Gilgeous-alexander getting free rein
Los Angeles Clippers rookie Shai Gilgeous-alexander had a penchant for navigating the crowded paint of college basketball for layups and assists while at Kentucky.
It’s carrying over to Summer League.
Gilgeous-alexander, a 6-foot6 point guard, is one of Summer League’s top performers so far, averaging 19.5 points through four games.
“They’re letting me go,” Gilgeous-alexander said of his coaches in Las Vegas. “Once I got here they let me go a little bit.”
Gilgeous-alexander, a four-star recruit, was a relative unknown when he stepped on to Kentucky’s campus. But he averaged 14.4 points on 48.5 percent shooting to go with 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman to solidify himself as a lottery pick.
He was selected No. 11 overall in June, and has already had some dialogue with NBA legend and Clippers executive Jerry West.
“They’re secrets,” he said of his conversations with West. “I can’t share those with you.”
Wagner out with injury
The top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers will continue without their 2018 first-round pick Moe Wagner.
Wagner, the No. 25 overall pick out of Michigan, injured his left ankle and left knee Tuesday during a 10992 victory over the New York Knicks at the Thomas & Mack Center.
On Wednesday, the Lakers announced that an MRI revealed a left knee contusion for the 7-foot German.
Wagner rolled his ankle in the first quarter and returned in the second quarter to injure his knee. He was ruled out at halftime.
He entered Tuesday’s game averaging 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds between five summer games in Sacramento and Las Vegas.
The Lakers are 3-0 in Las Vegas and open the tournament Thursday against the Clippers at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Wolves 1-for-2 on challenges
The NBA is experimenting with a challenge system in the Summer League, and Minnesota has been one of the more active teams using it.
The Timberwolves challenged a jump-ball call in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Pistons and had the call overturned. It was the second time they have used a challenge this week, though the first was unsuccessful.
“Amile (Jefferson) came to me and when one of my guys comes in and says ‘Look, I promise you it’s off them,’ I’m going to listen to them because they’re on the court,” Minnesota coach John Lucas III said.