How former Notre Dame guard Blake Wesley fared in NBA Summer League with San Antonio Spurs
Blake Wesley’s first professional basketball action began merely two weeks after he was drafted. The former Notre Dame and new San Antonio Spurs guard played in the 2022 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which began July 7 and ended Sunday. He was the Irish’s lone representative in it.
The 19-year-old Wesley was the last of the Spurs’ three first-round picks in June’s NBA Draft, going No. 25 overall. He was one of 17 players on their roster for the summer league, which is designed primarily for rookie drafts picks, undrafted rookies hoping to secure a training camp spot and G League players. He led them all in scoring, averaging 17 points in the Spurs’ five games.
There were baskets in bunches and the same display of scoring upside Wesley showcased in his one year at Notre Dame, when he led the Irish in scoring. Efficiency, though, was scattershot in college and in the summer league. Wesley shot just 30 percent from the field in the five games in Las Vegas. He made 34.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
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Elsewhere, he averaged 4.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 74 percent on free throws. The Spurs went 1-4 in the summer league.
All told, it was enough to leave Spurs general manager Brian Wright intrigued.
“I think it’s a lot of the same that we saw when we evaluated him throughout the college season,” Wright said during the team’s July 11 game. “He’s got amazing speed, the ability to get downhill, really good in transition, and he’s just fearless on both ends of the floor. He’s competitive, he gets into you, you feel him, and he really can change the complexion of the game with his speed and just the way he pushes the pace and pushes the ball.”
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Wright said Wesley will spend time in the G League this season, but still expects him to see playing time on and off the ball for the Spurs this year. They created a big opening in their backcourt by trading All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks July 1. The move made clear their rebuilding intentions this year and paved the way for young players like Wesley to earn an extended look.
“I think he’ll have the opportunity to prove a lot and learn a lot,” Wright said.
Here’s how Wesley fared in each summer league game.
• Game 1, July 8 (99-90 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers): 20 points, 7-of-16 FG, 3-of-4 3FG, five assists, two rebounds, three turnovers.
• Game 2, July 10 (86-85 loss to Golden State Warriors): 22 points, 7-of-20 FG, 4-of-7 3FG, five rebounds, three turnovers.
• Game 3, July 11 (97-84 loss to Houston Rockets): 14 points, 3-of-20 FG, 0-of-7 3FG, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, two turnovers.
• Game 4, July 14 (87-86 loss to Atlanta Hawks): 20 points, 8-of-17 FG, 2-of-6 3FG, six assists, two rebounds, five turnovers, two steals.
• Game 5, July 16 (90-87 win over Memphis Grizzlies): 9 points, 2-of-17 FG, 2-of-8 3FG, five assists, three rebounds, two steals, zero turnovers.
