👀 OTE Players In Summer League

We're just a week into NBA Summer League, and all five of our OTE alumni have already started to make a name for themselves at the next level. Amen and Ausar have lived up to their draft night hype, and two-way players such as Jaylen Martin, JayGort and Dom Barlow are making a push for a permanent roster spot. Let's catch up, we've got you covered 🏀 (4 min read)

Author

Justin Schnell
July 11, 2023

PlayerPhoto by Candice Ward/Getty Images

OTE x Summer League

We’re just a week into Summer League and already we’ve seen how our OTE alumni hold up against the best NBA sophomores, rookies, G League and International players. With five players taking the court, our presence has definitely been felt. Let’s take a look at how each of our guys have done in their first week in the pros 👇

📍 Amen Thompson, Rockets

Amen’s Rockets debut was a thing of beauty, as he fits perfectly with their young core as both a ball handler and an intense defender. While he suffered an injury at the end of the first game and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the summer, he his potential didn’t go unnoticed

He did a little bit of everything in his debut, filling the stat sheet in basically every category. A full summer of work will do wonder’s for Amen, as we expect a big rookie year from our first Top-5 pick

Unfortunately, Amen was ruled out against the Pistons and his brother Ausar Thompson, but that didn’t stop him from dropping a line that almost broke the internet

📍 Ausar Thompson, Pistons

Ausar has also turned heads in his two Summer League games with Detroit…his transition game is absolutely lethal

Ausar brings a focus and championship mentality to a Pistons team, who like the Rockets, have a young core ready to take the next step

Ausar’s feel for the game is way beyond his age, and he’s hard to miss when he’s on the court. JJ Redick sees what we see, and sooner or later the narrative on Ausar will go from “potential” to an elite two-way NBA player

If we made highlight reel of just defensive plays, it would be enough to see just how good Ausar can be at the next level

📍 Jaylen Martin, Knicks

One of the best shooters at OTE this past season, Jaylen Martin signed a two-way contract with the Knicks after draft night. Martin is a high-IQ hooper and has shown a maturity and work ethic that has caught the eyes of New York’s coaching staff

In Sunday’s Summer League game vs. the Nets, Martin led the Knicks in minutes played (34), and isn’t afraid to attack defenders to ultimately get to his spot

His best play came against the Sixers, where he rejected a screen and finished with some authority (watch here). And on Sunday, Martin finished with 15 points and the best +/- of all Knicks’ starters

📍 Jazian Gortman, Bucks

JayGort brings an energy to the game that all teams look for, especially contenders like the Milwaukee Bucks

In limited playing time, Gortman is still finding ways to impact the game. If his minutes increase, expect an even bigger stat line than his Summer League debut

📍 Dominick Barlow, Spurs

OTE’s lone NBA sophomore, Dom Barlow continues to improve and is pushing for a larger role on the Spurs. Largely overshadowed by Victor Wembanyama’s 27-point out, Barlow started and finished with 17 pts, 6 rbs and a +/- of +4 in 31 minutes of action, the best for any Spurs’ players

Dom’s size and athleticism provide huge defensive upside, especially when paired with Wemby’s length. The Spurs are known for their player development, and Dom’s play in year 2 shows why

A lot of Summer League left, we’ll keep you updated on how all of our alumni are playing. And keep an eye out for OTE year 3 roster updates coming soon

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