Latest news with #SummerLeague
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs Predicted to Pair Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong With .370 Average Youngster
Cubs Predicted to Pair Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong With .370 Average Youngster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs have two players on their roster who should be with them for the next 10-plus years: Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Whether the organization decides to keep Crow-Armstrong and Tucker around remains to be seen, but the hope and expectation is that it will be the case. Advertisement As the Cubs enter the 2025 MLB draft, they could pair both players with another star talent. Baseball America recently predicted them to do so in the form of Brendan Summerhill, an outfielder from the University of Arizona. 'Summerhill missed a chunk of time this spring with a fractured right hand, but he's back in the lineup for Arizona and increasingly being discussed as one of the more impressive pure hitters in the college class. He's still hitting over .400 and has a well-rounded profile with solid-average tools across the board led by his strong approach and contact skills,' Baseball America wrote. Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (8), center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4), and right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) celebrate after beating the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Sieu-Imagn Images Summerhill impressed during his collegiate career, posting a .370 batting average with four home runs, 33 RBI, 11 doubles, and six triples during the 2025 season for the Wildcats. Advertisement In his three-year college career, he appeared in 119 games, hitting .330 with 14 home runs. He's never been much of a power hitter, which could be a bit concerning, as the Cubs have found out, but he has other tools and should be able to find his way into the first round of the draft if things go as planned over the next few weeks. Playing in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League last summer, he hit .286 with two home runs, posting a .798 OPS. Related: Cubs Linked to Orioles $13 Million Starter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Executive Makes Bold Claim Regarding Bronny James' Role With The Lakers Next Season
NBA Executive Makes Bold Claim Regarding Bronny James' Role With The Lakers Next Season originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Bronny James' NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers didn't get off to the greatest of starts, but he did show some promise in the latter stages of his rookie season. James had some solid showings and impressed in the G League, and a Western Conference Executive believes the Lakers want him to be part of the rotation next season. Advertisement "I don't think there's any doubt that's their plan," one Western Conference executive said. "I know the guy gets a lot of grief because of who his dad is, but we've seen a lot of tape on (Bronny) and the fact is, he was a lot better player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July." There is no denying that James improved a fair bit. The early signs were so bad that the Lakers were hammered for selecting the former USC guard with the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. James averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Lakers in the Summer League. He was very inefficient, too, as he shot 35.0% from the field and 15.8% from beyond the arc. Things didn't get much better in the preseason either. James averaged 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 29.7% from the field and 8.3% from three. Advertisement That provided James' doubters with ammunition to claim he did not belong in the NBA and that he had only made it in because he is LeBron James' son. There was an avalanche of criticism coming his way, but he did eventually start playing better. James would end up averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the South Bay Lakers in the G League. He was a bit more efficient, too, shooting 44.0% from the field and 38.0% from beyond the arc. While some might dismiss G League performances, we are talking about someone who looked out of place in the Summer League at one point. James had taken some big strides, and the executive is backing him to be a regular for the Lakers in 2025-26. "He's 20 years old," the executive stated. "He had a whole year where his development was thrown all out of whack. But he can defend the perimeter, and he showed he can shoot the 3. Advertisement "If he can show that wasn't a fluke, he is going to start getting 10, 15 minutes a night because the team is going to feel like they can trust him," the executive added. "I think he is going to do all that. He is going to be a regular for them next year." This executive isn't the only one with this belief. Lakers insider Dave McMenamin thinks James could be a rotation player by midseason. That might be a bit too soon for the 20-year-old, though. James has shown some promise on the defensive end, and the outside shot is falling with greater regularity, but he didn't even come close to cracking the Lakers' rotation as a rookie. It was only when the team had an injury crisis that he got meaningful minutes on the court. If the Lakers were in rebuild mode in 2025-26, then maybe James, who averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.3 steals per game as a rookie, could have been part of the rotation. They aspire to be serious title contenders, though, and you've got to be a pretty good NBA player to play significant minutes for a team like that. Related: LeBron James' Message To Bronny James Post Lakers Playoff Exit: "I'll See You When I See You" This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Suns to Hire Cavaliers Assistant as Franchise's Next Head Coach
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Phoenix Suns have been going through coaches at a pretty high rate in the last few years as they chase an NBA championship. In fact, they have had three different coaches in the last three years. They decided to part ways with Mike Budenholzer after just one year. This offseason, the Suns were deciding between two different Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches, as they believed those two guys were the best finalists for the job. Summer League head coach Jordan Ott of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game. Ott is now the new head coach... Summer League head coach Jordan Ott of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game. Ott is now the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns. More Photo byThe Suns have decided to hire Jordan Ott as the new head coach of the franchise. He will be in charge of leading the Suns back into contention for a title. Just In: The Phoenix Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Ott has been an NBA assistant since 2012 and has a strong background of offensive and defensive creativity, player development and communication. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2025 Ott has been an assistant coach in the league since 2016, but this is his first stint as a head coach. He leads a Suns team with a lot of star power. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Devin Booker was heavily involved in this decision. More NBA on Newsweek: LeBron James' 'Mind the Game' Podcast Takes Massive Shot at Brian Windhorst This story will be updated....
