Branden Carlson makes up for lost time as he helps Thunder clinch Summer League playoffs
Carlson finished with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and seven rebounds. He shot 4-of-6 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had two blocks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder enjoyed a 92-75 win over the Orlando Magic. It helped them reach a perfect 4-0 record in Las Vegas and clinch a 2025 Summer League playoff spot.
An ankle injury cost Carlson the beginning of the Summer League. He sat out the Thunder's first five games but had a productive absence when he signed a two-way deal during it. The 26-year-old showed off why they were so determined to keep him on their roster when they tendered a qualifying offer.
Against a short-handed Magic squad, Carlson made up for lost time. He dominated at every spot on the floor. The stretch big was a textbook kick-out option and the seven-footer's size helped him finish through a packed paint with dunks.
The Thunder have given fans reasons to watch these final Summer League games. Carlson flashed throughout last season and dominated in the G League. His combination of size and shooting caused broadcaster Isiah Thomas to spend most of the second half wondering why nobody else saw his talent as a 2024 undrafted player.
"It felt great. Missed being out on the court. It's good to be out there and play some games again," Carlson said. "... I felt like I just went out there and played my game. I've been with some of these guys around, so I kinda know how to play with each other. So I felt ready and easy to get right back into the groove."
If the Thunder collect two more wins to get a Summer League ring, Carlson will likely play a big role in that. With Topic and Ajay Mitchell likely done the rest of the way, OKC's two two-way players in Carlson and Brooks Barnhizer must step up.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
2025 Summer League thoughts: What Nikola Topic, others did to stand out
Usually, the NBA champion has little to look forward to in the Summer League. With low draft picks, they spent the two-week extravaganza rewatching playoff highlights on their way to the Larry O'Brien trophy. But the Oklahoma City Thunder remain an exception to the rule. The Thunder had a productive Summer League. They played eight games in Utah and Las Vegas. Nikola Topic's debut after sitting out last season recovering from a torn ACL was worth the watch. The Thunder lost to the Charlotte Hornets in the playoff semifinal. Reflecting on the 2025 Summer League one last time, let's give one quick thought for the 16 players that suited up. Thunder Wire will divide the entries into three separate articles: Nikola Topic Flashes were shown, but the 19-year-old will be a work in progress. Everybody knew that when he was added with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He missed last season with a torn ACL. The Thunder had the luxury to take a swing on the long-term project, hoping he works out. You saw some of Topic's high-end passing. He found shooters at the corner with cross-court passes. On inbound passes, he was a real weapon as a vertical passer. The more comfortable he got, the more daring his passes were to his teammates, especially in transition. That resulted in plenty of turnovers, but it's a good price to pay. Malevy Leons The Thunder must love Leons. He started in about every Summer League game. While he was mostly quiet, he showed off his length and wingspan with plenty of steals. He looked best when he was in transition. Sporting the No. 17 jersey, there's a touch of Poku in his game. The 25-year-old spent a cup of coffee on the Thunder last season but was mostly on the G League's Blue. He'll be worth bringing back a second year. His familiarity with the program helped him get plenty of minutes throughout the Summer League. Jazian Gortman The Thunder didn't really have a third guard on the roster. That meant plenty of ball-handling duties landed on Gortman's lap. The results were as expected. He can dance with the basketball but not much else. He was a fine go-to scorer that could create his own shot, but couldn't do much else. There's a reason why Gortman has bounced around the G League. He's had three stops in two seasons. The Blue could be his next. He's a decent bench scorer, but will likely be someone who doesn't carve out an NBA career because of it. You won't be afforded those same looks at the next level. Erik Reynolds II After being known as the guy who mistakenly scored on his basket, Reynolds II salvaged his Summer League experience with 16 points in garbage time. Besides that, he didn't do much else. He averaged 7.5 3-point attempts at Saint Joseph's. That volume carried over to the Summer League. Maybe he did so at practice, but the games didn't show much to convince me that Reynolds II should be brought back on the Blue. That's a small sample to react to, though. If he