Three Grizzlies takeaways from Summer League: Cameron Boozer's eight-game run, Cedric Coward's scoring surge and Javon Small's open audition.
The Memphis Grizzlies went 4-2 in Las Vegas and lost the Summer League championship 94-90 to Golden State on July 19 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Memphis led by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter. Yaxel Lendeborg, Summer League MVP, scored 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists for Golden State.
Here are three Grizzlies takeaways from Summer League.
3. Javon Small Has A Real Path To Backup Point Guard Minutes
Javon Small averaged 9.7 points as a rookie last season. He had 15 points and 3 assists in the Vegas opener, then 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists with 2 blocks on 7-of-12 shooting in the 106-85 win over Golden State on July 14. He added 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in the semifinal and 16 off the bench in the title game.
The guard depth chart he's auditioning for differs from the one he originally joined. In late June, Ja Morant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Santi Aldama went to the Dallas Mavericks on July 1 for AJ Johnson, a protected 2030 first-round pick, and two future second-round picks. Isaiah Stewart came over from Detroit in the six-team trade Memphis announced July 8. Golden State declined to match the three-year, $30 million offer sheet the Grizzlies signed Quinten Post to.
Taylor Hendricks, who averaged 10.6 points after being traded to Memphis last season, had 13 points and 6 rebounds against Golden State on July 14 and 13 points and 5 rebounds in the final. Olivier-Maxence Prosper, entering his fourth NBA season, averaged 10.0 points in his first year with the Grizzlies and scored 17 against Oklahoma City in Salt Lake City and 13 in the Vegas opener. First-round pick Karim López was on the Summer League roster. Second-round pick Richie Saunders was not, as he recovers from a torn ACL.
2. Cedric Coward Is Ready For A Sophomore Leap
Cedric Coward was named to the All-Rookie First Team in May but still participated in events in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Last season, he played 62 games, starting 47, and averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He shot 47.1% from the field, 33.8% from three, and 84.3% from the free-throw line. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Memphis traded up for him with the 11th overall pick in 2025.
In the Vegas opener, he scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists on 5-of-12 shooting. During his first three games in Vegas, he averaged 14.7 points, with a top performance of 23 points against Atlanta. Two days later, he added 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the 101-90 semifinal win over Houston, finishing as the top scorer. He ended the tournament with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the final.
Coward was asked about the Rockets after the semifinal.
"They made it really, really competitive. That's a good team," Coward said. "They're physical, just like us. They got guys that talk and walk, just like us."
A 22-year-old, recently honored with All-Rookie First Team, had every reason to skip July but chose to start training camp alongside the rookie the franchise is developing around.
1. Cameron Boozer Shows Future Star-Level Feel As A Rookie
Cameron Boozer played eight Summer League games in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, missing one in Utah but participating in all six in Vegas, including back-to-back games. He averaged 18.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, with 49.0% shooting from the field and 40.6% from three.
The third overall pick out of Duke opened Vegas with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 97-96 win over Chicago on July 10, the night Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson scored 35 in his debut. Against Atlanta on July 16, Boozer shot 10-of-13 for 24 points and 7 rebounds in a 96-64 win that clinched the No. 2 seed. He turned 19 on the day of the semifinal against Houston and put up 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. In the title game he had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Boozer was named to the All-Summer League First Team along with Lendeborg, Wilson, Milwaukee's Brayden Burries, and Cleveland's Meleek Thomas.
The eight games are as important as the averages. Lottery picks usually play two or three games and sit out the rest of the week. Memphis kept its summer starters in the final, and Boozer took on that role without load-management talks.
Boozer was asked in Las Vegas about being passed over for the top pick, in comments reported by The Athletic's Tony Jones.
"I feel like God has a plan for me, and I'm in Memphis for a reason," Boozer said. "We can talk about the draft, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter where you start, it's where you finish. In 10 years, it's not going to matter where I got drafted."
Memphis has to get to 15 standard contracts before the season, with room for three two-way players.
