STANFORD, Calif. - Samsung NBA Summer League action wrapped up earlier this week and Stanford was well represented with four recent standouts competing in Las Vegas.
Anthony Brown, Stefan Nastic, Dwight Powell and Chasson Randle are chasing their dream of playing at the next level (or in Powell’s case, improving his NBA stock) after all four earned all-conference honors at Stanford.
Even more impressively, the foursome combined for 14 Pac-12 All-Academic honors, five NABC Honors Court accolades, three Master’s degrees and two Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.
Here’s an update of they fared in Summer League play.
Anthony Brown, Los Angeles Lakers
The fourth Cardinal player to be drafted during head coach Johnny Dawkins’ tenure, Brown was taken in the second round last month by the Lakers with the 34th overall pick. His ability to play air-tight defense and consistently knock down perimeter shots (44.5 percent over his final two seasons combined, 40.3 percent overall) will make him a valuable asset in the Association. Brown started three of five Summer League contests, averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds. His minutes increased with each game: 11, 15, 20, 28 and finally 34 against Minnesota in the Lakers’ finale. A career 75.1 percent free throw shooter in college, Brown was 6-6 from the foul line.
Thank you to the @Lakers Organization for the opportunity to play in the summer league! Learned a lot! 💥🌽 SZN pic.twitter.com/zfIPj6Chug
— Anthony Brown (@TwoShotOne) July 20, 2015
Stefan Nastic, Golden State Warriors
Few players in recent memory improved and developed more over the course of their careers than Nastic, who went from shooting 25.0 percent from the field as a redshirt sophomore to emerging as one of the best centers in the country as a senior. Nastic parlayed that success into opportunities with San Antonio (in the Utah Summer League) and Golden State (in the Las Vegas Summer League). After limited time in two games with the Spurs, Nastic started three of the four games he played in with the Warriors. Nastic averaged 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds with Golden State, shooting 50.0 percent (13-26) overall and scoring 14 points in 16 minutes in a game against Sacramento. Nastic impressed NBA scouts and, at minimum, will have comfortable options if he elects to play overseas.
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks
Since being drafted in the second round by Charlotte in 2014, Powell was traded to Cleveland and Boston before finding his current landing spot with Dallas, where he played sparingly this past season averaging 3.4 points in 24 games. After dominating in Las Vegas over the last two weeks, that’s likely to change. In six starts, Powell was one of the Mavericks’ best players, averaging 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent overall and 70.0 percent from the charity stripe. Featuring his trademark dynamic all-around game, Powell has always had the ability to put up numbers across the board. What really impressed front office folks was his passing (2.5 assists per game). Not bad for your 6-11 post.
A photo posted by Dwight Powell (@dwightpowell) on Jul 18, 2015 at 7:43pm PDT
Chasson Randle, Golden State Warriors
An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and Capital One First Team Academic All-American, Randle also wrapped up his career as Stanford’s all-time leading scorer and the third-best scorer in conference history trailing only UCLA’s Don MacLean and Arizona’s Sean Elliott. Those credentials earned him a spot with Golden State in Las Vegas, were he enjoyed some success by averaging 9.5 points through six games off the bench. Randle’s shooting totals in Summer League play (35.8 percent overall, 32.1 percent from three-point range) were below his career averages but he still found an ability to score when needed. Randle recently signed a contract to play with CEZ Nymburk (NBL) in the Czech Republic and will report to the organization in September.
Thank you to the @warriors. Management, coaches, trainers and staff for the opportunity to play this summer! Loved it!
— Chasson Randle (@ChassonRandle) July 19, 2015