NBA Summer League Preview: ‘Hoos in the NBA

The MGM Resorts NBA Summer League gets under way Friday in Las Vegas, and six Virginia alums will be showing off their skills over the next two weeks — several of whom will be fighting for a roster spot.

The UVA “Big Three” of De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy that led the program to its first national championship were each selected in this year’s draft.

All three will be sporting their new team colors in Vegas — Hunter with the Atlanta Hawks, Jerome with the Phoenix Suns and Guy with the Sacramento Kings.

Jack Salt will be a teammate of Jerome’s once again, this time as a member of the Suns.

Devon Hall, who was selected 53rd overall by Oklahoma City in last year’s draft, played for the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s NBL before joining OKC’s G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, to finish the season. Hall will be looking to make an impact with the Thunder in Vegas.

Another former Wahoo that is battling to get back to the league is London Perrantes, who was undrafted after a stellar UVA career, but hopped on for a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers after playing for their G-League affiliate, the Canton Charge (a la Joey Buckets). Perrantes is playing in Vegas alongside top pick Zion Williamson and the Pelicans.

Hunter was the highest Cavalier draft selection since Ralph Sampson in 1983 (1st, Houston), taken fourth overall by the Lakers. Los Angeles had previously traded the pick to New Orleans as part of the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade, and the Pelicans then swapped the selection with Atlanta on draft day.

Due to the red tape involved with the trade approval process, Hunter is not yet officially listed on the Hawks’ Vegas roster, but is expected to be added Saturday, once everything goes through.

Jerome, the 24th pick, will also have to wait until Saturday rolls around before he is officially a member of the Suns. He will jump right into a competition for minutes in the loaded Phoenix backcourt.

Guy got a bit of a jump on his peers, as the Kings hosted the California Classic earlier this week in Sacramento. The Indianapolis native and Final Four Most Outstanding Player got the start in his debut Monday night against Golden State.

Guy struggled a bit with nerves — which resulted in a few uncharacteristic turnovers and a quick trip to the bench — early on Monday, but settled down and wound up with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including the go-ahead triple out of a timeout late in the fourth quarter.

He then posted 13 points (three 3-pointers) against Miami Tuesday before wrapping up the event with a 14-point performance Wednesday against the Lakers, knocking down four more long balls.

Guy got the start in all three games and will look to carry his impressive play into Vegas.

Salt will see if he can open some eyes and catch on with the Suns or another NBA squad. The Big Kiwi announced during the national championship celebration at Scott Stadium that he plans to play professionally, and could certainly make a roster in the G-League or overseas if an NBA career does not pan out. It’ll be nice to have a familiar face in Jerome on the sideline.

All games in Las Vegas will be televised, so you’ll be able to watch (and/or DVR) all of the former Cavaliers throughout the event, which wraps up on Monday, July 15. All 30 NBA teams will be competing, along with the Chinese and Croatian national teams.

Every team will play at least five games, including four preliminary contests, which begin Friday. The top eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, while non-playoff squads will then participate in an additional consolation matchup.

See the full schedule below, with the teams with UVA ties listed in bold:

MGM Resorts NBA Summer League

Friday, July 5

Cox Pavilion

3 p.m. – Croatia vs. Detroit (NBA TV)

5 p.m. – Cleveland vs. Minnesota (NBA TV)

7 p.m. – Brooklyn vs. Dallas (NBA TV)

9 p.m. – Golden State vs. Charlotte (NBA TV)

11 p.m. – San Antonio vs. Orlando (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia (ESPN2)

5:30 p.m. – China vs. Miami (ESPNU)

7:30 p.m. – Chicago vs. Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN)

9:30 p.m. – New Orleans vs. New York (ESPN)

11:30 p.m. – Denver vs. Phoenix (ESPN)

Saturday, July 6

Cox Pavilion

3 p.m. – Utah vs. Oklahoma City (NBA TV)

5 p.m. – Milwaukee vs. Atlanta (NBA TV)

7 p.m. – Indiana vs. Memphis (NBA TV)

9 p.m. – Houston vs. Dallas (NBA TV)

11 p.m. – China vs. Sacramento (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Detroit vs. Portland (ESPNU)

5:30 p.m. – Philadelphia vs. Boston (ESPN)

7:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers (ESPNU)

10 p.m. – Washington vs. New Orleans (ESPN)

12 a.m. – Golden State vs. Toronto (ESPN)

