Dyson Daniels and Duop Reath deliver on the NBA Summer League stage ahead of Boomers’ World Cup campaign
The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is loaded with Australian and NBL talent – and two Boomers World Cup hopefuls put on a show on Monday.
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Rising Boomers guard Dyson Daniels is primed to take his game to Josh Giddey levels after dropping a masterful double-double for the New Orleans Pelicans at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Daniels’ dominance is perfect timing for the Australian national team ahead of this year’s World Cup.
The Bendigo-born guard, who is heading into his second NBA season at the Pelicans, looked a class above as he stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, two blocks and two steals in a win over Golden State.
He was just two assists shy of becoming only the third player in Summer League history to record a triple-double.
😤 @DysonDaniels filled it up in his first #NBA2KSummerLeague outing! @PelicansNBA
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) July 7, 2023
📊 18 PTS | 5 REB | 3 AST | 4 STL | 1 BLK pic.twitter.com/xReM2z5bin
Daniels is hoping to earn a spot in Australia’s final 12-man World Cup squad ahead of veterans like Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding.
If his current form is any indication, he is a must-selection for the Boomers.
The Australians have captain Patty Mills and young gun Josh Giddey as locks in the backcourt, so it will be fascinating to see which other guards coach Brian Goorjian opts to select for the crucial Cup campaign.
It’s unknown how many minutes Daniels will receive for New Orleans at the Summer League moving forward, but he has indicated he is keen to play as much basketball as possible leading into Australia’s pre-tournament in Cairns from July 31.
REATH TAKES ON WEMBY AND KNOCKS DOWN BOOMERS DOOR:
Boomers big man Duop Reath faced an enormous task taking on No.1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, but he impressed with a powerful display.
Reath didn’t look out of place in his one-on-one battle in the paint against Wembanyama, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds.
San Antonio’s prized French draft pick produced his finest performance at the Summer League, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Reath couldn’t contain Wembanyama, but the former Illawarra Hawk proved he is on track to secure a big man World Cup roster position for Australia alongside recently signed Houston Rocket, Jock Landale.
Reath only played garbage minutes at the Tokyo Olympics, but he should play a much bigger role for the Boomers at the World Cup this August and September.
The South Sudanese big is coming off a successful season with Al Riyadi Club Beirut, where he went on to claim the Lebanese championship.
Reath averaged 21.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in Lebanon while shooting an impressive 76.2 per cent from the field.
It’s the type of form that could prove crucial for the Boomers at the World Cup, especially with veteran big man Aron Baynes not selected in the squad.
In other news, Sydney Kings bound forward DJ Hogg won his personal battle over Melbourne United’s Luke Travers.
Hogg had 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks for the Toronto Raptors, but he failed to get the win over Travers’ Cleveland side.
The ex-Wildcat who has signed with United had just three points and three rebounds.
Perth import Brady Manek stood out, with 10 points, six rebounds, one assist and two blocks for Atlanta against Denver.
Reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks didn’t play in Washington’s win over Boston while fellow ex-King DJ Vasiljevic also remained on the bench in the Wizards’ victory.
20 NBL connections driving NBA Summer League invasion
Sin City will be transformed into ‘Little Australia’ for this year’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, with a cast of Aussies and NBL stars competing in a bid to secure a contract in the world’s best competition.
The NBL’s position as arguably the NBA’s best breeding ground looks stronger than ever, based on this season’s Summer League representation.
A record 20 current and former NBL players have been named to play in the annual pre-season tournament.
Add in over a dozen coaches and officials, and Australia’s profound influence on the NBA via the NBL can’t be denied.
The NBA Summer League has also served as a launch pad for countless NBL players to secure deals.
Boomers and former Melbourne United forward Jack White penned a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets after excelling at the Summer League for the Nuggets last season.
White went on to win an NBA championship as part of the Nuggets’ squad before recently being traded to the OKC Thunder to link up with fellow Australians Josh Giddey and Patty Mills.
The 2023 edition of the NBA Summer League looks set provide more opportunities for NBL players to showcase their skills on a global stage.
Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie will link with the New York Knicks as a guest coach on top of keeping one eye on talent for the Wildcats.
Rillie, a Boomers assistant, has attended two Summer League tournaments and always relishes the chance to rub shoulders with the most influential people in world hoops.
“Every man and is dog involved in basketball comes to Vegas,” said Rillie, one of three NBL coaches who will join NBA teams as guest coaches.
“The more times you get to catch up and meet with people, whether it is agents, officials or players, it’s all about the relationship and the trust level goes up a little bit more each time.
“The obvious benefit and getting to watch some players live compared to just on film, which from a coaching standpoint is a whole lot easier.”
Rillie has seen first-hand the benefits an NBA Summer League stint can have on a player via Luke Travers at Perth last season.
Travers joined the Cleveland Cavaliers at last year’s tournament and averaged 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in five games before returning to the Wildcats for NBL23.
Rillie expects more Australians and NBL players to be in contention for NBA deals this year.
“It’s also some of the imports that have come to the NBL and been able to make their path back to the NBA,” he said.
“It (the tournament) is certainly a great opportunity for players looking to test themselves in the Summer League.
“Last year Jack White was a great example and now he has gone on to bigger and better things.
“Jack has really used the most of his opportunity. We’ve also seen the likes of Jarrell Brantley (Utah) and Xavier Cooks (Washington) going back to the NBA after the NBL season.
“The opportunities that players are getting now out of the NBL is fantastic.”
Rillie confirmed Perth has two roster spots available and they are likely to target two imports in the three and the four positions.
The Wildcats are desperate to lock in strong talent to atone last season’s subpar sixth-place finish.
Sydney, South East Melbourne, Illawarra and New Zealand will also have representatives at the Summer League as they look to complete their rosters.
Rillie is focused on the present as he embarks on another NBA Summer League stint, but he believes it’s paramount everyone in the NBL acknowledges the past pioneers who have paved the way for the league’s current global success.
“I think sometimes what gets lost is the people before us that made this happen, on this scale,” he said.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the success of the NBL and what it is doing for a lot of people’s lives, but we have to remember and pay tribute to the people that made this happen for the sport in Australia and now worldwide.”
All 30 NBA teams will be in Las Vegas from July 8 to July 18 at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. Each team will play a total of five games with the top two teams from their first four games playing in a Championship Game.
NBA Summer League games will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo.
Originally published as Dyson Daniels and Duop Reath deliver on the NBA Summer League stage ahead of Boomers’ World Cup campaign
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