ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

Taken No. 14 overall by the Spurs, Bryant flashed the 3-and-D potential that made him a lottery pick, having been chosen No. 14 overall by the Spurs. Bryant missed 12 of 13 shots over his first two NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas, but played well defensively — and then hit 6 of 9 3s in his third Las Vegas game.

Undrafted but signed to a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, Love was a bucket with sometimes less-than-ideal efficiency. He poured in 18 points in each of his first two Las Vegas games for the Trail Blazers while averaging 15.6 points over four games but shooting just 35.1% overall and 33.0% from 3-point range.

And Townsend, who wasn’t drafted or signed to a two-way contract, sat out three games for New Orleans because of coach’s decisions but made the most of his only opportunity during the Summer League that concluded Sunday. In 15.7 minutes for the Pelicans in their 113-104 loss to Indiana on Friday, Townsend scored five points while hitting the only 3-pointer he took.

The production of Love and Bryant came as no surprise to returning UA players Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso.

“It’s been great for them, showing what they can do,� Dell’Orso said last week. “Obviously for us, we saw them all year, so we kind of had a better outlook.

“Carter is showing great energy, especially on the defensive end. He’s really locking guys up and showing his ability to move side-to-side, how athletic he can be. Caleb’s obviously one of the best offensive talents that was in college last year, and he’s really showing that in the summer league.

“I couldn’t be more proud of those guys, and best of luck to them. But I’m the least surprised, because I saw that all year.�

Bradley said he spoke with both Bryant and Love on Wednesday and that he was happy to see them play well.

“But like Delly said, we’ve seen that all year in practice,� Bradley said. “I’m just excited they can show the world their abilities and their talent. I’m excited for them to continue to do well and see how their NBA careers turn out.�

UA coach Tommy Lloyd hasn’t been available for comment locally since he left last month to coach USA to the gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup, and during an interview at the EYBL Peach Jam this weekend he said he hasn’t had a chance to watch Bryant much in Las Vegas.

But he indicated he really didn’t need to in order to see Bryant’s upside.

“He’s 100th percentile when it comes to character, and 100th percentile when it comes to talent – and you’re always going to bet on those two things,� Lloyd said. “I don’t know how quickly success is going to come, but I do know success is going to be inevitable for him, just because of the type of person he is, and it looks like he got with a great organization. I’m excited.�

Bryant, Love and Townsend were joined in the Summer League by former UA center Christian Koloko of the Lakers and three UA players on the Heat roster who all departed in 2024: Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo.

Last summer, Miami drafted Larsson in the second round and signed Johnson to a two-way contract, while Ballo transferred to Indiana last season, went undrafted and signed a Summer League deal with the Heat this spring.

“Getting back to play with Pelle and Keshad and the rest of the guys has been really fun,� Ballo said on a UA-produced video from Las Vegas.

Bryant also said the reunion aspect of Summer League ball was something else.

“It’s been crazy,� Bryant said on a UA-produced video. It’s been “talking to all my teammates from last year, just checking up on them and seeing how everything is going with them, and then, obviously, my life has been crazy. It’s a life-changing experience. I’m just trying to be as grateful as I can and keep working.�

Koloko, who played with Larsson and Ballo at UA before becoming a second-round pick of the Raptors in 2022, competed in Summer League ball while continuing to progress from a blood-clot issue that cost him all of the 2023-24 season.

After signing a two-way deal with the Lakers last season, Koloko appeared in 37 games off the bench for Los Angeles last season. This month, he appeared in five games for the Lakers’ Summer League team, averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 57.7% from the field.