NBA Summer League 2017: How did Maryland basketball alums do in Vegas?

The 2017 edition of NBA Summer League wrapped up Monday night, with former Terp Jake Layman taking part in the Vegas Championship. His Portland Trail Blazers fell short 110-98 against the Lakers, sans Lonzo Ball, with Kyle Kuzma as game MVP.

For his part, Layman scored 21 points in the championship game, going 8-of-19 from the field and hitting 5 of 8 threes. He also added seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in a failed comeback effort.

The rest of the former Maryland basketball family all had solid runs in Vegas, though in varying sample sizes. Robert Carter Jr. had a solid week with the Denver Nuggets, but probably won’t land there. On the other hand, Diamond Stone looks to be enjoying his new team, but had an up-and-down experience with the Hawks. It took a while for Melo Trimble to get some Vegas burn, and he made the most of his limited opportunity with the Sixers

Jake Layman (Portland Trail Blazers)

Vegas Stats: (8 games) 13.8 ppg, 33.9% FG (37-of-109), 4.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.6 bpg in 28.4 min.
Status on team: Guaranteed contract

Analysis: Layman was clearly the best Terp in the Vegas Summer League, helping lead the Blazers to the finals alongside former Big Ten foe Caleb Swanigan. Layman averaged 17.4 points across five playoff games, elevating his play in the single-elimination round. He’s working for increased playing time in his second season, but he’ll still have to get his shooting percentages up before he earns consistent burn in Portland. However, Layman looks confident and figures to give the Blazers another slashing wing off the bench.

Robert Carter Jr. (Denver Nuggets)

Vegas Stats: (6 games) 11.3 ppg, 49.1% FG (26-of-53), 5.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg in 19.5 mpg.
Status on team: He’ll end up in someone’s training camp

Analysis: Carter was the top Terp from the first weekend, and stayed consistent throughout the week. Unfortunately, roster redundancies will likely keep him out of Denver come regular season, but his summer league run should have put him back on the map of NBA GMs. Carter could get a call from the Nuggets if the team clears its logjam of forwards ahead of the season, but he’ll likely wear another name on his jersey come camp time.

Diamond Stone (Atlanta Hawks)

Vegas Stats: (4 games) 9.0 ppg, 53.6% FG (15-of-28), 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg in 15.0 mpg.
Status on team: Guaranteed contract

Analysis: Stone only played one game over the weekend, and his next three contests defined "up-and-down.” He sandwiched a one-point outing between two 12-point games, though his rebounding peaked with six last Monday. Atlanta is looking like a nice landing spot for Stone, who should be able to grow along with the Hawks new, young core. Luckily, he’ll already have chemistry with some of his new teammates.

Melo Trimble (Philadelphia 76ers)

Vegas Stats: (3 games) 10.3 ppg, 60% FG (12-of-20), 0.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.3 spg in 13.7 mpg.
Status on team: He made a case

Analysis: Trimble did not see the court in Vegas until last Tuesday, but used his time on the court to make an impression. He finished his Sin City debut with 13 points, going 3-of-5 from deep. Trimble needed a big game to get noticed, and delivered. He followed up with just two points the following night, but ended his Vegas showings with a 16-point effort, attempting to assuage doubts about his shooting by going 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from three. Trimble saved his best game for last, and he’ll have to hope it was enough to get some calls come fall for training camp.