Summer League roundup: Ferrell, Williams make debuts
The Samsung NBA Summer League tipped off Friday in Las Vegas and four former Indiana players are participating: Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Noah Vonleh and Verdell Jones.
Here’s a look at how each player performed over the weekend:
· Yogi Ferrell, Brooklyn Nets: Ferrell logged 19 minutes off the bench for the Nets in his professional debut and scored seven points on 3-of-11 shooting in a 79-73 win over Cleveland. He also added four rebounds and four assists.
Newsday had a feature recently on Ferrell and his quest to make the NBA the hard way:
A quick point guard, Ferrell said he rejected draft-and-stash offers — in which draftees are expected to play their first season abroad — and did not get picked on June 23. Instead, he signed a summer-league contract with the Nets, who will play their first game Saturday in Las Vegas.
“Not hearing my name, kind of sad,” he said of draft night. “A couple of teams wanted to draft and stash me, but I didn’t want to do that. I felt like I had a better opportunity choosing my team. Looking at Brooklyn, they liked how I worked out for them in the pre-draft workouts.”
Up next: Today vs. Atlanta at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
· Troy Williams, Phoenix Suns: The former IU wing has logged just 19 minutes in two games and is averaging 3.5 points and two rebounds. Phoenix is 2-0. Williams is 3-of-7 from the field.
In a recent story, The Arizona Republic confirmed that Williams knew his junior season would be his last in college once his sophomore year ended:
Once Indiana’s season ended and Troy Williams declared his intention to enter the draft early, his status was debated and questioned until the date to withdraw.
For Williams, there was no debate or question. He said he knew his junior season would be his last at Indiana once his sophomore season ended. No predraft conjecture was going to change that, and Williams has no regrets after going undrafted last month.
Up next: Tuesday vs. Boston at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
· Noah Vonleh, Portland Trail Blazers: As he enters his third NBA season, it’s hard to believe that Vonleh is still just 20 years old. He’s averaging a double-double through two summer league contests (14 points, 11.5 rebounds per game). He’s shooting 11-of-22 from the field, but also has eight turnovers.
Portland is 0-2, with losses to San Antonio and Phoenix.
Noah Vonleh thinks he's playing at the @DrewLeague! ??? pic.twitter.com/1Nteaxaryj
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) July 11, 2016
Up next: Tuesday vs. Utah at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
· Verdell Jones, D-League Select: Jones is averaging 12 minutes per game for the D-League Select team, a collection of top talent from the NBA Development League. He’s averaging seven points, two assists and 1.5 rebounds per game and is 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Jones is expected to draw heavy interest from European teams after a strong season with the Santa Cruz Warriors in which he averaged 16.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
Filed to: Noah Vonleh, Troy Williams, Verdell Jones, Yogi Ferrell