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Maryland Basketball: NBA Summer League roundup

By Chris Bengel

Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Diamond Stone (33) shoots as Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) defends during the second half at Xfinity Center. Wisconsin Badgers defeated Maryland Terrapins 70-57. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Diamond Stone (33) shoots as Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) defends during the second half at Xfinity Center. Wisconsin Badgers defeated Maryland Terrapins 70-57. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Maryland has quite a few former players lacing up their shoes in the NBA Summer League.

The Terrapins saw two players from last season’s Sweet 16 team selected in the 2016 NBA Draft. Diamond Stone was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 40, but was eventually shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jake Layman went just seven picks later to the Orlando Magic, but much like Stone, he was quickly moved as the Massachusetts native ended up with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Forward Robert Carter wasn’t drafted, but signed with the Golden State Warriors and is currently playing for their Summer League squad in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, former Maryland guards Rasheed Sulaimon and Dez Wells are currently playing for the Chicago Bulls.

Last but not least, forward Evan Smotrycz is suiting up for the Toronto Raptors.

Stone showing flashes

Stone was pegged as a lottery pick before ever stepping on a college basketball court.

That was certainly a reason for that and the former Terrapin showed off why during the Orlando Summer League. Over the five games, Stone averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 52.3 percent from the field.

Stone’s best outing came on July 5 when he scored 20 points (10-of-15) and grabbed seven rebounds against the New York Knicks. He turned in another strong performance against on July 8 when he scored 15 points and pulled in seven rebounds once again.

Stone showcased his ability to run the floor as well as his post-up game.

Layman posterizes a first round pick

It was clear on draft night that the Portland Trail Blazers believed in Layman.

While his numbers haven’t been eye popping early on in Summer League play, Layman has showed just how athletic he is. The former Terp made a huge statement on Saturday evening against the Phoenix Suns when he dunked the basketball over Phoenix Suns first round pick Marquese Chriss.

In two games during the Las Vegas portion of Summer League play, Layman has averaged 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds coming off the bench for the Trail Blazers. He’s only hit three of his 12 field goal attempts, but did knock down a three against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening.

Layman could see playing time as a rookie behind Al-Farouq Aminu if Maurice Harkless doesn’t re-sign with Portland.

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    • Carter struggles in debut

    It came as a big surprise to many when Carter announced his intentions to sign with an agent and enter the 2016 NBA Draft.

    After going undrafted, Carter faces an uphill climb to crack an NBA roster. Things didn’t exactly get off to a great start for Carter in his Summer League debut.

    In Golden State’s Summer League opener on Saturday, Carter scored just four points (1-of-6) and grabbed two rebounds in just over nine minutes of playing time. He came off the bench for the Warriors and wasn’t really able to ever find his rhythm.

    Despite the dismal debut, the Warriors didn’t get a ton of high-level production aside from Keifer Sykes and Patrick McCaw as they were the only two in double figures. Carter has a chance to right the ship when Golden State returns to action on Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

    The single-digit blues

    Much like Carter, guys like Smotrycz, Sulaimon, and Wells are going to have to have impressive summers in order to get noticed by NBA teams.

    Wells is the most likely to latch on with a team as he has started the first two games for the Bulls. However, it hasn’t exactly gone too well.

    Wells has only four points on 2-of-11 shooting despite at least 19 minutes per contest against the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Chicago invited the former Maryland standout to join their Summer League squad after spending some time in the D-League last season.

    Sulaimon hasn’t had much luck either. In two games, he has scored eight points (2-of-9) and grabbed three rebounds for the Bulls.

    Both of Sulaimon’s field goals have come from beyond the arc against the 76ers.

    Both Sulaimon and Wells are getting decent minutes, but that’s not the case for Smotrycz with the Raptors.

    The former Maryland forward has played in just one of Toronto’s two Summer League games. Against the Sacramento Kings, Smotrycz scored four points (1-of-4) and grabbed a rebounds in just over eight minutes.

    Next: Greivis Vasquez to sign with Nets

    Smotrycz was the longest shot of any of the former Terps to make any noise in Summer League play, but without even appearing in every contest, it’s hard to get noticed.