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Brian Goorjian to use NBA coaching stint with the New York Knicks in a bid to finalise the Kings' NBL26 roster
Sydney Kings coach Brian Goorjian will use an NBA Summer League coaching stint with the New York Knicks to finalise the Kings' roster for NBL26. CODE Sports can reveal Goorjian has agreed to join the Knicks as an assistant coach for a five-day camp leading up to the Summer League. He will also be on the team's bench during the annual pre-season tournament in Las Vegas from July 10 to 20. Joining forces with New York – a franchise coming off its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 20 years – will give Goorjian a front-row seat to the club's talent pool as he attempts to lock in Sydney's final roster spot. The Kings are keen to sign a back-up big man to add more size to the team's front-court alongside Xavier Cooks and Keli Leaupepe. Sydney CEO Chris Pongrass has already publicly stated the club's desire to lure a 'six-foot-eleven guy with length and size'. The Kings had the fourth-best average rebound numbers in the competition last season, but were seventh in rebounding differential, a crucial part that cost them in their biggest games. Goorjian is desperate to improve this statistic in NBL26 via the help of an experienced big man who can impact the game at both ends of the floor. The legendary mentor's NBA Summer League stint with the Knicks is the perfect chance to survey the best emerging talent in world basketball. The Summer League has proven to be a successful pathway for NBL players to attract interest in recent seasons. Former Melbourne United centre Ariel Hukporti signed a two-year contract with New York following an impressive Summer League stint for the club. Hukporti, who was selected by the Knicks with the 54th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, averaged 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in five games for the Knicks at last year's pre-season tournament. Another ex-United star in Jack White signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets in 2022 after a standout Summer League stint with the club. White went on to play 17 NBA games for the Nuggets during the franchise's run to the 2022/23 championship. A cast of NBL players are again expected to feature in this year's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. While no players are officially locked into stints, the likes of Davo Hickey, Tyrell Harrison and Hyunjung Lee have all indicated a desire to play in the pre-season event. In other news, Pongrass has decided to step down from his role as CEO following seven successful seasons. Pongrass played a vital role in the club's consecutive championships in NBL22 and NBL23 as the team's leading recruiter. He will continue in his current role with Sydney for the next six months – assisting the club's ownership to find a suitable replacement. It's understood Pongrass doesn't have a new job as yet, but he should have no shortage of interest given his NBL success and previous NBA experience as the director of basketball operations at the Memphis Grizzlies.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Bronny James could be poised for a whole new Lakers role after rookie progress
Bronny James apparently has a bright future with the Lakers. One Western Conference exec said the Lakers are all-in on integrating LeBron James' 20-year-old son into their regular rotation next season, according to Athlon Sports. 'I don't think there's any doubt that's their plan,' the executive said. 'I know the guy gets a lot of grief because of who his dad is, but we've seen a lot of tape on [Bronny] and the fact is, he was a lot better player in April than he was in October, and definitely in July… He is going to be a regular for them next year.' 3 Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Arena in Los Angeles on April 19, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The exec mentioned that Bronny — the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft — flashed some real potential in his rookie season after falling behind in his development due to a heart condition suffered before his freshman year at USC. 'He's 20 years old,' the exec said. 'He had a whole year where his development was thrown all out of whack. But he can defend the perimeter and he showed he can shoot the 3. 'If he can show that wasn't a fluke, he is going to start getting 10, 15 minutes a night because the team is going to feel like they can trust him. I think he is going to do all that. He is going to be a regular for them next year.' 3 Lakers' Bronny James high fives teammate and father LeBron James #23 during Game 1 of their first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 19, 2025 at Arena in Los Angeles, California. NBAE via Getty Images Bronny struggled in Summer League and the beginning of his debut campaign with the Lakers. In 27 NBA appearances, the guard averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 31.3 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from three point range. The younger James was back and forth from the Lakers to the South Bay Lakers in the G League, where he averaged 21.9 points, 44.3 percent shooting and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. 3 Lakers guard Bronny James (9) brings the ball up the court past Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) in the second half at Moda Center on April 13, 2025. Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images Lakers coach JJ Redick was adamant about Bronny's growth and dedication to developing his game. The Lakers' season ended with a loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on April 30. Bronny explained that it was a 'blessing' to play with his father as they became the NBA's first-ever father-son duo. 'Being able to learn from him, not only as a player, but as a dad. It's a different type of relationship,' Bronny said, according to FOX Sports. 'I try to take full advantage of it because it's something that a lot of people can't have. It was an amazing experience for me. And I'm looking forward to learning more from him, if he's still here or not, either way. But I'm just looking forward to it.' LeBron, 40, suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in the Lakers' 103-96 season-ending loss to Minnesota — and questions about his playing future inevitably followed. The four-time NBA champ has a $52.6 million player option that he could opt into to return next season for his 23rd campaign.
