Summer League, Day 4: Five Players Who Stood Out in Monday's Action
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — We're four days in the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League now, and it's the Cleveland Cavaliers who continue to put on a show. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-77 on Monday, and became the first team to three wins in the 11-day showcase event.
Here are five players who stood out to me on Monday, starting with Cleveland sharp-shooter Same Merrill, who hit eight three-pointers in the win, scoring 27 points.
Sam Merrill, Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers saw something they liked in shooting guard Sam Merrill last season, bringing him up from the G League late in the season too to add another three-point threat. They have big hopes going forward, too, and saw a big reason why on Monday, when he made eight three-pointers in a 100-77 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Merrill, who played briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and the Grizzlies in 2022, is hoping to stick this time with the Cavaliers. He's a 6-foot-4 guard out of Utah State, and he's 27 years old now. Merrill finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, and 8-of-11 from deep in just 21 minutes. He keeps putting in the work, and the results were telling on Monday.
Johnny Juzang, Jazz
Second-year guard Johnny Juzang out of UCLA scored 26 points and led the Utah Jazz to a 108-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. He looked good, doing it, too.
Juzang, who played 18 games with Utah last year, spent two years at UCLA after transferring from Kentucky, and was part of their 2021 Final Four team. He averaged 20.8 points a game for the Jazz's G League team and is trying to put himself in position to take on a bigger role with the Jazz this coming season. He came off the bench and hit 10-of-14 field goal attempts — including 4-of-5 threes — in Monday's win
Andrew Nembhard, Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were a pleasant surprise last season, getting a big boost from their rookie class. Many of those guys are playing in the summer league, too, and guard Andrew Nembhard looked good on Monday in their 108-85 win over the Orlando Magic.
Nembhard scored 21 points and did a great job of getting in the lane. He also was a pest defensively in the Pacers' second-straight win. The Gonzaga product was 8-for-16 from the field and also had seven assists.
Xavier Moon, Clippers
Xavier Moon scored 18 points in the Los Angeles Clippers' 80-70 win over the Sacramento Kings, and he did a lot of everything.
Moon had six assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks, and was 6-for-12 from the field. He also got a nice boost from teammate Jordan Bowden off the bench. He had 18 points, too, hitting four three-pointers in just 17 minutes.
Colby Jones, Kings
Rookie second-round pick Colby Jones led the Kings with 19 points in the same game, and it was an impressive showing for the Xavier product. Jones had a nice career at Xavier, and the long 6-foot-6 guard was the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, His rights were traded a few times on draft night, but the Kings are glad to have him.
"It’s been really fun,'' Jones said of his summer league experience so far. "A lot of things are being thrown at me but I’m just trying to take it all in. It’s my first time really out here in Vegas and Summer League so just really trying to enjoy with my guys, enjoy with the team, and it’s been a great process as well.
