Big Ten Roundup (July 7): Keegan Murray, Malaki Branham Show Out at NBA Summer League

The Big Ten took over the first week of NBA Summer League action, as Keegan Murray, Malaki Branham and Max Christie all had major scoring performances, while Rutgers' Caleb McConnell impressed with his defense.

Iowa's Keegan Murray, Michigan State's Max Christie, Ohio State's Malaki Branham and Rutgers' Caleb McConnell all impressed at the California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer League this past week. 

Murray exploded for 41 points for the hosting Sacramento Kings, while Branham and Christie scored 32 and 25 points, respectively, in the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers on July 5. Caleb McConnell finally saw significant playing time for the Oklahoma City Thunder in their 100-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Utah. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup

Keegan Murray Summer League-Best Performance

The phrase "too good for NBA Summer League" gets thrown around a lot during the opening week of action in July. It's used to described second-year players who had successful rookie campaigns in the NBA, yet for some reason have been flown out to Sacramento, Salt Lake City or Las Vegas to beat up on rookie-filled squads that stand little chance against a professional athlete.

First, Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams got the label, and now it might be used for Sacramento's Keegan Murray. The former Iowa Hawkeye posted a ridiculous 41 points while shooting 6-for-11 from three and 11-for-20 from the field overall in the Kings' 95-83 win over the Miami Heat. 

Keegan Murray’s off the bounce game has made strides since the end of his rookie season with the Kings. Hit some tough shots + attacked the hoop (13/15 FT) on the way to 41 PTS (11/20 FG) in a win. 4 BLKS too. Ready for more responsibility in his second year in Sacramento pic.twitter.com/9o94OGgomB

— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) July 6, 2023

Murray's 41 points is the most that any player has scored in any of the 12 summer league games played so far.

With this level of dominance from the second-year wing out of Iowa, don't be surprised if Sacramento holds him out of play in Las Vegas next week, as Murray has already proved he's a head above the competition he's gone up against.

Branham and Christie Star in Lakers-Spurs Game 

Malaki Branham and Max Christie have important second seasons on the horizon in the NBA, as both will be tasked to fill the gaps around more prominent stars on their respective teams. 

Branham will be asked to be a pick-and-roll partner with No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyana, while also supporting young, talented wings in Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. Christie, meanwhile, will be tasked with stepping into a bigger role alongside the conference finalist Lakers, led by NBA superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Wednesday's game between the two squads showed that the Ohio State and Michigan State products should be up to the task, as Branham and Christie's 32 and 25 points were the best outings for each of their teams, respectively. 

Branham showed great control and pace as a pick-and-roll operator, much like he did at Ohio State, consistently getting to his strong right hand and putting his defender in jail behind him to make a myriad of floaters and mid-range jumpers. 

Christie excelled from behind the arc, shooting 4-for-5 from three, and finished well around the rim on an efficient scoring night. The Lakers are hoping the 20 year-old out of East Lansing can provided needed off-ball juice and a decisive verve to the offense as they hope to make another deep playoff run in 2024. 

Caleb McConnell Impressive for OKC Thunder

The two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year never projected as a surefire bet to make it at the next level, but McConnell made his case with a couple of impressive plays. 

In just 14 minutes of action, the Rutgers' wing stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, four assists, four rebounds, three steals and a plus-eight plus/minus.

McConnell's highlight of the night was a scoop-and-score midway through the second quarter, which ended with him taking it coast-to-coast and finishing with a bizarre running hook shot over an outstretched defender's hand. 

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