Phoenix Suns Vs Minnesota Timberwolves LIVE ON ESPN 4K 2K26 NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | PLAY BY PLAY
[Music] [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Hey. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. N. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Hey, heat. Hey, heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] of basketball in Vegas during the summer league standings. The Timberwolves unbeaten 3 and 0, one of eight. Top four with point differential make it to the semifinals of summer league. Chris Lewis, Brandon Haywood, and Autumn Johnson will join in just a moment. The big news of the day on the side of the Suns and Autumn has details. Hey guys, breaking news. We learned today that Bradley Bill has agreed to a contract buyout with the Phoenix Suns. He is set to pay back nearly $14 million of the 110 million that is left on his deal. Bradley Bill plans to side with the Clippers on a two-year 11 million deal that includes a player option. The three-time all-star spent the bulk of his career with the Washington Wizards, enjoying Phoenix ahead of the 2023 24 season. But injuries limited him to just 106 games across two seasons with the Suns. Now, Bradley Bill is looking for a fresh start in LA where he’s set to team up with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in a starstudded Clippers backcourt. You guys, all right, Audible. Well, plenty to discuss and we’ll continue to talk about that throughout this game. Two sides of it. We’ll focus in on the side of the Suns where the Bradley Beal experiment over a couple years did not reach the heights they wanted. Yeah. Obviously, when this team was put together, Phoenix had championship aspirations. They thought their big three was going to lead them to a title. Didn’t work out like that. Now, Bradley Beiel is looking to win a title elsewhere with the Clippers. And the Phoenix, they’re in the rebuilding mode. All right. So, we’ll look at this from the side of the Suns. And Kaman Malawatch is one of their young players who we will be lasered in on in this game. The most recent number 10 pick in this last draft. Yeah, the big fella has pretty good hands. Can catch inside. Uh shot blocker, rim roller. Really impressed with his game at Duke. Uh need to see that field goal percentage go up a little bit in summer league, but it’s early on. We’re not judging these young players just yet. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rob Dillingham has an opportunity entering his second year to have a larger role off the Wolves bench. Yeah, Rob Dillingham is electric. Came into this league with the reputation of being a big-time scorer. A guy that can go get it in the pick and roll or get it on his own. They’re going to need him to develop this summer because Mike Connley getting a little bit older. They’re going to need Rob Dillingham next year to play some minutes. We’ll see Dillingham so far in the three games in summer league for a Wolves team that’s looking to move to 4-0. Starting lineups on each side. Couple of notable absences for the Timberwolves. Terren Shannon Jr. He’s out just rest on the Wolves playing a backto-back in Vegas. And for the Suns, no Kobe Brea left thumb sprain. He’s dayto day. First game of the day from the pavilion adjacent to the Thomas and Max Center. And Malawatch wins the tip underway with the Suns in the opening possession. They’re one and two so far in summer league coming off of a loss by nearly 20 points to the Kings. Boogie Ellis using the jab step sneaking past Bailey. This shot is a race from the weak side. Baron Jay an early impact, but they’re going to count it. Registering a goal. Definitely. I like the big filler coming over on the weak side to clean it up, but he was just a little bit late and the bucket will still count. Maring Jay in that opening game with six blocks showing the ability for the 17th pick in the most recent draft. Yeah, that’s what they need. They need somebody that’s big, long, and athletic around the rim. That’s tough to get that one around Malawatch. But Leonard Miller does just that. And Malawatch was just a little bit a little step slow right there in his defensive rotation. And those little little things that you come to summer league to learn because in college he could be a step slow and get that block. In the league it’s all about the time. You got to be there early. Malawatch was a part of that zoo team. They had one of the best defenses in college basketball played nearly 20 minutes per game. Right there defending down low and that time ultra the shot from Baron. pass low and out of bounds to the near side and the Suns in summer league. Deari Carol is the head coach. Seems like just moments ago he was in the NBA as a player. He played 11 seasons, eight teams, assistant with Jordan not last season in Cleveland. [Music] Dillingham, he’s a playmaker. Malawatch defending in the pick and roll. Wolves recover with the shot clock down to 10. Mary Jay with the touch. too much and Malawatch clears the nightmare season a year ago for the Suns 36 and 46 and Alawatch that’s a part of the game he did not have the opportunity to show too much at Duke but through the pre-draft pro process he highlighted that that is a part of his game and that’s the interesting thing about his game when you talk to scouts they all said hey he had that ability in high school to shoot the All he was asked to play strictly inside of Duke, but don’t get it twisted. The big fella does have good range from three. Product of NBA Global Academy Africa where he developed the fundamentals of his game and we see that a lot where college coaches will ask guys to sacrifice certain elements of their game because they think it’s better for the team. Dun dishes. Ooaro throws it down and the Suns seven of the first nine. That’s a great drive right there by Dunn. drew the defender over and then dropped it off to Egodar inside for the easy slam. That’s how you draw it up. Spent four years at Marquette. Finished his career playing for Shaka Smart. [Music] Miller hesitation by the baseline. Mari Bailey cut off late shot clock. Shot launch not in time and Jaylen Clark has it wiped away. A shot clock violation. You see Dun right here. Drives right down the lane. Soon as he draws the big fell up, sees Eigodar on the baseline. Drops it off with easy two. Now Autumn mentioned it right at the top of the show. The news with the Suns. The buyout official with Bradley Beal and really turns the page what was a tough season a year ago with the Kevin Durant this off season. Now Beal on the move as Malawatch three goes in and out. So, it’s sort of a soft reset for the Suns entering next season. Rec Boogie Ellis. It’s not going to be a soft reset. It’s going to be the full reset. The arteries it’s going to be the full reset. Turn turn the gaming system off and and try again. Um, obviously, when you when you look at what’s going on out here with the Suns, man, it’s going to be a very different year and the expectations have to be different. Um, it’s going to be about growth and development for some of those young guys and figuring out how they mesh with somebody like Booker and Jaylen Green. I saw Kevin Hansen, who’s the summer league coach of the Wolves, an assistant since 2019 in Minnesota. What a tough look. Didn’t matter. Amari Bailey ring it up. Tough take by Bailey. Well, the reason I said soft reset is, you know, Deon Booker is still there. Yeah. I mean, he was there last year and they were they won 36 games. So, you win 36 games and you take Kevin Durant off that roster. uh not sure how much better you’re going to be the following season because losing KD very rarely do you lose a player like KD and you get better the next season call for the reach on Malawatch to me one of the fun matchups here in this summer league game is a chance of the two first round picks similar positions going headtohead yeah I like I’m I’ve been watching Beer and Malawatch all game long trying to see um who’s getting the better of who who’s running the court hard get fighting for position side. Who just has a better understanding of the game right now at this young age? [Music] Shot clock at five. Done backing down. Last year’s first round pick. Loses it on the way up. It’s another shot clock violation. [Applause] Fields are stoppage with the Suns off to the strong start. Four minutes in. Ryan Dunn getting locked down in Vegas. Clamps. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] in Vegas. You can see Kobe Brea out right now due to a sprained left thumb. He is known to be a lethal shooter, you guys. He’s gotten Kyle Corver comps. He’s watched a lot of Kyle’s highlights as well, including JJ Reick. And when Kobe takes on the floor again, the Suns want him to be aggressive, taking about nine to 10 threes a game. And Kobe said he’s been watching film to see where he can find more of those type of opportunities. Hoping those guys are okay down there and continue to learn the system. And also a side note, Kobe’s name was influenced by obviously Kobe Bryant. His dad was a Kobe fan. So he just changed Kobe’s last letter from the E to Y to make it different. And growing up, Kobe Brea also mentioned he has been a Kobe fan as well. So, a lot of inspiration from across the guys when you look at the league and the greatness that the NBA has. No, no question. And yeah, Brea has that shooting touch and shooting travels. Mel trying to climb the ladder. Altered on the way there and he’ll head to the free throw line. I like that though. I like that. Big fella turned down that first jumper and he went to that rim strong. That’s what you have to do. You when you first get into this league, you have to get that reputation as a big man. When I go to the lane, I’m coming in there with bad intentions. You better foul me or get out of my way. We saw Malawatch already in this first quarter hit a three at the line where he shot 77% at Duke last season. Yeah. And I tell you the thing about Malawatch is that he’s somebody that you could obviously see him doing more offensively in the league than he did at Duke. Duke only averaged about eight points a game. But when you watch the the look at the stroke on the free throw, the feel for the game, this is a guy that could easily average, you know, anywhere from 15 to 18 points a game if given the right opportunity. Well, that Duke team certainly loaded. We saw why getting all the way to the final four. Three no from Jaylen Clark. Wolves keep possession. Bar deep seal. Malaw switches on. Bounce pass across the lane. Malaw still inside. Alters that one. Recovery by Edwards. That one won’t fall. And so the Wolves come away with the loose ball. Baring Jay a quick bounce. Edwards