2024 NBA Summer League

[brevity]

The first games of Summer League begin in one week, and as per recent tradition, I'm starting a dedicated thread. There will be lots of information, plus a healthy amount of irreverence. Take a look at the 2023 version to get an idea of how this is going to go.

One unfortunate note: I'll probably be away from my computer and TV for at least part of the Summer League schedule, so I hope that others can watch the games and provide some commentary. (In the future, I'll have to tell distant relatives not to schedule any weddings around this time of year.)



See? It's Love & Basketball, not Love OR Basketball. In that movie, Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan both played for the USC Trojans. It was a magical time when their men's and women's teams were safely ensconced in a conference based near the Pacific coast. Epps' character wore jersey #22, which Arrinten Page wore for real last season. But Page entered the transfer portal in April, and ended up at Cincinnati; that's hardly a Hollywood ending. If only there were a former USC player living the dream...



Oh, right. You had your turn, Wemby. Let the Season of Bronny begin.

All times listed below are Eastern. Games are broadcast on NBA TV or one of the ESPN networks. If you have ESPN+, you should be able to see every game. You may not want to, but you have that option.

2024 California Classic Summer League (Sacramento AND San Francisco)

The Lakers are among the 7 teams -- 6 NBA franchises and China -- that are playing in this two-city event. 7 teams? That's a nice even number. So the Kings will double up, playing 6 games instead of 3, including twice on Saturday and Sunday. Let's hope they bring enough players on their summer roster to do a split squad or something.

Aside from Bronny James, you should see the pro debuts of drafted players like Stephon Castle, Tidjane Salaun, Devin Carter, Kel'el Ware, Dalton Knecht, Juan Nunez, KJ Simpson, Pelle Larsson, Harrison Ingram, and Quinten Post. There will also be undrafted rookies, including the ACC's Reece Beekman, Mohamed Diarra, Darin Green Jr, Blake Hinson, and DJ Horne.

SATURDAY, JULY 6

4:30 pm ET: Lakers vs. Kings (in Chase Center, San Francisco) -- ESPN, ESPN+
6:30 pm ET: Heat vs. Warriors (Chase, SF) -- ESPN, ESPN+
8:30 pm ET: Hornets vs. Spurs (in Golden 1 Center, Sacramento) -- NBA TV, ESPN+
10:30 pm ET: China vs. Kings (Golden 1, SAC) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

SUNDAY, JULY 7

4:30 pm ET: Heat vs. Kings (Chase, SF) -- NBA TV, ESPN+
6:30 pm ET: Lakers vs. Warriors (Chase, SF) -- NBA TV, ESPN+
8:00 pm ET: China vs. Hornets (Golden 1, SAC) -- ESPN2, ESPN+
10:00 pm ET: Spurs vs. Kings (Golden 1, SAC) -- ESPN2, ESPN+

TUESDAY, JULY 9

8:00 pm ET: Spurs vs. China (Golden 1, SAC) -- NBA TV, ESPN+
10:00 pm ET: Hornets vs. Kings (Golden 1, SAC) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

7:00 pm ET: Heat vs. Lakers (Chase, SF) -- ESPN2, ESPN+
10:00 pm ET: Kings vs. Warriors (Chase, SF) -- NBA TV, ESPN+

2024 SLC Summer League (Salt Lake City)

It's a smaller field, but as luck would have it, both Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski will likely make their debuts here. We may also see the following rookies: Zach Edey, Cody Williams, Dillon Jones, Isaiah Collier, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylen Wells, and Adem Bona, plus the undrafted Armando Bacot and Cormac Ryan.

MONDAY, JULY 8

7:00 pm ET: Thunder vs. 76ers (McCain) -- ESPN, ESPN+
9:00 pm ET: Grizzlies vs. Jazz (Filipowski) -- ESPN, ESPN+

TUESDAY, JULY 9

7:00 pm ET: Grizzlies vs. 76ers (McCain) -- ESPN, ESPN+
9:00 pm ET: Thunder vs. Jazz (Filipowski) -- ESPN2, ESPN+

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

7:00 pm ET: Grizzlies vs. Thunder -- NBA TV, ESPN+
9:00 pm ET: 76ers (McCain) vs. Jazz (Filipowski) -- ESPN2, ESPN+

2024 Las Vegas Summer League

This is the big event with all 30 teams, taking place from July 12-22. I'll have much more later, but for now, you can find full schedules from NBA.com and ESPN.

