WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State men's basketball products
Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors), Toure' Murry (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Darius Carter (Denver Nuggets) will compete in the NBA Summer League, July 8-18, in Las Vegas.
Each team is guaranteed at least five contests, and ESPN will carry every game across its family of networks, which includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU and WatchESPN. Fans can also access box scores, game recaps and cumulative statistics by visiting nba.com/summer league.
Murry and Carter go head-to-head on July 8 when the Timberwolves and Nuggets play their opener (7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN), with VanVleet and Raptors to follow at 9 p.m. Friday night against the Sacramento Kings (ESPN3). VanVleet and Murry could share the court two days later on July 10 when the Raptors and T-Wolves collide on ESPN3.
See below for complete schedules and television assingments for all three teams.
With chapters in Orlando, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, the NBA Summer League's abbreviated exhibition scheduled serves as a training ground for young professionals and gives executives an opportunity to evaluate their own players, as well as potential free agent pickups, in a competitive environment.
Las Vegas is the largest of the NBA's three summer league sessions with 24 franchises represented, and 13 of the top 14 picks in this year's NBA Draft are in line to compete.
VanVleet, an All-American and two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for the Shockers from 2012-16, is already familiar with two of his summer teammates in Toronto first-rounder draft picks Jakob Poeltl (1
st Round, No. 9 overall) and Pascal Siakam (1
st, No. 27). WSU defeated both Utah and New Mexico State during the 2015-16 regular season.
Carter, who played at WSU from 2014-16, played for the Nuggets in the Summer of 2015 before going overseas. Murry, who enters his fifth year as a pro after playing for the Shockers from 2008-12, logged NBA service time with the Knicks, Jazz and Wizards from 2013-15 but spent all of last season in the D-League.
A record six former-Shockers are competing in the 2016 NBA Summer League, with
Ron Baker (New York Knicks), Cleanthony Early (New York Knicks) and Tekele Cotton (Detroit Pistons) also appearing on rosters in the Orlando League.
SAMSUNG NBA SUMMER LEAGUE SCHEDULES
Toronto Raptors (VANVLEET)
July 8 / 9 p.m. CT vs. Sacramento (ESPN3)
July 10 / 5 p.m. CT vs. Minnesota (ESPN3)
July 11 / 5:30 p.m. CT vs. Dallas (ESPN3)
July 13 or 14 / TBD – Playoffs (Seeds 9-24 only)
July 14 / TBD – Playoffs (July 13 winners vs. Seeds 1-8)
July 15 / TBD – Playoff Consolation (July 13 & 14 losers)
July 16 / TBD – Quarterfinals (July 14 winners)
July 17 / TBD – Semifinals (July 16 winners)
July 18 / TBD – Championship (July 17 winners)
Denver Nuggets (CARTER)
July 8 / 7:30 p.m. CT vs. Minnesota (ESPN)
July 9 / 7 p.m. CT vs. Memphis (ESPN3)
July 11 / 7 p.m. CT vs. Miami (ESPN2)
July 13 or 14 / TBD – Playoffs (Seeds 9-24 only)
July 14 / TBD – Playoffs (July 13 winners vs. Seeds 1-8)
July 15 / TBD – Playoff Consolation (July 13 & 14 losers)
July 16 / TBD – Quarterfinals (July 14 winners)
July 17 / TBD – Semifinals (July 16 winners)
July 18 / TBD – Championship (July 17 winners)
Minnesota Timberwolves (MURRY)
July 8 / 7:30 p.m. CT vs. Denver (ESPN)
July 10 / 5 p.m. CT vs. Toronto (ESPN3)
July 11 / 7:30 p.m. CT vs. Cleveland (ESPN3)
July 13 or 14 / TBD – Playoffs (Seeds 9-24 only)
July 14 / TBD – Playoffs (July 13 winners vs. Seeds 1-8)
July 15 / TBD – Playoff Consolation (July 13 & 14 losers)
July 16 / TBD – Quarterfinals (July 14 winners)
July 17 / TBD – Semifinals (July 16 winners)
July 18 / TBD – Championship (July 17 winners)
Shockers in Past NBA Summer Leagues:
A total of four Shockers competed in the 2015 NBA Summer League:
Darius Carter (Nuggets/Las Vegas),
Tekele Cotton (Thunder/Orlando),
Cleanthony Early (Knicks/Las Vegas), and
Nick Wiggins (Jazz/Utah).
Early turned in the best performance of the group, averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 4-1 finish in Las Vegas. (
Full 2015 Recap)
In 2014, Early – a New York Knicks draftee – averaged 11.5 points over four contests. Gal Mekel played for the Dallas Mavericks, and Wiggins saw time with the Sacramento Kings.
In 2013, Toure' Murry turned his summer audition with the Knicks into a free agent contract. Mekel (Mavericks) and Garett Stutz (Kings) were also active.
