Hoosier Standouts Playing in 2018 NBA Summer League

Which former IU players will be participating in the NBA Summer League this summer?

OG Anunoby – Toronto Raptors

• After having a very successful rookie campaign, OG looks to assert his dominance this summer for the Raptors where he will be the leader without a doubt. He started 62 games last year and averaged 6ppg, 2.5rpg, and 1apg on 47% FG% and a 37% 3pt%. Those numbers aren’t flashy at all, but he was a defensive standout and he finished with a +4/game in the plus minus which is fantastic. In the playoffs, he was responsible with the task of attempting to guard LeBron and you can go back and watch those games, even the commentators raved about his defensive ability. He has a bright future and Toronto fans are very excited to see what he can continue to develop into.

Troy Williams – New York Knicks

• Troy has bounced around his first couple of years in the league. He finished last year on the Knicks where they seem to be excited about what he can bring to the team this year. He showed his signature athletic flashes in moments at the end of the season but shot less than 30% from three in the NBA last year. In the G-League, he dominated, mostly due to that athleticism. He averaged roughly 20ppg, 5rpg, and 2apg on 46% from the field and 33% from three. He needs to develop his three a further so is more of a threat than just a guy that is a great dunker with a good first step. The Knicks, who are still rebuilding, could be a great opportunity for him to have a good year in hopes to land a decent contract the next time he is available.

James Blackmon Jr. – Milwaukee Bucks

• Actually saw James in Indianapolis at Brothers Bar on Friday night with PJ Thompson and Trey Lyles, so that is interesting. Anyway, James had another solid year in the G-League. He started on the Sixers affiliate and then moved to the Bucks system where he averaged nearly 17ppg with a FG% of over 50% and 3pt% over 40%, which teams love to see that. We all know that JBJ can let it fly with the best of them, but he will have to keep those numbers up at a high rate if he wants to someday break out of the G-aleague and onto an NBA roster.

Christian Watford – Memphis Grizzlies

• This one I did not see coming. The stretch four in the NBA is probably why Watford is getting this opportunity. He had his best G-League year in his rookie year when he averaged over 10ppg, 5.6rpg, and 1.6apg. He wasn’t on a g-league roster at all last year and the year before that he only averaged 5ppg and 2.2rpg. Now, he did shoot 44% from three that last year in the G-League, but only shot 35% from the field, which is concerning. I really hope that he can perform well enough to earn another G-League chance, but he has to be an offensive threat in the summer league to have any shot.

Robert Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

• After another good season for the Hoosiers, Rob has landed a chance to play this summer league for the Atlanta Hawks. RoJo will need to knock down threes at a similar clip to last year, over 37%, to get a G-League opportunity. He was picked up fairly quickly after going undrafted (we didn’t expect him to get drafted). He also must play defense well, we have seen that just being a shooter doesn’t cut it in the league. Even Kyle Korver is playing defense nowadays.

Jordan Hulls – No NBA Summer League Team, but SHOULD be

• I may be crazy for thinking this, but he is absolutely destroying Euro Basketball. He recently signed with a new German team in the Bundesliga Basketball League after averaging 15.5ppg, 3.6rpg, and 4.1 apg for another club. Good numbers, but now let’s look at percentages. Jordy shot nearly 55% from the field, very good, along with going 51.8% from three on 166 attempts. Hello honey, someone at least give him a chance. Not to mention he made 85 of 87 free throws last year. Hulls incredible shooting overseas should earn him a spot in the NBA Summer League sooner rather than later.