 

[brevity]

Wow, I would have guessed the first Summer League rosters would be announced on Monday, but the Golden State Warriors took a one-day headstart:

These rosters should be easier to read on the new DBR board, so hopefully I won't have to make my own graphics like I did last year. (Though the one I did for the Knicks, against a background picture of a disappointed Stephen A. Smith resting his head against a plate glass window, was worth it. See it here.)

The headliner, for our purposes: former Duke player Marques Bolden, who spent part of last season on two-way contracts with the Bucks and Hornets. As a 3-year veteran, I believe he is no longer eligible for two-way contracts, so he would have to make a regular roster to stay in the NBA. Also on the team is undrafted rookie Reece Beekman, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year for each of the last two seasons.

Not listed is the Warriors' only 2024 draft pick, Quinten Post of Boston College. Sometimes the league office is slow to process draft-day trades, and the Warriors can't include a player (in press releases or physically at rookie camp) that is not yet officially a Warrior. I imagine that he'll be added to the roster soon. Whether or not he'll play is an open question, based on this tidbit from a writer for NBC Sports Bay Area:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1807509414762729975

 

[JasonEvans]

Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had a pretty nice rookie year and was coming on strong the final months of the season, will absolutely run roughshod over other teams in summer league. I suspect he will only play in a couple games before hanging it up and is a decent candidate to score 20+ and grab 10+ rebounds.

Same with Brandin Podziemski. Dudes who are regular rotation pieces on a NBA roster don't typically spend much time in summer league. I mean, Podz is one of the reasons the Warriors are ok with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson walking.

For Kevin Knox, a 6-year vet, to be playing summer league is a sign of a guy who is probably done with the NBA. Dude was the #9 pick in the draft and was thought to have a pretty big future. Hope he has done a nice job investing the $25 mil (approx.) that he has made in his career as I think his days of making $300k+ are over.

 

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had a pretty nice rookie year and was coming on strong the final months of the season, will absolutely run roughshod over other teams in summer league. I suspect he will only play in a couple games before hanging it up and is a decent candidate to score 20+ and grab 10+ rebounds.

Same with Brandin Podziemski. Dudes who are regular rotation pieces on a NBA roster don't typically spend much time in summer league. I mean, Podz is one of the reasons the Warriors are ok with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson walking.

For Kevin Knox, a 6-year vet, to be playing summer league is a sign of a guy who is probably done with the NBA. Dude was the #9 pick in the draft and was thought to have a pretty big future. Hope he has done a nice job investing the $25 mil (approx.) that he has made in his career as I think his days of making $300k+ are over.

I was very skeptical of your $25 million number for Knox but you are spot on (actually slightly low). Apologies for doubting you. It is amazing how much a very average (at best) NBA player can get just by sticking around for a few years beyond a rookie contract. Assuming he wasn't stupid with his money, he and several generations below him are set for life.

 

[JasonEvans]

I was very skeptical of your $25 million number for Knox but you are spot on (actually slightly low). Apologies for doubting you. It is amazing how much a very average (at best) NBA player can get just by sticking around for a few years beyond a rookie contract. Assuming he wasn't stupid with his money, he and several generations below him are set for life.

I mean, he was the #9 pick in the draft which came with a 4-year $18+ mil contract. That is the vast majority of what he has made in the league.

 

[brevity]

Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski are also on the Select Team that will help Team USA prepare for the Olympics.

2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team Announced - USA Basketball

Fifteen athletes have been named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team that will train with the USA Basketball Men’s National Team as they prepare for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

www.usab.com

Those practices are July 6-8 in Las Vegas, so they will miss most, if not all, of the California Classic. They’ll probably work out a bit at Warriors rookie camp, fulfill their Select Team duties, and then rejoin the Warriors, mostly in a supporting capacity. (Maybe they’ll play one game in Las Vegas Summer League, like Jalen Williams did for OKC last year.)

 

[brevity]

Rookie Scale has restarted its annual UDFA Tracker to monitor the undrafted free agents signed to various contracts with the NBA or elsewhere. (Virginia Tech's Robbie Beran, for example, will play pro ball in Belgium next season.) Below are the other former ACC players they've listed so far, including ones we've mentioned earlier in the 2024 NBA Draft thread.