can let it fly from deep on a decent clip, he could stick around in the G League or overseas. Kerwin Walton Walton is another player that barely played at the Summer League. He went undrafted after he spent five college seasons at North Carolina and Texas Tech. The 23-year-old didn't get many chances to impress on the court, which isn't the greatest sign if you're trying to land a contract. Maybe Walton can get a G League or overseas deal elsewhere. A lack of playing time likely means he won't be brought back next season on the Blue. Alex Ducas After just one game, the Summer League turned into Ducas' swan song. He's set to go back home and join Australia's NBL. His NBA tenure was short and forgettable. Injuries limited his appearances. When he did play, he didn't show much. At least he got a ring out of it. Now that Ducas has left, the Thunder have a vacant two-way spot. That remains the only roster spot left open by the NBA champions as we enter the slowest part of the NBA calendar.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Report: Nets optimistic about Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf playing together
LAS VEGAS -- The Brooklyn Nets broke an NBA-record by selecting five players in the 2025 NBA Draft and many around the league wondered if the Nets were going through the process in the correct way. Four of the five players that Brooklyn selected can handle the ball in some way, but the Nets don't seem too concerned with two of their guards sharing the floor. "A lot of people see them as being similar players, and that's somewhat fair. But we think they can play together. Look at OKC and Indiana. They play a lot of ball-handlers and creators," a Nets front-office executive said of guards Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, per Spotrac's Keith Smith. Traore and Saraf were regarded as players who can make things happen with the best in their hands, but may struggle to play off the ball due to the questions surrounding their shooting abilities. "We're not too worried about the shooting here (Summer League)," Smith continued. "Both guys just finished up their seasons overseas. They were both pretty wiped out." It was clear following the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft that the Nets were leaning into the idea of having multiple players on the floor that can run the offense along with setting teammates up when needed. While Brooklyn finished the Las Vegas Summer League with a disappointing 1-4 record, they did get the chance to see Traore and Saraf on the floor with guard Egor Demin and forward Danny Wolf. The results weren't entirely encouraging given that time will tell which players will be on the ball more than others, but there were some instances in which one could see the vision of what Brooklyn is trying to build. "This is the way our roster is constructed," Nets summer league coach Steve Hetzel of the strategy while in Las Vegas. "The league is now multiple ball handlers, attackers. If you look at the team that just won the championship (Oklahoma City Thunder), they got Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that could both put the ball in the paint. We feel like the more people that we can have attacking and making plays, the better we are."
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Blake Wesley agrees to join Portland Trail Blazers on one-year contract
The Washington Wizards' motivation in waiving Marcus Smart and Blake Wesley is clear: They saved about $8.2 million with the moves. Smart quickly reached terms to join the Los Angeles Lakers once he cleared waivers. Now Wesley has found a home, joining a number of other talented young guards with the Portland Trail Blazers, a story broken by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. This will be a fully guaranteed one-year contract, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report confirms. Wesley is the former Notre Dame star who was drafted No. 25 overall in 2022 by the San Antonio Spurs, where things just never clicked as hoped. Wesley's minutes dropped each season with the Spurs, last year getting in 58 games at 11.8 minutes a night, averaging 3.7 points and two assists a game. Part of the challenge is the 6'5" guard shot 29.3% from beyond the arc last season (which is pretty much at his career average). For Portland fans looking for reasons to be optimistic, Wesley is just 22 years old, shot 35.9% from 3-point range for the Austin Spurs in the G League, and he's a solid to plus defender. Portland is largely set in their guard rotation with Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe (Damian Lillard is on the roster but will sit out this season recovering from his torn Achilles). Wesley is more of a deep bench guy, but he'll get his chance, and on a minimum contract, this is a low-risk roll of the dice by Portland. Wesley also makes 15 guaranteed contracts for the Trail Blazers, their roster is set.
