Latest news with #SummerLeague
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Report: Pacers withdraw offer to Enrique Freeman, clearing way for Taelon Peter to grab last two-way spot
It appears Pacers' surprise second-round pick Taelon Peter has earned the team's final two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. Per Spotrac's Keith Smith, the Pacers have withdrawn their two-way contract offer to forward Enrique Freeman, clearing the way for Peter to stick. Quenton Jackson has already signed a two-way contract and on "Setting the Pace" podcast, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan gave every indication point guard RayJ Dennis would have one as well. That left one between Freeman — last year's No. 50 overall pick — and Peter, this year's No. 54 pick. 'Really hard not to like Taelon Peter.' Draft's biggest surprise has purpose bigger than basketball Both players had strong performances in the NBA Summer League. Peter averaged 9.5 points per game on 57.1% shooting. Freeman posted double-doubles in each of his last four games and averaged 16.6 points per game on 72.5% shooting and 9.6 rebounds. However, Buchanan told Alex Golden earlier this week that Peter had the edge. "We'll probably be looking at Taelon," Buchanan said. "We haven't decided for sure on that yet. He probably makes sense from that standpoint. We like a lot of things he does as far as playing without the ball, his shooting, his movement. I thought he showed very encouraging signs defending the ball in Las Vegas." Freeman played center for the Pacers in Summer League and got work there in limited minutes for the Pacers last season and his skill set seems best suited for that position. However, at 6-7, 220 pounds he's not quite big enough to play it effectively in the NBA even if he can reliably play it in the G League. "He's on the cusp of being an NBA roster type player," Buchanan said. "His challenge is his position for the NBA. We play him at a lot of 5. He's probably undersized for that for the NBA. He's got a motor. He has a nose for the ball. He's tough. He's smart. It's a tough decision for us, but the backcourt spot is probably more where we need some depth." LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST BELOW:
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Vol to play basketball professionally in France
Former Tennessee men's basketball player Zakai Zeigler signed to play professional basketball. Zeigler, a point guard and three-year starter for the Vols, signed to play for Nanterre 92, in the LNB Elite, which competes in the top-tier league in France. Nanterre 92 is located in Nanterre, France. "New recruit," Nanterre 92 announced. "The Vol hoops point guard Zakai Zeigler joins Nanterre 92 and will try to outpace the Betclic_ELITE! After a solid (NBA) Summer League with the Detroit Pistons, Zakai averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 assists per game in his last NCAA season. Let's go ZZ!" Zeigler signed as an undrafted free agent with Detroit following the 2025 NBA draft. He played for the Pistons' NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with his Tennessee teammate Chaz Lanier, a second-round pick by Detroit. Zeigler, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 9.0 points and 3.0 assists in four games with Detroit in the NBA Summer League. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs sign David Jones-Garcia, former Memphis basketball star, to two-way contract
The San Antonio Spurs signed David Jones-Garcia − a former Memphis basketball star − to a two-way contract on July 22, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The move comes on the heels of a dominant showing by the one-time Tiger during NBA Summer League earlier this month in San Francisco (California Classic) and Las Vegas. The 6-4 guard, who went by David Jones throughout his collegiate career (which included one season, 2023-24, at Memphis), averaged 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Spurs in five summer league games in Las Vegas. His standout play earned him a spot on the All-Summer League First Team, which was also announced July 22. Jones-Garcia also averaged 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in three games at the California Classic. The Spurs have not yet announced the transaction. Jones-Garcia transferred to Memphis from St. John's prior to the 2023-24 season. He blossomed into a star under coach Penny Hardaway, averaging 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while connecting on 38% of his 3-point attempts, earning a first-team all-American Conference nod. With one season of collegiate eligibility remaining, Jones-Garcia opted instead to turn pro. He was not selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, instead signing a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. While he has not played in an NBA game, Jones-Garcia found plenty of success in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes. He also played in two games for the Salt Lake City Stars. Jones-Garcia is one of several former Tigers who played under Hardaway who are currently signed to two-way contracts with NBA teams, alongside Lester Quinones, Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Emoni Bates. Reach sports writer Jason Munz at follow him @munzly on X. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Spurs sign David Jones-Garcia, former Memphis star, to two-way deal
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Celtics Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds impressed with Hugo Gonzalez
This year, the Boston Celtics used their first round pick on Hugo Gonzalez, selecting him with the 28th overall pick and the Spaniard showed good early returns in the summer. During the Summer League in Las Vegas, Gonzalez averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while head coach Matt Reynolds took notice of the growth he showed in his game. Speaking to reporters following the conclusion of Summer League, Reynolds praised Gonzalez's growth and how he worked to become more comfortable throughout the summer. Whether it's high energy on defense or his ability to learn and understand the offense as the summer league went on, Reynolds liked what Gonzalez showed when given the opportunity. "I think particularly with the offensive system we were running, it's something he's probably not used to playing," Reynolds told reporters. "So whether that's playing with pace and freedom that our group really pushed or in half court, having different reads whether it was on-ball switching or off-ball, different ways our offense was effective I think he became more comfortable with that. Defensively, he's a high-energy player and we really wanted to accentuate those strengths, with each game he became more confident in that as well." Reynolds believes Gonzalez will have a mixed bag of offensive and defensive responsibilities to work on heading into training camp, but overall, the summer league head coach was impressed with the late first-round pick. It may be hard to envision a role for Gonzalez as a rookie but with Jayson Tatum likely to miss most of the season, head coach Joe Mazzulla could allow players to step up and earn a bigger role in what will be a much different season than the previous two in Boston.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A look back at the Jays' original duo nickname: 7/11
A look back at Summer League 2017 when Jayson Tatum made his debut while wearing the number 11, making Brown and Tatum the 7/11 duo A look back at the Jays' original duo nickname: 7/11 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
