The 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas came to a close Sunday, with the Golden State Warriors edging the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-90, for the title.
For Syracuse fans, the bigger takeaway was the showing from a group of former Orange players who spent the last 11 days trying to carve out their next NBA opportunity. At least seven ex-Syracuse standouts took part in the event, which ran from July 9 to July 19 in Sin City, and a few of them put together numbers that stood out.
Quadir Copeland, Maliq Brown and Buddy Boeheim posted the strongest individual stat lines among the former Syracuse players in the field. Copeland, playing for the Houston Rockets, led the group in scoring and was one of the most productive all-around performers.
Brown made his mark with efficiency, rebounding and steals for the San Antonio Spurs. Boeheim gave Oklahoma City a steady scoring punch over five games.
Here’s how the former Orange players finished in Las Vegas:
William Kyle III suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers, who went 4-1 overall. The center appeared in five games and averaged 10.0 minutes, 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds. He shot 62.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Nate Kingz played three games for the Miami Heat, which finished 2-3. The wing averaged 14.7 minutes, 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 block while shooting 27.8 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3-point range.
Buddy Boeheim logged five games for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went 0-5. The guard averaged 18.9 minutes and 8.0 points, along with 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He shot 41.9 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the free-throw line.
Jesse Edwards appeared in three games for the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished 2-3. The center averaged 11.5 minutes, 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and a perfect 100 percent from the free-throw line.
Maliq Brown played four games for the San Antonio Spurs, who went 4-1. The power forward averaged 25.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.8 steals. He shot 62.5 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and 100 percent at the line.
Chris Bell saw action in four games for the New Orleans Pelicans, who finished 2-3. The wing averaged 9.6 minutes and 4.3 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from 3-point range and 100 percent from the free-throw line.
Copeland was the most eye-catching of the bunch. The guard/wing played five games for the Houston Rockets, who went 3-2, and averaged 28.9 minutes, 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He shot 57.9 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from beyond the arc and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Now the wait begins to see which of these former Syracuse players land on NBA rosters for the 2026-27 season.
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