Las Vegas Summer League Schedule Set For Oregon State Alumni

As the Orlando and Utah Summer Leagues enter their final day of action on Thursday, the highly anticipated Las Vegas Summer League begins to prepare itself to debut on Friday, beginning with a mid-afternoon clash between the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The event, which runs over the course of eleven days, will feature 24 teams from around the NBA, including an NBA D-League Select team and will be hosted at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. The league will also feature two former Oregon State standouts in Gary Payton II and Omari Johnson.

Payton II, who will suit up for the Houston Rockets after signing a deal with the team post-NBA Draft, is expected to flank a thin six-man backcourt alongside point guard Isaiah Taylor from Texas and third year player, K.J. McDaniels. Houston's roster is rounded out by a mix of NBA notables including veteran forward Michael Beasley, Houston's 2015 first round draft pick Sam Dekker, second-year forward Montrezl Harrell and 2016 second round draft pick Chinanu Onuaku.

While Payton II is one of three partially guaranteed contracts (Isaiah Taylor, Kyle Wiltjer) on Houston's roster, the former Beavers' star will also have to beat out an experienced professional player in Beasley, as well as three guaranteed roster spot pieces in Dekker, Harrell and Onuaku, in order to secure his standing within the Houston franchise. However, the 6'3" guard's mix of athleticism and a lockdown defensive mentality may be exactly what a Houston depth chart is needing, especially as they transition to an even more up-tempo style under new head coach Mike D'Antoni.

As for Johnson, his addition to the Trail Blazers' Summer League team is a welcome sight for Beaver nation faithful, as he continues to attempt to find a permanent home for his career. After graduating from Oregon State in 2011, Johnson has played professionally in Canada, Spain and the NBA D-League, in addition to finishing last season as a late call-up to the Portland roster. He will now compete to make the Trail Blazers' depth chart alongside returning players in Cliff Alexander, Pat Connaughton, Luis Montero and Noah Vonleh, as well as 2016 second round draft pick Jake Layman.

The sixty-seven game Las Vegas Summer League schedule will be broadcast between NBA TV and the ESPN family of networks, culminating with the league's championship game on July 18th. The schedule of when both Payton II and Johnson's teams will be in action is listed below, as well as the additional dates for the tournament format of the league schedule that begins on July 13th.