Utah Summer League 2019: Schedule of Dates, Times, Points System and Format
June 29, 2019
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz will begin their summer schedules at the Salt Lake City Summer League, which tips off Monday.
The most notable names who could have been involved in the competition will not be participating. Memphis first-round pick Ja Morant is not on its roster, while Cleveland first-round selection Darius Garland is on the roster but is not expected to play.
The players on the four rosters are a collection of draft picks, undrafted rookies, G League players looking for a promotion and players coming back from Europe looking for shots in the NBA.
Salt Lake City Summer League Schedule
All Times ET.
Monday, July 1
San Antonio vs. Cleveland (7 p.m., NBA TV)
Memphis vs. Utah (9 p.m.)
Tuesday, July 2
San Antonio vs. Memphis (7 p.m., NBA TV)
Cleveland vs. Utah (9 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 3
Cleveland vs. Memphis (7 p.m., NBA TV)
San Antonio vs. Utah (9 p.m., NBA TV)
Format
Every team plays three games—one against each of the other squads entered into the competition.
The games will feature four 10-minute quarters with a five-minute overtime added if necessary.
The team with the best record will end up as the champion of the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Beilein Receives 1st Chance to Coach Cavs
Cleveland's John Beilein was the surprise coaching hire of the NBA offseason, as he agreed to make the move to the NBA from Michigan.
Typically, assistants or G League coaches take charge of Summer League teams, but Beilein will have control over the Cavs in Salt Lake City.
The benefit to coaching the team for Beilein is to directly evaluate the majority of his draft picks and players that might make a difference on the back end of the roster.
With Garland not expected to play, the focus will shift to first-round draft picks Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. and what they bring to Beilein's system.
But they are not the only players worth watching in Beilein's system, as a handful of college stars from previous seasons are also on the roster.
National champion Phil Booth from Villanova, Duke product Marques Bolden, Kansas State's Dean Wade and Dylan Osetkowski from Texas are some of the more intriguing names to watch.
Beilein also has a familiar face to work with, as Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who played at Michigan, joins the squad from Cleveland's G League affiliate, the Canton Charge.
While Beilein will not have been able to implement his entire system during the short span between the draft and Summer League, certain concepts will be evident right away, and they will give Cleveland fans a glimpse into what they will be getting with their new head coach.
Walker Looking to Make Strides for Spurs
Lonnie Walker is trying to use the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues as opportunities to prove he belongs with the Spurs.
A year after bouncing between the Spurs and their G League affiliate in Austin, Walker has already impressed with a better on-court demeanor, according to Spurs Summer League head coach Blake Ahearn, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News.
"He was very vocal today, and that was good to see," Ahearn said. "That's a big thing, that leadership quality. He's been stepping up in that area...Pop likes to see that."
Walker, who averaged 2.6 points per game in 17 contests in his rookie season, needs to make significant improvements in his game in order to avoid the bust tag after he was taken with the No. 18 pick in 2018.
Walker has the highest profile of three second-year players looking to make their marks on the Spurs roster with strong summer performances. Chimezie Metu and Drew Eubanks are the other two.
That trio will be fighting with 2019 draft picks Keldon Johnson, Luka Samanic and Quinndary Weatherspoon for playing time when the preseason rolls around.
Samanic is the most intriguing of the three rookies since we do not know much about his game. Summer League is the first chance for the 19-year-old Croat to shine in front of a plethora of NBA personnel in the United States.
The best-case scenario for the Spurs from Summer League is for Walker to show improvements worthy of a permanent spot on the roster and for one or two of the rookies to shine enough to push for playing time as well.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.