Another game, another piece of evidence for my theory that the Utah Jazz Summer League team was replaced with clones somewhere on their way from Salt Lake to Las Vegas. Every year, I forget just how sloppy Summer League basketball is played – perhaps my expectations shouldn’t be so high. Nevertheless, the players are out there playing, so I will still be sitting on my couch analyzing. The Jazz played 10 players in their loss versus the Spurs, with each demonstrating highs and lows. Who were the standouts?
Who made this rough loss a bit more bearable to watch, and who contributed to the ugliness that is nearly synonymous with Summer League Basketball? Below, I will be assigning grades to each of the Jazz players who took the court against the Spurs. These grades will be more so based on process than results; some nights players make their shots, and some nights they miss, but shot selection is much more in their control and will therefore be judged with particular emphasis.
Player Grades
Jonas Aidoo: C-
The worst game I have seen Aidoo play during the Jazz 2026 Summer League campaign. Normally, you can trust him to act as a base rim-runner; grabs rebounds, block shots, finish near the rim, and set hard screens. Today, his offense simply did not cut it. 0-4 from the field, with most of his shots entirely makeable – his touch left a lot to be desired, which is often what separates a replacement level rim-runner from a key member of a rotation. His hands, which I’ve praised after previous games, were a bit clunky as well. Additionally, while his defense was much more passable and often positive, there were a few instances where I thought his drop defense (against Jakobie Gillespie, in particular) was underwhelming, biting for pump fakes or being a step late against drivers. The 9 rebounds were huge, and don’t allow me to give too low a grade, but this game dampened my Aidoo hype.
Tamar Bates: A-
Tamar was moving with a fluidity and cadence that said to me, “NBA Player”. He demonstrated a good form on his shot, combined with high elevation, and used the threat of the jumper to utilize his quick burst to attack the rim. Looking taller than his listed 6’4 and using his 6’10 wingspan, Tamar made his presence felt around the court with consistent activity that didn’t translate to the stat sheet. I wish he looked out for his teammates a bit more after he collapses the defense from his drives to the paint, but Bates was not the reason we lost tonight.
Matthew Cleveland: B-
Statistically, Cleveland probably deserves better than the grade I’m assigning him, but I found myself less-than-inspired for large portions of his playing time tonight. He was efficient as a scorer and aware while jumping passing lanes, but I found him often blending into the background on both ends of the court. Outside of the steals that led to end-to-end transition points, he was more of a reactive defender than a proactive one – he didn’t enforce his will (which should be possible given his physical tools), which led to him giving up open shots after step backs and off-ball movement, as well as missed box-outs because his man slipped behind him. This feels more able to be coached-out than some mistakes, and the positive shot-making flashes were encouraging, but I can’t fully believe in what Cleveland showed against the Spurs.
Andersson Garcia: C
While the stats weren’t impressive, I think Garcia strongly performed the connective actions necessary for an NBA team to function. His decision-making was quick and mostly well-conceived, and he seemed to have a good understanding of the offense that the coach wanted to run. Additionally, you can always count on Garcia to hustle on both ends of the court. However, hustle and smart passing and quick cuts are all well and good, but ultimately don’t mean very much when you are a complete nonfactor when it comes to putting the ball in the hoop yourself. The Spurs could completely help off of Garcia, without fear of retribution. I appreciate how Andersson can act as glue on the court, and I understand scoring isn’t the only way a player can positively impact winning, but he needs to show something more (or better maximize his current skills, a la Alex Caruso) if he wants a second chance on the Jazz regular season roster.
Hayden Gray: C+
A similar story to Garcia – I always find myself impressed by the little things that Hayden performs on the court, but at some point you also have to be able to do the big things as well. He kept his composure against pesky Spurs pressure, his passes were quick and decisive, and he took educated gambles on defense, but a lead guard needs to be able to provide some scoring pressure for all of his ancillary skills to be fully actualized into an impactful player. Gray keeps the offense flowing and can shift momentum defensively, but in order for his admittedly impressive passing and handling to help the team, he needs to show effectiveness as a scorer at any level of the court.