A note about the first name on this alphabetical list. Fardaws Aimaq most recently played for California, and before that he played for Mercer, Utah Valley, and Texas Tech, so he's never played in the ACC. Does he belong here? Maybe not, but I choose to err on the side of inclusion, so I'll try to monitor the progress of both Aimaq and his former Cal teammate, first round pick Jaylon Tyson.

I did the same thing in the Transfer Portal thread when listing the SMU, Cal, and Stanford players who were transferring out. Most of them didn't and won't play in the ACC either, but their departures were relevant to the future rosters of 3 new ACC schools. Just as a handful of fans from NC State, Syracuse, or UVA come to this board for the ACC content, I'd like the conference newcomers to feel welcome here.

Also, Stanford's Spencer Jones seems like an awesome person -- a bit like Sion James off the court -- so I'm curious to see if he eventually gets a spot on a Summer League roster. I saw that he did pre-draft workouts with the Blazers, Knicks, and Timberwolves, and those contacts tend to be valuable even when the player is not drafted.

Fardaws Aimaq, Kings (Summer League)
Armando Bacot, Jazz (Exhibit 10)
Reece Beekman, Warriors (Two-Way)
DJ Burns, Cavaliers (Summer League)
Hunter Cattoor, Cavaliers (Summer League)
Mohamed Diarra, Lakers (Summer League)
Joseph Girard III, Raptors (Summer League)
Darin Green Jr, Spurs (Summer League)
PJ Hall, Nuggets (Two-Way)
Blake Hinson, Lakers (Two-Way)
DJ Horne, Spurs (Summer League)
Cormac Ryan, Thunder (Exhibit 10)

What do these deals mean? None of them are fully guaranteed, as they would be for rookies who were drafted in the first round (and some who were drafted in the second round). I'll briefly define each of them below, and provide a link to a longer explanation.

Two-Way: Like a drafted rookie under a regular contract, a two-way player is considered part of the team and would go to Summer League and training camp. Players are paid half the rookie minimum salary for a full season. They usually spend a limited number of games with the main team, and the rest of the season with the team's G League affiliate. If a roster spot is open and the team so desires, they can convert a two-way contract to a full-time contract. Each team is allowed up to 3 two-way contracts. The deals expire in the offseason and can be renewed.

Exhibit 10: This is essentially a training camp contract. The player is invited to play for the team in Summer League and training camp in the fall, where they attempt to make the roster. After camp, the team can convert an Exhibit 10 into a two-way contract or cut the player. These deals usually have a 5-figure bonus that gives the cut player an incentive to stay within the organization and play for the G League affiliate.

Summer League: This is only an invitation to attend a team's rookie camp and later represent them in Summer League. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (PDF link) allows payment in form of a per diem, meals, lodging, and transportation. The league also insures players against injury while participating in rookie camp and Summer League.

Remember, these are just the undrafted rookies listed above. There will be more ACC players in Summer League: non-rookies (like 2nd year pro Leaky Black and 3rd year pro Alondes Williams) and drafted rookies (like Kyshawn George and Ryan Dunn). We'll know for sure when each team releases its Summer League roster.

 

[kAzE]

For Kevin Knox, a 6-year vet, to be playing summer league is a sign of a guy who is probably done with the NBA. Dude was the #9 pick in the draft and was thought to have a pretty big future. Hope he has done a nice job investing the $25 mil (approx.) that he has made in his career as I think his days of making $300k+ are over.

This guy was once a super high priority recruit for Coach K. He was also very underwhelming in college. One of the more fortunate lost recruiting battles for Duke.

 

[brevity]

For Kevin Knox, a 6-year vet, to be playing summer league is a sign of a guy who is probably done with the NBA. Dude was the #9 pick in the draft and was thought to have a pretty big future. Hope he has done a nice job investing the $25 mil (approx.) that he has made in his career as I think his days of making $300k+ are over.

This guy was once a super high priority recruit for Coach K. He was also very underwhelming in college. One of the more fortunate lost recruiting battles for Duke.

Okay, we can't talk about Kevin Knox in a Summer League thread without posting this video of Zion Williamson's Las Vegas debut:

I'll need some verification from a seismologist, but I'm pretty sure the earthquake that rocked Vegas later in that game were just aftershocks from that dunk.

 

[brevity]

The San Antonio Spurs are the second team to release a summer roster. Like the Warriors, they'll play in the California Classic and later in Las Vegas.


