Cam Spencer had himself a Monday.
The former UConn sharpshooter signed his first professional contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, a two-way deal with the team that drafted him 53rd overall in last month’s NBA Draft, and then took the court for his Summer League debut against the Utah Jazz.
It went exactly how anyone who watched Spencer in his lone year with the Huskies would’ve expected.
While it was easy to focus on his big new teammate, ninth overall pick Zach Edey, Spencer came off the bench and commanded attention with his movement and IQ. The 24-year-old looked nothing like a rookie.
His coach at UConn certainly took notice while taking a few playful digs at his former player.
“That was an intense, fun game to watch,” Dan Hurley said on Tuesday. “I thought Cam could try to do a little bit more off the dribble. Obviously, I was looking for some of the defensive mistakes. I’ll call him today when I get in the car and we’ll talk about those. But you could see that he looked like one of the better players on the court in the game.”
Cam Spencer connects on a long two for his first points in a Grizzlies uniform 🎯
A 2nd Round pick after winning a title with UConn ✍️
📺 Salt Lake City Summer League on ESPN pic.twitter.com/fN2vobgTpQ
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2024
A minute after he came into the game in the fourth quarter, Spencer made the Jazz pay for sending a second defender at Edey down low, leaving him wide open in front of their bench. Scottie Pippen Jr., son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, drove the lane with his defender on his hip and kicked out to Spencer for a long 2-pointer that went through the basket.
Spencer’s shot, his most obvious strength, felt automatic Monday night.
He finished the game having played 19 minutes, though he didn’t see any in the overtime period where Utah won the race to the target score and took a 97-95 win. His 11 points were the most of anyone off the Grizzlies’ bench and his plus-minus (+4) was the best on the team.
Spencer’s first 3-pointer, an open look from the corner, gave the Grizzlies a lead in the third quarter. He made two more within a minute of each other in the fourth, again putting his team ahead on the scoreboard, and finished the game 4 of 8 from the field, 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. He added three rebounds, one offensive, and a steal.
After a missed dunk with five seconds left from Edey, who finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in 34 minutes, and a pair of free throws from Utah’s Isaiah Collier, Edey was able to tip in an intentionally-missed free throw and tie the game just before the final buzzer, sending it to overtime. Utah’s Keyonte George, named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last year, sealed the game with a pair of free throws.
Spencer and the Grizzlies will be back in action on Tuesday night, meeting the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Stephon Castle, one of the other three ex-UConn NBA rookies, could play his second Summer League game on Tuesday as well, beginning at 8 p.m. on NBA TV and ESPN+ against China’s national team.
How to watch: Former UConn men’s basketball players in NBA Summer League
