Cleveland Cavaliers’ Sam Merrill (5) looks to pass the ball as Orlando Magic’s Caleb Houstan, left, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
LAS VEGAS – Sam Merrill made a statement in the 2023 NBA Summer League, sending his stock flying upward as he seeks to keep his NBA dreams alive. But Merrill wasn’t the only former Utah State men’s basketball player to appear in Las Vegas or elsewhere in various summer league circuits. Four former Aggies donned summer league jerseys over the past two weeks, each with hopes of solidifying their positions in the NBA. Justin Bean with the Boston Celtics, Neemias Queta with the Sacramento Kings, Taylor Funk with the Miami Heat and, of course, Merrill with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Results varied but were largely positive as these Utah State alumni did well in the short time given across Sacramento, Salt Lake and Las Vegas circuits.
Justin Bean
Stats: 5 Games | 18.8 Minutes | 7.8 Points | 3.8 Rebounds | 1.4 Assists | 0.2 Steals | 0.8 Blocks | 1.0 Turnovers | 53.3 FG% | 46.2 3P% | 100.0 FT%
In his rookie season, Bean saw sparse minutes with the LA Clippers’ summer league team. He played a total of 48 minutes across four games and unsurprisingly accomplished very little. This year Bean is with the Celtics and they stuck him in their starting lineup for several games, allowing him to thrive in a consistent role. Bean shot a very efficient 53.3% from the floor (and an elite 46.2 percent from three), reeled in a high volume of rebounds and tallied a few ancillary stats like assists and blocks.
Summer League ✅ @celtics 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/HYeFWIalQo
— Justin Bean (@justinbean34) July 17, 2023
Bean’s top performance came against the Miami Heat on July 8 (where he brushed up against another former Aggie). In that outing he went 5-of-11 from the field with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Boston is clearly a bit higher on the prospects of the former Aggie forward and could very likely bring him onto their G-League team for a chance to move up in the NBA.
Neemias Queta
Stats: 4 Games | 22.9 Minutes | 8.8 Points | 8.3 Rebounds | 2.0 Assists | 0.5 Steals | 1.5 Blocks | 2.3 Turnovers | 53.8 FG% | 0.0 3P% | 58.3 FT%
In his third stint in the summer league circuit, Queta continued to show that he’s still good at all the things NBA teams want out of centers. He can shoot efficiently, rebound the basketball, and he can block shots.
Neemias Queta had the rim SHAKING after the putback 😨pic.twitter.com/02I0n7uqDK
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 8, 2023
Given how perimeter-oriented summer league can be, it shouldn’t be a surprise Queta didn’t rack up the points he often did in the G-League. His rebounding and block stats didn’t take much of a hit, though. And his overall scoring efficiency remained as solid as it’s been throughout his pro career.
The ending to Queta’s summer league wasn’t great, though. In his fourth appearance, a matchup with the LA Clippers, Queta left the game after only 10 minutes on the floor having sustained a foot injury. According to reports, an X-ray showed no fractures but an MRI revealed a “stress reaction and metatarsal capsule sprain.” Following this revelation, Queta was quickly ruled out for the remainder of summer league.
How this impacts the Kings’ willingness to keep Queta around will be a matter for the coming weeks. The team issued a qualifying offer to Queta, making him a restricted free agent, though no new contract has been announced. Queta spent his previous two NBA seasons under a two-way contract with Sacramento and is eligible to be on a two-way contract for one more season.
Sam Merrill
Stats: 5 Games | 27.9 Minutes | 20.4 Points | 4.0 Rebounds | 2.8 Assists | 0.4 Steals | 0.0 Blocks | 1.0 Turnovers | 45.6 FG% | 44.6 3P% | 88.2 FT%
Merrill not only had the best showing among former Aggies, but had one of the best summer league performances among all players. He was named to the All-Summer League First Team (alongside Jazz rookie guard Keyonte George) as a backcourt player. Merrill racked up stats in his mere handful of games, kicking things off with a double-double in his opening game (15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists). A few days later he lit up Cox Pavilion for 27 points in just 21 minutes played. He went 8-of-11 on 3-pointers to achieve that feat which went viral on social media.
SAM MERRILL IS ON FIRE 🔥
The Cavs guard hits his 8th three of the game on ESPNews! #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/XHbCTmZyfJ
— NBA (@NBA) July 10, 2023
Sam Merrill:
27 Points
69% FG
72% 3P
100% FTIt’s still the 3rd quarter. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1vGtTwsdsT
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 10, 2023
Sam Merrill vs. Grizzlies 👀
27 PTS
8-11 3PT
21 MIN pic.twitter.com/yeKx0mmOMK— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 10, 2023
A few days after that breakout game, he repeated the feat with another 27 in the championship game Monday night, aiding the Cavs in winning the title bout. He hit six 3-pointers, bringing his total over the event to a league-best 25 triples. He not only hit in volume but was highly efficient, hitting 44.6 percent of his summer league-leading 11.2 attempts per game. Merrill led the Cavaliers in scoring and was 13th in summer league with his 20.4 points per game.
Merrill is currently on a non-guaranteed contract with the Cavaliers but he’s given their front office no reason to cut him to save money. Not only did he do that, but likely earned himself a decent shot at making Cleveland’s rotation at some point this season. His shot-making remains a threat anywhere on the court and it’s a valuable skill for NBA teams to possess.
Taylor Funk
Stats: 4 Games | 14.6 Minutes | 3.5 Points | 2.0 Rebounds | 0.8 Assists | 0.0 Steals | 0.0 Blocks | 0.3 Turnovers | 26.3 FG% | 23.2 3P% | 0.0 FT%
Funk is the one Aggie who truly struggled in summer league and likely didn’t help his case for making it to the NBA. Though Miami played seven games in between California and Las Vegas, Funk only appeared in four of them, receiving a DNP-CD (Did Not Play: Coach’s Decision) in the other games. In games where Funk did play he received limited minutes and struggled to be productive. His lack of time and below-average performance doesn’t bode well for his future in the NBA.
It’s not an NBA death sentence to have a disappointing run in summer league. Funk’s fellow former Aggie, Justin Bean, faced a similar situation last year and managed to catch on in the G-League and a greater run in summer league this year. Funk’s best hope for a basketball future stateside is to take a similar path to Bean.
