Baba Miller’s first night in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform gave fans plenty to notice, even in a 91-85 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat, selected No. 36 overall in the NBA Draft, made his NBA Summer League debut in the 11:00 p.m. game on ESPN and immediately found himself in the starting lineup for the Clippers. He logged 26 minutes and finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 3 turnovers.
Miller was efficient from the floor, hitting 3 of 4 shots overall, including 1 of 1 from three-point range, and he went 3 of 4 at the free-throw line. His first points came at the stripe, where the NBA is adjusting things this summer league for speed-of-the-game purposes.
On a two-point shot attempt, Miller was fouled and awarded one free throw worth 2 points. Every point he scored in the first half came that way.
By halftime, Miller had played 11 minutes, put up 4 points, collected 2 rebounds and blocked a shot. Sacramento led 44-41 at the break.
He stayed in the starting group to open the second half and added 8 more points over his final 15 minutes. That stretch included a corner three, another 2-point free throw and an and-1. At 6-foot-11, Miller showed the kind of blend that can catch attention right away: rebounding, rim protection and enough shooting touch to stretch the floor.
The game also featured another former Bearcat, Viktor Lakhin, who played for the Kings and finished with 0 points in 5 minutes off the bench. Zach Freemantle, a longtime Cincinnati Bearcat foe, was in the Clippers’ rotation as well and scored 2 points in seven minutes.
In Other News...
Bearcats Could Suddenly Add The Veteran Help Calhoun Has Been Waiting For
A judge in Ohio has given a group of college basketball players a temporary path to a fifth season, and that could ripple straight into Cincinnatis plans for 2026-27. The preliminary injunction lets 15 players keep playing while their lawsuit against the NCAA moves forward, putting the Bearcats in position to potentially benefit from a ruling that challenges the sports age-based eligibility rules and the Transfer Portal requirements tied to them.
For Cincinnati, the timing matters because the roster had been left with room to maneuver in case veteran help became available. If the injunction holds, Jerrod Calhoun could suddenly have the kind of experienced additions he has been waiting on, with one player bringing proven scoring punch and another offering back-end guard depth and perimeter shooting. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Just Added Another Nonconference Test With NCAA Stakes
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The Bearcats are also helping bring a different kind of spotlight to town with the CareSource Invitational at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, a rare outdoor setting for a college basketball event. It all fits the broader push around the program right now, with Wes Calhoun talking about recent progress, recruiting, and the bigger goal of getting Cincinnati back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. For a team trying to raise its ceiling, these are the kinds of games and events that can matter long after the schedule is announced. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Finally Seem Bought In Under Satterfield At Crucial Time
Scott Satterfield is heading into his fourth season in Cincinnati with something every coach wants but cannot always manufacture: a roster that sounds like it believes in the direction it is headed. Players around the program have pointed to a noticeable culture shift since Satterfield arrived, and safety-turned-edge rusher Antwan Peek Jr. said the difference from the first year after Luke Fickell left has been obvious in the way the group carries itself and works together.
That buy-in matters now because the Bearcats are about to find out how far it can take them. New quarterback JC French IV has already earned respect by putting in the work and leaning on experience rather than trying to force a personality on the huddle, and he will need that credibility in a season that opens with Boston College and runs into one of the nations toughest slates. In a year like this, cohesion is not a talking point for Cincinnati, it is a survival skill. [Read more 🡒]