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LAS VEGAS — Josh Giddey vs. Cade Cunningham ought to make for an intriguing tip-off to NBA Summer time League.
Giddey and the Thunder will play Cunningham’s Pistons at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
All 30 NBA groups are competing within the Las Vegas Summer time League. Each crew will play 5 video games, hosted at both the Thomas & Mack Middle or the Cox Pavilion — each on UNLV’s campus two miles east of the Vegas Strip.
The highest two groups will play within the championship sport on Aug. 17. Within the case of a tie, head-to-head matchups, level differential, or lastly a random drawing will determine which groups play for the Summer time League title.
The opposite 28 groups will play a fifth sport on both Aug. 16 or 17.
Ten is the quantity to recollect.
Video games will consist of 4 10-minute quarters, a crew reaches the penalty on its tenth crew foul and a participant fouls out after committing his tenth, sure tenth, private foul.
In case of time beyond regulation, the primary time beyond regulation interval is 2 minutes, and the second time beyond regulation is sudden loss of life. The primary crew to attain wins.
The Thunder is 7-13 all time within the Vegas Summer time League, but it surely completed 4-1 when the occasion was final held in 2019.
Right here’s the whole lot you must know in regards to the Thunder’s 2021 Summer time League slate:
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Thunder participant to observe
Giddey is the straightforward reply.
The Thunder picked Giddey No. 6 within the 2021 NBA Draft, making him the very best Thunder choice since James Harden went third general in 2009.
There’s every kind of intrigue round Giddey, a 6-foot-8 guard who was a prolific passer in Australia’s Nationwide Basketball League. Giddey, a Melbourne native, was named NBL Rookie of the Yr final season, and he’s but to show 18.
Extra:Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young signed max NBA contracts. How do they compare?
Thunder Summer time League roster
Charlie Brown Jr., guard: Brown averaged 4.4 factors in 9 video games with the Thunder final season. The 24-year-old is on a non-guaranteed contract coming into the brand new season.
Oscar da Silva, ahead: Da Silva was a three-year starter at Stanford, and was twice named to the All Pac-12 crew. Da Silva was born in Munich, and he simply performed his first skilled season in Germany’s Bundesliga.
Rob Edwards, guard: Edwards was faculty teammates with Lu Dort for one season at Arizona State. Edwards averaged 12.5 factors and shot 44% from 3-point vary for the G League OKC Blue final season.
Josh Giddey, guard: Control Giddey’s 3-point shot. He shot simply 29% from behind the arc in Australia. Enhancing his vary shall be essential, particularly when he’s enjoying off the ball.
Josh Corridor, ahead: Corridor skipped faculty, and his first NBA season was understandably bumpy. He shot a dismal 4-of-37 from 3-point vary. Corridor was on a two-way contract final season, and he’s doubtless enjoying for one more this yr.
Jaylen Hoard, ahead:Another familiar face. Hoard was the Thunder’s different two-way participant final season, and he supplied strong minutes in 19 video games. Hoard averaged 6.1 factors and three.4 rebounds.
Jalen Lecque, guard: Keep in mind this title? The Thunder acquired Lecque from Phoenix within the Chris Paul commerce. OKC then rerouted Lecque to Indiana for T.J. Leaf and a 2027 second-round choose. Lecque has performed in 9 NBA video games.
Theo Maledon, guard:Maledon ought to be the Thunder’s most polished participant at Summer time League. As a rookie, Maledon led the Thunder in minutes. OKC’s backcourt is crowded with younger gamers, however Maledon ought to nonetheless have a key position as a backup level guard.
Tre Mann, guard:Mann ought to rank second after Giddey on the most-excited-to-watch listing. The Thunder drafted the previous Florida guard with the 18th choose. Mann’s strengths are his pull-up sport and 3-point capturing. He’s guess to guide the crew in scoring at Summer time League.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, ahead: Robinson-Earl is a little bit of a tweener, so it’s value watching to see if he performs energy ahead or heart in Summer time League. Robinson-Earl does a whole lot of little issues, and it’s why the Thunder traded as much as take him No. 32.
Aaron Wiggins, guard: The Thunder will signal Wiggins to a two-way contract after taking him with the fifty fifth choose. He averaged 14.5 factors and 5.8 rebounds per sport in his junior season at Maryland.
Emmitt Williams, ahead: Williams went undrafted after two seasons at LSU. He performed for the G League Agua Caliente Clippers final season.
Ryan Woolridge, guard: The Mansfield, Texas native performed for the OKC Blue final season. He performed three seasons at North Texas earlier than transferring to Gonzaga.
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No Poku?
Second-year ahead Aleksej Pokusevski just isn’t on the Summer time League roster.
Why not?
