Jazz Rookies See Growth In Summer League
Jul 4, 2019, 10:04 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Summer League is an opportunity for young players to grow and adjust to the NBA game. Some players pick it up immediately, others might take a game or two.
But on Wednesday night, two of Utah’s draft picks: Jarrell Brantley and Miye Oni led the Jazz to an 84-81 win over San Antonio behind a pair of standout performances and showed fans a glimpse of why the organization bought back into the second round to pick them up.
Jarrell Brantley
The 50th overall pick from the College of Charleston was one of two players (along with Tony Bradley) on the Jazz Summer League team to earn Summer League Standout honors after averaging 13.5 points and five rebounds in two games.
😎 Summer League Standouts 😎
🛡 @Cavs
–@Dylan_Windler23
–@DeanWade3232🐻 @memgrizz
–@wacchi1013
-John Konchar🤠 @spurs
–@lonniewalker_4
-Keldon Johnson🎵 @utahjazz
–@ToBrad1
–@jstuntbrantley— Salt Lake City Summer League (@SLCSummerLeague) July 4, 2019
“He’s a beast, I was saying earlier you can’t stop him downhill,” said Oni. “He can handle, he can pass it, he’s a really great player.”
Brantley had 16 points, six rebounds, and an electrifying first quarter dunk that sent fans to their feet.
DON'T HURT 'EM, @jstuntbrantley 😱#SLCSL | @SLCSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/ZHAOSA41uh
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 4, 2019
“The fans are amazing here,” said Brantley. “For the 50th pick, they treat me like I’m number one. It’s crazy and fun to be out here and enjoy the fans and give us a good boost.”
Miye Oni
Oni got off to a slow start in his first game on Monday with just two points from the charity stripe and was 0-for-3 from the field, but he bounced back to score 17 points and pull down six rebounds in the Summer League finale.
Oni was unstoppable in the first quarter scoring 11 points and was 3-of-3 from beyond-the-arc.
“I went 0-3 the first game,” said Oni. “I know if I have a chance to play this year, I’m not really gonna play in big stints, I’m not gonna get many shots so I gotta make the most of my opportunities.”
Miye Oni is showing why the @utahjazz bought back into the second round to pick him up. #TeamisEverything pic.twitter.com/FJ1z77YFFf
— Zak Hicken (@zakhicken) July 4, 2019
“Miye is amazing,” added Brantley. “Last game, he didn’t get a lot of hype, but he guarded the ball really well. In this game he came out aggressive offensively and showed what he could do there.”
The players weren’t the only ones who noticed the growth from game one to game two.
“Some of these guys, when they get to their first game, its a lot. The game’s fast, there’s a lot to think about, there’s a lot going on,” said Jazz Summer League Coach Lamar Skeeter. “Once guys get that first game under their belt, generally the second game is a little bit better for them and I think that was the case tonight.”
Next up for the Jazz is Las Vegas Summer League which starts on Friday, July 5th.
