Eight Former #HLMBB Players Participate in NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League schedule wrapped up on Monday with the final day of competition in Las Vegas. Over the course of 16 days, eight former Horizon League men's basketball players competed in either Orlando or Las Vegas.
Travis Bader (Oakland/Oklahoma City Thunder), Kelsey Barlow (UIC/Detroit Pistons), Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso/Orlando Magic Blue) and Juwan Howard Jr. (Detroit/Miami Heat) all were on rosters for the Orlando Summer League which ran from July 4-10. Competing in Las Vegas from July 10-20 were Broekhoff (Denver Nuggets), Alec Brown (Green Bay/Phoenix Suns), Howard Jr., Ugochukwu Njoku (Detroit/Milwaukee Bucks), Keifer Sykes (Green Bay/Cleveland Cavaliers) and Gary Talton (UIC/Toronto Raptors).Bader made one start and appeared in five games for the Thunder in Orlando. The former Oakland standout scored 24 points in Orlando, averaging 4.8 per game. He scored 10 points off-the-bench in OKC's 76-74 win over Charlotte.
Barlow played in two games for the Pistons in Orlando. The former UIC player stuffed the stat sheet against the Miami Heat as he scored 12 points in a reserve role, shooting 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. he also had four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in the contest.
Broekhoff was on the Orlando Magic Blue roster, but did not appear in any games for the Magic. In Las Vegas, the 2011-12 Horizon League Player of the Year at Valparaiso, started three games and appeared in five for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 4.4 points per game in Las Vegas and his play was highlighted by an 11-point performance where he connected on three three-pointers in the Nuggets game against the Wizards.
Brown made two starts in five games for the Phoenix Suns in Las Vegas. The 50th pick of the 2014 draft out of Green Bay, Brown averaged 2.8 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game in Las Vegas. He had four points, two rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Howard Jr., played for the Miami Heat in both Orlando and Las Vegas. The former Titan appeared in two games for the Heat in Orlando, recording 10 points, three assists and one steal off-the-bench in Miami's 91-68 win over Detroit. In Las Vegas, he played in four games for the Heat.Njoku played in two games for the Bucks in Las Vegas. He grabbed an offensive rebound in both games for the Bucks and scored two points.
Sykes came off-the-bench in five games for the Cavaliers in Las Vegas. He averaged 9.4 points per game in Vegas and scored nine or more points in four of the five games. He shot 51.4 percent from the field in Las Vegas, heating up after a cool start as he shot 63.6 percent (14-of-22) in Cleveland's final three games. He also averaged 3.4 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game and made the highlight reels with a two-handed alley oop dunk in the Cavs win over the Timberwolves.
Talton started two of five games for the Raptors in summer league action. The former UIC Flame averaged 6.0 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game. He scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in a win over Houston. Talton also had at least four assists in three of the five contests.
