — two key elements for most highly paid players in today's league. Chicago, however, appears to love the guy, which raises the question: Will it make him an offer outright, as opposed to letting him go through restricted free agency? If the Bulls jump the gun, that could add several million onto the books. What makes sense: The Bulls hold all the cards here. Entering free agency believing otherwise could prove catastrophic. Let someone else dictate his market, because odds are good no one will break the bank for him despite the headline-grabbing stats. 5. Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies Status: Agreed to a 3-year, $28 million deal There's no question Jerome turned in one of the most surprising seasons of any player in the league, as he carved out a role for himself on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, thus significantly raising his own value. Jerome will add depth and shooting to the Grizzlies' backcourt as they retool around the newly extended Jaren Jackson Jr. Best of the rest 6. Malcolm Brogdon, Washington Wizards Status: Unrestricted free agent The 32-year-old is efficient and effective when on the floor, but his injury history indicates his floor time will be limited. Teams are keenly aware of this, so while he'll have several suitors, don't expect anyone to hand out a large contract. He'd make an interesting fit with the Lakers as a backup to Luka Dončić. 7. D'Angelo Russell, Dallas Mavericks Status: Agreed to a 2-year, $13 million deal Russell has reached the point in his career, where the secret is out. He's not year-to-year consistent in his performance, and his defensive warts remain substantial. He can score a bit, shoot a bit and pass a bit, but rarely put it all together. 8. Dennis Schröder, Sacramento Kings Status: Agreed to a 3-year, $45 million deal Schröder is capable, he's fast and he can get you points if you need them, even if you need them at a scaled up capacity. However, he remains an iffy shooter, his defense isn't what it once was, and he's getting older.
