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BBNBA Summer League: Reed Sheppard takes over, Oscar Tshiebwe hits the glass

Zack Geogheganby:Zack Geoghegan•07/15/24•

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Photo of Reed Sheppard by Stephen R. Sylvanie | USA TODAY Sports
Photo of Reed Sheppard by Stephen R. Sylvanie | USA TODAY Sports

NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas is officially in full swing as all 30 teams have played at least one game in Sin City so far. The ball got rolling on July 12 and we still have another week left before the playoffs wrap up next Monday.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Reed Sheppard has been an absolute star in his first two game with the Houston Rockets. But he’s not the only former Wildcat making headlines out West. Oscar Tshiebwe is still doing Oscar Tshiebwe things, Jacob Toppin had himself a nice opening performance, Rob Dillingham is making an impact without scoring the ball, and somehow Kevin Knox is still playing in Summer League.

There are a total of 11 former Kentucky players in Las Vegas competing against one another. Let’s quickly recap how they’ve all looked through the first few days.

Reed Sheppard (HOU; 2 GP): 22.5 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks per game

  • What more can we say about Reed Sheppard? He’s been the star of Summer League so far when it comes to rookies. The No. 3 overall pick almost looks too good for this level of competition already. I wouldn’t be surprsied if he doesn’t suit up again in Las Vegas. Sheppard is shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from deep on above-average volume. He’s even launching (and hitting) shots from well beyond the NBA three-point line. Everything we saw at Kentucky has translated to Summer League — and then some.

Jacob Toppin (NYK; 1 GP): 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

  • It’s only been one game, but this is exactly what you want to see out of a second-year player such as Jacob Toppin. Unfortuantely, he missed a potential game-tying layup right at the buzzer in New York’s loss to Charlotte. But 19 points and six rebounds on 8-16 shooting (2-3 from deep) is a good start for the 24-year-old who shined in the G League last season.

Chris Livingston (MIL; 2 GP): 14 points, 7.5 rebounds per game

  • Unlike some of his rookie counterparts, Chris Livingston spent most of the 2023-24 season not playing in the G League. Those extra minutes in the G League seemed to have benefit Oscar Tshiebwe (more on him in a second) and Jacob Toppin going into year two, but even without them, Chris Livingston is still doing good things during his second Summer League run. He posted 17 points and seven rebounds on Sunday night, albeit in a 112-81 loss to the Cavaliers. Livingston has shot 10-18 from the field through two games so far.

Kevin Knox (GSW; 2 GP): 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1 block per game

  • This might be the final opportunity for Kevin Knox to prove he can still play in the NBA. And while the per-game numbers look solid on the surface, what they don’t show is he’s shooting 31.8 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from deep through two games in Las Vegas. Knox is still only 24 years old, but he’s about to enter year seven as a pro. If he doesn’t show some more juice, he’ll be on the outside looking in going into 2024-25.

Oscar Tshiebwe (IND; 2 GP): 10.5 points, 14 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1 steal per game

  • Surprise, surprise: Oscar Tshiebwe is leading Summer League in rebounds per game. The big man even grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with 17 points on 7-11 shooting during his debut on Friday night. He’s also shooting 8-16 from the floor and has seven total assists. This steal and score was pretty damn impressive, too — and something we saw semi-regularly in Lexington. If he keeps this up, a spot in the Pacers rotation this season is on its way.

Antonio Reeves (NOP; 2 GP): 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal per game

  • It hasn’t been a bad start to Summer League by any means for Antonio Reeves, who is currently second on the Pelicans in scoring (and ninth in minutes, mind you), but the efficiency just hasn’t been there early on. The 23-year-old rookie is only at 38.1 percent shooting overall with a 1-8 mark from deep.

Rob Dillingham (MIN; 2 GP): 9 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals per game

  • Rob Dillingham isn’t scoring the ball at the same level he was at Kentucky, but what stands out are his assist-to-turnover numbers. Yes, he’s only shooting 26.9 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from deep, but he’s posted 13 assists to just two turnovers in 54 minutes played. The Timberwolves are also 2-0 so far. He’ll find his rythym soon enough.

TyTy Washington (MIL; 2 GP): 7.5 points, 1.5 assists per game

  • These aren’t the type of numbers you hope to see from a soon-to-be third-year NBA guard. TyTy Washington is shooting 31.3 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from deep in just 16.6 minutes per outing through two games. He’ll need to improve moving forward or a return to the NBA could be out of the equation.

Justin Edwards (PHI; 1 GP): 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

  • It’s been a very up-and-down start to Summer League for Justin Edwards, who couldn’t seem to find any consistency in Salt Lake City and that hasn’t changed in Las Vegas. He’s struggling to shoot the ball and isn’t making much of an impact in the limited time he does see the floor.

Keion Brooks (NOP; 1 GP): 0 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

  • Keion Brookas failed to score in his lone Summer League outing so far, but did chip in some stats elsewhere.

Tre Mitchell (OKC; 1 GP): DNP

  • Tre Mitchell saw limited playing time for the Thunder in the Salt Lake City Summer League and did not suit up for the first game in Las Vegas.

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2024-10-30