against Malawatt. The wait room. But just look at that possession right there. Look at how many times Malawatch either blocked the shot or changed the shot or made the defender think about him. That’s what you mean by having a presence inside. That one was the one where he was guilty of the foul, although he altered a couple of shots before that one. Yeah. Jesse Edwards short. Going back to Malawatch, you mentioned he had to play a role for Duke when you have talented players and Cooper flag Kipple also first round picks that were right there inside the top 10 along with Malawatch. Here he has the setting where he can show a little bit more of his game that he wasn’t able to show at Duke. And I’m going to be interested to see what Phoenix does with Malawatch. Will he start? Um, will he back up Mark Mark Williams? Will Mark Williams and Malawatch start? It’s going to be an interesting time because that was one of the shocking things of the draft for me. Not that Malawatch got drafted to Phoenix. I think he’s an excellent fit here. It was the fact that Phoenix gave up a first round pick for Mark Williams and then they drafted Malawatch or drafted Malawatch and then got Mark Williams simultaneous. Yeah, whatever. Whatever the order is, getting both those guys at the same time and giving them a first round pick was a little bit puzzling. I like both players, but I’m just trying to figure out how they how they fit in together. Rashir Fleming is in for the Suns. First pick of the second round off the front of the rim. Both teams controlling the offensive glass early on. Dunn delivers. Mitch Mscari for three off the front iron. And finally, the Wolves come away with the rebound. Dillingham pushes tempo Edwards. Valer trying to stuff it, but it was all Edwards. Great pass right there by Dillingham. He’s averaging six assists so far in summer league, but he’s also averaging a lot of turnovers. And that’s something that he’s going to have to get down because they’re going to probably need him to play some point guard minutes. When you’re playing point guard in this league, especially with a high level player like Anthony Edwards on your team, not only do you have to score the ball, but you have to be efficient and take care of the rock as well. Well, now Brandon Summer League head coach kind of Hansen said we want him to run the show. He said you’re seeing a lot of the assists but also the turnovers. Ryan Dunn who shooting turnaround from where he was his final year in college to what he produced in his first year in the NBA was one of the talks amongst the rookie class. Yeah, I like what Dun brings to the table, especially defensively. Foul along the baseline. right here. You see Malaw watch inside keeping that ball alive. They’re going to eventually get it around to Dunn and Dun’s going to knock that shot down with confidence. And like I said, anybody in this league, the 3 and D players are so valued. So, we know what Dunn brings defensively. When you’re knocking down that corner three from the weak side and the strong side and you’re playing elite level defense, that makes you so valuable to your team. Not just your team, but to everybody in the league. Everybody wants three and D guys. Summer League action continues tonight on NBA TV. ESPN in the ESPN app. Magic Net 7:30 Eastern here on NBA TV. Mav Sixers 8 Eastern on ESPN, followed by Wizards against the Jazz. Now, to your point, Brandon, you’re talking about the 3 and D players, and I don’t think many would have thought heading into last season that Dunn would bring the three to the 3 and D. Exactly. but just trying to project the players who could develop the three-point shot. Done worked at it and showed the drastic improvements. Yeah, exactly. Wasn’t known for shooting at all in college, but got to the league uh really honed his craft, put in time, and he was a way better three-point shooter than originally anticipated. You see shoe marker right there fighting over that screen and drawing a five. Jesse Edwards, the moving screen. And getting back to the point about the 3 and D guys, the importance of 3 and D guys is in playoffs, one-way players get schemed out of playoff series. And what I mean by that, if you’re just a offensive guy, if you just shoot the ball, well, they’ll make you play defense. They’ll put you in every pick and roll, every action and and you’ll you’ll have a hard time staying on the court. If you’re just a defensive guy, they won’t guard you and they’ll double team the star player, which in turn will force the coach to take you off the court as well. So that’s why you want to be that two-way player so that you have incredible and immense value come winning time. Zumacher knocks down a three. 24 years old. Spent a couple of seasons at Seattle U. Miller into the lane cut off. Tristan Newton, two-time champion at Yukon. Off the front of the rim and Fleming out of St. Joe’s picks up the rebound. Wasn’t expecting the pass and that was an easy interception. Bailey scoops it home. That was a great take right there by Bailey. I thought he might flip it back, try to get his man a dunk, but he was ended up getting a strong layup anyway. As I do goes to the basket. Oso Igodaro. Second round pick in the 2024 draft. Showing off the athleticism. Schumacher pass nowhere close. And the Wolves still down 10. What are you doing? Crunching numbers on every NBA matchup. But with the NBA app, you get real time stats and highlights while you watch all season long. We’re talking exciting plays. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] See Jaylen Green in that spot is the shooting guard, you have Devin Booker still taking on a lot of those league guard responsibilities. Yeah. And so it’s going to be an interesting um roster build. Um trying to figure out what is this Phoenix Suns calling card going to be. You know, they they they they started with that original big three of Bill, Kevin Durant, and Booker. They wanted to be offensive juggernaut and figured out they didn’t have enough passing and defense for that to translate into championship level. Now with no Kevin Durant and still not having the the defensive presence, maybe Mal Watts can grow into that for this team. Where do they go? I understand Bradley Bill is going to score. I expect him to have an incredible year. I could even see him averaging north of 30 points, but everything else on that roster is up in flux and I’m trying to figure out how it fits. See the most recent action with Fleming and then Igodaro on the rotation. But how about Jaylen Green’s fit with Phoenix? Well, I think when when you make a trade like this or when you make a move like this, you get Jaylen Green and you say, “Okay, we’ve seen him start to improve.” I understand that some people a little sour because his playoffs weren’t the greatest. Um, but he did average 21 points per game in the regular season. And what Phoenix is hoping for is that he takes a step up and he eventually becomes the the Robin to Bradley Beiel’s Batman. And Jaylen Green is somebody that I’ve seen take strides. It wouldn’t surprise me if in a couple of years or maybe even this year he’s averaging north of 21 points per game. 22 23. Um ju just got to see how well he d he um fits in the Phoenix system, how much work he’s putting into his game and how confident he is in that work. I mean scoring flashes, he has it. But that’s the thing about being a great scorer. You can’t it can’t be about flashes. It has to be about the when you’re a scorer. It has to be about consistency. And Jaylen Green is known for being a scorer. But it’s the inconsistency of the scoring. We We got to be able to depend on you for points every night. That’s what Booker is. He’s an elite scorer and they know every night you can pencil in 25 to 30. So he’ll get the opportunities with a whole new look. Phoenix Suns team Miller at the line. Timberwolves 3 and 0 in summer league looking to move to 4-0 and then have it come down to point differential to see if they’ll be in the top four to make it to the summer league semifinals and a chance to win a trophy as a summer league champion. Don’t take that for granted, man. Hello. I like that drive. Quick to the rack Io [Applause] to the line for a chance to complete a three-point play. And Iguodaro right here. He saw a big fell on his heels. He knew to attack his feet immediately. Sometimes when you see that mismatch, don’t play around with him. Don’t get cute. Just drive straight. Versatile big. The Suns have made their last six. I can’t I can’t believe they’re on the way adjacent to us at the Thomas and Mack the Kings winners. So they move to 4 and0. So they’re one of the teams that’ll have a chance depending on the point differential across the way to see if they’ll be in the semi-final in that bracket. [Applause] Bailey jump pass was deflected and a steal. Boogie Ellis. Yuri Collins back to Ellis for three. Rattles it through. Ellis right there leading the fly, getting it done. Again, leading the team in threes made so far in Vegas. Transition and a foul. And you see right there the transition and it’s going to end up in Boogie Ellis paying it off with a three-point shot. tied for the most three-pointers in pack 12 in the pack 12 this year. So you I mean a season ago. So you understand he can really shoot the ball and the assist there to Collins who led the nation in assist when he was at St. Louis in college hoops. Miller knocks down the first. No Terrence Shannon Jr. for the Wolves in this game. Just getting the game off with rest. They’re going to need him. They’re defin They’re definitely going to need him. They’re going to need him to step up. Um and he did that in the playoffs. And I was very impressed because he wasn’t playing. It’s a tense moment. They threw him in that playoff series. Uh I think it was against the Thunder and next thing you know, he’s making big time game altering plays. And so you you you like guys like that. You want to give those type of players more opportunity. And with uh Nikquil Walker Alexander Alexander Walker, I missed his name. But with him being gone, that’s going to open up a lot of uh opportunities. Figuring out the adjustments to the rotation for Chris Finch in company. [Applause] Match up with Miguel. Alexander Walker going. They retain Julius Randall, sign him to the new contract. You have Shannon. You have Rob Dillingham who will enter his second year. We’ll see if he gets more responsibility off the bench and then Baron Jay and what their plan is to bring on another big behind Rudy Gobear. Yeah. And and that’s what you have to do when you start talking about being a championship level team and being able to win um get past that second apron when you understand there’s so much money