After dropping 26 points in his debut of the 2017 Las Vegas NBA Summer League with the Washington Wizards, guard Jared Cunningham followed up his first prolific outing with another strong showing in the Wizards 91-87 loss against the Miami Heat on Monday afternoon. In the contest, Cunningham dropped 16 points on 4-9 shooting from the field, while also chipping in three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Through two games in the Summer League, Cunningham is now averaging 21 points per outing.
The most impressive part about Cunningham’s play through the first two contests of the Summer League has not only been his ability to score at will, but also his knack for getting to the free-throw line consistently. In just 38 minutes of court-time between the two games, Cunningham has attempted 20 free throws, connecting on 17 of those attempts overall. Some of those efforts from the charity stripe have even come from highlight-reel efforts, like this four-point play attempt featured in the video below.
3 + 1 for @J1Flight!#WizHeat #WizSummer pic.twitter.com/0qJkM9EHem
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 10, 2017
While it’s still unknown if Cunningham is in the Wizards (or another NBA team’s) plans for next season, if nothing else, the former Oregon State stand-out is doing a world of good for his own professional stock going forward in his career. It’s doubtful that Cunningham will return to play professional basketball in China against next season, meaning if an NBA team doesn’t take a chance on him, he could be headed to a more high-profile league in a European country.
For Cunningham’s next shot to prove his value to an NBA team, be sure to check out the Washington Wizards’ next game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, July 11th at 3:00 PM PT on NBA TV.
Also, be sure to check out fellow Oregon State alum and Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Payton II in action tonight (Monday, July 10th) at the 2017 Las Vegas NBA Summer League at 7:00 PM PT on ESPN2 against the Los Angeles Clippers.