The 2022 NBA draft has come and gone, and attention has now turned to the summer league as NBA hopefuls will attempt to prove themselves ahead of opening night in a few months.
Four former Gonzaga Bulldogs are set as of now to participate in the summer league, although more could be added or removed from rosters as the games take place.
Jalen Suggs, Killian Tillie, and Corey Kispert all could have been asked to participate in the league, but none of the three are currently listed on rosters. Suggs and Kispert don’t need to prove themselves after strong rookie seasons, and Tillie turned a two-way contract into a legitimate NBA deal last season – so it isn’t too surprising to not see these guys taking part in the action.
Here is a look at the four Zags who will be participating, and which teams they will be attempting to crack the roster for:
Chet Holmgren – Oklahoma City Thunder
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Holmgren will get a chance to play alongside Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams to see how he pairs with potential building blocks for a promising future for the Thunder.
I wouldn’t expect to see a ton of big minutes from the unicorn, however, as most teams try to protect their draft prizes so they are fresh for the actual season starting in October.
Andrew Nembhard – Indiana Pacers
Nembhard’s path to playing time in Indiana looks a lot smoother following the Malcolm Brogdon trade, but a strong performance in the summer league will only help his case even more to be a rotation piece for coach Rick Carlisle right away.
Joel Ayayi – Atlanta Hawks
Ayayi appeared in seven games for Washington last season, doing most of his damage with the Capital City Go-Go in the G-League where he averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in 29 games played.
Now he’ll look to make an impression during the summer league with Atlanta. He struggled in the summer league last year thanks in part to the chaotic, one-on-one nature of the games, but he’ll need to show out this year to find his way onto an NBA roster to begin the season.
Filip Petrusev – Philadelphia 76ers
After two excellent seasons with the Bulldogs, Petrusev returned to Serbia and dominated for Mega Bemax, helping him get selected No. 50 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. He stayed overseas and had a good (but not great) season in Turkey, and now will hope to do enough during summer league to stick here in the states.
Andy hosts the Locked on Zags and Locked on College Basketball podcasts, and serves Locked On in a marketing/digital content creator role as well. He lives just outside Portland with his wife Jenna and dog, Tillie.