Blake Hinson: D
I’ve always been a big fan of Hinson, but he isn’t a pretty watch when the shot isn’t falling. He only played 7 minutes, which makes giving a consistent grade relative to his teammates a bit tricky, but those 7 minutes were ugly. Poor shot selection, horrendous tunnel vision, and a lackadaisical attitude on defense crafted one of the worst games I have yet seen Hinson play. I do appreciate his ability to relocate to open space around the perimter after he does pass the ball, which led to his one three point make.
Justin Harmon: D+
Harmon, for the first time during Summer League, was largely invisible against the Spurs. His shot wasn’t falling, and his defense was uneventful (though he did get lost off-ball a time or two). There were a couple pick-and-roll possessions with Orlando Robinson where he impressed me with his savvy, which will be necessary if this guard-sized battery wants to make it work in the league. However, this was not Harmon’s game – the flow was just never there.
Bez Mbeng: A-
Bez was one of the few Jazz players you could feel while they were out there – he never allowed himself to fade into the background. He was pulling up his shorts and clapping his hands on defense (even if he did get blown by a few times more than I would’ve liked), and constantly worked to get to the rim on offense. His movements felt economical; if he wanted to get to the rim, he didn’t pound the air out of the ball for 15 seconds first. Instead, he would move well off the ball and blitz to the basket after a successful pump fake. I still don’t quite buy him as a point guard, even after this 5 assist, 0 turnover outing – his passes, while caught, were sometimes out of his teammates ideal catch radius. However, he looked more experienced and comfortable than any other Jazzman out there against the Spurs, and impressed on both ends.
Darryn Peterson: C-
This was not an irredeemable game from Peterson. He made some fine passes, his defense was decent most of the night (outside of the first quarter, but I’ll get to that in a second), his combination of flexibility and change-of-pace still consistently led to free throws, and, like I said in my grading criteria from the opening paragraph, it’s a make-or-miss league; tonight, he missed some shots he very well could’ve made. However, I still found myself consistently disappointed in the Jazzman of the future. Floaters are one of the least efficient shots in basketball, and in Summer League, Peterson has relied on them far too often. With better spacing around him during the regular season, he’ll likely find it easier to make it all the way to the rim, but I won’t pretend that I’m not worried about his shot selection and the fact that he can’t make his way to the basket even now. Often, it feels like Peterson’s head is in “score mode” or “pass mode”, and can lead to him working his way into tricky situations without active awareness of where his teammates are around him. While his defense improved later on in the game, his first quarter was startlingly bad – he helped way too far off of good shooters in the strong-side corner, and he was caught upright while guarding the ball and got shook multiple times. Do not mistake me – I am not claiming that the sky is falling. Peterson is elite, and has proven so throughout his basketball career. However, I will not be blinded by my purple-tinted glasses; Peterson did not play a good basketball game today, even if that means next to nothing in his long term projection (I almost titled this article “Hyunjung Lee for Darryn Peterson – who says no?” but decided that I didn’t want a joke to make myself a marked man among SLC Dunk regulars).
Orlando Robinson: B
Basketball sometimes looks a bit too difficult for Orlando Robinson. It’s not easy for him to get to his shots, even if he makes some. It’s not easy for him to be in the right position defensively, even if he ends the game with 2 steals and a block. So, while I sometimes like the end result of Robinson’s playing time, it doesn’t seem that it will easily translate to the next level. Today, I appreciated the decisiveness on his drives (yes, the 7 footer drives from the perimeter – easily the most tantalizing part of his game) and passes. His field goal percentage ended up rather underwhelming – some late heaves had something to do with that – but I think he was, overall, a slightly positive offensive presence for the Jazz. Defensively, I thought he did a good job at high-pointing rebounds and using his strength against the imposing Tarris Reed, but his slow feet were obvious and detrimental when he had to guard the pick-and-roll against the slithery Gillespie. I think a better, more mobile interior defender prevents Gillespie from building up some of the momentum that he did, which could’ve dramatically shifted the tone and direction of the game. This has been the story of Robinson’s whole career – strong offensive player who’s too slow and too lumbering defensively to make an NBA translation work. This game, once again, painted that unfortunately familiar picture, even if he was a positive in this Summer League setting.
Who stood out to you tonight? Who was disappointing? Comment below!