No former Blue Devils, but you'll see 2024 draft picks Stephon Castle and Harrison Ingram, plus 2023 pick Sidy Cissoko. (Cissoko and Victor Wembanyama must have flipped a coin to see who would play this summer and who would sit out.) Aside from Ingram, the ACC is represented by NC State's DJ Horne and FSU's RaiQuan Gray and Darin Green Jr.

The Spurs also drafted Juan Nunez in the second round last week, but according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, he will miss Summer League because he's with the Spanish national team.

The big Spurs news is that free agent Chris Paul signed a one-year deal with them on Sunday night, which is good news for Stephon Castle (he can learn the ropes from a crafty veteran), but maybe not so good news for incumbent point guard Tre Jones. When he heard the news, Jones said, "Chris Paul? Ain't that a punch in the crotch." Julius Hodge overheard this and replied, "Well, actually..."

 

[brevity]

The Indiana Pacers aren't playing in NorCal or Salt Lake City next week, but they've announced a summer roster for Las Vegas. With graphics! True to their name, they lead the field in the opening lap.



Nobody from Duke or the ACC, so let's start with the 2024 draft picks (2nd rounders Johnny Furphy, Tristen Newton, and Enrique Freeman) and 2023 picks (1st rounders Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard). There are some good stories here. Sheppard, who played at Belmont, enjoyed a meteoric rise in last year's draft cycle. Newton went from a junior at East Carolina to a 2-time champion at UConn, named Most Outstanding Player the second time.

But Freeman takes the cake: he graduated from high school without an offer, attended Akron on an academic scholarship, and walked onto the team as a freshman. His overnight success took about a year, with some decent numbers as a sophomore, but then he exploded as an upperclassman, leading the nation in rebounds. That was just his first rise. In this year's draft cycle, he attended the Portsmouth Invitational as a senior prospect, earned an invite to the G League Elite Camp, and parlayed that into an appearance at the NBA Combine, where he dominated in scrimmages. He peaked at the right time and got drafted.

I told this story in the DBR Mock Draft thread, when I selected Freeman for the Clippers, and I actually compared his draft hype to Ben Sheppard. So it's amusing that they're with the same franchise now.

 

[clinresga]

I was very skeptical of your $25 million number for Knox but you are spot on (actually slightly low). Apologies for doubting you. It is amazing how much a very average (at best) NBA player can get just by sticking around for a few years beyond a rookie contract. Assuming he wasn't stupid with his money, he and several generations below him are set for life.

The numbers for NBA compensation are just mind-boggling. The Wall St Journal did a detailed story looking at the exponential rise in NBA salaries (unfortunately behind a paywall )
Is This America’s First $100 Million-a-Year Athlete?
that projects that Luka Doncic is on track to earn just short of one billion dollars by end of career. Puts that paltry $25 million for Knox in perspective, you know?

 

[UrinalCake]

brevity, your work in these summer league threads as well as the overseas and similar threads is exemplary. Thank you for your tireless work; without these summaries I would totally lose track of our less-heralded former players and that would be a shame (for me)

 

[JasonEvans]

Fardaws Aimaq, Kings (Summer League)
Armando Bacot, Jazz (Exhibit 10)
Reece Beekman, Warriors (Two-Way)
DJ Burns, Cavaliers (Summer League)
Hunter Cattoor, Cavaliers (Summer League)
Mohamed Diarra, Lakers (Summer League)
Joseph Girard III, Raptors (Summer League)
Darin Green Jr, Spurs (Summer League)
PJ Hall, Nuggets (Two-Way)
Blake Hinson, Lakers (Two-Way)
DJ Horne, Spurs (Summer League)
Cormac Ryan, Thunder (Exhibit 10)

Worth noting that Diarra, Hall, and Beekman each chose to go pro despite having their Covid year available to them. Each would have likely made over a million dollars by entering the portal (Hall, especially, would have been a super attractive portal player) but picked the NBA route. At least in the cases of Hall and Beekman, not being picked in the draft was a little bit of a surprise and signing a 2-way deal at least means they are fairly likely to make around $500k for the upcoming season.

I still think there should be a way for players to elect to return to school after their draft status is known... maybe not if they get drafted, but if they go undrafted it should be an option for them.

