Here are three former Belmont basketball stars getting opportunities in NBA summer league

Three former Belmont Bruins basketball players are looking to get their names in front of the NBA personnel.

But before they can become household names, each player must earn his keep, which the NBA summer league can help with. Teams offer rookies and second-year players a platform to showcase their talent as they try to solidify or earn a spot on the regular-season roster.

Ben Sheppard, Grayson Murphy and Dylan Windler are three of those hopefuls who will be at the 2024 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, which runs from July 12 to July 22,

Here’s a look at each of the three Belmont players participating.

Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers

Ben Sheppard was taken by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 26 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He is looking to improve on his rookie year, where he averaged 4.4 points and 1.6 rebounds, appearing in 57 regular-season games.

The 6-foot-6 guard's play increased during the playoffs, where he appeared in all 17 games, averaging 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Notably, he also was the only rookie to start during the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Grayson Murphy, Los Angeles Lakers

Grayson Murphy, a 6-3 guard, played at Belmont from 2017 to 2022 and was a two-time All-OVC Defensive Player of the Year. He was not drafted, and spent two seasons playing in Germany. On July 2, the Los Angeles Lakers picked him up for their summer league roster,

Murphy, who is from Franklin and played at Independence High School, was a member of the Phoenix Hagen club in 2022-23, averaging 7.7 points and a team-high 6.7 assists in only 23 games played. His second season found him with the Dresden Titans, where he averaged 13.8 points per game, a team-high 7.1 rebounds, plus 4.5 assists in 23 games.

Dylan Windler, Atlanta Hawks

Dylan Windler, who was taken at No. 26 in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, was added to the summer league roster by the Atlanta Hawks. He has made multiple stops during his NBA journey, including time on the G League affiliates of the Cavaliers, Knicks and Lakers.

Lawrence Goss is The Tennessean's sports intern with the Sports Journalism Institute. Contact Lawrence at lgoss@gannett.com. Follow Lawrence on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @iamlgoss.