Monday’s NBA Summer League slate gave Tennessee fans a little bit of everything: a strong shooting night, a head-to-head VFL matchup, and another efficient showing from one of the Vols’ newest names in the mix.
Six former Tennessee players took the floor on July 13, with Chaz Lanier, Tyreke Key, Jahmai Mashack, Jaden Springer, Kennedy Chandler, and Nate Ament all appearing in games. The biggest direct collision came in Las Vegas, where Springer’s Mavericks beat Mashack’s Grizzlies. Both former Vols came off the bench in that one.
Lanier also turned in the kind of performance that jumps off the page. He went 8-for-12 from three-point range and has now stacked together two strong scoring outings. Key has been on a similar run lately, putting up big numbers in his last two games as well.
Ament kept things moving for Milwaukee. The scoring hasn’t exactly exploded, but he’s been efficient through his first three games.
Here’s how the Tennessee group looked on Monday:
The Raptors edged the Pacers, 94-93, and Key logged 20 minutes while scoring 16 points on 4-for-8 shooting. He missed all three of his three-point tries, but still added two rebounds, three assists and one turnover.
Dallas handled Memphis, 96-88, with Springer leading the Tennessee contingent. He finished with 17 points in 21 minutes, going 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep.
Springer also added one rebound, two assists, two turnovers, one steal and one block. Mashack played 19 minutes for Memphis and posted two points on 1-for-3 shooting, along with five rebounds, four assists, two turnovers and two steals.
Chicago fell to Utah, 80-63, and Chandler finished with four points in 14 minutes. He shot 2-for-7 overall, missed his lone three, and chipped in four rebounds, two assists and two turnovers.
Milwaukee dropped a 95-88 decision to Phoenix, but Ament still showed why the Bucks have kept giving him run. He scored eight points in 23 minutes, hit both of his three-point attempts, and finished 2-for-3 from the field with three rebounds, one assist, three turnovers and one block.
Tennessee now has 11 players in the NBA Summer League so far, with stats and averages tracked through Monday’s games.
Looking ahead to Tuesday, two more former Vols are scheduled to play: Jahmai Mashack and Felix Okpara. Mashack and the Grizzlies face the Warriors at 7 ET on ESPN, while Okpara and the Wizards meet the Bulls at 8 ET on Prime Video.
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Jordan Ross is the reminder that recruiting stars do not always translate cleanly, and Nico Iamaleavas Tennessee tenure landed in a more complicated middle ground than the five-star billing suggested. Even with that mixed track record, the Vols are still working on adding to the group, and there is a real chance another elite prospect could be folded into the mix in the coming days, which would give Heupel yet another chance to reshape how this class is remembered. [Read more 🡒]