Four Former Bonnies Will Look To Make An Impact in NBA Summer League

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NBA Summer League

On the night of the 2018 NBA Draft, many Bonnie fans watched in hopes of hearing stars Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley get their names called.

Sadly, that was not the case. Despite not getting drafted, they will be playing in the NBA Summer League, as Adams signed with the Atlanta Hawks and Mobley signed with the Utah Jazz. Outside of those two, two other former Bonnies, Demetrius Conger, and Marcus Posley, will be joining the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets summer league teams respectively.

What is each players outlook for the foreseeable future? Let’s dive into that.

Demetrius Conger (Summer League invite with Boston)

(Credit: Adam McLean)

Conger graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2013. He started for the 2012 team that won the Atlantic 10 Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. During his time with the Bonnies, Conger proved to be an ironman on the court starting 92 consecutive games. 

He also showed to be a consistent all-around player, scoring 1,206 career points, grabbing 645 rebounds, and 249 career assists. His senior year he led the Bonnies in all three categories.

Since graduating in 2013, Conger has played around the world. He started in the Dominican Republic then moved on to Italy, Greece, Israel, Belgium and with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, where he earned All-NBL First-Team honors.

He did sign with Divina Seguros Joventut in Spain but has received an invite to join the Boston Celtics this summer.

As of right now, the only other small forward on the Celtics’ summer league roster is Semi Ojeleye. Ojeleye played in 73 games last season and is expected to be in the starting lineup this summer.

Conger will have to show his skills on the second team. With Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, and Ojeleye currently on the Celtics’ roster, his odds to make the regular season roster seem slim.

He has a chance to sign with their G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, who have only Lamond Murray Jr. at small forward. If he impresses enough, he could sign a training camp deal with another team.

With five years of overseas experience under his belt, Conger has a chance to make an NBA roster for the first time in his career. Boston starts their summer league play on July 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Marcus Posley (Summer League invite with Denver)

Credit: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images North America

In just two seasons with the Bonnies, Posley quickly became a star with the team. His 19.6 points per game average was good for second in the A-10 during the 2015-16 season, earning him A-10 All-Conference Second-Team honors in the process. During his two years with the Bonnies, Posley scored 1,126 points.

Many predicted he’d go late second round in the 2016 NBA Draft but he ended up going undrafted. He did, however, get drafted in the second round (44th overall) in the then NBA Development League Draft by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heats affiliate.

Posley spent the entire 2016-17 season with the Skyforce, playing in 43 games (starting 17), averaging 9.7 points and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 35.1% from the field (including 36% from three). He left the Skyforce at the end of the season and spent this past year with Koroivos B.C. in the Greek League

The Nuggets’ summer league roster has a good amount of guards, including former first-round pick Malik Beasley and last years second round selection Montè Morris.

Look for Posley to compete with the likes of Scott Machado, Victor Sanders, and Andre Spight to compete for backup minutes in the Summer League. Posley can score on any given day when given an extended run, and he has the potential to make an impact and sign to a training camp deal. Right now, Denver does not have a direct affiliate to an NBA G-League team.

Matt Mobley (Summer League invite with Utah)

(Credit: Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News)

During his senior year, Matt Mobley averaged 18.1 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He also hit 105 3-pointers that season, a school record. He can score the ball and shoot the lights out on any given night.

Mobley signed with the Utah Jazz on a Summer League contract. The Jazz are coming into the Summer League with depth at guard, including first-round pick Grayson Allen, Naz Mitrou-Long, Trey Lewis and Malcolm Hill.

Mobley’s contract is only for the Summer League and he will be a free agent once it’s over. Despite a guard-heavy rotation, Mobley will get a chance to prove that he can be a reliable option for Utah.

This also comes as an opportunity, as he can be picked up by another team. If he impresses the Jazz, he could receive a training camp invite and sign with their G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. Utah will start summer league play against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday as Utah will host their own Summer League.

Jaylen Adams (two-way contract with Atlanta)

(Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

Adams has the best chance to play professionally next season. He signed a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks. That means during the NBA season, he will be able to spend time with both Atlanta and the Erie Bayhawks, their G-League affiliate.

The contract is good for 45 days in an NBA season and once those days are up, the Hawks will have to choose to sign him for the remainder of the year or send him down to Erie for the rest of the season.

The 6’2″, 225-pound guard averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 assists per game his senior year. That earned him Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year honors with Davidson forward Peyton Aldridge.

Known for his scoring ability, he will look to make an impression with Atlanta at the start of Summer League play. Trae Young is expected to start on the Summer League team, but Dennis Schroder is the only other point guard under contract. That leaves Adams as a possibility to run the second team all on his own.

When the regular season rolls around, he will be going back and forth between the G-League and NBA. With only one point guard currently on the Bayhawks’ roster, John Gillon, he will most likely start for Erie when he makes appearances for the team. The G-League is a perfect platform for Adams to showcase his scoring and passing abilities while getting extended minutes for them.

Atlanta is a young team looking to rebuild. 

With their track record from last year of five separate G-League call-ups and an extensive run for both of their two-way players last year (Josh Magette and Andrew White), don’t be surprised if he gets a nice run with Atlanta as well.

Atlanta will start Summer League play in Utah’s league against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. It is also interesting to note that Atlanta and Utah will play each other on Thursday, so we’ll see both Adams and Mobley play against each other.

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