Sunday, July 7

Cox Pavilion

4 p.m. – Croatia vs. Brooklyn (NBA TV)

6 p.m. – Orlando vs. Denver (NBA TV)

8 p.m. – Miami vs. Utah (NBA TV)

10 p.m. – Portland vs. Houston (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Charlotte vs. San Antonio (ESPN2)

5:30 p.m. – Atlanta vs. Minnesota (ESPN2)

7:30 p.m. – Cleveland vs. Chicago (ESPN)

9:30 p.m. – Phoenix vs. New York (ESPN)

11:30 p.m. – LA Clippers vs. Memphis (ESPN2)

Monday, July 8

Cox Pavilion

3 p.m. – Philadelphia vs. Oklahoma City (ESPNU)

5 p.m. – Detroit vs. Indiana (ESPNU)

7 p.m. – Toronto vs. Milwaukee (ESPNU)

9 p.m. – Minnesota vs. San Antonio (ESPNU)

11 p.m. – Charlotte vs. China (ESPNU)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Dallas vs. Sacramento (NBA TV)

5:30 p.m. – Brooklyn vs. Washington (NBA TV)

7:30 p.m. – Boston vs. Cleveland (NBA TV)

9:30 p.m. – Chicago vs. New Orleans (NBA TV)

11:30 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State (NBA TV)

Tuesday, July 9

Cox Pavilion

4 p.m. – Orlando vs. Miami (ESPN2)

6 p.m. – Utah vs. Portland (ESPN2)

8 p.m. – Boston vs. Denver (ESPN2)

10 p.m. – Houston vs. Sacramento (ESPN2)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Oklahoma City vs. Croatia (NBA TV)

5:30 p.m. – Atlanta vs. Indiana (NBA TV)

7:30 p.m. – Memphis vs. Phoenix (NBA TV)

9:30 p.m. – Toronto vs. New York (NBA TV)

11:30 p.m. – Washington vs. LA Clippers (NBA TV)

Wednesday, July 10

Cox Pavilion

3 p.m. – Detroit vs. Philadelphia (NBA TV)

5 p.m. – Chicago vs. Charlotte (NBA TV)

7 p.m. – Miami vs. Minnesota (NBA TV)

9 p.m. – Phoenix vs. San Antonio (NBA TV)

11 p.m. – Milwaukee vs. China (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack

3:30 p.m. – Dallas vs. Croatia (ESPNU)

5:30 p.m. – Brooklyn vs. Orlando (ESPNU)

7:30 p.m. – New Orleans vs. Cleveland (ESPN2)

9:30 p.m. – New York vs. Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN2)

11:30 p.m. – Denver vs. Golden State (ESPNU)

Thursday, July 11

Cox Pavilion

6 p.m. – Indiana vs. Toronto (NBA TV)

8 p.m. – Oklahoma City vs. Portland (NBA TV)

10 p.m. – LA Clippers vs. Sacramento (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack

6:30 p.m. – Washington vs. Atlanta (ESPN2)

8:30 p.m. – Houston vs. Utah (ESPNU)

10:30 p.m. – Memphis vs. Boston (ESPN2)

Friday, July 12 – Consolation

Consolation games will take place at the below times and locations:

Cox Pavilion: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (NBA TV)

Thomas & Mack: 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Saturday, July 13 – Consolation and Quarterfinals

Consolation games will take place at the below times and locations:

Cox Pavilion: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (NBA TV)

Quarterfinal tournament games will take place at the below times and locations:

Thomas & Mack: 4:30 p.m. (ESPN), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN), 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, July 14 – Semifinals

Semifinal tournament games will take place at the below times and locations:

Thomas & Mack: 6 p.m. (ESPN2) and 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

Monday, July 15 – Championship

Thomas & Mack: 9 p.m. (ESPN)

 

About Jaden Hawkins

The artwork accompanying today’s story about Virginia’s players competing in the NBA Summer League is by 15-year-old Jaden Hawkins, a sophomore at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. Jaden has been doing edits since he was 11 years old and is self taught.

He plays basketball and is getting into lacrosse, is a huge sports fan and loves all things UVA. In fact, he has an older brother who will be a first year at Virginia this fall. Jaden’s mom, Julie Ramirez Hawkins is a UVA ’93 alum.

Jaden’s Instagram: hawkedits_ His Twitter: @hawkedits1