A look at top performers from Las Vegas on Day 13 of Summer League:
Armoni Brooks, Houston Rockets
Armoni Brooks got a late start to Summer League due to Health & Safety Protocols, but he saved his best for last. After struggling Sunday night, the Rockets’ second-year guard scored 30 points, hitting 9 of 17 3-pointers, including the game-winning triple that capped off a furious comeback in the Rockets’ 95-92 victory over the Trail Blazers. Houston went on a late 12-0 run to take control after trailing most of the game to stun Portland. The 23-year-old guard also grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists in his team’s finale in Las Vegas.
Brooks, who averaged 11.2 points in 20 games with Houston last season, is a restricted free agent, so he may have shown the team enough with his time in Las Vegas to lock up a qualifying offer for next season.
Jarell Martin, Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz’s Jarell Martin had an excellent, well-rounded performance during Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Martin, looking to find his way back into the league after playing the last two seasons overseas, made a strong case Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old power forward scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Utah’s 103-98 loss to the 76ers, Martin, who was the 25th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, was 8-for-13 from the field and added four assists and four steals to his tally.
Martin has 184 NBA appearances (40 starts), averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.9 minutes.
The LSU product most recently played for Sydney in the Australian NBL. In 2020-21, he averaged 17.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.6 minutes.
Louis King, Sacramento Kings
The Kings’ big man scored 21 points, grabbed three rebounds and tallied five steals to lead Sacramento to a 100-67 win over the Boston Celtics in the championship game of the MGM Resorts Summer League. King was 8-for-18 from the field, hitting 4 of 8 3-pointers in 23 minutes to lead the rout.
The Oregon product went undrafted in 2019 and played six games for the Kings while spending most of last season in the G League. For his efforts on Tuesday, King was named Summer League Final MVP of the final in leading Sacramento to its second title.
Trevelin Queen, Los Angeles Lakers
The 24-year-old hasn’t broken into the NBA yet, but he was the spark for the Lakers on Tuesday in their come-from-behind 84-76 win over the Warriors on the final day of Summer League action. Queen had 21 points, five rebounds and four steals and helped lead L.A.’s comeback from 17 points down. Queen, who went undrafted in the 2020 Draft coming out of New Mexico State, was 8-for-16 from the field and capped off a successful Summer League with his best game. In five games in Las Vegas, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 13.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 48.0% from the field (53.8% on 3s).
Paul Reed, Philadelphia 76ers
Reed capped off a memorable Summer League with another double-double for the Sixers. Reed tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds and three steals while hitting 7 of 13 shots from the floor to lead Philly to a 103-98 win over the Jazz on the final day of action. Reed played in 26 games for the Sixers last season and may have shown he can become more of a regular with his play in Las Vegas. Tuesday’s double-double followed up his monster game on Sunday in which he tallied 27 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks. Reed, who was the 2021 G League MVP and Rookie of the Year last season, averaged 17.4 points, 12.0 rebounds (2nd overall) and 2.2 blocks in 29.3 minutes while shooting 55.6% from the field.
Michael Beasley, Portland Trail Blazers
A special shoutout needs to be given for the veteran Beasley, who capped off his Summer League with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes of action. The 32-year-old veteran has been out of the league since playing 26 games for the Lakers in 2018-19, but showed he still has some fight in him. In five games, the 11-year veteran averaged 11.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field (45% on 3s). Whether he did enough to earn a roster spot remains to be seen, but the fact a former No. 2 Draft pick was willing to join the youngsters in Las Vegas can only help his case.
Not for nothing! Thank you @trailblazers @nba and coach billups for allowing me to continue to chase my dream. I know it’s @nbasummerleague but it means a lot💜💜💜#wethemones https://t.co/oSTmqQMzx9
— Michael Beasley (@Michael8easley) August 13, 2021
Emmanuel Mudiay, Portland Trail Blazers
Another veteran trying to find his way back into the league had an all-around solid game in Portland’s 95-92 loss to the Rockets. The former No. 7 pick in 2015 flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes. Mudiay was 6-for-11 from the field, hitting a pair of 3s and showed he can still be a successful point guard in the league. In five games, Mudiay averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists while shooting 48.9% from the floor.
Naji Marshall, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans’ forward didn’t break out with his scoring on Tuesday, but he did dazzle in other ways. Marshall finished with 10 rebounds and 10 assists – including this jaw-dropping full-court dime to Moses Wright — to lead New Orleans to the 87-59 rout of the Wolves.
Marshall was a key contributor as a two-way player for the Pelicans last season, averaging 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 32 games and could have solidified his spot in the rotation by leading New Orleans to a 5-0 record in Las Vegas. The second-year forward was one of the Pelicans’ best players at Summer League, averaging 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 42.4% from the field (42.9% on 3s) entering Tuesday’s game.
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Information from RotoWire.com was used in this report.