UJSL2018

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The Utah Jazz today announced that Tyler Dorsey and John Collins of Atlanta, Georges Niang and Tony Bradley of Utah, Kobi Simmons and Jaren Jackson Jr. of Memphis and Derrick White and Jeff Ledbetter of San Antonio have received Utah Jazz Summer League Standout honors. Two players from each participating team were selected in this year’s Utah Jazz Summer League as Standouts, recognizing their performance in games played from July 2 to 5.

Dorsey posted averages of 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, leading the Hawks in scoring. He started the Summer League in the event’s first game against Memphis tallying 18 points on 8-of-10 from the free throw line, seven boards and four assists.

Collins appeared in two games for Atlanta with averages of 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.5 minutes. On July 3, Collins had 19 points, seven rebounds and a block against the Spurs entry. His 6.5 boards per contest were good for eighth best at Utah Jazz Summer League.

Niang was Utah’s leading scorer over three games, owning averages of 16.7 points (fourth best at Utah Jazz Summer League), 5.7 boards and 2.3 assists. He notched a double-double against the Grizzlies, posting 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He finished the week with a 15-point, three-rebound performance in a 92-87 win over Atlanta.

Bradley posted a double-double in all three games and averaged 14.7 points, a Summer League-high 12.3 rebounds, along with 2.0 blocks. The 20-year-old shot 51.4 percent from the field in the three games. Bradley capped off the Utah Jazz Summer League with a 15-point, 12-rebound effort on July 5. 

Simmons averaged 17.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists during the event for the Grizzles, helping Memphis to a 2-1 record. His best night came on July 2 against Atlanta, where he scored 21 points on 8-of-13 from the field. 

The fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jaren Jackson Jr. set the high-mark for single games points, pouring in 29 points on 8-of-13 from three-point range in his Summer League debut against Atlanta. He averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds during the three days.

The 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League’s leading scorer, White tallied averaged of 23.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He scored 26 points and connected on five three pointers in San Antonio’s win against Memphis.

Ledbetter provided a spark off the bench for the Spurs, posting averages of 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals. He led all bench scorers with 16 points in San Antonio’s victory versus Atlanta.

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Utah Jazz Summer League Standouts Announced

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Utah Jazz Summer League Highlights: Jazz 92 | Hawks 87

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The 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League featured high draft picks, well-traveled journeymen, and 33,884 satisfied spectators—and it came to an end Thursday night with a 92-87 Jazz win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Utah opened the final quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 13-point lead and then held on for the win.

A trio of Jazz players—Georges Niang, Tony Bradley and Stanton Kidd (who has played professionally in Belgium, Germany and Turkey over the past three years)—led the way with 15 points apiece.

Bradley logged his third double-double in as many games, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Trey Lewis (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Jazz.

After sitting out Tuesday's game (rest, adductor strain), Grayson Allen stuffed the stat sheet despite struggling once again from the field. The No. 21 overall pick finished with nine points (on 2-for-13 shooting), six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block in 28 minutes.

Allen even picked up his first technical foul as a pro when he got tangled up with Atlanta's Trae Young early in the third quarter. Young also picked up a technical on the play. Midway through the fourth quarter, Allen forced three Hawks turnovers on three consecutive possessions —he stripped the ball from Young, knocked the ball out of bounds off Young's leg, and drew a charge (not on Young).

Speaking of Young, the No. 5 overall pick missed his first seven shots before connecting on a baseline floater midway through the third quarter. Young made two of his final four shots—a twisting layup in traffic and a wide-open three from the wing—to finish with 10 points. He added four rebounds and seven assists

Tyler Dorsey scored a game-high 17 points for the Hawks, while Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland finished with 14 points each in the loss.

