The NBA Summer League is entering its final stretch in Las Vegas, and a handful of former Missouri Tigers have already put together their cases for what comes next.
Tamar Bates was one of the more productive Mizzou alums in the event. The Kansas City, Kan. native made three starts for Utah and finished with averages of 8.8 points, 55% shooting from the floor and 40% from 3-point range.
He also helped the Jazz close out the competition with an 83-79 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. Bates’ strong run came with another bit of news attached this week, as Utah officially announced his signing of a two-way contract.
Sean East got steady run for Cleveland and appeared in all five of the Cavaliers’ Summer League games. He helped the team go 3-2 while averaging 3.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.4 steals in 12.0 minutes per game. In Cleveland’s finale Friday, a 100-91 win over the Chicago Bulls, East finished with four points, a rebound, two assists, a steal and a block.
Mark Mitchell carved out a regular spot in Denver’s rotation and even earned a start in the Nuggets’ second game. The Kansas City, Kan. native, who led Mizzou in points, rebounds and assists last season, played about 15 minutes per game and averaged 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 blocks as Denver went 2-2.
Mitchell missed the Nuggets’ third game of the week, but he still has a chance to get back on the floor when Denver meets the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Caleb Grill has seen action in two games for Boston so far. His best showing came Monday in a 102-90 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, when he scored seven points and added a block in seven minutes.
The Celtics are 3-1 and will wrap up their Summer League slate Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT on Prime Video against the Orlando Magic.
Porter appeared once for Memphis, logging two minutes in garbage time Thursday during a 96-64 win over the Hawks. On Friday, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that Porter is part of a group of former college athletes who filed an injunction against the NCAA in California seeking a fifth year of eligibility.
In Other News...
Eli Drinkwitz May Have Crossed A Line With Latest SEC Joke
At SEC Media Days, Eli Drinkwitz managed to turn a routine offseason segment into something far less harmless, and the Missouri coachs latest joke immediately drew attention for all the wrong reasons. The moment came during a televised appearance while he was discussing Cayden Green, giving the comment a national stage and making it impossible to separate from the broader conversation around the Tigers.
The issue is bigger than a bad punch line because it lands in the middle of Ahmad Hardys recovery, with the reigning SEC Newcomer of the Year still working his way back after a shooting earlier this year and no clear timetable for his return. Hardy, a Mississippi native who underwent surgery after the incident, has already been through enough without becoming the target of a joke that many around the program are likely to see as ill-judged. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Got The O-Line Update Fans Were Dreading
Missouris offensive line picture took another hit this week, and it comes at a spot the Tigers were counting on to stabilize. Transfer tackle Josh Atkins was expected to step in at right tackle, but his recovery from a leg injury that first surfaced in March has not gone as smoothly as hoped, leaving the coaching staff to keep adjusting its plans up front.
Eli Drinkwitz said Atkins has had a setback in his rehab, which makes his return less certain as the season moves along. For now, Missouri is leaning on other options to hold things together, including Luke Work and Logan Reichert, with Jack Lange also in the mix, as the Tigers try to protect the edge while waiting to see how much more progress Atkins can make. [Read more 🡒]
Eli Drinkwitz Takes Another Shot At CFP Power Brokers
Eli Drinkwitz is back on the College Football Playoff debate trail, and his message is the same one he has been pushing for Missouris sake and for the sport at large: let teams earn their way in on the field instead of leaving those decisions to a selection committee. With expansion still being hashed out, the SEC is aligned behind a 16-team model while the Big Ten is pushing for 24, and Drinkwitz is using the moment to argue for a format that would put conference contenders in play-in games rather than in front of a room of decision-makers.
He is also drawing a line on another piece of the conversation that could reshape the postseason. Drinkwitz does not want conference championship games taken away, a stance that matters in a league like the SEC where those title games bring in major revenue and remain a central part of the calendar. So while the playoff format fight keeps moving toward a bigger field, Missouris coach is making clear he wants expansion to preserve the stakes that already exist, not replace them. [Read more 🡒]