Big Greetings from the Big Apple. 👋🍎

PS: check out this crazy Johnny Furphy poster before we get started.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Ben Sheppard, Timofey Mozgov, and Zach Randolph! 🎉

Summer League Recap

Spurs stay undefeated in Summer League, top Jazz in 93-91 buzzer-beating win ☀️

We love extra basketball, and that’s exactly what the Spurs and Jazz gave us on Monday night. The Spurs moved to 3-0 this Summer following a two-point win over Utah in overtime, capped off by an insane fadeaway baseline jumper at the buzzer from Riley Minix (13 PTS, 6 REB) that had the Vegas crowd in an absolute frenzy!

Although Minix and the Spurs had the last laugh, it wasn’t without a tremendous fight from Kyle Filipowski and the Jazz. The Duke product went OFF in this one, putting up an efficient 35 points on 11/19 shooting and 5/8 from beyond the arc, including a poster dunk to tie the game at 91 with 1.9 seconds to go.

The 32nd pick from the 2024 draft has averaged 29.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in just 28 minutes per contest in his last three SL games. The one-man wrecking crew has definitely made his case for Summer League MVP!

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Sneaky Summer Standouts 😎

Summer League has been well underway for several weeks now, and while there have definitely been some elite showings from the top picks, the summer sun has also shined on several lesser-known draftees and two-way guys.

Let’s take a look at two players who have put on sizzling performances so far this summer! ♨️

Brooks Barnhizer (OKC)

Did the league let the reigning champs land another draft steal?

Taken 44th overall out of Northwestern, Brooks Barnhizer has been putting in work on both sides of the ball for the Thunder this summer. He’s been an absolute dawg on defense in his last two games, totaling a ridiculous 13 combined steals. He also became the first player in NBA Summer League history to ever post 6+ steals in back-to-back games. 😱 

Barnhizer’s incredible defensive efforts make it easy to gloss over his offensive output in Saturday’s game against the Pacers, when he contributed 17 points on 8/10 shooting from the floor, hauled down five boards, and dished out a handful of dimes. Way to show out, Brooks!

Nae’Qwan Tomlin (CLE)

Summer League isn’t just for the incoming rookies. Make some room for the year two guys!

Cavs PF Nae’Qwan Tomlin has been showcasing everything he learned last season in the G League on the summer stage. He followed up his 30-point outburst in the team’s SL opener with a 22-point, 13-rebound performance in a 93-83 victory over the Bucks on Saturday. He’s shooting a blistering 75% from the field in his first two summer games!

Offseason Rumors

Al Horford mulling NBA future, receiving continued interest from multiple teams

What felt like a foregone conclusion last week now feels a little less certain. Al Horford was expected to sign with the Golden State Warriors early last week, but the 18-year veteran is now continuing to weigh his options. Multiple teams are reportedly in the mix for his services, including the Lakers, Bucks, and Hawks, per Marc Spears.

Reports suggest Horford isn’t just deciding which team to sign with, but about his basketball future altogether—there’s a chance the 39-year-old big man hangs his shoes up completely! 😢

🕰️ Wayback Wednesday

It’s easy for some players to get lost in the history books due to the passage of time, so we’re turning back the clock to celebrate some of the game’s underappreciated past stars in a new segment—Wayback Wednesday!

With the current-day NBA in the dog days of its offseason, let’s take it back a few decades to learn about one of the greatest Denver Nuggets of all time.

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If you needed a bucket in the 1980s, you’d look no further than Alex English. He was one of the decade’s most prolific and exciting bucket-getters, averaging 27.3 points on 51.2% shooting all the way from 1981-82 to 1988-89 in Denver. That’s eight straight years of Simply. Getting. Buckets. 🔥

English’s peak season came in 1982-83, when he torched the nets for 28.6 PTS per game on 51.6% shooting. He also began showing off his passing ability this season, dropping 4.8 assists to go along with 7.3 rebounds per game. That stellar play earned him a sixth-place finish in the 1983 MVP race!

His scoring ability translated to a lottttt of wins in the Mile High City, including a trip to the 1985 Western Conference Finals (only the franchise’s second appearance in history at the time). Rocking the ELITE rainbow threads for the Nuggets, take a look for yourself at how “Flick” used to give defenders the work on a nightly basis:

Three in the Key

With all of the player movement that goes on in the NBA, it’s easy to forget the guys who have stuck it out with one team for their entire career!

Put your knowledge to the test with the Numbers On The Board guys to see if you can determine which active players have played with one single team the longest!

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for taking some time out of your day for us.

We’re at the midway point of the week—only two more days until Friday! Make sure you take some time to unwind for yourself, get outside, and enjoy the sunshine. We’ll be back soon! ☀️

Bobby Kasmire