 

[brevity]

brevity, your work in these summer league threads as well as the overseas and similar threads is exemplary. Thank you for your tireless work; without these summaries I would totally lose track of our less-heralded former players and that would be a shame (for me)

Thank you. I've always had a soft spot for those on the outside, or the fringe, of mainstream success. Glad that there's a place where I can post about Summer League, and a readership who can appreciate, or at least tolerate, my approach.

The Charlotte Hornets have a new coach and new majority ownership, and are not slacking off with the announcement of their summer roster this year. They even provided their own graphics, seemingly an homage to the state of South Carolina.



The Hornets will play at the California Classic and Las Vegas, but not everyone will see action. Both of the 2024 draft picks, Tidjane Salaun and KJ Simpson, are currently injured. Salaun has a minor knee laceration and will sit out the California games, but is expected to debut in Vegas. Simpson pulled a hamstring in the pre-draft process and will not play this summer, but should be ready for training camp in the fall.

It's mildly surprising to see Brandon Miller here. Last year's #2 overall pick will practice with the team, but probably be limited to a cameo appearance in actual play. First rounder Nick Smith Jr is also listed, but 2nd rounders James Nnaji and Amari Bailey are not. Nnaji was drafted at #31 against his will, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, and stashed in Europe. He recently had lumbar spine surgery after finishing his season at FC Barcelona, which will keep him out for 4 months. Bailey's situation is more cut and dried -- well, mostly cut, as the Hornets chose not to extend his two-way contract.

I count 3 former ACC players: UNC's Leaky Black, who was also on a Hornets two-way deal last season, plus Georgia Tech's James Banks III and Pitt's Mouhamadou Gueye (not to be confused with former Washington State player Mouhamed Gueye, who the Hornets drafted in 2023 but quickly traded to Atlanta). So, only one Chapel Hill guy. Same old Charlotte?

One curiosity: Joel Soriano, formerly of St. John's, was supposed to be on this roster, having signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hornets. So where is he? Who knows, but my theory for now is that he read this truly terrible article from Fansided site Swarm and Sting:

Teammate of huge Hornets draft bust signed to Summer League roster

The offseason is fully underway, and it’s almost time for Summer League. As the Charlotte Hornets get ready for the event, they will have to fill out their rost

swarmandsting.com

They call him "Jorge Soriano" a few times and point out that he was once AAU teammates with James Bouknight, who Charlotte drafted with the #11 pick in 2021 but waived in February after 2+ middling seasons. There's a lot of Bouknight-generated bitterness and guilt by association expressed here, and at the very least, it's a weird journalistic angle to announce Soriano.

 

[brevity]

The Utah Jazz announced a roster that is specifically for the games they'll host in Salt Lake City next week (July 8-10). They may or may not make changes when they go to Las Vegas.


Let's start with Kyle Filipowski. The team just released his introductory press conference and his first image in a pro jersey.

Much attention was devoted to Kyle's fall to the #32 pick, on Day 2 of the NBA Draft -- though far more attention went to the guy selected #55 -- but he's here now, sharing the spotlight with fellow recent picks Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier. Also on the roster are last year's 3 draftees: Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, and Brice Sensabaugh. That has the makings of a pretty good young core.

Hold on. Is Walker Kessler finally going to play in Summer League? He's avoided it so far. As a rookie in 2022, he was part of the Rudy Gobert trade that took place in July, so he was in league limbo and missed all the action. In 2023, he was considered to have had a good enough rookie season to not need the summer grind. So why now? My guess is that he'll play a little for the home crowd in the Delta Center, and then skip Las Vegas. Again.

Now we come to that awkward moment in which Filipowski gets to share a frontcourt with the other former ACC player on this roster, UNC lifer Armando Bacot. Is this end of times? "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria"? We'll see. I actually think Bacot could do really well at the Summer League level, like a taller Kenneth Lofton Jr... except Lofton is also on this roster. With the magic of alphabetical order, you can see a direct birthdate comparison: Bacot is 3 months older than Darius Bazley, a 5-year NBA veteran.

You might notice a familiar name among the assistant coaches: Steve Wojciechowski. At least they spelled his name right! Some of you may remember last year, when the team's announcement had the weirdest misspelling ever. They succeeded on "Wojciechowski", but they said his first name was "Stove". In basketball terms, they hit the half court shot, but blew the layup.

