Photo by Anthony Giacomino/Paint Touches
The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League will wrap up Monday when the Rockets square off against the Wizards. And while that game won’t feature any former Marquette players, five did suit up last week in Las Vegas. Here’s a quick wrap-up of each players’ performance, with their stats linked.
Buycks earned himself a contract with his stellar Summer League performance in 2013, and he performed well again this summer with the Raptors. In three games the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 19.7 points on 46 percent shooting, 4.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. Still, that wasn’t enough to earn him another year in the Association as the Raptors requested waivers on him Saturday. It’s a big hit for Buycks — an $816,482 hit, to be exact — but he won’t be out of work for long, as European teams Olympiacos (Greece) and Valencia (Spain) have offered him contracts. Those are two of the best teams in Europe, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back in the NBA at some point.
A much fuller-looking Blue played for the NBA champion Spurs this month, and he improved steadily as the summer went along. After two duds to open the league, Blue averaged a steady 11.6 points, 2.3 rebounds on 2.3 assists on 46 percent shooting in his last three contests. It ended with a full stat line (13/4/5 with four steals) in Saturday’s triple-overtime loss to the Wizards, and while there’s no room in San Antonio he should get an invite somewhere.
Ox wasn’t built for the NBA, and his numbers naturally were unimpressive playing for the Bulls. Still, he was able to muster up a solid outing last week, going for eight points and three rebounds in just five minutes. There’s no denying Gardner can get it done offensively in any league, but he simply doesn’t have the quickness or verticality to succeed on defense. That being said, he’s going to rack up points for a European team in a huge way. Bet against Gardner at your own risk.
The former graduate transfer had perhaps the best Summer League of any Marquette graduate, averaging 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in six games (five starts) for the D-League All-Stars. A member of the Reno Bighorns (Kings’ affiliate), Lockett apparently is fielding interest from a few NBA teams, though take that linked tweet for what it’s worth. At 6-foot-5 and still just 23 years old, Lockett should find himself back in Reno this upcoming season. It’s worth noting that on a talented team Lockett managed 32 minutes per game this summer. That’s a good sign.
Of the five former Marquette players in Las Vegas, Wilson put himself in the best position of anyone to earn a visit to an NBA training camp. His numbers didn’t jump off the page — 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 42 percent shooting — but he looked the part and he seemed to fit in well. And maybe it’s not that surprising, seeing as he’s always had the potential, length and athleticism to succeed at the next level. He made 5 of 9 3-pointers, was great on defense and probably made himself some money from the past two weeks.
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