“He acquired a whole lot of minutes this season, and we now have him on a selected observe and plan for the summer season,” common supervisor Sam Presti mentioned. “We do not actually really feel just like the Summer time League really could be an enormous barometer for us with him and the place he is at.
“He is having an excellent summer season. He appears to be like nice. He is labored his tail off, and we could not be extra enthusiastic about it.”
‘Staff-based sport’:How Thunder rookies Josh Giddey and Tre Mann fit next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Thunder Summer time League teaching employees
Grant Gibbs, who’s coached the Blue for the previous two seasons, will function head coach of the Summer time League crew for the primary time.
Earlier than turning into head coach of the Blue, Gibbs spent two years as a Blue assistant.
Gibbs was a three-year starter at Creighton from 2011-14.
Becoming a member of Gibbs on the bench shall be Mike Wilks, Eric Maynor, Zach Peterson and Kameron Woods.
Wilks and Maynor each performed for the Thunder. Wilks is a Thunder assistant coach and Maynor was on Gibbs’ Blue employees.
Peterson and Woods are Thunder participant improvement coaches.
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Oklahoma connections in NBA Summer time League
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, Atlanta Hawks:Akoon-Purcell spent two years at Eastern Oklahoma State earlier than transferring to Illinois State. The 6-foot-4 guard later performed for the Blue, and he made a coaching camp roster with the Thunder.
LiAngelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets: LiAngelo will get a shot with little brother LaMelo’s crew. LiAngelo Ball signed a G League contract with the Blue in March 2020, simply earlier than the pandemic.
Deonte Burton, Denver Nuggets: Burton performed 71 video games for the Thunder from 2018-20. He averaged 2.6 factors and 1.2 rebounds per sport. The Thunder declined his team option final offseason.
Semaj Christon, Denver Nuggets: Christon performed 64 video games for the Thunder within the 2016-17 season. The 28-year-old level guard hasn’t performed within the NBA since.
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons: All eyes shall be on the No. 1 choose within the draft. Cunningham is on the heart of an intriguing Pistons core. The previous OSU star will face the Thunder in his first Summer time League sport.
DaQuan Jeffries, San Antonio Spurs: The previous Edmond Santa Fe standout performed 18 video games for the Kings and 13 video games for the Rockets final season. Jeffries performed one yr at Oral Roberts and two years at Tulsa.
Grant Jerrett, Detroit Pistons: The Thunder acquired Jerrett in a 2013 draft-night commerce. The Fortieth-overall choose solely appeared in 5 video games for the Thunder. Jerrett has most just lately performed in Turkey.
Cameron McGriff, Charlotte Hornets: The 6-foot-7 ahead performed 4 seasons at OSU from 2016-20. He led the Cowboys in scoring and rebounding as a junior and senior. McGriff final performed professionally in Belgium.
Emmanuel Nzekwesi, Phoenix Suns: Nzekwesi was born within the Netherlands and performed his faculty ball at Oral Roberts from 2016-20. He was a two-time All-Summit League participant.
Justin Patton, New York Knicks: The Thunder traded Patton and money to the Mavericks in January 2020 in change for Isaiah Roby. That turned out to be a win for OKC. Patton performed simply 5 video games for the Thunder.
Brandon Rachal, Brooklyn Nets: Rachal transferred to Tulsa for his final two years of school. He averaged 15 factors and seven.2 rebounds as a senior.
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers: Reaves signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after he surprisingly went undrafted. Reaves averaged 18.3 factors per sport final season for the Sooners.
Justin Robinson, Los Angeles Lakers: Robinson signed a few 10-day contracts with the Thunder final season. He averaged 2.3 factors in 9 video games.
Admiral Schofield, Atlanta Hawks: The Thunder acquired Schofield from the Wizards on draft evening final yr. The Thunder waived him after its ultimate preseason sport final season.
Kendall Smith, Golden State Warriors: Smith performed at UNLV and Cal State Northridge earlier than transferring to OSU for the 2017-18 season. Smith began 30 video games for the Cowboys and averaged 13.1 factors.
Omer Yurtseven, Miami Warmth: Yurtseven performed 14 video games for the OKC Blue final season. The 7-foot heart averaged 15.2 factors and 9.3 rebounds per sport. It was reported Friday that Yurtseven and the Warmth agreed to a two-year deal.
Extra:With NBA Draft over, here is how the Thunder’s roster looks entering free agency
watch Thunder in NBA Summer time League
► Sunday: vs. Pistons, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 (Thomas & Mack Middle)
► Wednesday: vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m., NBA TV (Cox Pavilion)
► Friday: vs. Warriors, 6 p.m., ESPN2 (Cox Pavilion)
► Saturday: vs. Pacers, 5 p.m., ESPN2 (Thomas & Mack Middle)
► Monday/Tuesday, Aug. 16/17: TBD
► Tuesday, Aug. 17: Championship sport (top-two groups)
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