Wojo lives in Salt Lake City as the head coach of the SLC Stars, the G League affiliate of the Jazz. Drive about an hour south to Provo and you'll fnd BYU assistant coach Chris Burgess, who played his freshman and sophomore years at Duke, just like Filipowski. So, if you're wondering, there's something of a Brotherhood in the Beehive State.

 

[brevity]

A short story: about nine years ago, Sean Obi joined the Duke roster after sitting out a transfer year, and some of us on DBR really wanted him to choose the number 1, so that the back of his jersey would say "Obi 1". For some reason I was reminded of that today:



Dalton Knecht wore #5 at Northern Colorado, then #3 at Tennessee. He finally split the difference, and we have a Knecht 4 jersey. (Also pictured: the Lakers' 2nd round pick.)

The Los Angeles Lakers have a Summer League roster for both the California Classic and Las Vegas. It's got big graphics and tiny lettering:



The headliners are the two 2024 draft picks, along with last year's 2nd rounder Maxwell Lewis. Their 1st rounder from 2023, Jalen Hood-Schifino, is recovering from back surgery in March (specifically, a lumbar microdiscectomy, for those of you who come to this thread for the medical information). LA Times reporter Dan Woike confirmed today that he'll miss Summer League. The ACC is represented by Mohamed Diarra (NC State) and Blake Hinson (Pittsburgh).

New Lakers head coach JJ Redick will not be coaching them this summer -- Dane Johnson, head coach of the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers has that honor -- but you have to imagine he'll be on hand in Las Vegas, paying close attention. Will he start Bronny James over D'Angelo Russell this fall? This very realistic re-enactment presents that possibility:

NSFW, maybe? LeBron and JJ talk so fast that it's hard to tell, but the transcript does have a few instances of [---] bleeping.

 

[brevity]

Someone in the Philadelphia 76ers organization woke up in a good mood. It's all blue skies with this summer roster, intended for both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas:



And why not? Paul George joins Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as superstar veterans on their roster. They've also got Jared McCain, and his positivity has a way of spreading to others. I've already shared his introductory press conference in the 2024 Draft thread, but here is his first interview as a Sixer (with team reporter Lauren Rosen):

I know, never read the comments, but some of them are quite critical about McCain's in-town culinary debut. Apparently, he ate a cheesesteak hoagie and not a proper cheesesteak. He'll have to rectify that.

Duke MBB's Facebook account posted several photos of him wearing his jersey. Here's one:



McCain and recent 2nd rounder Adem Bona headline the roster. Joining McCain from the ACC are undrafted rookie Judah Mintz (Syracuse) and returning pros Keve Aluma (Virginia Tech) and Tony Bradley (UNC). You'll notice Justin Edwards is here too; the former Kentucky freshman, predicted as a top 5 draft pick a year ago, wasn't selected at all last week. He'll have a chance to start anew in Philly, his hometown.

Also on the team is Jordan Tucker, who played just 2 games for Duke in the 2017-2018 season before transferring to Butler. He was on the 76ers summer roster in 2023, and played pro ball last season in France.

 

[brevity]

The Miami Heat announced their roster for the California Classic and Las Vegas, but provided no graphics at all. Where's the pizzazz? It's like their social media department just said, "Let's all eat warm cups of yogurt and call it Heat Culture." Sometimes, when you want something done, you have to do it yourself.



Maybe they were busy promoting the contracts of their newly signed 2024 NBA Draft picks, Kel'el Ware and Pelle Larsson, as well as the two-way deals of undrafted rookies Keshad Johnson and Zyon Pullin. Last year's 1st rounder Jamie Jaquez Jr isn't here, but you'll see former ACC players Cole Swider (Syracuse) and Alondes Williams (Wake Forest), both 2-year veterans.

 

[kako]

Now we come to that awkward moment in which Filipowski gets to share a frontcourt with the other former ACC player on this roster, UNC lifer Armando Bacot. Is this end of times? "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria"? We'll see. I actually think Bacot could do really well at the Summer League level, like a taller Kenneth Lofton Jr... except Lofton is also on this roster. With the magic of alphabetical order, you can see a direct birthdate comparison: Bacot is 3 months older than Darius Bazley, a 5-year NBA veteran.

I would love to see the practices where Flip goes up against Bacot. Flip has a spot, Bacot does not. I hope Flip still can find motivation to take Bacot's head off in practice. He has little to lose doing so...

9F