BBNBA Summer League: Oscar Tshiebwe is grabbing all the rebounds

Surprise! Oscar Tshiebwe‘s elite rebounding skills are so far translating to the professional level. None of us are shocked, but it’s still borderline confusing how the former Kentucky big man is so dominant when it comes to scooping up loose balls off the rim.

On Monday night in Las Vegas, in what was his second Summer League outing with the Indiana Pacers, Tshiebwe appeared in just 12 minutes. But in that short amount of time, he did what he does best. The undersized center hauled in eight rebounds — second-most on the team behind fellow former Wildcat Isaiah Jackson — to go along with seven points that came on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field.

Tshiebwe, who is on a two-way deal with the Pacers, also recorded a steal that led to an easy fastbreak layup.

Although it’s come in limited minutes so far, Tshiebwe is doing exactly what he needs to keep himself in the mix for a full-time roster spot heading into the 2023-24 season.

As for Jackson, the third-year pro is looking to make a leap after two so-so seasons to begin his NBA career. He’s been exceptional through two Summer League games, leading the event in rebounding with 12.5 per game. He brought down 11 on Monday night — a 108-85 win over the Orlando Magic — in addition to his 13 points in 25 minutes.

Jackson has shown, at least through two games, that he’s simply better than the majority of Summer League competition — how it should be for a former lottery pick with two years under his belt. And even though he’s the “veteran” of the bunch at 21 years old, he’s still taking tips from his less-experienced teammates. When it comes to rebounding the ball, Jackson is actually learning from Tshiebwe.

“I just picked up on little stuff that he does, sort of being a magnet for the ball,” Jackson said, according to the IndyStar. “Some of the things that Oscar told me is knowing what part of the rim the ball is hitting on, that’s which way it’s going to go. I’ve been using that aspect.”

During his first Summer League game on Saturday, Jackson finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks in a little under 30 minutes. Whatever Tshiebwe is teaching him seems to be working.

Juzang making some Summer League noise

Johnny Juzang had to overcome a right ankle sprain earlier this month just to be ready to play in Summer League for the Utah Jazz. For his own sake, it’s paid off so far. In a 108-96 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, Juzang went off for 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block in just 25 minutes of play. But even more impressive were his shooting splits: 10-14 from the field, 4-5 from distance, and 2-2 from the line.

The performance was much needed by the 22-year-old wing, who played one season at Kentucky (2019-20) before turning into an All-American during his following two seasons at UCLA. Why exactly? Because the Jazz withdrew their qualifying offer on Juzang, who was on a two-way contract, last week, making him an unrestricted free agent. He’ll need to continue to impress the rest of Summer League if he hopes to land himself a new contract for ’23-24.

Juzang appeared in just 18 games for the Jazz last season as a rookie, averaging 4.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest. He shot just 33.7 percent overall and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. Injuries didn’t help him along the way, either. But now that he’s on the open market, shining in Summer League is almost a necessity. Juzang posted 13 points on 5-9 shooting (3-5 3PT) during his first game in Las Vegas on Saturday.