By R.L. Bynum
Pete Nance won a championship, but Brady Manek was the most productive of the four UNC alums who played in the NBA Summer League. Meanwhile, Leaky Black got few chances to show what he could do, and Garrison Brooks had some solid games.
Nance’s Cleveland Cavaliers went 6–0, beating Houston 99–78 on Monday night in the league championship game as this summer’s league concluded.
Nance had three assists and two blocks but otherwise had a quiet night while playing nearly 20 minutes, scoring two points. He got the most playing time of the four Tar Heels in the league, averaging 17.6 minutes per game.
Manek played in four of the Atlanta Hawks’ five games, scoring in double figures each time and averaging 12.8 points per game, shooting 50% from the floor and 38.1% from the 3-point range. His best game was the July 7 opener against Sacramento, scoring 17 points and five 3-pointers. The Hawks finished 3–2.
Manek played in the Summer League for the second consecutive year after playing five games for the Charlotte Hornets in 2022. He played about the same number of minutes (nearly 75 this year after playing 73½ last season), but scored 16 more points.
After being unable to earn an NBA contract following the Summer League last year, Manek played for the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League in Australia.
In 28 games, he averaged 27.5 minutes, 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 46% from the floor and hitting 40.7% of his 3-point attempts.
After the Australian season, Manek joined Tofas Bursa late in its Turkish Basketball Super League season, playing 11 games. Tofas Bursa finished 15–15 but was 8–3 after Manek joined the team.
Also in the Summer League for the second year in a row, and with a different team, was Brooks, who played five games for New Orleans (3–2) after only getting in two games for New York in 2022.
Brooks scored in double figures only once, with 10 points in Thursday’s 89–83 Pelicans victory over Charlotte, averaging 17.6 minutes and 6.6 points.
Brooks played all of last season for the Westchester Knicks of the G League. In 22 games, he averaged 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds.
Black got into only three of the Charlotte Hornets’ seven games, averaging 2.7 points. All eight of his points came in Charlotte’s 89–83 loss to Brooks’ Pelicans on Thursday when he was 2 of 3 from 3-point range and pulled down eight rebounds.
The Hornets finished 1–7.
Tar Heels in NBA Summer League
Leaky Black with Charlotte Hornets
California Classic in Sacramento
July 3: San Antonio 98, Charlotte 77
Black played 16:55 off the bench: 0 points, 0–4 FG, 0–3 3PFG, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, -11
July 5: Golden State 98, Charlotte 83
Black didn’t play (coach’s decision)
NBA Summer League
Las Vegas
Friday: San Antonio 76, Charlotte 68
Black didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Sunday: L.A. Lakers 93, Charlotte 75
Black didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Tuesday: Portland 97, Charlotte 93
Black played 13:12 off the bench: 0 points, 0–1 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, +5
Thursday: New Orleans 89, Charlotte 83
Black played 16:53 off the bench: 8 points, 3–4 FG, 2–3 3FG, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, -5
Saturday: Charlotte 109, Minnesota 92
Black wasn’t active for the game.
Statistics for three games: 15.7 minutes, 2.7 average (8 points), 3–9 FG (33.3%), 2–6 3FG (33.3%), 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks
Garrison Brooks with New Orleans Pelicans
Las Vegas
July 7: Minnesota 102, New Orleans 88
Brooks played 15:45 off the bench: 9 points, 4–5 FG, 1–1 FT, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, -7
July 9: New Orleans 94, Golden State 86
Brooks played 17:21 off the bench: 6 points, 2–2 FG, 2–2 FT, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, +1
Tuesday: New Orleans 82, Phoenix 73
Brooks played 18:35 off the bench: 4 points, 1–2 FG, 2–2 FT, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, plus/minus of 0
Thursday: New Orleans 89, Charlotte 83
Brooks played 18:41 off the bench; 10 points, 4–5 FG, 0–1 3FG, 2–3 FT, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 fouls, +5
Sunday: Philadelphia 117, New Orleans 114
Brooks started; played 17:35: 4 points, 2–5 FG, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 lock, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, -10
Statistics for five games: 17.6 minutes, 6.6 average (33 points), 13–19 FG (68.4%), 0–1 3FG, 27 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 6 blocks
Brady Manek with Atlanta Hawks
Las Vegas
July 7: Sacramento 80, Atlanta 76
Manek played 18:35 off the bench: 17 points, 6–11 FG, 5–10 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, -7
July 8: Atlanta 98, Denver 93
Manek played 18:29 off the bench: 10 points, 4–7 FG, 1–2 3FG, 1–1 FT, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, -1
Wednesday: Atlanta 99, Minnesota 93
Manek didn’t play (coach’s decision)
Thursday: Atlanta 99, Philadelphia 98
Manek played 22:15 off the bench: 13 points, 5–11 FG, 1–5 3FG, 2–2 FT, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 fouls, +6
Sunday: Dallas 101, Atlanta 80
Manek played 15:34 off the bench: 11 points, 3–7 FG, 1–4 3FG, 4–4 FT, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, -6
Statistics for four games: 18.7 minutes, 12.8 average (51 points), 18–36 FG (50%), 8–21 3FG (38.1%), 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks
Pete Nance with Cleveland Cavaliers
Las Vegas
July 7: Cleveland 101, Brooklyn 97
Nance played 16:21 off the bench: 5 points, 2–4 FG, 1–3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 foul, +9
July 9: Cleveland 99, Toronto 76
Nance played 19:24 off the bench: 11 points, 3–7 FG, 3–5 3FG, 2–2 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, +10
Monday: Cleveland 100, Memphis 77
Nance played 16:31 of the bench: 9 points, 4–6 FG, 1–2 3FG, 1 rebound,1 steal, 2 fouls, , +11
Thursday: Cleveland 87, Chicago 83
Nance played 26:33 off the bench: 8 points, 4–9 FG, 0–2 3FG, 0–1 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7 fouls, +14
Sunday semifinal game: Cleveland 102, Brooklyn 99, OT
Nance played 23:36 off the bench: 8 points, 3–8 FG, 1–1 3FG, 1–1 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, -5
Monday’s championship game: Cleveland 99, Houston 78
Nance played 19:46 off the bench: 2 points, 1–2 FG, 0–1 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 foul, +/- of 0
Statistics for six games: 20.4 minutes, 7.2 average (43 points), 17–36 FG (47.2%), 6–14 3FG (42.9%), 20 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 5 blocks
Photo via @ATLHawks
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