Summer league a time to impress
Seven unproven players have chance to show their worth
LAS VEGAS» Michael Malone remembers pulling Tim Connelly aside at UNLV’S Thomas & Mack Center last July. Torrey Craig, then an undrafted 27-year-old who had been playing professionally in Australia and New Zealand, had just exploded for 27 points and 11 rebounds to complement his pesky perimeter defense in a summer-league win over Houston.
“Don’t let anybody else take this guy from us,” the Nuggets’ coach told Connelly, Denver’s president of basketball operations.
Might as well change to name of NBA Summer League to NBA “Prove It” League.
The 12-day showcase in Las Vegas is a prime opportunity for young players to demonstrate why they were drafted so high, or that they should have been drafted, period. That they have recovered from injury, or have taken crucial steps in their development through offseason training. That they’re rookies to watch, or that they deserve a spot on an NBA roster.
Given the overall talent level and minimal prep time, it would be silly to overreact to positive or negative summer-league performances. But sometimes, these July outings do foreshadow what a player can bring to an NBA floor.
Craig’s breakout play in summer league earned him a two-way contract, prompting Denver’s staff to get creative in order to maximize Craig’s time with the Nuggets and keep him away from the G League. During Denver’s playoff push, Craig was a key part of the rotation on the wing.
The Nuggets’ top two draft picks, Michael Porter Jr. and Jarred Vanderbilt, are skipping summer league while recovering from injuries. But here are seven players on Denver’s team with something to prove over the coming days:
Monte Morris
The second-year point guard is vying for the backup job behind Jamal Murray, which would shift his two-way contract into a full NBA deal. Morris got off to a terrific start in Friday’s summerleague opener, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the first half and collecting four assists against one turnover. The prototypical floor general excels in the pick-and-roll and he has worked over the past two months to make his shot form more fluid. Friday night, he also flashed an ability to burst by his defender and finish at the rim.
“I’m very high on myself talentwise and skill set-(wise), because I’m here with all the coaches putting in the time with my game,”
Morris said. “I’m trying to go out there and make everybody else believe that I can play at this level.”
Malik Beasley
Beasley brings confidence to his third summer league, noting the Nuggets’ pre-vegas practices felt like “light work” compared to his offseason training regimen. The athletic Beasley could be a contender to snag the backup shooting guard minutes in 2018-19, as swingman Will Barton is projected to slide into the starting small forward role after Wilson Chandler was traded to Philadelphia. Beasley’s Friday outing was uneven, recording 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and five turnovers.
“I still didn’t play that much (last season),” Beasley said. “I thought I needed (summer league) to show what I can do. I just want to kill whoever’s in front of me.”
Vlatko Cancar
The Nuggets’ 2017 “draftand-stash” European prospect was a late arrival to Denver’s summer league minicamp after playing with the Slovenian national team during World Cup qualifiers. But the 6-8, 210pounder showed off his natural feel for the game and versatility in Friday’s contest, totaling 11 points (4of-9 shooting), four rebounds, three steals and one block in 21 minutes. If the Nuggets make another salary-dump trade, Cancar could be a contender to fill that final roster spot and bring his game to the States.
“Some guys jump really high. Some guys are really good athletes,” Nuggets summer-league coach Jordi Fernandez said. “That (feel is) his skill right now, and that’s what he brings to us. I want to see him grow throughout the summer.”
Tyler Lydon
Lydon’s first professional season was cut short when a knee injury suffered in a January G League game required arthroscopic surgery. Friday’s Vegas opener — where he quietly compiled seven points, seven rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes — marked the 2017 first-rounder’s return to contact play against a true opponent. The Nuggets are still stacked at power forward, and Lydon must show a lot of progress to crack the rotation in 2018-19.
“Each day, it gets better and better, and I feel even more and more comfortable with it,” Lydon said of his knee. “Mentally, I know my knee’s good. I know it’s 100 percent, so I’m ready to go.”
Thomas Welsh
Welsh is Denver’s only 2018 draft pick participating in summer league. The 7footer with shooting range and playmaking ability tallied five points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 18 minutes Friday, and ranked second on the team in plus/minus at plus10. Welsh, however, left the game late and had his shoulder wrapped in an ice pack while departing the arena. Welsh is likely to sign a twoway contract, but summer league has given him some early experience in Denver’s system.
“He seems older, even though the NBA is new to him,” Fernandez said, adding: “He seems like an NBA vet to me.”
Kenrich Williams
The undrafted rookie out of TCU gobbled up eight rebounds in 16 minutes Friday and has been praised for his defense on the wing. Should Morris earn a full NBA contract, the 6-7 Williams could be take the Nuggets’ second two-way spot.
“He’s really good laterally,” Fernandez said of Williams’ defense. “He can keep people in front — guards and bigger guys. He doesn’t quit on plays. That’s the No. 1 thing. That’s how he can make it to the NBA, just for that reason.”
Emanuel Terry
A surprise starter in Friday’s contest, the undrafted Terry was a Division II Allamerican at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. At 6-9 and 220 pounds, Terry boasts freakish athleticism — Google his college dunk over a defender on an inbound alley-oop — and the versatility to defend multiple positions. Catching the attention of an NBA club, even for a two-way deal, would be a quintessential summerleague success story.
“Just (want to) prove to everybody that they shouldn’t sleep on me,” Terry said. “This is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. I didn’t want to come in here nervous or anything. I was at first, but once I step on the court, it’s just basketball. Just play.
Gina Mizell: gmizell@denverpost.com or @ginamizell