Grading 5 Mizzou Alums NBA Summer League Performances

From Jevon Porter's short-lived time in Vegas to Tamar Bates' sustained success, the former Tigers that performed in the 2026 NBA Summer League had a mix of impressive and underwhelming performances.

Five alums played in Las Vegas this year — besides players that left Missouri after one year of play — and Missouri on SI gave a grade for each of them below.

Memphis Grizzlies Forward Jevon Porter Grade: D

Nov. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Jevon Porter looks on during a game against VMI at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winker/MissouriOnSi

Porter played in two of the three Grizzlies games in the Salt Lake City Summer League and had an impressive performance in the second game. He erupted for 12 points and 10 rebounds after not seeing any action in the previous contest, but nothing of substance followed.

Porter played in one game in Las Vegas and logged an empty stat sheet. It was then announced that the forward joined an eligibility lawsuit to get one more year of college eligibility and that was the end of his time this summer.

Las Vegas stats: 1 GP, 2.2 MPG, 0 PPG, 0 RPG, 0 APG

Denver Nuggets Forward Mark Mitchell Jr. Grade: D+

Mitchell came into summer play tied as the youngest Nugget on roster and the best player from Missouri last season. After Mitchell's 3-point shot and assists improved in conference play — he shot 50 percent on 1.6 3-point attempts and recorded 4.1 assists per game in his final 20 games — it looked like he was becoming NBA ready. But Mitchell did not put those skills on display in the summer league.

Mitchell had a strong start in Las Vegas, recording eight points and three rebounds in his debut but was unimpressive in his next two games. He earned a start in his second game, in which he went scoreless on zero field goal attempts in a 15-minute start and didn't appear in the next game. He closed out the summer league with a five point performance on the bench.

Mitchell had just one assist in over 63 minutes in Vegas and attempted just 3.5 goals per game, proving to be unaggressive and unimpressive.

Stats: 3 GP, 14.5 MPG, 4.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.8 BPG, 0.5 TPG, 35.7% FG, 25% 3FG, 83.3% FT

Cleveland Cavalier Guard Sean East II Grade: C

Mizzou basketball player drives to the hoop. — Mizzou men's basketball guard Sean East II attempts to get past an Auburn defender Tuesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

East came into the summer league following an impressive season in the G League, but much like Mitchell, he did not surpass or even meet expectations.

After averaging 19 points and over five assists for the Salt Lake City Stars last season, East did not get a lot of minutes with Cleveland in the summer league and is currently not signed on a roster for the upcoming season.

His stats weren't bad on paper and he was relatively efficient, but considering his performance in the G League, his time in Vegas was average at best.

Stats: 5 GP, 12.2 MPG, 3.6 PPG, 1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 TPG, 0.6 SPG, 2.6 PFPG, 46.7% FG, 40% 3FG, 50% FT

Boston Celtics Guard Caleb Grill Grade: B+

Feb. 25, 2025; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena. — Feb. 25, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler/Missouri On SI

Grill may have had the best single game performance in the summer league out of the five Tiger alums, after notching 18 points in 22 minutes in his final contest. Grill went 6-for-12 and 4-for-9 from deep, displaying confidence and NBA-level 3-point scoring.

Other than his 18-point explosion, Grill was inconsistent after appearing in two of the other four contests. In one game he logged less than one minute of play and in the other he scored seven points in seven minutes, which showed his ability to be a spark plug shooter off the bench.

Grill is not rostered outside of the summer league, but in two real chances in Las Vegas, he certainly made a case to be signed.

Stats: 3 GP, 10 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 1 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.3 BPG, 0.7 TPG, 57.1% FG, 50% 3FG, 66.7% FT

Utah Jazz Guard Tamar Bates Grade: A

Feb. 25, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates Grill in the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena. | Amber Winkler / Missouri On SI

Bates is the only Tiger signed to a two-way contract on this list and he certainly backed it up in summer league. From a highlight dunk on Will Riley to consistent scoring throughout game play, Bates proved himself as the most impressive former Tiger this summer.

On a Utah Jazz team that is on the upwards end of a rebuild, Bates could be catching fire at just the right time.

Stats: 4 GP, 19.6 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.8 TPG, 54.2% FG, 40% 3FG, 66.7% FT

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