UCLA Basketball: Taking Stock Of All 9 Former Bruins In NBA Summer League
Many fans will always remember when some of the best players to ever suit for the UCLA Bruins first announced their commitments to the University and how special those moments felt. To see a number of those guys now playing in the NBA summer league and being one step closer to their biggest makes it feel like everything has come full circle and even though they are no longer a part of UCLA's roster, they will always be supported by the community.
And there is no better player to start off with than Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaquez gave the NBA world a great welcome with his 22-point debut in the California Classic capped off by a big dunk over Colin Castleton. He has looked very comfortable within the offense and standing at 6'7, any team would have been happy to have him a part of their squad. However, Miami is not going to need him on their main roster any time soon and assuming he isn't packaged up in a Damian Lillard trade in the near future, he'll be a building block for their future.
Next up, I want to focus on two guys that had a lot of buzz coming out of high school and had some great moments during their time as Bruins in Johnny Juzang and Amari Bailey. Juzang is nicknamed 'Silky' for a reason as when he really gets going, he moves and scores in a very smooth manners. He was able to average 19 points last season in the G-League and he's now been a nice bench option for the Jazz this summer... maybe Utah will utilize him more in their second group this year. And Bailey is joining a Hornets squad that already plays scrappy and has a number of recent first-round picks on their team. He's been out of control at times this summer but his aggression is something to love.
Jules Bernard has a microwave style of play and seeing that he is with the Washington Wizards right now, they have an eye for talent and will hold onto him as long as he continues showing signs of improvement. Tyger Campbell signed a contract with the Orlando Magic after the NBA Draft concluded with him not getting selected and did not see court time in their single summer league game so far. However, look out out for him to take control of the offense and pick and roll actions when he does get in the game.
Peyton Watson's game has always reminded me a lot of Jerami Grant seeing how he's a lengthy wing that impacts the game on both sides and seeing that he is with the Denver Nuggets, I hope they don't lose him like they did with Grant in the past. And we all know Moses Brown's potential as a big man by now and even though the Toronto Raptors are undergoing some changes right now, he should still be a key part of their future.
Jaylen Clark (Minnesota Timberwolves), and David Singleton (Atlanta Hawks) are the other two recent Bruins hoping to carve out a place for themselves in Summer League this year.
Keep an eye out for all of these names moving forward!