being committed to guys like uh Julius Randall, you know, you have Rudy Gobear, Nas Reed signs his deal. Now, those other players that you draft, they’re so super important that you get these young guys in there and you develop them and they’re able to come in there and for the cheap and give you great production. Back to back Western Conference Finals appearances, they break through that ceiling and make the NBA finals defensively. Ellis steps towards the rim and draws a foul. Ellis on defense. Excellent defense right there by Boogie Ellis. You see him right here waiting on the crossover. Waiting on it. Oh, give me that. Yes. Picked his pocket. Took the wallet. Didn’t even leave the credit card. And then he went and then he went down the other end and got fouled. There are guys here in Vegas for summer league that will pick you up full court. You got to be comfortable with your handle outside the three-point line. That’s actually starting to become a theme that I’m seeing in summer league this year. So many guys are trying to establish a defensive identity because they understand that coaches and front office executives like that. So you’re seeing a lot more uh ball pressure in the half court and in the front court. You have guys that are picking up 94 ft full tough because they trying to show teams, hey, I can make an impact. I can help. I I might you might only need me for 10 minutes, but I’ll give you 10 hard minutes if you if you give me a chance and bring me bring me into training camp. So there’s a lot of guys that are playing that’s playing hard fourcourt defense. You have to have that mentality to get minutes deep in the playoffs. We saw it. Couple of seconds left. Sun sworn defensively again. And what a cap to a stellar first quarter where they double up the Timberwolves. 3226 or 3216 I should say after one. [Music] [Music] [Music] coming up, you know, playing defense and that’s all I’m worried about right now. Picking up 94 ft. Scoring is going to take care of itself. Playmaking going to take care of itself. Just continue to play hard and being, you know, just outworking everybody on the floor right now. You guys are shooting 61% from the floor, 50% from beyond the arc. Describe the connectivity that you’re seeing from the Sun. Yeah, you know, we playing together, moving the ball, making the extra pass, and guys is knocking down shots. So, we just got to continue to play together and keep uh, you know, being aggressive on defense. Thank you. See the line there. He hasn’t missed what was a stellar first quarter for Phoenix. Continue the swarm defensively and Dunn gobbles it up. Tries to set up the transition look. Miller deflects it away. Yeah, Phoenix has been absolutely fantastic defensively, holding Minnesota only 30% from the field. Uh 0% from three. So, the defense has been what it’s been all about. Eight turnovers forced. Timberwolves can’t take care of it. Get the block shot. Trailing the play. Leonard Miller tallies one. Settles for a straightaway three. That one won’t fall for Miller. The Wolves get it back. Dillingham teardrop off right side contact on the rebound with the first round picks going headtohead with Malawatch and Baray Malawatch guilty of the personal. I like his second. I like Baron Jay. Uh he he he’s really active around the basket. You know right there forced Malawash to foul him. But I I just like his activity so far. Hasn’t put up a lot of stats but I do like the activity. kind of gives me like feels of like a early on a process of like a young Tyson Chandler type of play. Defense, I mean, he was able to just anchor a unit, anchor a championship unit defensively. I saw it firsthand. I was on that tonight. [Music] Difference that he was able to make for the Mavericks. Malawatch reads Brian Dunn front rim foul in the back court Collins which prevents the transition opportunity. You can see from the Sun’s bench or the Wolves bench they wanted the transition foul on Collins. So going back to Boogie Ellis and the challenge that any player has was listed at 6’2 just 190 lbs. We saw even in this draft just the standard of excellence you have to be if you’re listed below 63 the challenge of getting minutes at this level. Yeah, and that’s what Ellis said. The offense is going to take care of itself. I’m out here just trying to play hard uh influence the game defensively and that’s what he’s doing. He’s letting his defense really get him into a rhythm even offensively because he’s playing hard. He feels like he’s into it and offensively he’s just taking what’s there. He’s not forcing the action at all. Dillingham’s another player who has that challenge. 6’2 about a buck 60. But you feel like in the way the game is played right now, it’s as difficult as it ever has been for the little guy. Uh yeah, the game is getting a little bit different. The game is getting bigger and bigger. If you look in the Western Conference, everybody’s trying to add size. There’s so much versatility, positionless basketball. Um you’re seeing so many guys with the skill set of Dillingham, but they’re 67, 68, 69. So when you’re a smaller player like a Dillingham and you’re a scorer, you have to be able to score it at an elite level. Like he he almost has from a stylistic standpoint just to get a visual of what he needs to be. He needs to be like a Lou Williams type of player. Like when I come in the game, you know, there’s going to be nights where I might be able to get 30 or 40 off the bench because being 6’2 and being so small, that’s going to be the only way that he really stands out because he’s not really a great defensive player. Dillingham handling our basketball here, sending it home. Beautiful on a team for Bar. Talking about his offense, but let’s talk about his passing right there. Great lob up top and Bar throwing it down. The visions of the Wolves future there getting the two youngsters involved with Dillingham setting up Barish. Corner three. That one’s short. Contested board. Wolves win it [Music] all alone. Miller. No, the Bar against Malaw. Malaw throws it away, but a foul. It’s been fun watching those two lock horns. Yes, indeed. But we see right here, there’s a lob up top. I like Dillingham getting down the lane, causing a problem. Soon as he sees Malawatch come over, he knows he can throw it up top and his big fella knows how to catch it and throw it down. And we saw Malawatch get a little bit of a foul right there um on that possession. And what happened was he didn’t box out. He he did the the Luke Cornet challenge from the paint instead of going to box out and he gave up position and that’s why his man got the rebound. So maybe he needs to take that out of his game. Leave that just for Cornette. [Music] It’s a rare thing when someone you’ve been with for so long. [Music] [Music] [Music] the weak side and get that offensive rebound which eventually puts a foul on Malawash. And I know Mwise probably saw Luke Cornet do that, but I’m gonna give him some advice from a from a 14-year vet. That that contest from the paint does absolutely nothing. So next time, take that out of your game, slide to the weak side of the rim, box out your man so you can get the rebound instead of him. Kind of amazing how that became popular. Oh my goodness. That cornet contest, man. That cornet. Hey, I I love Luke Cornette. He’s a great player. I love his hustle, but that cornet contest is absolutely nothing. Mary J hit the free and Autumn has more. Oh, Baring Jay really covered ground right there. I love the fact that he crossed that midline, got over there and challenged that shot. Big fella’s active. Dillingham fires. Baring in and out. That was a great look by the Wolves guard Dillingham. A much better second quarter so far for Minnesota. And that continues drawing the offensive foul. Clark, the standout defender at UCLA, takes the charge. Second on Dunn. Yeah, and Clark guessed right right there. Dun was trying to give him a little bit of euro and get past him. Clark jumped right in his way. Got the charge. Great defense. He was a late first round pick Ryan Dunn last year. Spent a couple of years at Virginia. always known to have those defensive tools, but the ability to shoot it in year number one shows a lot of promise. And there is Dun right on Q swatting it. And that’s that defense. That’s what you love to see. The coach never giving up on the play. Uh got screened as we’re going to take a quick closer look right here. Got screened, didn’t give up on the play, gets right back in and ends up blocking. Dillingham did that a number of times in his rookie year. Right there. Dillingham made that Cardinal send. Jumped up in the air. Didn’t quite have an idea of what he wanted to do when he got up there. So, the assists and the turnover numbers have been high for Dillingham at summer league. I I love the assist that he’s made, but like I said, the Minnesota Temples are a team that’s trying to win right now. They can’t afford for him to have the careless turnover. He I I it’s summer league, so he’s trying to work that part of his game out. But as he continues to move through the summer and into training camp and into the preseason next year, he has to get a hold on those turnovers. And you can see the path. I mean, Mike Connley, a veteran guard who had another stellar season for the Wolves setting up that offense. You can see the difference from when he’s in the game to when he’s out, how easy their offense comes. But he’s not getting any younger. Billingham’s the next in line. And Mike and Mike Connley’s been a incredible part. You can see some of the age on them. So, they need a young player like Dillingham to come in and be able to take away some of those minutes from Connley. Done. The hesitation move. Barry Jerry from behind. A lot of contact there on the drive. Continuing the conversation on Dillingham. Autumn has more. Yeah, Rob Dillingham has said he can have a great game, but if he has turnovers, those are some of the moments that live through his head constantly. And for Rob Dillingham, the Timberwolves want to see him take command and not just with his scoring, but by running the show. Summer League coach Chris Hansen put simply put it, the best thing Rob does is his passing ability. He’s been challenging Rob to fully own the offense, calling plays, organizing teammates, and elevating the guys around him. And that’s where Dillingham is focused and going just sharpening his decision- making and proving he can be the engine of this team. And coming into summer league, he said it himself. He’s just trying to get his spark back right now. He’s just 20 years old. Remember at Kentucky his year there, he was somebody who came in off the bench. He was the SEC man of the year. Him and Reed Shepard came off the