It was an aspirational goal, but attainable. After all, plenty of Division II hoopers have gone on to have rewarding careers overseas. Maybe one day, Henshaw thought, Strus could even play at one of the top international leagues in Europe. The two kept shooting, and Henshaw didn’t think much of it. Then Strus kept shooting, and shooting, and shooting until, eight years after lighting up Division II scoreboards, he became a starting shooting guard in the NBA. Now the overlooked recruit from Southside Chicago who spent five years in college, was cut twice from NBA teams and tore his ACL before ever finding his footing in the league is playing a key role for the Miami Heat as they get set to face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. It’s hard to see any of it happening without the springboard of Division II basketball. “Great story,” said Scott Trost, his head coach at Lewis. “It’s not a common path.”
It was an aspirational goal, but attainable. After all,…
July 6, 2022 | 12:19 am EDT Update
Thomas Bryant returns to Lakers
Free agent center Thomas Bryant has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Bryant will be given the opportunity to win the starting center position, sources said.
He was courted by the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, sources said. Bryant returns to Los Angeles where he spent his rookie season with the Lakers after being a second-round pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
July 5, 2022 | 10:40 pm EDT Update
Chet Holmgren shines in Summer League debut
ESPN Stats & Info: Chet Holmgren showed out in his Summer League debut, dropping 23 PTS on 78% from the field. He is the first player with 5 blocks and 4 3-pointers in any Summer League game all-time.
Oklahoma City mayor David Holt was watching Holmgren in action and he’s ready to clear his schedule to watch the Gonzaga alum at the NBA level.
Grizzlies signing second-round pick Kennedy Chandler to four-year contract
Shams Charania: Memphis Grizzlies No. 38 pick Kennedy Chandler has agreed to a four-year, $7.1 million rookie deal, his agent Ryan Davis tells @TheAthletic @Stadium. The contract contains the largest guaranteed salary – $4.94M – for an American second-round pick.
Josh Robbins: Rui Hachimura attended and watched the Washington Wizards’ summer league practice tonight at UNLV.
