This year’s Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up on Sunday with the championship game. Five former Utah State basketball players were participants, and they made a collective 22 appearances. But, to make a long story short, it’s hard to say any separated themselves from the competition, such as when Sam Merrill averaged 20.4 points per game in 2023.
There were a few great individual performances, but nothing spectacular. Hopes for making the big leagues probably aren’t going to be particularly high in the short term. But that’s the nature of summer league. If you’re going to make the NBA, it’s going to be the long way around. Merrill and Neemias Queta each took the better part of half a decade to finally break through. Their fellow Aggies may need the same patience (and also luck) that both of those players showed.
Drake Allen (Pistons)
- 5 Games Played / 17.8 minutes / 4.4 points / 2.2 rebounds / 2.2 assists / 1.4 steals / 0.4 blocks / 1.0 turnovers / 36.4 FG% / 0.0 3P% / 66.7 FT%
Allen displayed the strengths and weaknesses of his game in the last couple of weeks. He’s a versatile player, capable of some scoring, decent playmaking, and quality defense. Averaging 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in just 18 minutes per game isn’t an easy feat. But his scoring efficiency, something he struggled with in college, wasn’t great. He made just 8 of 22 field goal attempts and went 0-for-8 on 3-pointers.
Ian Martinez (Cavaliers)
- 3 Games Played / 9.0 minutes / 5.3 points / 2.7 rebounds / 1.0 assists / 0.3 steals / 0.0 blocks / 66.7 FG% (6-9) / 100.0 3P% (2-2) / 100.0 FT% (2-2)
Although the Cavaliers have shown above-average interest in former Utah State players, with Sam Merrill on the NBA roster and Darius Brown spending two seasons on the Cavs’ G-League team and signing a two-way contract with Cleveland at the end of last season — Martinez did not benefit from that favoritism toward Aggies. He did not play in Cleveland’s first two games and played a combined 11 minutes in the next two. It wasn’t until the summer league finale that Martinez even got a little room to spread his wings. But he did make the most of it. In 16 minutes on the court, Martinez went a perfect 4-for-4 and scored nine total points while adding five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Martinez’s foray into summer league came after spending a season overseas, starring for Unger Steel Gunners Oberwart of the Austrian Basketball Super League. But even with a solid season in Europe under his belt in which he averaged 20.1 points per game, the NBA didn’t seem to give him much of a chance on the court.
Darius Brown (Suns)
- 4 Games Played / 23.3 minutes, 11.5 points / 4.5 rebounds / 5.5 assists / 1.0 steals / 0.0 blocks / 2.5 turnovers / 53.6 FG% (15-28) / 43.8 3P% (7-16) / 66.7 FT% (6-9)
Brown had by far the best performance in Summer League, which makes sense considering he’s entering his third year as a professional basketball player and this summer was his third appearance in the summer league. In four games, Brown shot the ball at a high percentage, stacked assists and even got quite a few rebounds considering he’s a 6-foot-2 guard.
This is the performance Brown needed to have to revive his NBA hopes. After getting a brief taste of the league thanks to a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown was waived and got sent back to square one. The journey to the NBA begins anew for Brown with the Phoenix Suns.
Isaac Johnson (76ers)
- 5 Games Played / 13.8 minutes / 7.4 points / 2.6 rebounds / 1.0 assists / 0.0 steals / 0.6 blocks / 1.0 turnovers / 40.0 FG% (12-30) / 27.8 3P% (5-18) / 80.0 FT% (4-5)
After a red-hot start with a 20-point performance in his summer league debut, Johnson cooled off considerably. He scored 17 points total in his next four games and shot a pedestrian 40% from the field. But in his two best games, his first and last, Johnson showcased the potential he’s displayed in flashes since high school. He’s a 7-foot center with range and versatility. If Johnson nails down some consistency, he’s got the tools to be an NBA player.
Steven Ashworth (Thunder)
- 5 Games Played / 16.0 minutes / 10.2 points / 2.0 rebounds / 3.6 assists / 0.4 steals / 0.0 blocks / 2.6 turnovers / 44.0 FG% (11-25) / 40.9 3P% (9-22) / 90.9 FT% (10-11)
Ashworth stood out in two of his games, scoring 16 points against the Utah Jazz in the finale of the Salt Lake Summer League, and then putting up 22 points in the finale in Las Vegas. Outside of those games, his playing time and performance was a little inconsistent. In his other three appearances, he averaged just 4.3 points.
The thing that stood out the most for Ashworth was his already-known strength in 3-point shooting, kind of to a fault. Of his 25 field goal attempts, 22 were 3-pointers. He shot a hair under 41%, but he barely ventured inside the arc. The key for Ashworth’s future will be showing he’s an all-around point guard. Averaging 3.6 assists in just 16 minutes per game was a good showing in that regard for Ashworth, and he can continue to build on that if he’s able to land with a G-League team.