The Jazz went 2-1 this week. The Hawks lost all three of their games. ... Kelan Martin and Jairus Lyles had eight points each off the bench for the Jazz. ... Atlanta shot 34.9 percent from the field. ... Young shot 12-for-52 (23.1 percent) in three games this week. ... Jock Landale (11 points, six rebounds) also scored in double figures for the Hawks. ... Naz Mitrou-Long shot 2-for-2 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line for six points. He added five rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Jazz. ... The game featured 36 turnovers and 50 personal fouls.

Both teams will play in the Las Vegas Summer League, which runs from June 6 until June 17.

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Jazz wrap up local Summer League with win over Hawks

The first game of Day 3 of the Utah Jazz Summer League once again turned into the Derrick White show.

White put up 20+ points for the third straight game, netting 26 to go along with seven rebounds and six assists as the Spurs took down the Memphis Grizzlies 94-87. The second-year wing shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc (including one four-point play) and finished the week averaging 23.0 points per game.

After struggling on Monday (3-for-16 shooting) and sitting out Tuesday (rest), San Antonio's Lonnie Walker IV finally made some noise with a 3-pointer and a transition dunk on consecutive possessions in the second quarter—and then he hit nothing but net on another three two minutes later. The No. 18 overall pick finished with 14 points in 25 minutes.

Wayne Selden went off for the Grizzlies in the loss. The third-year wing scored 26 points and shot 6-for-7 from 3-point range. For the week, Selden averaged 23 points over two games.

Jaren Jackson Jr. fell back to earth a bit after two standout performances. The No. 4 overall pick finished with eight points (on 1-for-7 shooting), four rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes. After shooting 8-for-13 from beyond the arc on Monday, Jackson attempted only one 3-pointer tonight. He consistently got to the rim but shot only 1-for-6 from close range.

Both the Spurs and Grizzlies went 2-1 this week.

Jaron Blossomgame added 10 points for the Spurs in the win. ... San Antonio shot 15-for-25 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range. White (5-for-8) and Jeff Ledbetter (3-for-5) led the way. ... Kobi Simmons and Brady Heslip finished with 10 points each for the Grizzlies. ... Former Jazz draft pick Olivier Hanlan (No. 42 in 2015) made his 2018 Summer League debut for the Spurs. He finished with eight points, five rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes. ... The Spurs led by as many as 18 points.

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White, Spurs cruise past Grizzlies on Day 3 of Summer League

The play took just a split second, and somehow it still managed to explain the strength of their bond. It happened in the second half of the Utah Jazz’s Summer League game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Naz Mitrou-Long glanced up and made eye contact with his best friend. A moment later, Mitrou-Long’s inch-perfect pass had gone from the backcourt into the hands of a streaking Georges Niang for a thunderous dunk.

“What did I see?” Mitrou-Long would say when asked about the play later, a smirk growing on his face. “I saw a nice poster. That was big time. I might go purchase that if it’s out there anywhere.

“That’s special, that chemistry,” he continued. “He took off running and he was running faster than I’ve ever seen Georges run, and lo and behold he jumped higher than I’ve ever seen him jump. It was special, a special little connection right there.”

The connection between Mitrou-Long and Niang—teammates, roommates, best friends, and now two of the standouts of this year’s Utah Jazz Summer League—came together almost as quickly as a full-court pass, during a recruiting visit to Iowa State University back in 2011.

“We went to a football game, and when I knew it was real was when my man right here loaned me $50 so I could buy a sweatshirt,” Niang recalled recently.

“Oh my God! I forgot about that!” Mitrou-Long said.

“I ended up paying him back on the ride to the airport,” Niang said. “Us barely knowing each other and him lending me [money] to get a sweatshirt, I knew this guy had a big heart and he was someone I definitely wanted to be around.”

“I knew it was a personal investment,” Mitrou-Long said. “It came back tenfold.”

The two players have been nearly inseparable ever since.

“We’re like Siamese twins,” Niang joked.