How crazy is that you have two lottery picks coming off the bench in the same year. Reed Shepard and Dillingham both get the start for Kentucky. Not not sure what John Calipar was thinking right there, but hey, whatever it whatever works for Cal’s I mean didn’t even work on a slipping and falling on this end. They called the violation and we’ll go the other way. A little bit of a sloppy fast break and you see a lot of that in summer league guys, you know, not quite familiar with their teammates, what they who’s going to run to the basket, who’s popping to the three-point line. So sometimes the timing on some of those breaks is just a little bit off. Suns have missed their last seven from the floor. So from the baseline get Jesse Edwards with a foul off ball there on the left side of your screen. Malawatch and Edwards from that drought of missing seven in a row has come directly after they made seven in a row. Collins bounce pass right in the pocket of the rolling Igadaro. Malaw tries to save and does. Great hustle from Mawa. Shot clock running down though and Ellis doesn’t draw iron. A shot clock violation. Yeah, Ellis couldn’t knock that one down. The degree of difficulty in that shot was too tough. But look at the big fell here being active, getting in on the glass, not just settling, letting that ball go out of bounds. Almost got his team extra possession. And that’s part of the reason. Big screen by Edwards and intercepted from behind by Collins. Great hustle by Collins. Collins got screened incredibly hard, but he got right back in there and ended up getting that steal. Z trying to steal it right back. Daro dives to the deck, tries to save possession for Phoenix. Can’t knock the effort both sides. That’s a jump ball. Yeah, that that’s a that’s a grown man screen right there. But Collins was not deterred, man. Checking on the nose to make sure it’s still there. You get screened like that, you got to check on everything. Your nose, your teeth, make sure you make sure you’re not seeing double. going to hear the uh communication down there. But whenever you see a screen like that, I’m always wondering, did did somebody call that one out? No. Anytime you get screen like that, that means your your big set you up. He didn’t call out the screen. He ran straight into it. I I’ I’ve had that happen to me a couple times where I forgot to call screen out. You got that look. Who was the guy who gave you that look that was the most like, are you serious, man? Who gave me I’ve did that several times, man. I got Brevin Knight screened up real hard one time. Gerald Henderson. My bad, fellas. Catch you next time. Chris Lewis, Brandon Newood, Autumn Johnson here on NBA TV. First game of the day from the Pavilion Suns and the Unbeaten Wolves. Lining it up. Bailey Bullseye. And that’s huge for Bailey if he’s going to be somebody that sticks around in this league college and at UCLA. He was known as a big time driver but not really a shooter of the basketball. So if he’s able to knock down the three-point shot with his driving ability, that’ll be huge. Wolves wasting no time. They’ve gotten back within eight after a nightmarish opening quarter. I’ll strike 3216. Suns just one point so far in the second. Clark a couple of steps before dribbling. See right there. He sits a little brush screen. Pops out to the three-point line. Defender was a step late. He’s able to knock it down. Malawatch comes to set the screen. Aggressive roll to the rim above the iron is fouled. Put it on a platter. Did Ellis and Malawatch will get a couple. And right here, Ellis coming off and there’s the little back screen action. They were looking for Malawatch all the way. And that’s pick and roll game. What they really want is that that that weak side defender to go to sleep. And Miller did a good job of getting in there at the end. But that’s a pick and roll to a a back screen. You want your big foot to be able to roll and throw that down. He’s somebody who has shown flashes from three, but at Duke, that’s what he did most of the time, those hard rolls to the rim. It’s why his field goal percentage was right around 70%. Yeah. And a lot of people say that he’s been able to shoot the three. I talked to scouts and said, “Listen, this guy can shoot the ball, but he just wasn’t asked to do that at Duke.” Ma, as a matter of fact, he was probably asked to stay more in the paint. I can see why. And you know, coach John Shaw was like, “Listen, you see that guy that that 6ix9ine guy over there, flag, hey, hey, he’s pretty good, so we don’t we don’t have enough balls for you to come out here and shoot a bunch of step back threes. We’re going to run that offense through him. We need you to screen for him and roll to the basket.” Worked out pretty well for him. Yeah, he and Conanipple, I feel like, had that natural chemistry as a ball handler and a great screener. A lot of those alioops came off of Kipple passes. Malawatch also a bubbly personality. High character guy from all reports. Lassos in that rebound on the offensive glass. Just too much for the 71 big man. And that’s what you see. The long arm of the wall getting his arms out that ball then making sure that he’s able to go up there and get fouled after that. As soon as that shot goes up, he’s in there carving out space. make sure he grabs that rebound, secures it strongly, and then draws the foul. I really think this I I really think that this young man has a huge upside. Like, you see how comfortable he shoots the three. Um, you know, that he’s going to be able to block shots. He’s going to be able to be a rim protector. Um, that’s what the league is about. Now, if you’re a big man and we can’t, we’re not going to run straight offense through you. And there’s very few of them. There’s very few Joel Embiid and Jokers and guys like that. What they what the league really wants is guys like Malawatt. Somebody that can screen, roll to the basket, dunk it, but then at the same time knock knock knock down that three from the perimeter. Look no further than Miles Turner. Yes. And he just got paid. Yes. From an unexpected service. Yeah. Bucks came in. Wasn’t expecting that one. From the corner, Bailey, who just hit a three a few possessions ago. Long rebound and the Suns have numbers. Schumacher off glass. Great angle. Schumacher Ju just that little subtle head fake made the defender think that he was going to pull it back. But now Schumacher was setting him up for the drive all along. It’s the nuances of the game. The little things. A real subtle fake by by Shoeacher. Just slowed that defender down. Right here. Watch. You’re going to see shoe marker. That look right there. Kane thinks he’s going to the he thinks he’s about to pull it out to the three-point line. He just lays it up. Losing the eyes. A head fake. Clark for three. [Music] Daro, who’s had a stellar first half for the Suns gets the board. Ellis has 12 points to lead the way for Phoenix. Wood. Corner triple. Meadaro over the top. Tips the rebound and Moses Wood scoops it up. Ball fake inside. Counting for Ellis and one and Ellis great game continues. Boogie Yogie Ellis 14 points here in the first half for Phoenix who leads. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Ah, ah. [Music] the Duke squad and where they were selected in this last draft. Three in the top 10. Zion James, Tyrese Proctor to follow in the second round. And there’s John Sh, Duke’s head coach, who had a lot of weapons. Yeah. I mean, and I give John Sh a lot of credit, too, because when you have that much talent and he got all of those guys to buy in to try to do something special, and everybody bought in on the defensive end, that was the most impressive part of what Duke did this year is there might be nice when they didn’t score the basketball, but there was never a night or afternoon whenever they were playing that you watched Duke and then and thought to yourself, “Man, these guys aren’t playing hard. They’re not defending.” to get five NBA guys, all five, they knew they were going to go to the pros for the most part. Get five NBA guys to sacrifice on certain parts of their game and everybody pour in defensively. Man, that tells you your coach is doing something big time. You know, it pains me to say that about the head coach for Duke University, ultimate. Oh my goodness. I might get excommunicated for giving John Sh that much love. I was going to say that was about 10 seconds too long. I know, but I I got to be honest, but you know, uh I hate to I hate that I had to be honest about Duke and how well they’re doing and how John Sher has been coaching and he’s probably going to have another great year. Got the Boozer Twins coming next year, man. Reload. Tough time to be attorney. Got to figure out a way to compete in the ACC with what Shuts year after year. Oh, Carolina, we might need some more NIL money. Chris, Chris, let me get your checkbook. Let me get your credit card. You’re looking at my watch earlier now. Yeah, you got a nice watch, man. You got you got a little bit of wealth to you, man. Daro at the line. But I mean, to your point, we see different parts of the game of Malawatch and he was one of the first to buy into. All right, I’m here at Duke. I’m going to be the defensive anchor, rim runner, and maybe sacrifice some of my offensive talents that I’ve worked so hard at in NBA Global Academy Africa, and instead focus in on this team that had championship potential, got as far as the final four and suffered that heartbreaking loss to Houston. Yeah. And that just tells you about the character of Malawatch. Do you know how hard it is to get a 18, 19 year old future lottery pick to sacrifice his game when he thinks he’s going to be sacrificing millions of dollars in the process? Like I mean that that that’s a special type of kid to be like, “Okay, I’m not sure if I like this or if I even want to do this, but if you say it’s going to help the team, then I’m going to do that.” And that’s why that’s part of the reason why Ma also was a lottery pick because as much as we talk about his game, everybody that knows him talks about his character that much more. great smile and lights up a room. The reports were like he just was one of the winners of the interview process at the combine. Everybody loved him. And I can see it right away. I had to do um Phoenix’s game a couple days ago. My watch wasn’t playing. There was a couple of kids that just were yelling his name. He calmly turns around, smiles at him, walks over. Yeah. Looks just like that. Walks over, signs the autographs, and the kids were so appreciative, man. He’s just a very warm and kind person. Can never have too many of those guys on your team. A subtle message on the left. Got some work to do. No, man. You I