NBA Summer League 2015: Friday Schedule, Latest Las Vegas Standings and Stats
The NBA's Las Vegas Summer League takes a slight reprieve Friday with two rounds of the single-elimination tournament in the books.
There, the losers of the first two rounds will square off for a thing called pride, among other things. For young players looking to make a roster or earn playing time, it's one last chance in Las Vegas to make an impression.
The quarterfinals start Saturday, but seeing some of the tournament's most recognizable names one last time doesn't hurt.
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Here is a look at the Friday slate, via NBA.com:
| Matchup | Time (PT) |
| No. 9 Houston vs. No. 23 Philadelphia | 1 p. m. |
| No. 16 Cleveland vs. No. 18 Minnesota | 3 p.m. |
| No. 10 Brooklyn vs. No. 6 D-League | 5 p.m. |
| No. 13 Washington vs. No. 3 Denver | 7 p.m. |
| Matchup | Time (PT) |
| No. 19 Miami vs. No. 21 Sacramento | 1:30 p.m. |
| No. 11 Los Angeles vs. No. 13 Utah | 3:30 p.m. |
| No. 24 Milwaukee vs. No. 5 New York | 5:30 p.m. |
| No. 1 Raptors vs. No. 15 Trail Blazers | 7:30 p.m. |
Here's an updated look at player stats and standings as the Las Vegas Summer League transitions to Friday:
| Player | Team | PPG |
| Seth Curry | NOP | 25.3 |
| Kyle Anderson | SAS | 22.3 |
| Zach LaVine | MIN | 22.0 |
| Glen Rice | HOU | 21.0 |
| T.J. Warren | PHX | 20.3 |
| Player | Team | RPG |
| Lucas Nogueira | TOR | 11.5 |
| Jordan Mickey | BOS | 10.8 |
| Alex Len | PHX | 10.3 |
| Sim Bhullar | SAC | 10.0 |
| Ognjen Kuzmic | GSW | 9.5 |
| Player | Team | APG |
| Larry Drew II | NOP | 8.0 |
| Tim Frazier | POR | 7.6 |
| Jorge Gutierrez | MIL | 6.0 |
| Emmanuel Mudiay | DEN | 5.8 |
| Delon Wright | TOR | 5.5 |
| Boston Celtics | 4 | 0 | 11.0 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | 0 | 11.5 |
| Denver Nuggets | 3 | 1 | 8.5 |
| New York Knicks | 3 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Phoenix Suns | 3 | 1 | 10.0 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 3 | 1 | 9.5 |
| Toronto Raptors | 3 | 1 | 10.5 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 2 | 12.0 |
| Chicago Bulls | 3 | 2 | 12.0 |
| Golden State Warriors | 3 | 2 | 12.0 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 3 | 2 | 9.0 |
| Houston Rockets | 2 | 2 | 7.5 |
| NBA D-League Select | 2 | 2 | 8.0 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 3 | 10.0 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 3 | 9.0 |
| Washington Wizards | 2 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 3 | 5.0 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 1 | 3 | 9.0 |
| Miami Heat | 1 | 3 | 6.0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | 3 | 7.0 |
| Sacramento Kings | 1 | 3 | 5.0 |
| Utah Jazz | 1 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 4 | 8.0 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 0 | 4 | 6.0 |
Complete summer league stats available at NBA.com.
Players to Watch on Thursday
D'Angelo Russell, G, Los Angeles Lakers
So far, Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell has had a bit of a rough go of it. At times, he looks like the field general the team hopes he can be; at others, he looks rushed and like he's trying to force it.
Russell himself touched on this topic with Drew Garrison of Silver Screen & Roll: "Every game matters to me, and me being competitive, I forget that it's just summer league. I'm trying to get better so fast instead of being patient and letting it come to me."
Wednesday, Russell shot just 3-of-11 from the field with eight points. He's making mistakes, but it's better to get them out now and learn. The Ohio State product is also quite entertaining, as The Sports Quotient captures:
Russell is one of the brightest young players in Las Vegas and has a lot to live up to when he plays next to Kobe Bryant this year. Keep an eye out to see how he finishes.
Jahlil Okafor, F, Philadelphia 76ers
Duke product Jahlil Okafor will be back on the court Friday after the team approved his missing the last game so he could attend the ESPYs.
It's easy to scoff at the situation—Okafor needs as much time as he can get on the court, especially with Joel Embiid lost for the season.
But as Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding writes, Okafor already shows massive improvements in problem areas:
"But Okafor made both free throws after the Lakers fouled him then, a positive step for a guy who lost confidence after missing important free throws at Duke, shot just 51 percent from the line last season and made four of 13 attempts in the Utah Summer League. (Okafor made seven of 12 from the line Saturday in the 68-60 loss to the Lakers.)
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Granted, it's just the summer, but Okafor's growing ability to knock down shots at the line and be more assertive on the defensive end of the court is a good sign for the 76ers.
Okafor performs in his finale Friday, and it's one fans interested in the future of the Association won't want to miss.
Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Sacramento Kings
It confused some when the Sacramento Kings drafted Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein given the presence of DeMarcus Cousins already on the roster.
Still, based on brief showings by WCS, it's clear the Kings may have a serious twin-towers look on their hands. Two games ago, the big rookie posted 13 points and five blocks against the Golden State Warriors.
While it's clear that WCS is a work in progress, he continues to show flashes on both ends of the court.
For the rookie, the summer is all about learning the system on offense, as NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper captures: "They've been scouting you. They know. It's whether you fall into your system. You've got to fall into your system and they're going to out you in places where they want you to score and produce. It really doesn't matter."
Folks knew going into the draft WCS was a defensive-heavy prospect and would need some time to develop on the offensive end. The time is now after strong hints already. Friday, WCS gets one last chance in Las Vegas to put what he's learning to use.
Stats and info courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise indicated.
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