Memphis Grizzlies forward Kenneth Lofton among undrafted players shining in summer league

Posted

Memphis Grizzlies forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. is among several undrafted players making an impact in the Las Vegas summer league.

The former Louisiana Tech standout who was not selected in 2022 is averaging 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in three games while shooting 58% from the field.

Lofton uses his 6-foot-6, 275-pound frame to seemingly score at will. He was the G-League Rookie of the Year for the Memphis Hustle last season and later got his two-way contract converted into a regular deal. He took advantage of a call-up to the Grizzlies and had 42 points and 14 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the team's regular-season finale.

In Las Vegas, he scored 23 points against the Chicago Bulls in the Grizzlies’ opener on July 8 and had 24 points and 10 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Other undrafted players who have stood out:

— Golden State guard Lester Quinones, undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, is the No. 3 scorer in Las Vegas with 24 points per game.

— Chicago guard Javon Freeman-Liberty, undrafted out of DePaul in 2022, is averaging 21.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

— Minnesota guard Brandon Williams, who played college ball at Arizona and went undrafted in 2021, is averaging 21.3 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 54% from the field. He played for the G-League’s College Park Skyhawks last season.

— Portland guard Michael Devoe, undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2022, scored 29 points to help the Trail Blazers defeat the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. He is averaging 20.5 points and six assists per game while shooting 58% from the field.

— Los Angeles Clippers guard Xavier Moon, undrafted out of Morehead State in 2017, is averaging 20 points and shooting 61% from 3-point range on 4.7 attempts per game.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Members and subscribers make this story possible.
You can help support non-partisan, community journalism.

x
X