mean, you you’re you’re a great guy. I never have any problems with you, man. I’m trying to get more Malawatch in my game, you know, to make it more joyous to work with. A man, you’re a great guy, man. I love I love working with you, Chris. Every summer league, man, we we have a good time. It’s a fun time here in Vegas. Now, while we’re talking some of the Duke guys, you know, Cooper Flag played his couple of games. shut down now for the Mavericks. But what did you see from the number one pick? I saw the ability to uh drive, get down the lane. First game was a little tough, but then uh against the Spurs, he he was able to feel he’s able to get a little bit more comfortable and and knock down some shots as well. So, I saw some defensive play, some steals, some steals leading to some dunks in transition, big time finishes at the rim, everything that we know Cooper Flag is capable of. And that’s why he was picked number one because he affects the game so many different ways. he can score it or on a night where he’s not scoring, he can win games with his defense, win games with his passing and rebounding as well. So, he is a a truly complete basketball player. This is what the Suns look like in the first quarter with their defensive pressure and Wood on the followup tip. Wood a wellled college basketball player on the other end quick in transition. Bar another thunder and the Wolves get a steal. Great defense right there by Thursday. Miller short on the layup. Reestablishes back in bounds. But we’re moving down the other end. This is a foul on Phoenix. And we seeing Dillingham and Beer hooking up yet again for the lob combination. I tell you what, you might see a lot of that this year with the second unit of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Actually, that last foul on Baron of the Timberwolves. But yes, that Wolves bench tested a little bit more, but now the absence to kill Alexander Walker and plenty of young players who are itching at minutes to fill that void. While Moses Wood mentioned, wellraveled spent a year at Two Lane in college, a year right here in Vegas at UNLB, couple years at Portland, and then his final year at Washington. Oh wow. Got his money’s worth of the college experience. I tell you that more ways than one the way he works in college now. Yeah, I know, man. All those youngies getting paid now and they and and they deserve every penny. Wood is a shooter, so he fits into any offense. Miller lost it on the way to the rim and was last touched by Phoenix with just 1.9 to shoot. [Applause] Timeouts. Minnesota. 43.9 to go in the first half of the first game at the pavilion. [Music] Own a design studio. [Music] [Music] [Music] Stellar first half. Ellis getting it done. Energy and effort. You see right here the quick steal, the excellent hands, pays it off in transition. But Ellis has just been a pleasure to watch here in the first half offensively and defensively. [Music] And 12 minutes, 15 points, two of four from three. You can see it there. five for eight from the floor. And that doesn’t even highlight what he’s done on the defensive end. And that’s how the Suns got off to the strong start, forcing eight Wolves first quarter turnovers. Just a couple of seconds right off the inbound. Millingham can’t get it to go, but gets the rebound and Minnesota can reset. Dillingham attacks Gdaro. Scoop underhand and the roll off the front rim. That’s big time right there by Dillingham. Got right downhill. Little finger roll action. Dillingham four points and his first field goal. About 4 seconds separate the two clocks and fittingly the ball in the hands of Ellis. [Music] Already over his average so far in the three prior summer league games. Moses Wood three front iron and off. Wolves with time. Clark with three seconds gets it off the glass just in time. The Wolves definitely needed that heading into the second half. Zumacher with the heave. And that does it for the first half. The Suns the first quarter race to get out to the double digit advantage and they hold the 10-point lead. After the first 20 minutes, Mary’s [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] afternoon when Cooper finally gets in the building and his Mavericks play. I don’t know, can he take it to another level? Cooper is the new flag bearer for the procession of new faces coming to take charge in the NBA. Welcome to the league, Cooper Flag. [Music] summer, Las Vegas, Nevada, and one of the most highly anticipated, highly debated runs of the entire summer. It’s the Lakers against the Mavericks. [Applause] Liddell all over the step over. He gets it up for the win. Booya! With the booya! The Bucks win on the buzzer beater. Go Filip [Applause] on the base round. The fade away. Oh wow. For the win. It’s just fun to be out here, be with the guys, enjoy Vegas and and get to know these guys and and just have fun hooping. Oh my goodness. Yo, he cut it. Here we go. I love it. I love it. [Applause] Own a design studio. Win a really big design contract. Realize you’re more of a creative type than a finance type. Realize you got this. Use QuickBooks to get your cash flow flowing. [Music] [Music] Ah, ah. [Music] Hey. Hey. Hey. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Johnson as well and and a couple of first round picks. at the big spot going at it in the first half with Malawatch and Bar. Yeah, two both bigs very very active um setting picks and rolling. Malawatch popping, but you see him inside. A little bit of a battle right there. Excellent defense. Malawatch working on this part of his game. Wanted to show the league that he can shoot the ball. And Baron Jay Bar he was excellent picking and rolling to the basket. Dylan found him multiple times after he set some good screen rolling and the big fella knows how to throw it down. Both of these bigs had a nice impact in the first round. I mean in the first half and I like seeing the energy and effort that they were putting into every single possession. Bar with six points added in five boards. Malawatch with his standing reach that can block out the sun. five points, got to the line six times, only made a couple of those free throws. Second half underway. I tell you, Minnesota right away, they’re going to have to take care of the ball. Had 14 turnovers in the first half. Led to 17 Phoenix points. So, they got to protect that route. Behind the back, no look wrap. Baron. And on the second chance, Leonard Miller cleans it up. That’s something Beer is going to have to work on. He’s excellent when he’s catching that lob. But when he has to catch it, gather and go up. He’s a step too slow. When he gets in the league, that step slow is going to get that shot blocked tremendously. So, he’s going to have to get better at his catches and going up explosive and quickly. Being had that stellar debut in Vegas. So, to all the positive flashes of his game, Miller gorgeous footwork to lay it in. Wolves were down 16 points at the end of one. They’re within six. [Music] Done. Bounce pass. Malawatch front of the rim. Not afraid to get those three-pointers up in summer league. Ellis there again. A goalend. That is the second time that he’s got it just as it was coming down. Oh man, I don’t know. I might have to take another look at that one. I thought he got it. [Music] See right here. Beer coming over. That’s close. That’s close. It’s close. But you know what? As I I’ll allow that one clearly. That one isn’t close. That’s definitely a block. The highlight block shot. But Ellis had his heel on the sideline. Let’s go to Autumn who has a certain college basketball head coach has a lot to watch in Vegas. I sure do. I’m joined by Duke’s head coach. Coach Shy, thank you so much for joining me today. If you’ve had an off season, what’s that been like so far? How’s it been going for you? Off season has been been uh spent obviously following these guys and what they’re doing and uh building our new team and getting ready for uh this upcoming season. but had to get here to see Kaman, just saw Tyrese. Uh to see all of our guys in summer league is pretty special. You got five guys here in the NBA in this past draft. When you think of that, what makes you most proud? Well, I think it’s just the fact that these guys have um done it differently to me, you know, the fact that they’ve had great individual success being drafted in great situations. Uh but they’re incredible teammates. They allowed us to coach them every single day. They won. They competed. Um, and hopefully, you know, a lot of times that goes hand in hand. So, I think it’s led to them being really prepared. Um, obviously Tyrese having 35 points today was not bad. That was pretty good. Yeah. And, uh, and Kaman, just seeing him impact the game in all different ways. I’m just really proud of them and what they’ve what they’ve done. Since we’re watching Kaman’s game right now, what ingredients do you think he has that makes him a franchise type of player? Well, one, I don’t think that people understand Kaman is how young he is, you know? I mean, really, he should just be going into college now. And you see everything he’s doing. I mean, he’s got an infectious personality. He’s always talking. He’s He’s got an incredible uh and then, you know, you see his ability. He did a little bit for us. He’s going to continue as he grows. Like his offensive skill set, you know, the shooting, being able to put the ball on the floor, but just his impact on the defensive end. I could go on and on about him, but he’s an incredible competitor. Uh, and to me like he is the he has the personality and he has the mentality that you would want uh for a franchise to to lead your franchise for years to come. You’ve got some special guys coming out of Duke like the number one overall pick in Cooper Flag. What do you think about his game is going to shine the most at this next level? Well, to me, he just is is made for modern modern game in terms of, you know, the the defensive versatility. Uh really being like a point forward or whatever you want to call him as a guy that can create for himself or create for others on the offensive end. Somebody that competes all the time. Um I just think he’s got such a unique skill set that, you know, there’s a lot of other talented players, but he’s unique in what he brings to the table as well. And uh I can’t wait to watch him with a couple other Duke guys uh and not get ran over is there that would be helpful. That was close but uh obviously to see him with Derek Lively and Kyrie and the team that they have will be pretty cool. Thank you so much for your time coach. I really appreciate it. A iconic run that you guys had. We’re excited to see what you guys do this upcoming season. That means a lot. It was a a great finale