Summer league is where college fanbases get a first real glimpse of the next chapter, and Missouri has five former Tigers trying to carve out space in NBA 2K27 Summer League in Las Vegas.
The cleanest debut belonged to Tamar Bates. He got the start Thursday night after signing a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz a few days earlier, and he made it count.
Bates played 21 minutes, finished with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal, and shot 4-for-6 from the floor. His biggest moment came on a night full of highlights across the slate: a soaring poster dunk over Wizards wing Will Riley.
Throw it down, TAMAR BATES 😤Grabs the loose ball.Runs up the floor.Rises up.SLAM! pic.twitter.com/7eRN5F8TQG
That's nasty. Real nasty. Bates' bounce was always an electric complement to his efficient scoring with the Tigers, and it seems it's translating to the next level.
Mekhi Mitchell also turned in a solid first showing for the Denver Nuggets after signing an Exhibit 10 deal and joining their summer roster. He scored eight points, added three rebounds and went 3-for-5 from the field in 14 minutes. Trevon Brazile started ahead of him, but the night was rougher for Brazile, who posted five points, 11 rebounds, four turnovers and five fouls in 28 minutes.
If Mitchell keeps producing, the path to more minutes - and maybe a two-way contract later on - is there.
On the Cleveland Cavaliers’ side, John Tonje’s former Missouri teammate D’Moi Hodge? No, the source names East as the oldest of the former Tigers in the pool, and he’s 26 now with a birthday coming early in the regular season.
After a record-setting run with the Edmonton Stingers in the Canadian Elite Basketball league and an all-star season with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate, East landed a summer league spot with Cleveland. He was in a crowded backcourt that included Malaki Branham, Meleek Thomas, Xavian Lee, Riley Minix and Jaxson Robinson, and in eight minutes he managed three points, one rebound and one assist while making his only shot.
He also picked up three fouls.
Porter’s summer has already taken a strange turn with Memphis. He played in the Grizzlies’ Salt Lake City Classic games, going scoreless in one outing before coming back with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the next. But once the Grizzlies moved into NBA 2K27 Summer League, his role vanished completely; he did not play against the Bulls.
Boston’s Caleb Grill didn’t get on the floor in the Celtics’ opener, listed as a “Did Not Play, Coach's Decision.” Former Tiger John Tonje, though, gave Boston a boost with 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
Shawn Phillips Jr. is in a different kind of limbo. He was initially reported as part of the New Orleans Pelicans’ summer league group, but the official roster left him off. The reason surfaced later: Phillips, along with a group of former college players, had been granted an injunction by an Ohio judge that temporarily gave them an extra season of eligibility.
An Ohio judge granted an injunction to a group of 15 former college basketball players, including ex-#Mizzou C Shawn Phillips Jr., that will make them (for now) eligible to play this season and able to sign without using the transfer portal.FWIW: Missouri has a full roster. https://t.co/V1HIhfieTT pic.twitter.com/TgNKxRNHon
That likely keeps Phillips out of summer league, and a return to Missouri also appears unlikely. Missouri already has 15 players for the 2026-27 season, so there is no opening for him. The source notes that Dennis Gates would probably welcome him back, but the roster is full.
One possible landing spot mentioned is LSU, where Phillips played his 2022-23 freshman season. Will Wade is not described as being worried about transfer eligibility issues, and LSU currently has only four players on its roster, with the tallest at 6-foot-7.
The injunction situation is still fluid, so the picture could change later. For now, though, the expectation is simple: Phillips probably won’t be back at Missouri next season.
In Other News...
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Jacob Crews arrived at Missouri with the kind of shooting reputation that can change how a defense shades the floor, and for stretches this season he did exactly that. He gave the Tigers important minutes early, flashed the spacing value that made him such a useful fit, and had nights that reminded everyone why his role mattered even when it was not always the biggest one on the roster.
As the season wore on and Missouris approach shifted, Crews place in the rotation became more complicated, with the Tigers asking different things of him and opponents finding ways to test him on the other end. Even so, he still finished as one of the more interesting figures on the team, a player whose impact went beyond the box score and whose next step could matter a lot for a program still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Landed A December Test That Could Matter In March
Missouris nonconference calendar keeps getting more demanding, and the latest addition is another sign Dennis Gates is leaning into that approach. The Tigers are reportedly finalizing a December 18, 2026, trip to Bloomington, where they would face Indiana in a game that adds another high-profile name to a schedule already expected to include Kansas, Illinois, Marquette, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Saint Louis.
It also comes with a bit of history attached, since Missouri and Indiana have not met since 2004 and have spent most of the last two decades on separate paths. For Indiana, the matchup fits Darian DeVries push to build an NCAA Tournament rsum after last seasons miss, and for Missouri it is the kind of road test that can sharpen a roster long before league play begins, even if there is no return date in Columbia to balance it out. [Read more 🡒]