NBA Summer League 2014: DeAndre Kane shines in Lakers finale, Tyrus McGee’s surprise return

facebooktwitterreddit

A couple of former Iowa State players shined in the summer league during consolation night, and it included a surprise performance from a guy that didn’t receive much playing time.

More from Iowa State Cyclones

First, DeAndre Kane received a ton of playing time in an 83-77 Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Denver Nuggets. Kane finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and a team-high 3 assists on an incredible night shooting the ball. He was efficient going 5-of-9 from the field, except from the perimeter (1-of-4), and also went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.

Kane ended the summer league with his best game, and unless Melvin Ejim comes up with some solid performances down the stretch in the playoffs with the San Antonio Spurs, he’s probably had the best showing of any former Cyclone in the event.

Now the question will be if he’ll actually score a job with the Lakers. It’s really slim, especially with the acquisition of Jeremy Lin. If Steve Nash returns, they really don’t need another point guard, and their roster is finally starting to get full with recent signings with Wesley Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and others. That doesn’t mean other teams won’t look at his tape, and there’s a lot of promise here.

Kane – 27:43 PT, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists (team-high); Brackins – 15:50 PT, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals McGee – 11:37 PT, 9 points, 2-6 3PG; Clyburn – 15:58 PT, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2-8 FGs

Earlier in the day, Tyrus McGee came out of nowhere to play in Golden State’s final game. Despite tweets that looked like he played his last game with the Warriors after the first summer league game, he returned after missing the last four games. He clocked 11:37 of action, hit two 3-pointers, and finished with 9 points.

  • Will Clyburn had another rough night shooting the ball, going 2-for-8 from the field, missing all three 3-pointers, both free throws, and finishing with just four points in nearly 16 minutes of action.
  • Craig Brackins also had a great finish to his summer league. Like Kane, he also went 5-of-9 from the field (1-of-3 from downtown) and finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Ejim is the lone soldier left as far as former Cyclones in the NBA Summer League. He will play in the final quarterfinal game on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards. Tip-off is slated for 9:00 PM Central time.

Should he advance, he will play in the second semifinal game on Sunday at 7:00 PM. The final is Monday night at 8:00 PM. All games will be televised on NBATV and replays are available on-demand through ESPN3.