Knox and Gilgeous-Alexander among Summer League Day 3 standouts
The third day of the NBA Summer League saw several standout performances by former Kentucky Wildcats.
Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like lottery picks, and like the engines that powered the Cats in critical situations last season.
Isaiah Briscoe and Wenyen Gabriel looked their blue-collar best and made the case they are worth keeping around for the pre-season this fall.
Malik Monk missed the Hornets showdown with the Miami Heat due to a broken thumb, which will sideline him for the rest of the competition.
The Heat chose to rest Bam Adebayo.
The Portland Trail Blazers kept Archie Goodwin off the court as well.
Kevin Knox
The former UK forward is on a mission to turn the jeers he heard on draft night into cheers. Knox came within a point of turning in a consecutive 20 point night, scoring 19 on 5-of-15 shooting, including two 3's, grabbing five rebounds coupled with a pair of assists and steals.
While his shooting is still not as efficient as basketball purists may like, Knox's willingness to stay aggressive and get to the foul line is the essence of the modern offensive game in the NBA and will serve him well in the Big Apple.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA showed Clippers' rooters the form that made him the bane of Kentucky's SEC foes down the stretch in conference play. The crafty Canadian scored 21 points and shot 50 percent from the field in LA's win over the Sacramento Kings. He also hauled in eight rebounds and stole the ball three times.
Gilgeous-Alexander did not play poorly in his debut, but his performance in game two better hinted at the depth of his talent and skill set.
Isaiah Briscoe
The scrappy New Yorker again showed his willingness to get down and dirty for the Orlando Magic in their lopsided triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies. Briscoe played suffocating defense and impacted several categories of the stat sheet. He finished with four rebounds, three assists, and a single steal.
Briscoe's toughness is well documented, as is his poor shooting. Against the Grizzlies, he went 3-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 at the line. Good but not great, but efficient enough to hide his deficiencies.
Wenyen Gabriel
Gabriel gave the Sacramento Kings 19 quality minutes off of the pine. He pulled down ten rebounds and scored eight points.
Wenyen is at his best putting in workman-like efforts, which is a need at any level of basketball. Another game or two like this, one can assume he might earn an invitation to training camp.
Aaron Harrison
The former ace UK two-guard did not net a single point for the Washington Wizards, going 0-for-5 in 16 minutes of play.
Marquis Teague
Teague scored four points for the Toronto Raptors. In 13 minutes of action, he added an assist and an offensive rebound to his statistical haul.