and Kaman sending that out of bounds. That was perfectly timed. Thanks coach. Thank you. Yeah, that’s perfect. right on Q as Malawatch that highlight rejection. But you know what Sh has been able to put together year after year at Duke and then we highlighted it the five players selected in this most recent draft. A lot for him to watch and keep track of, but he has to like what he’s seeing from his now former center. I think that he said something that was very key to Duke’s success. He said, “This group allowed me to coach them.” And that’s key. Yeah. Hey, they’re as they’re willing to learn, listen, and that’s key. Anytime you get a group that’s that talented that allows the coach to coach, good things normally happen. We’ll carry that conversation when we return to Vegas. [Music] Own a design studio. When a really big [Music] [Music] I’m [Music] a [Music] [Music] The Milwaukee Bucks, the winners of the NBA Cup season ago in Vegas. We will follow that one up this December. Phoenix six-point lead. Their lead was as large as 16 back in the first quarter. So, it’s been the Wolves who tried to fight their way back. They haven’t led at all in this contest. They’re just joined before we stepped away by Duke head coach John Sh. Dillingham ahead of the pack for the Wolves. It’s just a four-point game. Wolves looking to remain unbeaten and they get another turnover with that step out of bounds. But Brandon, you were talking about how Sh said that his team of a lot of talented prospects allowed him to coach them. And that’s key when you have a talented team and guys are all willing to allow the coach to coach. And what he means by that is, hey, guys are going to do the right thing. I don’t have to police this team. They police themselves. When I tell them to do something, they’re not questioning, do I know what I’m talking about? They’re going out there doing certain things, even when that might not be what they agree with, but they trust the coaching staff and they empower them enough to to roll with their strategy and things of that nature. Malawash being a prime example. He had to allow the coaching staff to tell him, “Hey, you you’re not going to take the shots that we know you want to take here because we don’t think that that’s going to work well for this team.” We know Malawaskki shoot for three. He didn’t have that opportunity. and he said, “Okay, you know what? If this is what you guys believe in, this is what you guys want. I’m cool with that. I’ll do whatever we need to win.” From 16 down to tying this one up at 47. That’s a 195 run for the Wolves. And Minnesota has knotted this up with with 442 to go into third. Phoenix calls time. Have some work to do here in Las Vegas. [Music] [Applause] chicken dance again. Sorry, Gary. Can we do something? I’ll be right back. Mhm. Hey, um, excuse me. Do you think you could Okay. Can’t be the bride who had a chicken dance wedding. Still down for burgers after. I’m kind of feeling chicken. [Music] [Music] A large touchscreen keeps everyone happy. The Subaru Cross Track. Dog tested. Do approved. Get 1.9% APR financing for 63 months on select new Subaru Cross Track models for a limited time. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] at 47. Igotaro taps that fake and gets all the way to the rim, draws a foul on Zakarsski. Every time Egodaro sees Zakarski on him, he goes right past him. He understands that’s a mismatch that he can win at any point. And if on the flip side, if you’re Minnesota, when you see a big fella isolated in that type of situation, you got to give him a little bit extra help. You brought up that Minnesota has to do a better job of taking care of the ball if they want to get back in it. They’ve done exactly that. Yeah. Take when you take when you don’t turn it over and you don’t fuel other teams fast breaks, a lot of times you can find a way to get yourself right back in the ball game. And that’s what Minnesota has done here in this third quarter. Missing both at the line there. The Suns are 9 for 21 at the free throw line. 9 for 21. That’s not good. Minnesota has yet to lead. Zakarsski screens. Bailey fakes, delivers, corner. Clark cash. And Minnesota has their first lead here this afternoon. And that was excellent pick and roll recognition by Bailey. He read the pick and roll correctly. Came off d draw drew two Suns players to him as we see Egodaro missed that jump hook right there and then Bailey was able to find his man in the corner. Drewer answer no. Rashier Fleming cleans it up. Was the first pick in the second round. The Suns utilized that break between the first and second round of the draft to come up with a trade to move up and select Fleming fell in love with the potential two-way impact for the forward. And right on Q knocks the ball away from Dillingham, the guard. Shot fly down to one. Dillingham off glass. Beautiful. That’s tough. That’s what we talked about with this kid. The shot creation, the confidence offensively. Not having a great shooting game, but he’s not deterred. He understands who this skill set is. Dillingham has the keys. No. Terrence Shannon Jr. for Minnesota. Just a rest day. Fleming with the back door cut. Reverse layup. Count it. Good cut by Fleming, but even better pass by. Sun’s playing without Kobe Brea. A push off down low on Miller. He’s called for the offensive foul. You see right here, Bailey reads the pick and roll, finds Clark right there for the three ball in the corner. Excellent recognition. And here Dillingham doing it himself. Getting right to the cup for the easy finish. Fleming. That’s the rebound on the other side of the glass. Dun had it initially. Timberwolves whip it away and Miller got it to the glass. He’s hurt bad. He’s hurt bad. Yes, he is. Oh, no. You know, uh like to see the pain that he’s in done. [Music] First round pick in 2024. Ryan Dunn in pain. [Applause] [Music] At Ace, however you grill, we’ve got the perfect one for you. Because only your local Ace has all the best brands in one place, like Weber, Big Green Egg, Trager, and Blackstone. That sounds pretty perfect. [Music] [Music] back in this ball game. But if you’re Phoenix, you might have to think about the big picture. You know, you know, Bradley Bill is no longer going to be a part of this team. You need a guy like Dunn next year and his two-way ability. Maybe you even if he wants to get back in this game, maybe you keep him out just for his own safety. Sometimes you have to protect the player from himself. And that was the second time in this game that he went down. He popped back up earlier in the first half again trying to stretch out that foot, that ankle. First Beal, the buyout, which gives the Suns that financial flexibility out of the first apron, second apron. They’ve heard that apron word quite a bit over the last couple years. Almost been a burden for the uh moves that they could make to try to improve the team. Meanwhile, the Clippers get the addition instead of be at what that $50 million number. It’s now closer to $5 million. A lot more affordable. That’s locker inside. That’s a big time move for the Clippers to get a player like Bradley Beal. And I understand Bill, it didn’t work out. Oh man, Kane smokes the layup. But I understand it didn’t work out for Bradley Bill in Phoenix, but don’t get it twisted. Bradley Beal can still play. Averages about 17 points per game last year. Shot 49% from three. I mean 49% from the field and 38% from three. So, he didn’t have his old school Washington Wizards Bradley Bill numbers, but he still had really solid numbers and he will definitely help the Clippers as they try to compete for a championship next year. The efficiency numbers and you just highlighted them, they were not bad. No, not at all. Not at all this year. And so, I I feel like I have to get that out there because in this league that sometimes when the narrative gets bad around you, enough people hear and they’re start thinking you can’t play anymore. Bradley Bill can still play. Don’t get it twisted. It wasn’t it didn’t happen to Phoenix the way they thought it would, but he can still play. He can still help a team. I think the Clippers should be very happy to have him. Especially when you look at the fact that the Clippers made that trade for Norman Powell. So, you could see, okay, they traded Norman Powell for for John Collins. John Collins is going to be able to help them in the front court, but Bradley Beal can make up for some of that scoring that Norman Powell left behind. So, here’s that rim running threat Collins. And then you have Brook Lopez in addition in the off season, too. So they sneakily have made some tweaks to a team that surprised a lot of people last year how effective they were. You can see their depth chart now. Resign James Harden back. Uh like I said, Zubac, man, he’s had he had an incredible year. The Clippers have quietly had an incredible offseason. No moves that really wow you like, oh my goodness. There there was no big shocking moves, but the pieces that they’ve added all make sense. Brook Lopez, Collins, we just talked about getting Bradley Beal. All those play players are going to make sense and can help you win the championship if the claw is healthy. If Kawhi Leonard is healthy and James Harden is still balling, this is a team that you should be very very afraid of because when you look at what happened after the All-Star break, this was probably the premier defensive team in the league as well. Too and Jeff Van Gundy really had them competing well at that end. We’ll see in a path Western Conference. They improved. Just like a lot of teams in the top of the West, we’ll see it’s if it’s enough, but last year a lost in a classic series in the first round to the Nuggets. See if Beal can make the difference. Some big moments. Free throw line by the way. 10 for 23 for the Suns. Look no farther is why they’re not up by more. A contested corner three. Didn’t matter as that was a rainbow from Kane. Fleming almost got that one in the corner. Thearo swoops across the lane. Nice take by Gdaro right there. He’s really good around the basket with some of those hook shots and floers. A versatile big for Shaka Smart trying to go back to back from distance going with the two for one. About 5 seconds now closer to six. separate the two clocks. Newton fouls Ellis and he’ll head to the free throw line. See Kane just sliding right to that corner right there. The pass delivered right on time. Kane did the rest. Kane with the Pelicans last year. Got a lot more minutes towards the end of the year. 15 points per game in April. Meanwhile, Boogie Ellis, a star on the side of the Suns. He is 21 points. I mean, he has had a huge game. Where would the Suns be right now without Brookie Ellis [Applause] two-way play got the team off to the fast start. Two clocks nearly identical. [Music] Two-time champ Yukon Newton, second round pick last season as foul Schumacher. That was the foul to give for Minnesota. A foul for Phoenix. So Minnesota with a side out with 8.7. You see the Timber Wolves quickly get Dilling here back in his game for his last possession. Got to figure they’re going to give the ball to him and let him go to work right here in the middle of the court before I iso or mid pick and roll over back not completely established in the back court before he touched that ball. So that’s one of those where your coach Kevin Hansen just got to shake their head. [Music] Ellis trapped. Splits it. Lob up top with three seconds. Knocked away. You got Daro. And that does it for the third. Phoenix clinging to a two-point lead. Close game as we enter the final frame. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] now get it back to it in coming into the final frame. Uh I just say like finding out what they was doing, figuring out how we going to game plan against it and how we going to beat it and we figured it out. So now we got a little better at it. You are being asked to run the show. What pride do you take in that challenge and how are you kind of conducting this team as you close it out? I just want to win. So, whatever it takes to win, I’mma do. Thanks, Rob. Played about 10 and a half minutes per game, four points, two assisted contest, his first year with Minnesota. Dillingham looking to take those steps in year number two. And how valuable is it for a guard like him to have Mike Connelly available to ask him questions, learn from his experiences? It’s always good when you’re a young guard or just a young player in this league and you have a veteran that’s been through it that’s able to show you and talk to you about what you should do to help improve your game. Because there’s certain things that as you see knock down the three. There’s certain things that you might watch in the game and a vet can just tell you, “Hey, listen young fell. You’re going too fast right here. Learn how to change speeds. That’ll help you out and you’ll be surprised at how it’ll help you. Oh my. Yes, indeed. Rob Dillingham delivers. Came up a little bit gimpy, but yeah, nice play right there by Dillingham. Fleming wants three. Give him all three of those from the corner. And Dillingham three great shot is followed up by a Fleming three. Look at Collins with the ball pressure. I told you summer league man ball pressure was there. Dillingham was not deterred. Went right past him. But we’ve been seeing a lot more ball pressure. A lot more guys really really getting into people’s chest. 94 ft. A conversation with Autumn really fired up. I see. Two great plays right at the rim out of the break. Collins. One more. Wood from the corner. Gets another. That’s his reputation. He’s a shooter. You got to you got to be there on catch. Got to force Wood to put that thing on the ground. Big body shooter at 68. And that’s an offensive foul. Right there. Quick crossover. Change of direction. Scoop lay inside over Wood. This time he just splits the trap once again. Goes right into Wood’s chest. And he’s just a confident scorer. Always has been. He’s just one of those guys that believes I’m a special player with the Rock. Tough to contain. Keeping that dribble alive in traffic. [Music] Newton gets called for that foul. His fourth. Phoenix saw their lead evaporate in the third quarter. They’ve recovered to gain the seven-point lead over the Timberwolves who have yet to lose a game in Vegas. St. Louis product. Collins dishes. Mscari halfway down and Newton secures the rebound. Big collision right in front of the Timberwolves bench. They call the blocking foul on Mscari. Guess who’s back? Guess who’s checking back in the game as we see a big time collision right there. Definitely the break home. Was looking forward to hearing that being the offensive foul. But on the flip side, got Dunn back in the ball game. Ryan Dunn came up empty a bit earlier in that third quarter. Back in Dillingham sizzling and he knew he had that right away. On the receiving end, you know, like if you score on me, guess what little fella? I’ll take you right down to the deep end and I’ll score on you as well. Dillingham tiptoes across the lane, sets up the shooter. It goes Jaylen Clark. And that was delivered by Dillingham. Both these teams starting to feel good offensively. We get to a lot a lot better rhythm and flow than we had earlier. Three-point game. Collins bounces. Push shotgar. That one rolls through. He’s really good in that area right there when he catches. He’s good with the little flip shot. has a little hook shot also and he’s a good passer in the mid-range. Decision maker and that’s key too because in this game if you’re not going to be a three-point shooter when you’re in that mid- pick and roll you have to be able to catch it, score, or make the correct pass. And Egodar was really good at catching and scoring you there with the float game. And in a summer league setting, it’s nice to have a point guard like Collins on this end too who just knows where to go with the basketball. Yeah, Collins is going to set the table for everybody. Dunn who’s checked back in, gets the shooters touch. The ankles looking fine. Guess he’s feeling good. And I love the fact he goes right over there to Dillingham. He understands Dillingham is the hot man. He wants that smoke. He wants that action. A cutting Newton and a Yukon products draws a foul on Dun. You’re right. This fourth quarter has had a different pace to it. Yeah, different feel to it. It’s been the dynamite Dillingham in the fourth quarter. You see Dillingham wave away the screen like now don’t set that screen I got big fell on the island but eagodala ran right down the court and this time he was able to get the floater over be bar hand stone up in frustration [Music] seven in the fourth for Dillingham Malawatch back in for Phoenix and a 4-0 record at stake on the Timberwolves side, but right now down by five. Throw it away. That’s careless. Not even looking. Moses Wood and he chest to say my bad on that one. Nevada native who played at UNLV. Wood one year, four different stops in his college career. Running out of space. Dillingham saves it by throwing it right off the body. And that was actually a great job by Malawatch. He was up at the level. He wasn’t in a drop. Dillingham would have attacked that drop. But because Malawatch was up at the level of force Dillingham into the corner and he had nowhere to go. And Mawatch showcased the ability to play at the level in Duke. He wasn’t just exclusively a drop in. Not out of bounds. We’ll stay here with the shot clock at 14. Yeah. I mean, sometimes they would tell him to be at the level. Sometimes he run a drop. I’ve even seen him have some uh big time moments where he would actually switch on the guards and he would do a pretty good job of not letting him get a shot off with those long arms to help him contain on the perimeter. Beer just off the front of the rim. You didn’t like that shot. Not this time in the ball game. You know, five minutes to play. Bear JJ not known to being a shooter. You might want to make sure you get a quality possession. Fake the DHO at Malawatch and said the take. There was contact there and a foul call on Barish. It’s a good one in the fourth quarter. It’s a rare thing when someone you’ve been with for so [Music] [Music] game at the pavilion here this afternoon. Yeah, Dillingham really getting it going in this second half. He has really picked up his scoring. You see the nice pass right there, but this is what makes him special, the ability to get his shot off and make big shots. Summer league standings. So at stake for the Timberwolves, a chance to go 4-0 and have a point differential that would get them in the top four and a chance of playing in the semi-finals in Vegas. Yeah, like I said, the all all these games count. All these guys want to have a chance to hoist that trophy. I know it’s just a summer league trophy, but it’s a trophy nonetheless. Say no matter what, you get a chance to celebrate with teammates, that’s something to play for. Dillingham step back shorts, but the Wolves get the rebound and a chance to reset. Thought Bailey should have shot that one. Thought about it on the catch. Should have just caught it in the corner, let it fly. So that call be a jump ball. I guess they couldn’t tell who it went off of. They didn’t get a clean look. So, it is a jump ball upcoming. Timberwolves here in this fourth quarter. Carried by Dillingham, who’s had the team’s last five field goals in this fourth quarter. That’s what he is. He’s that he’s that instant offense type god. He’s that scorer. He’s that bucket getter. There’s nothing for him to string together three or five three to four buckets in a row. Dun extended the ball and that drew the contact. Well done on the dribble drive from the secondyear player out of Virginia right there. That ball. Yeah, I like that little crossover to the Euro. He was clearly in pain in that third quarter like that foot and he was able to stretch it out and get back in it in the fourth. Summer League action continues tonight on NBA TV, ESPN and the ESPN app. Magic Net 7:30 Eastern here on NBA TV. Mavericks Sixers 8 Eastern on ESPN. Wizards Jazz follows 10 Eastern on ESPN. A big collision on a rebound and off of another missed free throw for the Suns. The Suns, if the Suns don’t win this game, they’re going to look right to the free throw line is one of the biggest reasons. So Minnesota’s down five right now, but what’s 12 for 27 free throw line? That is not going to cut it. 44%. Bailey follows his own. Great finish. Landed on his hip. shakes it off as he jaws back on defense. Three-point game. Now watch on the perimeter. He’s double teamed. Swarmed in a turnover. Dillingham ahead. It’s a one-point contest. Coming down the stretch. Let’s see who’s going to execute the most. It should be advantage. Timberwolves with a player like Dillingham being the type of electric scorer he is and confident player he is in this environment. You would think he would have an advantage coming down the stretch. Collins playmaker Don hunts a three, puts it down. Bad to a two possession lead for Phoenix. Shot 31% from three a season ago. Decent volume. Dillingham muscles inside. Tries to shake off a couple of reaching arms. out on the way to the basket. Dillingham was a little frustrated right there. Thought Collins got him out there on the perimeter with a little bit of a hand check. I tend to agree. Thought foul. Thought Collins got a little hands. He probably should have been called for a foul on the perimeter. Said it’s Boo Ellis who’s called for his third. Just see it at the turn of the fourth quarter how Dillingham turned up the aggressiveness. Yeah. and he talked about saying, “Hey, listen.” took some time trying to figure out what they were doing and understood what was going on and now he looks really, really confident in that in that scenario. You see him get fouled from three. Gets to watch one of the best closers in the NBA. Anthony Edwards on game in gameout basis has a chance on this stage to be the closeout player here. And his foot was on the line on that attempt. two. Nice little jab step sends Dunn into the screen and Dunn ends up fouling on the recovery right there. But it was all that play was all set up by the quick jab. Like I said, Dillingham has all that. He understands all the nuances to scoring, the quick jabs, the crossovers, the head fakes, the heos, double crosses, anything you want from an offensive skill point as far as ball handling and being crafty, he has all of that in his bag. He’s showcasing all of it in the fourth. 