Niang and Mitrou-Long spent four years together in Ames, Iowa before starting their separate NBA journeys. Niang was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft. After a redshirt senior season for the Cyclones, Mitrou-Long was invited to play for the Utah Jazz Summer League squad in 2017. It wouldn’t be long, however, before their paths crossed.

Niang was playing a G League game in Santa Cruz when his best friend made his NBA debut. Mitrou-Long signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz in December and entered the game against the Denver Nuggets on December 26. The guard knocked down his first attempt, a 3-pointer. When he saw the box score, Niang started texting friends and searching online for video of Mitrou-Long’s bucket.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Niang said. “He’s a 100-percent shooter from the field in the NBA. I’m sure he’s going to have more 3-pointers to come, so I’ll be expecting him to stay perfect.”

But after he saw video of the shot, Niang sent his friend a text message.

“Why’d you only play two minutes?” he asked

“Bro,” Mitrou-Long replied, “I got my head split open the next play.”

The guard still has a scar above his left eye from the cut he suffered after smashing heads with Denver Nuggets forward Trey Lyles. The mark, Mitrou-Long said, serves as an important reminder to himself.

“I’m not trying to make it the holy shrine of what I’m doing,” he said. “But it was kind of like a welcome-to-the-NBA moment. Even though it was like 30 seconds, it was a taste of what I want, what we want, what any basketball player wants. That’s to reach your ultimate goal and to play at the highest level. Understanding situations and circumstances and what can happen, that’s everything that comes with the scar.

“And it doesn’t look bad. I think people kind of dig it.”

Mitrou-Long’s first taste of the NBA was cut short due partly to the injury, and partly due to his best friend. Shortly after he had made his debut, the Jazz front office decided to use his roster spot to give another player a shot.

Mitrou-Long would head to the Salt Lake City Stars, and the Jazz signed Niang to fill his spot.

“I was worried,” Niang said. “When my agent told me, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do that.’ Because that’s my guy and that’s not what I stand for.”

Mitrou-Long put his friend at ease as the reunited in Salt Lake City.

“I got my roommate back. I got my best friend back. I got somebody to push me every day,” Mitrou-Long said. “It was easy to get over because it’s somebody you know puts in the work and deserves it.”

Niang and Mitrou-Long spent the remainder of last season living together, practicing together and playing together in the NBA and G League.

“You leave college not knowing if you’ll ever see your teammates again,” Mitrou-Long said. “Me and him, the chemistry we have, I felt like it just clicked right away.”

The two players have spent most of the summer training together, preparing for Summer League with an eye on NBA training camp invites.

“We want to contribute to winning and just showcase what we’ve been working on all summer,” Mitrou-Long said.

“In this league, all it takes is one opportunity for you to seize, then you’re golden and you consistently get in the rotation and make things happen,” Niang added. “You just have to be ready all the time.”

Through the first two games of the Utah Jazz Summer League, Niang and Mitrou-Long have been consistent and steadying forces for their squad. Niang has averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds a night, while Mitrou-Long is averaging 13 points, five assists and five rebounds.

“We just have a competitive nature,” Niang said. “How other people pressure each other with going out drinking or doing things like that, we pressure with, ‘Did you work out day? Did you do yoga? Did you do this?’ Being around that all the time, we know we’re making each other better. That’s one part of our friendship.”

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Teammates for life—Niang, Mitrou-Long bring out the best in each other

After a break for the Fourth of July, the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League will conclude tonight with another exciting doubleheader. 

No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. will lead the Grizzlies (2-0 this week) against No. 18 pick Lonnie Walker IV and the Spurs at 5pm, while the Jazz and Hawks will wrap up this week’s action at 7pm.

Jackson Jr. scored 29 points (and shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range) in his debut on Monday, and the 18-year-old big man followed that up with 10 points and eight rebounds against the Jazz on Tuesday night. Kobi Simmons, who’s averaging 20.5 points through two games, is also having a standout week for the Grizzlies.

