Friday was consolation night at the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, but the games were anything but meaningless for those players looking to make one final impression on team executives in hopes of earning a spot on a roster this season.
Among those that made the most of the opportunity among players with state ties were Raleigh native Rodney Purvis, former NC State shooting guard Maverick Rowan and a pair of North Carolina national champions — Theo Pinson and Kennedy Meeks.
Purvis, who played a season at NC State before transferring to UConn, played on the Orlando Magic’s G-League affiliate in Lakeland, Fla. for most of last year before signing an NBA contract at the and of the season.
After scoring only five points combined in his team’s first four games in Vegas, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard got the chance to see more minutes Friday with most of Orlando’s top young players sitting out. He rose to the occasion by scoring 20 points with four 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.
“I just wanted to see a shot go in,” Purvis told OrlandoMagic.com. “I kind of struggled all Summer League and just to see the ball go in the first time, I knew that I was going to have a good game and I just wanted to bring some energy to the game. I knew we were down a lot of guys so I knew we needed some guys to step up and I was able to step up today.”
Though Rowan’s numbers weren’t as impressive as those of his Lakeland Magic teammate Purvis, his performance was potentially more meaningful since it was his only opportunity to show what he can do during the two-week summer tournament.
Playing his first game for the San Antonio Spurs after playing three nondescript games for the Utah Jazz in the earlier Salt Lake City Summer League, Rowan scored 11 of his team’s 55 points in a lopsided loss to the Phoenix Suns. He also had three rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot in 19 minutes, and was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal effort by the Spurs.
As for the UNC duo, Pinson — an undrafted free agent who signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn — had 12 points for the Nets in a loss to Indiana while Meeks — who played in the G-League last season — picked up nine points and 11 rebounds for the Denver Nuggets in their loss to Minnesota.
Another former Tar Heel, J.P. Tokoto, had a well-rounded game in his final summer appearance with the Golden State Warriors with six points, seven rebounds and four steals in a loss to Sacramento.
Among those that didn’t fare as well in their attempts at leaving Vegas on a high note were former Duke guard Matt Jones, who went just 1 of 8 from the floor and missed all four of his 3-point attempts for the Sacramento Kings in a win against Golden State.
The Wake Forest duo of Bryant Crawford (Nets) and Doral Moore (Wizards) never really got off the bench long enough to have any impact for their respective teams throughout the tournament, and that was the case again Thursday with the neither of the underclassman getting more than two minutes of court time in mop up roles.
Quarterfinal play in the championship bracket of the Vegas summer tournament resumes today with a full slate of games, all of which will be televised live by NBATV or ESPN2.
Here are the stats for all state players participating in the Vegas Summer League tourney, which runs through July 17:
John Collins, Wake Forest (Hawks): 2 games, 24.0 ppg, 20-42 FG, 5-10 3PT, 3-9 FT, 8.5 rpg
Justin Jackson, UNC (Kings): 4 G, 19.0 ppg, 28-67 FG, 8-28 3PT, 12-14 FT, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 spg
Wendell Carter Jr., Duke (Bulls): 4 G, 16.8 ppg, 26-41 FG, 3-6 3PT, 12-15 FT, 7.8 rpg, 3.0 bpg
Grayson Allen, Duke (Jazz): 2 G, 16.5 ppg, 13-34 FG, 3-12 3PT, 4-4 FT, 6.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.5 spg
Tony Bradley, UNC (Jazz): 2 G, 16.0 ppg, 13-15 FG, 6-6 FT, 3.5 rpg
Marvin Bagley III, Duke (Kings): 1 G, 15.0 ppg, 5-13 FG, 0-2 3PT, 5-7 FT, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
Jerome Robinson, Raleigh/BC (Clippers): 3 G, 13.7 ppg, 16-36 FG, 7-19 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg
Gary Trent Jr., Duke (Trailblazers): 4 G, 13.5 ppg, 17-49 FG, 7-16 3PT, 13-13 FT, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg
Frank Jackson, Duke (Pelicans): 1 G, 13.0 ppg, 4-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-5 FT, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg
Dennis Smith Jr., NC State (Mavs): 2 G, 12.0 ppg, 9-24 FG, 2-13 3PT, 4-4, 2.0 rpg, 6.0 apg
Theo Pinson, UNC (Nets) 5 G, 11.2 ppg, 18-40 FG, 11-26 3PT, 8-8 FT, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg
Maverick Rowan, NC State (Spurs): 1 G, 11.0 ppg, 4-11 FT, 2-4 3PT, 1-1 FT, 2.0 rpg, 1.0 apg
Harry Giles, Duke (Kings): 4 G, 10.8 ppg, 20-48 FG, 0-2 3PT, 3-6 FT, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 spg. 1.5 apg
Trevon Duval, Duke (Rockets): 4 G, 10.5 ppg, 12-33 FG, 8-12 3PT, 10-15 FT, 1.8 rpg, 2.0 apg
Devonte Graham, Raleigh/Kansas (Hornets): 3 G, 10.0 ppg, 11-30 FG, 0-12 3PT, 8-8 FT, 2.7 rpg, 6.0 apg
Amile Jefferson, Duke (T-wolves): 5 G, 8.6 ppg, 19-42 FG, 5-12 FT, 12.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Codi Miller-McIntyre, Wake (Raptors): 4 G, 7.3 ppg, 12-28 FG, 2-7 3PT, 3-4 FT, 3.5 rpg, 7.0 apg
J.P. Tokoto, UNC (Warriors): 5 G, 7.0 ppg, 13-29 FG, 2-9 3PT, 1-2 FT, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 spg
Matt Jones, Duke (Kings): 4 G, 7.0 ppg, 10-28 FG, 3-13 3PT, 5-10 FT, 1.8 rpg
Eric Griffin, Campbell (Pistons): 4 G, 6.3 ppg, 9-13 FG, 1-2 3PT, 6-9 FG, 3.8 rpg
Gabe DeVoe, Shelby/Clemson (Hornets): 3 G, 6.0 ppg, 6-16 FG, 5-9 3PT, 1-1 FT, 1.0 rpg
Kennedy Meeks, UNC (Nuggets): 5 G, 5.6 ppg, 12-33, 0-1 3PT, FG, 4-5 FT, 5.6 rpg
Rodney Purvis, Raleigh/UConn (Magic): 5 G, 5.0 ppg, 7-32 FG, 4-16 3PT, 7-9 FT, 2.4 rpg
Isaiah Hicks, UNC (Knicks): 2 G, 4.0 ppg, 4-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-2 FT, 2.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Terry Henderson, NC State (Hornets): 3 G, 2.3 ppg, 2-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 1.3 rpg
Bryant Crawford, Wake (Nets): 4 G, 1.3 ppg, 2-12 FG, 1-6 3PT, 1.8 rpg
Doral Moore, Wake (Wizards): 5 G, 0.8 ppg, 2-2 FG, 0.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg
