A look at top performers from the opening night of 2018 Summer League in Salt Lake City and Sacramento:
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
The fourth pick in last month’s draft, Jackson wasted no time showing off his shooting range, hitting his first two 3-pointers. He finished with eight 3s overall, including one from midcourt to beat the halftime buzzer. Jackson, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year last season at Michigan State, added three rebounds and two blocked shots to his 29-point total and soundly outplayed Atlanta’s John Collins, who was an All-Rookie second team selection last season.
Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
Second-year guard De’Aaron Fox was the Kings’ best all-around player with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists in their 98-93 victory over the Lakers. But all eyes were on Bagley, and the second pick in this year’s draft impressed with 18 points, six boards and three blocks. Bagley showed a little bit of everything in his Summer League debut, throwing down a huge dunk over fellow rookie Moritz Wagner (23 points), stepping outside to drill a 3-pointer and providing excellent rim protection.
Josh Hart, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are in desperate need of shooting to support LeBron James, and Hart, coming off a solid rookie season, showed he could be ready help in that department with four 3-pointers en route to 23 points. Spot duty at point guard wasn’t quite as successful, as he offset four assists with five turnovers before being ejected late in the fourth quarter to nullify the Lakers’ comeback hopes.
Georges Niang, Utah Jazz
Playing on Utah’s Summer League roster as a restricted free agent, Niang may have helped his cause on Day 1, scoring 17 points in a 92-76 victory over the Spurs. Niang, a second-year pro out of Iowa State, played in only nine games (32 minutes total) for the Jazz last season. But he flashed his shooting touch Monday night, hitting 7 of 12 field goal attempts, including a pair of 3s.
Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs
The 29th pick for the Spurs in the 2017 draft out of Colorado, White was easily the best player on the floor for San Antonio, scoring 22 points and collecting seven rebounds and six assists in a losing effort. White made 9 of 21 shots, including three 3-pointers, and patiently tried to get his teammates involved on the offensive end.
Kobi Simmons, Memphis Grizzlies
The former Arizona standout who went undrafted in 2017, Simmons made 8 of 13 shots, including 2 of 3 3-pointers, to finish with 21 points in the Grizzlies’ 103-88 win over the Hawks. Simmons, who averaged 15.1 points per game last season in the G League, got going early, hitting seven of his first 10 shots.
Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat
Jones celebrated his first NBA contract, signed on Sunday, with a 24-point, 11-rebound outburst in the Heat’s 79-68 loss to the Warriors. In addition to drilling four 3-pointers in five attempts, Jones threw down a huge slam in the fourth quarter as the Heat tried to mount a late comeback.
