Former KU guard Marcus Garrett’s double-double follows his stellar NBA summer debut
Former Kansas combo guard Marcus Garrett is off to a stellar start in his bid to earn a guaranteed NBA contract or two-way deal for the 2021-22 season.
The 22-year-old Garrett, who signed an Exhibit 10 free agent contract with the Miami Heat after being ignored in Thursday’s NBA Draft, scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while playing 28 minutes in the Heat’s 94-87 victory over Golden State in a California Classic NBA summer league game Wednesday night in Sacramento, California.
His double-double followed a pro debut on Tuesday in which he scored 10 point with six steals, three rebounds and two assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Wednesday, Garrett was 3-of-3 shooting and 5-of-7 from the line. He had four steals, giving him 10 thefts in two games. The 6-foot-5 Dallas native also was 7-of-9 shooting combined for the two contests. He did not attempt a three. He also had three assists to one turnover in Wednesday’s contest.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year deal that guarantees the player an invitation to training camp. Exhibit 10 players receive bonuses of up to $50,000 to sign with a team’s G League affiliate if waived. The Heat under terms of the contract would control Garrett’s G League rights.
Garrett averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals as a senior in 2020-21 at KU. He hit 45.9% of his shots and 80.8% of his free throws. He was 23-of-66 from three for 34.8%.
He was college basketball’s Naismith, ESPN and Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year after his junior season at KU (2019-20).
The Heat next will play in the Las Vegas summer league Sunday through Aug. 17 in Nevada.
Newman, Azubuike updates
Former KU guard Malik Newman scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds in the Utah Jazz Blue team’s 78-54 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at the Salt Lake City Summer League. Former KU power forward Udoka Azubuike had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the Utah Jazz White Team’s 94-75 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Azubuike hit all nine of his field goal attempts Wednesday and was 1-of-2 from the line with three blocks in 25 minutes.
Azubuike, 21, averaged 3.8 minutes a game in 15 games for the Utah Jazz in 2020-21 during an injury-plagued rookie season in the NBA. Newman, 24, averaged 14.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds a game in 19 games for Ironi Nahariya of of the Israeli Premier League in 2020-21. He started last season with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of the Turkish Super League where he averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 14 games.
Frank Mason, Mitch Ballock on 76ers’ roster
Former Kansas point guard Frank Mason and former Eudora High School and Creighton combo guard Mitch Ballock will play for the Philadelphia 76ers summer league team, Sunday through Aug. 17 in Las Vegas, the Sixers have announced.
The 6-5, 23-year-old Ballock, who was not selected in Thursday’s NBA Draft, averaged 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists during the 2020-21 season, his senior season at Creighton. He hit 76 of 197 three-pointers for 38.6%.
Mason, 27, was released by the Orlando Magic on Feb. 16 after suffering a groin injury in the first quarter of a game against Golden State.
Mason played four games for Orlando last season and nine for Milwaukee in 2019-20. He played two full seasons for Sacramento after being a second-round pick of the Kings in 2017. Playing for the Wisconsin Herd on a two-way contract with the Bucks, Mason was MVP of the NBA G League in 2019-20.
Mason, a 5-11 native of Petersburg, Virginia, was consensus college basketball player of the year at KU in 2016-17.
Selden, Grimes playing for Knicks
Former KU guard Wayne Selden will join former KU and Houston guard Quentin Grimes on the New York Knicks summer league team in Vegas.
Selden, 26, who has played for NBA teams New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago, last season played for Ironi Ness Ziona B.C. in Israel.
Selden, a 6-5. native of Roxbury, Massachusetts was named Final Four MVP of the 2020-21 FIBA Europe Cup in April. He scored 13 points, dished six assists and grabbed four rebounds in Ironi Ness Ziona’s 82-74 victory over Arged BMSLAM Stal of Poland in the Europe Cup Final Four championship game.
Selden scored 24 points in Ironi Ness Ziona’s 81-80 semifinal victory over BC Parma, a team based in Russia. Selden’s three-point basket with 9.5 seconds left proved the difference in that game.
Selden dedicated the MVP Award to former University of Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke, a 19-year-old Boston native who died April 22 following a car accident in the Los Angeles area.
Selden, who played at KU from 2013 to 2016, was not selected in the 2016 NBA Draft.
The 6-5, 21-year-old Grimes played at KU during the 2018-19 season (8.4 points per game) then transferred to Houston where he played two seasons. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game last season at Houston.
Tarik Black with Nuggets
Former KU power forward Tarik Black will play for the Denver Nuggets summer league team in Vegas.
The 6-9, 250-pound Black, 29, has played for teams in Israel and Russia the past three seasons. Undrafted in 2014 after playing one season at KU, the Memphis native has competed in the NBA for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Tarik Black has been out of the NBA for three years, but he was a solid role player during his five-year run in the league — amassing 220 games played. The undrafted player has spent the last three years in Israel and Russia, playing for two powerhouses in Maccabi Tel Aviv and St. Petersburg,” wrote Alex Labidou of NBA.com.
“Now trying to re-earn a spot back in the NBA, Black will need to prove he is a fit in the modern NBA. The power forward/center is a solid rebounder and an incredibly efficient low post scorer, shooting 65.5% in the Euroleague and 55% in the NBA. However, he’s made 2 of 14 attempts from long range in his career. If he can some range and prove to be an impact player defensively, he could be an intriguing fit for NBA and G League teams. Also at 29, he will likely serve as a veteran presence with this summer league team,” Labidou added.
Also, guard Devon Dotson will be playing for Chicago and forwards Dedric and K.J. Lawson for Boston in Vegas.
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 7:36 AM with the headline "Former KU guard Marcus Garrett’s double-double follows his stellar NBA summer debut."
