Former Gonzaga star Julian Strawther off to hot start in NBA Summer League

Strawther is one of the leading scorers in the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League

Mar 23, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther (3) arrives at Moda Center to play Portland Trail Blazers. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports / Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Julian Strawther fielded questions from reporters after Sunday’s narrow loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League with a giant bag of ice wrapped around his right ankle.

The former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout said he rolled it during the Denver Nuggets’ training camp last week. But based on the results from his first two summer league games, no one would have guessed he was in pain.

Strawther spent the first 72 hours in Vegas - his hometown - stating his case for a prominent role in Denver’s rotation in 2024-25. The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter dropped 25 points and grabbed five rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer league opener Friday. Strawther shot 7-of-19 from the field and made three 3-pointers in 33 minutes as the team’s starting point guard, a position he’s been asked to adjust to temporarily for the summer.

Strawther’s ability to get downhill off screens and get into the lane opened up a lot of opportunities. He showed a particularly strong connection with undrafted rookie P.J. Hall out of Clemson in the pick-and-roll game, while former Creighton standout and undrafted rookie Trey Alexander complemented Strawther’s game in the backcourt as a dynamic and speedy guard.

A hot night from downtown led to a 32-point outing from Strawther against the Toronto Raptors Sunday night, as he drilled six triples and dished out five assists in a narrow 84-81 loss at the Cox Pavilion. He missed what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation. Eighteen of those points came in the second half, though a 10-0 run by the Raptors late in the third quarter shifted the momentum and the Nuggets never recovered despite Strawther's efforts.

Strawther got going early with a pair of 3-pointers that put Denver ahead 10-2. He told NBA TV he wanted to assert himself in the second quarter, to which he scored eight points while being hounded defensively by Omari Moore on the perimeter.

Julian Strawther had the hot hand scoring 32 PTS and knocking down 6 3-pointers in #NBA2KSummerLeague action! pic.twitter.com/4ILtVv1D1m

— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2024

Through two summer league games Strawther’s shotmaking and improvements as three-level scorer make him a prime candidate to fill Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's role in Denver’s rotation. The Nuggets are in need of offensive creativity outside of their two-man game between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Strawther has given glimpses of what he can do as the No. 1 scoring option in summer league, similar to a year ago when he averaged 18.2 points in Vegas.

Strawther has taken it to another level this time around, as he’s tied for second in summer league scoring at 28.5 points per game. Whether it’s looping off screens for outside jumpers or drives to the rim through contact, Strawther has shown more poise and confidence than he did as a rookie fresh out of Gonzaga. He showed flashes of what he could do in a sporadic role in 2023-24, as he battled a midseason injury and the Nuggets had players ahead of him in the lineup.

Much like he did when he first arrived in Spokane, Strawther waited in the wings and soaked in what knowledge he could absorb from the veterans. With a full year under his belt, Strawther has made his case to be a staple in Michael Malone’s regular rotation for next season.