Inside The Panthers

Former Pitt Basketball G Still Waiting for First Summer League Action

On a deep Orlando Magic bench, former Pitt guard Jared Wilson-Frame is one of the odd men out.
Stephen Thompson|
Former Pitt Basketball G Still Waiting for First Summer League Action
Former Pitt Basketball G Still Waiting for First Summer League Action

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Pittsburgh PanthersOrlando MagicHouston Rockets

PITTSBURGH -- The clock wound down and former Pitt Panthers guard Jared Wilson-Frame still held his warm-up shirt in his hands. For the entirety of his first NBA Summer League game with the Orlando Magic, Wilson-Frame rode the bench. 

It's not as if Wilson-Frame, who emerged as perhaps the best shooter in recent Pitt history, is a stranger to American professional basketball. Last season he played - extensively and well - for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G-League. but even Thursday's game was a step up from that. 

Even though his Orlando Magic were facing off against an archetype of opponent similar to what Wilson-Frame had seen in the G-League - loads of first, second and even some third-year players trying to grind their way to an NBA roster spot - the Rockets' group was perhaps more talented than Wilson-Frame had experienced.

A battle between the No. 1 and No. 3 overall picks in this past NBA Draft dominated the attention of fans and broadcasters. Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith slugged it out on the court before the Magic eventually pulled away for a 91-77 win. They were both aided by standout performances from fellow first-round picks Tari Eason, Josh Christopher, and R.J. Hampton. 

That can help illustrate the saturation of talent in attendance, but the Magic also brought an astonishing 18 players to the Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada, artificially forcing Wilson-Frame down the bench. It was a reminder that Wilson-Frame has a long way to go before tasting the NBA, the world's highest level of basketball. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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