11 of his 21 have come in the first five and change of the fourth quarter. I like to see it. Collins draws a switch inside with Dillingham. You got to get it to him. Malaw count it. Listen, I like it. I like it. We’ve been talking all game about how good Malawatch, how good of a three-point shooter Malawatch is, but he just simply wasn’t allowed to do what it do. Second main three and four attempts and he comes up high there to knock it away from Dillingham. Look, look, no hesitation. Collins sees him. Malawatch understands there’s two inside with Igodaro. No hesitation. And the stroke looks good. I mean, the form looks really good. playing for South Sudan in the exhibition that they played the United States. He had a corner three as he came in off the bench. She didn’t play many minutes of that game, but that’s when you you knew as a youngster playing against some of the best in the world that he has some talents. I remember watching that game. There’s a moment in that game. He caught it on Joel Embiid and real nice jab step to a jumper and I was like, “Hold on, who’s that kid?” Then they told me he was going to Duke and I was dejected. Like that guy’s going to Duke next year. I’m like for real. That was a Embiid like move to Joel Embiid. The Rich get richer, man. And then Malawatch helped anchor that Duke defense all the way to the Final Four. Now trying to carve out a role in year one with the Suns. It’s a rare thing when someone you’ve been with for so long finds a way to surprise you. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Are you [Music] a [Music] [Music] the ball on the baseline. Kevin Hansen was hoping to get the approximate foul as we’ll take a look at the play right by the baseline, but the refs say they’ll keep the call as is. Yeah, I didn’t really see a foul right there. I thought thought that was a little bit of a waste of a challenge, but hey, it is what it is. It’s clearly off of Bailey. F five-point game. 335 left. Suns Wolves game one at the Pavilion. Malawax gets rid of it. Done. He knew it was off as soon as it left his hands. Bar fights for the rebound. But it’s off his hands. Just 4.4 on the shot clock. Don’t get much time practicing when you do work on these baseline out of bounds plays and just try to set it up for Dunn. Not much design to that one. Yeah, like they just realized they could throw it up right there and try to sneak a layup in, but Dunn couldn’t catch it and can roll it. Now, let’s keep our eye on this match up. Done vers Dillingham. 11 fourth quarter points for Dillingham. Was it the eighth pick in the draft last year pass? He set it up. Dillingham again. Miller finishes with the contact. And we know Dun’s a great defender, but Dillingham went right by him with ease and that’s what allowed him to find Miller on that baseline for the and one. Look right here. No waste of motion. Just just a quick swipe through. goes right by Dunn. That creates the problem. Malawatch has to step up. Miller’s on the backside and one going to the free throw line trying to pay it off. Just how valuable are these reps right here for Dillingham trying to, you know, play in crunch time here against an elite NBA defender and done scoring, making plays. He’s a big time for Dillingham. Like I said, there’s minutes to be had behind Mike Connley Jr. um next year from Minnesota. Um, you have to prove to the coaching staff that when they give you those minutes, you know what to do with them. And making plays like that down the stretch of a game like this can help give them that confidence for the lead. That one’s off to the right. Malawatch tips up high. Ellis hit hard. Foul on the Timberwolves. Dillingham called had a three. That would have given Minnesota the lead with under three left. Somebody got assess a technical foul. I think I think it was Bailey. And Bailey did get the technical foul all over it. Down two points, 245. He can’t get a tech this time of the ball game. Every point counts. Mari Bailey talked about Jaylen Clark quite a bit. Bailey was a teammate of Clark at UCLA. You got a technical foul late in a game like that, you head to the bench. Definitely. That’s where you That’s what Hey, listen. If you’re not a star player, you get a technical foul in a one possession ball game with under three on the clock. The bench is definitely where you’ll be headed. Only certain guys can get away with that. And Bailey is not right now learning he is not one of those guys. You are not that guy. Good boy. Phoenix lead. Shot clock at five. Corner Ellis. [Applause] Great rebound by Newton to hold off the defender. Approaching the two minutes to go mark. Dillingham has space against Malaw. The dynamic Dillingham. And Dillingham had a little something to say to Malawatch. A wingspan. Wow. 96. Couldn’t alter that. Malawatch. No. More than standing reach. Clark for three. Done. Grabs the rebound. Phoenix holding by one. A minute 45. We need a quality possession. Collins is going to slow it down. See if he can get something good. Probably looking for some type of ISO action right now against Dun against Dillingham. Dillingham giving up a lot of size over there. Collins. Don flies for the second chance. And now the Wolves have numbers. A chance to go in front. Clark fouled. Two free throws that could give the Timberwolves the lead. And what’s happening right here? Phoenix is trying to keep this ball on the sideline. Dillingham reads that, gets to the middle anyway, and then with the high scoop over mileage and lets him know something. I think he said you’re too small. I promise you. I think that’s what he said. The irony. Yes, Billy Ham 62, Malaw 7-1. Clark ties it at 81. But Dillingham is being so crafty in his understanding of how to play offense is what really made that play. You can see Phoenix saying ice, ice, blue. They wanted to send that. When you hear ice or blue, that just means you want to send that screen to the baseline. Dillingham read that, made sure he didn’t get made sure he got over the top. You see non boxing on the free throw. Billy him got over the top in the middle of that defense and created an absolute problem. Leonard Miller muscles it up and in Minnesota by two. Collins turns the corner. Gets it to the backboard. Big time drive right there by Collins. Fun finish. Coming up here at summer league. Dillingham has been the go-to guy in the fourth. Draws a switch. Got Malaw watch on him. You got to give him the ball. Clear it out. Clear it out. Nope. They come with the double with Collins. Clark receives, dishes corner. Newton got it. Timberwolves lead by three. 48 seconds. Malawash got matched up on Dillingham. They didn’t want big fell out on the island. They trapped it and they end up giving up the corner three. Ellis looking for the answer. He’s locked up by Newton. Don’t have to take a three. Just need to get a shot. 10 seconds on the clock. done against Miller to the baseline to get Daro’s cut off. Launches a pass. Ellis to tie it off to the left. Malawatch and Beer wrestle for the rebound. It’ll stay here. Be going to get called for the foul. 23.6 right here. Clark’s going to make a great pass. ends up paying off the triple in the corner for Newton. But it all started with Dillingham getting doubled. Now they’re going to sub Dillingham out. Want to get a little bit better defensive player in there for this highend possession. I like the offense defense substitutions. Jamal Kane coming in for Minnesota. [Music] Timber Wolves looking to stay unbeaten in summer league. Been down most of the way here. done with his team down three. A healthy three. Was that tipped? No, didn’t need it. I understand you want to get that shot right there, but you can still drive that ball to the rim and play the free throw game down the stretch. Didn’t need a a wild and contested three-pointer. Newton. There he is. Fouled by Ellis. yards and team in the bonus. So, we’ll head to the free throw line and one would make it a two-p possession game. And how about Minnesota down most of the way trailed by as many as 16 points. Fourth quarter takeover by Dillingham. 13 here in this fourth frame. 23 on the afternoon. And I tell you what, Dillingham just flipped that switch in the beginning of his fourth quarter and that meant has meant the world for this Minnesota ball player. And a champion at the free throw line and Newton Final Four most outstanding player in 2024 with Yukon and Dillingham exits again. There’s a lot to smile about on his side. What a stellar performance. Largest lead for Minnesota. 16.2 left. [Applause] Collins ahead for Igodaro gets the stuff with 12 seconds. And there’s the foul and will walk the floor. Jaylen Clark, 78% free throw shooter a season ago. Even though you have a lead, that’s a little bit too easy of a bucket right there. There’s no need for you to let you all get behind you. And one of these makes it a two-p possession game. Difference in this game has been the free throw line, but there’s the first one that goes out. We talked about it. We said this. If the Phoenix Suns don’t win this game, they’re going to look directly at the free throw line for the reason why they were not successful. 13 of 28, 46% from the stripe. Oof. Left a lot of money out there. His contract converted in the middle of last season. Hits the free throw to make it a two-possession game. Ellis stand out first half for the Suns. Just 3 seconds left. That one up. Won’t fall. And the Bulls complete the comeback. They remain unbeaten. 4-0. Zillingham in crunch time. Excellence. 8985 the final. No Terrence Shannon Jr. for Minnesota, but they had Dillian and that proved to be enough. No Terrence Shannon. Very.
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