LAS VEGAS — A look at top performers from Day 8 in Las Vegas:
Dylan Ennis, Golden State Warriors
Jordan Bell wasn’t the only member of the Oregon Ducks Final Four team to make an impression on the Warriors this summer. Ennis, the older brother of Tyler Ennis, came off the bench for the Warriors in Friday’s 109-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and dropped a nasty 35 points on 12-for-20 shooting from the floor. He was lights out from deep, draining eight of his 11 shots from beyond the 3-point line, including a wicked stretch just before halftime where he sank four straight. He also had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. And he did all that work in just 28 minutes of action.
Tony Bradley, Utah Jazz
The rookie big man saved some of his best for the last day of the Las Vegas Summer League. Bradley pounded the Milwaukee Bucks for 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in Utah’s 97-76 rout. With a bumper crop of standout rookies on display all summer, the 6-11, 250-pound North Carolina product certainly showed some signs of potentially big things to come. He’s physical and loves to mix it up around the basket on both ends but also has a soft shooting touch and a polished face-up game that will serve him well in the future.
Brice Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers
Johnson spent his entire time in Las Vegas reminding anyone who forgot that he, too, was once a prized first-round pick. With his rookie season washed out by injuries, this summer was his chance to show everyone that the Clippers were smart to gamble on his immense upside. His 17 points and five rebounds in a 109-100 loss to the Warriors completed an impressive week that began with his posterization of Lonzo Ball in the opener, and along the way providing more evidence that the Clippers have a keeper in the bouncy forward from North Carolina.
Brady Heslip and Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls
Who says summer league is strictly for the rookies? The Bulls’ starting backcourt helped run the Philadelphia 76ers out of the Thomas & Mack Center with a ridiculous shooting display from Heslip and Valentine. They combined for 49 points (28 from Heslip, who knocked down a wicked 8-for-15 from beyond the arc) in the 99-82 victory. Valentine added six assists and two steals for a Bulls team that finished its Summer League run on a high note. With the rebuilding going on in Chicago this season, any positives they can take away from Summer League play helps the cause.
Justin Jackson, Sacramento Kings
Jackson finished off an impressive week with a 29-point performance in the Kings’ 93-87 win over the Phoenix Suns. While No. 5 overall pick De’Aaron Fox garnered most all of the headlines heading into this competition, it was Jackson who proved to be the most consistent performer for the Kings’ young core of the future. A polished wing scorer at the collegiate level, his overall skills translate perfectly to the next level.
Mike James, Phoenix Suns
Most people saw the name and figured the veteran Mike James making a comeback or perhaps his son was joining the legacy crowd that filled to rosters throughout the Las Vegas Summer League. Not so much. This seasoned pro continued to turn heads on his final night of action, pumping in a team-high 25 points in a losing effort against the Kings. If people were confused before now and weren’t sure exactly who this Mike James was, they certainly know now.
Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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