Maryland Basketball: Vegas Summer League weekend recap

The Maryland basketball program certainly has quite a few alums playing in the Las Vegas leg of the NBA’s Summer League.

The Terrapins didn’t have a single player selected in last month’s NBA Draft. However, several of Mark Turgeon’s former players have found themselves trying to make a name for themselves in Sin City.

Jake Layman and Diamond Stone both saw limited time on the floor during their rookie seasons. In fact, the D-League saw them quite a bit throughout the 2016-17 campaign.

In addition, Melo Trimble signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after going undrafted.

Let’s a closer look at how each former Terp performed over the weekend when the Vegas portion of the Summer League got underway.

Jake Layman (Portland Trail Blazers)

Layman was one of two Terps selected in the 2016 NBA Draft. The former second round pick appeared in just 35 games last season and averaged 2.2 points.

He also spent a good portion of his time in the D-League, where he averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Windy City Bulls in 23 games.

Layman had a strong performance in Portland’s Vegas Summer League opener against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. He scored 13 points (4-of-8 shooting) and grabbed five rebounds in addition to recording a pair of steals in a 72-63 Trail Blazer victory.

Layman also hit two of his six field goal attempts from beyond the arc, which was one of his strongest attributes during his time in College Park. He also threw down an impressive baseline dunk early in the game off a great feed from former Gonzaga big man Zach Collins.

The former Terp also played in Sunday’s 70-64 loss against the Boston Celtics. Layman attempted a team-high 13 shots, but only connected on one of those for a total of seven points.

He did hit five of his six attempts from the free-throw line.

Layman and the Trail Blazers return to the hardwood on Tuesday when they face the San Antonio Spurs at 4:00 p.m.

Diamond Stone (Atlanta Hawks)

Stone had a similar fate to that of Layman during his rookie season in the NBA. He was the highest Maryland draft pick last summer, but saw the floor even less for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The former five-star recruit also found himself playing in the D-League quite a bit. In 13 games, Stone averaged 16.2 points and grabbed 7.0 rebounds per contest.

Stone saw action for the first time on Sunday in Atlanta’s 84-82 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The former Terp scored 11 points (4-of-6 shooting) and grabbed five rebounds in just 14:52 of playing time.

Stone did a little bit of everything in his first game as a Hawk. He grabbed four of his five rebounds on the offensive glass and even blocked a shot in the contest.

Atlanta defeated the Brooklyn Nets 75-72 on Friday, but Stone didn’t play in that game. The Hawks will face the Chicago Bulls on Monday for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.

Melo Trimble (Philadelphia 76ers)

Trimble has been the face of the Maryland program over the past three seasons. He helped Turgeon put the Terps back on the national map and become a powerhouse in the Big Ten.

However, he’s barely played for the 76ers in both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas legs of the Summer League so far. Trimble played just 10:07 during Philadelphia’s three Salt Lake City games and hasn’t played a single second in Las Vegas.

Trimble appeared in the 76ers’ contest against the Utah Jazz last Wednesday. He scored 3 points (1-of-2 shooting) while securing three rebounds and dishing out two assists.

His lack of playing time in Las Vegas has been extremely surprising over the past two games. That’s because former DeMatha and Washington star Markelle Fultz has been out of action with a sprained ankle.

Next: Melo Trimble has barely seen the floor

Unless Trimble blows up in the coming days, it appears that he’ll be heading overseas pending an NBA organization taking a flier on him.