The first day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas didn’t offer much for two former Wisconsin Badgers.
Nick Boyd and Steven Crowl were both on roster spots for Thursday’s opening slate, but neither one got onto the floor, leaving fans waiting for a debut that never came.
Crowl’s absence was the easier one to see coming. He wasn’t carrying much buzz into the week, and it still stood out that he was one of only three players who did not play for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit’s first-game group also doesn’t look like one that will force a lot of early shutdowns, which makes the path to minutes feel thin. Crowl should get a chance at some point during the week since the Pistons brought him in for this event, but the opportunities figure to be limited and tightly managed.
Steven Crowl (Wisconsin) has agreed to play NBA Summer League with the Detroit Pistons according to his agents Keith Kreiter & Sam Cipriano at Edge Sports.
The skilled 7-footer started 22 G-League games last season for the Utah Jazz. pic.twitter.com/tDu3i0ImVe
- Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) July 8, 2026
Boyd’s situation looks a little better, even if it still comes with plenty of uncertainty. He was one of seven Golden State Warriors players who didn’t see the court, but that also suggests the team may be planning to rotate through a wide range of lineups across the week. That matters because some of the Warriors’ other players - Will Richard, LJ Cryer, Yaxel Lendeborg and others - have already shown they’re above this level of competition and probably won’t be out there for all four games.
Nick Boyd said AND ONEEEE 🗣️
📺 @NBATV pic.twitter.com/RrkeC6OKrq
- Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 5, 2026
That opens a door for Boyd. When those higher-end names sit, he has a chance to step in and make a case for himself on a bigger stage.
He also arrived from the Warriors’ Blue team in the California Classic, so he’s still in the early stages of building chemistry with this group. As that comfort grows, the minutes should follow, and Boyd will get more chances to show he belongs at the NBA level.
In Other News...
Tyler Herro Just Reopened Wisconsin's Oldest Recruiting Wound
Tyler Herros latest stop in Milwaukee brought an old Wisconsin recruiting scar back into view. During an NBA Summer League interview in Las Vegas, the former Badgers commit revisited the decision to back away from Wisconsin and head to Kentucky, a move that still sits as one of the programs most frustrating what-ifs. Now with the Bucks after a trade from Miami, Herro was asked about the path that got him here, and the answer only underscored how much his basketball journey has been shaped by choices made years ago.
Herro framed the flip as a business decision, noting that staying with Wisconsin would likely have changed the entire arc of his career and left him in a very different place than the one he occupies now. He also spoke warmly about his relationship with the Heat organization, adding another layer to a story that Badgers fans have never quite stopped revisiting. For Wisconsin, it is a reminder that the recruiting loss was never just about one player leaving the state, but about a door that closed on a version of the future the program still wonders about. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Fans Already See One Big Test For Shawn Eichorst
Shawn Eichorst is back in Madison, and Wisconsin introduced its new athletic director with the kind of familiarity that usually comes from a second act. He already knows the school from his earlier run there, and since then he has built a rsum that includes AD stops at Miami and Nebraska, plus a recent stint as deputy athletic director and COO at Texas. For a department that wants steadiness at the top while keeping support flowing to both football and basketball, the hire brings experience and a built-in sense of what Wisconsin expects.
The first reaction from fans has been less about the press conference and more about the job ahead, especially with football still under the microscope after three straight disappointing seasons. Wisconsin has put more money into the program this offseason, but it is still chasing the financial level of the Big Tens biggest spenders, which makes Eichorsts next moves matter even more. The early debate is not whether he knows the place. It is whether he can make the Badgers look like a program closing the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce West Could Be The Badgers Answer In The Secondary
Bryce Wests arrival gives Wisconsin a different kind of option in the secondary, one that comes with Big Ten pedigree and some real flexibility. The former Ohio State cornerback has already seen the field in multiple games for the Buckeyes, and after entering the transfer portal he heads to Madison with three years of eligibility left and a chance to become part of the Badgers plans for 2026.
What makes West especially intriguing is how the staff expects to use him. Wisconsin sees enough versatility to move him around and keep him on the field depending on the opponent, which matters for a defense that wants more answers in the back end. If West settles in quickly, he could end up being one of the more important additions to the roster before the season even gets here. [Read more 🡒]