What happens in Vegas typically stays in Vegas, except when it’s NBA Summer League, and performances in these getting-to-know-you, warm-up games are dissected, overanalyzed and blogged about everywhere from random NBA Twitter accounts to right here, in this, the nation’s oldest continuously-published newspaper.
Who among us hasn’t had a few nights in Vegas we’d like to forget? Or just plain can’t remember?
Amnesia will set in once the actual NBA season starts, and the struggles that former UConn star Alex Karaban has incurred, for example, will long be forgotten by then.
But for now, with no other evidence to go by, fans hungry for hoops are taking every missed shot, every ill-advised turnover and attempting to project what it will mean over a career. Like any other night in Vegas, often it’s best not to analyze.
But we will, anyway, because that’s what we do here. Here’s a look at how former UConn stars have fared so far this summer:
Karaban struggles again
Alex Karaban hasn’t had the smoothest transition to the NBA since he was drafted last month. First, the former Huskies captain suffered a right ankle sprain in practice that kept him out of the Sacramento Kings’ first three Summer League games at the California Classic. Then, he struggled through a scoreless showing in his Las Vegas Summer League debut, going 0-for-6 and 0-for-4 from the 3-point line.
He did get on the scoreboard in his second game on Sunday, knocking down one of two 3-point attempts and finishing with three points in 23 minutes. He also grabbed two rebounds in the Kings’ 104-85 loss to the Wizards. Top overall pick AJ Dybantsa finished with 23 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
Reed remains solid
Tarris Reed Jr. had Huskies fans nodding knowingly when he put up back-to-back double-doubles to kick off the Vegas Summer League. That’s what he does. His most recent performance wasn’t as notable, as he contributed 5 points and 9 rebounds, but also turned it over 5 times in San Antonio’s 70-49 win over the Knicks on Saturday (revenge for the Finals?)
Reed was held out of the Spurs’ game on Sunday, the second of a back-to-back. San Antonio has to like what they see so far out of their first-round pick, who looks like he could plug-and-play for the title hopefuls next season.
McNeeley continues to light it up
Liam McNeeley wasn’t the most consistent player in his one season in Storrs, but as Huskies fans are well-aware, you don’t want to let him get hot. That’s exactly what he’s done this summer, going off for 28 points on 7 of 8 shooting from 3-point range on Thursday, and backing that up with another 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting on Sunday. McNeeley is averaging 21.7 points through three games and shooting a blistering 52.6 percent from 3. He also grabbed 8 rebounds in the Hornets’ 87-75 loss to the Celtics. He struggled through an injury-plagued rookie season, but should have a chance to break through into the Hornets’ rotation this season.
Newton scoring with ease
Tristen Newton hasn’t cracked an NBA rotation yet since helping lead UConn to the 2024 NCAA title, but he’s put up monster numbers in the G League– finishing First Team All-G League last season, averaging 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4 assists. He racked up the points again in the Rockets’ second Summer League contest on Sunday, finishing with 18, to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a loss to the Raptors.
Newton wasn’t particularly efficient, finishing 4-for-13 from the field and failing to record an assist (uncharacteristic of the former Mr. Triple-Double at UConn). He also had three turnovers. The former Husky debuted this Summer with 13 points, 2 assists and 3 steals in a win over the Nuggets on Friday.
Up Next
Newton and Karaban could be in action again on Tuesday, as the Rockets and Kings both have games.
76ers vs. Rockets – 4 p.m., Prime VideoKings vs. Nets – 6 p.m., Prime Video
