My Two Cents: Former Hoosier Miller Kopp Has First Breakout Game at NBA Summer League

Former Hoosier Miller Kopp had his first big game of the NBA Summer League on Wednesday, scoring 12 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City's Miller Kopp had 12 points on Wednesday in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. / Tom Brew/Sports Illustrated Indiana

LAS VEGAS, NEV. — It was a fun Wednesday in the desert for several former Indiana basketball players. There was a Miller Kopp sighting, and he had his first big game in the NBA Summer League. Kel'el Ware and Trayce Jackson-Davis were in the news, too.

Let's start with Kopp, who played three years at Indiana from 2020-23, after transferring from Northwestern.

Kopp scored 12 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns. He hit 4-of-9 three-pointers and was part of a Thunder shooting barrage that added up to 20 threes for the game. Phoenix won 100-99 on three David Roddy free throws in the final second.

Kopp, who played for Oklahoma City's G-League team last winter after a brief stint in pro ball in France, was 0-for-5 in his first game here in Las Vegas, and didn't play at all in the Thunder's second game, both losses.

But on Wednesday, OKC coach Daniel Dixon switched things up. Cormac Ryan, Buddy Boeheim and Kopp, all wing shooters with similar skill-sets, all started, and were electric together. They combined for 38 points, making a total of 12 threes on 22 attempts. 

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“They make a lot of shots,” Dixon said of Kopp, Boeheim and Ryan. “I think that’s always a good thing for a team. They each bring something individual. Even though they’re shooters, they all bring something to the table that’s a bit different.” 

The three of them had never played together all summer. Sometimes, there was a pair, but never a trio. The game plan — fire away whenever you're open — worked.

“(Dixon) told us before the game, ‘Be ready, we’re gonna run a lot of stuff for shooters,’” Boeheim said. 

“It’s like, if I miss one, then Miller’s gonna make the next one, Cormac hit two in a row. I think the offense was as good as it’s been tonight, scoring 100 points. Really fun.” 

Miller Kopp pulls up from DOWNTOWN 🎯

PHX-OKC on NBA TV | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/865oCgoIFU

— NBA (@NBA) July 18, 2024

There are a lot of things the Thunder like about Kopp. His G-League experience with them went well, ending in a championship. They like his shooting, of course, but they also liked that he can play multiple positions, sort of like they did Wednesday. There were times the 6-foot-7 forward even played the 5 shot when they spread the floor. He also held his own defensively at several positions, and was very good at being able to switch on screen/rolls.

He will at least get a look at training camp for the up-and-coming Thunder, who were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference this year before losing in the conference semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

After a quiet first few games, it was good to see Kopp out there knocking down shots.

Jackson-Davis' summer is over

Trayce Jackson-Davis has had a busy summer, getting a surprising invite to practice against the U.S. Olympic team before joining the Warriors for three games of Summer League action, including two in Las Vegas. But the Warriors played Game 3 without him on Wednesday, not wanting to risk injury.

He's done a lot of good things, and the Warriors have seen enough.

The two games in Vegas went well, both victories. The Warriors won again on Wednesday, beating Cleveland 96-85. They are 3-0 now, and have a good chance at making the Summer League playoffs.

Ware No. 1 option for unbeaten Heat now

Former Indiana center Kel'el Ware has been turning heads already this summer. He's been playing great for the Miami Heat, and they are also 3-0 here in Las Vegas.

Ware had a game-high 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a 92-79 win over the Dallas Mavericks. With 2023 top-pick Jamie Jaquez Jr. headed back home after two games, Ware was the primarly option on offense, and he delivered. He was 9-for-12 from the field, and made 6-of-9 free throws.

"Kel’el did a heck of a job,” said the Miami Heat Summer League head coach Dan Bisaccio. “We’re continuing to challenge him defensively. He took that challenge, everything at the rim was contested. We want to continue to see that obviously it’s never enough, but we’re really really happy with anchoring our defense.”