Second-year guard Derrick White leads the Spurs in scoring this week (21.5 ppg), while Jaron Blossomgame finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds during Tuesday’s win over the Hawks.

Utah’s Grayson Allen, who was held out of Tuesday’s game, is expected to suit up for tonight’s finale. The rookie finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in only 16 minutes on Monday. Georges Niang is averaging a team-best 17.5 points through two games, while second-year center Tony Bradley has recorded two straight double-doubles. He’s averaging 14.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this week. 

For the Hawks, No. 5 overall pick Trae Young will look to find his groove after shooting a combined 9-for-36 (25.0 percent) from the field—and 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) from 3-point range—in Atlanta’s two losses.

General admission upper bowl tickets are still available for only $5, and there’s a fan fest on the arena’s plaza before the games. Doors open at 4pm.

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PREVIEW: Jazz-Hawks, Grizzlies-Spurs headline last day of Utah Jazz Summer League

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Crowds don't usually get that loud during Summer League.

The Jazz trailed by 26 in the first half before whittling away that deficit—thanks largely to the trio of Georges Niang, Naz Mitrou-Long and Tony Bradley—until a jumper by Kendrick Ray capped a 15-0 run and gave Utah its first lead of the game with just over two minutes remaining in the final quarter.

The Grizzlies, though, responded with a quick 6-0 run to quiet the crowd and bring Day 2 of the Utah Jazz Summer League to a close with a 95-92 victory.

Memphis' Kobi Simmons and Wayne Selden scored 20 points each to lead all scorers, while No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win.

Niang (18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists), Mitrou-Long (19 points, six rebounds, eight assists) and Bradley (18 points, 14 rebounds, one block) each finished with a net rating of at least +12.

No. 21 overall pick Grayson Allen (rest) did not play for the Jazz. ... Utah outscored Memphis 52-36 in the second half. ... Diamond Stone finished with 10 points off the bench for the Jazz. ... Utah turned the ball over 15 times, while Memphis had only six turnovers. ... Deyonta Davis had 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting in the win for the Grizzlies. ... Utah outscored Memphis 12-6 in fast-break points.

The Grizzlies will take on the Spurs on Thursday night at 5pm. The Jazz and Hawks will follow at 7pm.

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Jazz thrill crowd of 10,000+ but come up short vs. Grizzlies

Less than 24 hours after falling to the Jazz in Monday's nightcap, the Spurs opened Day 2 of the Utah Jazz Summer League with en emphatic 103-81 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Derrick White, who led the Spurs with 22 points against Utah, scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter to help the Spurs take a quick double-digit lead. White added six rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks.

The Spurs led by as many as 29 points before cruising to the victory. The Hawks closed the gap to 12 midway through the fourth quarter before back-to-back threes by Jared Ledbetter and Raphiael Putney put San Antonio back up by 18.

Jaron Blossomgame (16 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, two blocks) and No. 49 overall pick Chimezie Metu (13 points, nine rebounds, one steal, one block) also had big games for the Spurs in the win.

Atlanta's Trae Young struggled for the second straight night, missing his first six shots before finishing with 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting. The No. 5 overall pick did make three consecutive shots—a floater in the lane and two twisting layups—midway through the fourth quarter, and he added three rebounds and three assists.

John Collins (19 points) and Tyler Dorsey (14 points) led the Hawks in scoring.

No. 18 overall pick Lonnie Walker IV (rest) did not play for the Spurs. ... Ledbetter scored 16 points and shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range for the Spurs. ... San Antonio shot 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range. Atlanta shot 7-for-33 (21.2 percent). ... Hawks rookie Omari Spellman (the No. 30 overall pick) finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. ... Atlanta shot 34.4 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from the line. ... Metu and Collins drew double technical fouls early in the third quarter.

The Spurs will take on the Grizzlies on Thursday night at 5pm. The Jazz and Hawks will follow at 7pm.

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Spurs cruise past Hawks at the Utah Jazz Summer League

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