Ja’Kobi Gillespie answered right back.
One day after a rough shooting night against the Warriors Gold Squad, the former Tennessee guard delivered his best performance of Summer League so far in the Spurs’ 88-84 win over the Lakers on Monday. Gillespie led the team with 19 points, knocking down 7 of 14 shots and finishing 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. He added six assists, two steals and one rebound in 31 minutes.
Tennessee Basketball highlighted the outing on social media with the line: “19 PTS / 5 3PM / 6 AST
strong performance from Kobi to close out the California Classic
back in action later this week at NBA Summer League pic.twitter.com/ZfgeqApbxN”
The showing capped a three-game run for Gillespie in the California Classic. He opened with 10 points, eight assists and three steals against the Heat on Friday, then followed with nine points and four assists against the Warriors Gold on Sunday before breaking through against the Lakers.
Gillespie is one of three Volunteers on San Antonio’s Summer League roster. Zakai Zeigler did not play Monday because of a coach’s decision, and Igor Milicic Jr. scored two points in 13 minutes off the bench.
Now that the California Classic is finished, Gillespie and the Spurs are headed to Las Vegas for the NBA-wide Summer League showcase. The second-round pick from this past June will keep getting chances to make his case.
His lone season at Tennessee was a productive one. Gillespie averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds, earned All-SEC honors and helped lead the Vols back to the Elite Eight for a third straight season.
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