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NBA Summer League 2016 action kicked off Saturday in Orlando, the first of the three leagues summer leagues. Each year, the summer ciruit offers opportunity for anyone, from top-flight, recently drafted NBA prospects to D-League castaways to make an impression on GMs across the league. And as inconsequential as summer league may sometimes seem for outsiders, for many participants it's a fantastic opportunity.
This year, three former Wildcats will compete in the Las Vegas league, which runs from July 8-18. Recent departures Tre Demps and Alex Olah, who both went undrafted, will suit up for the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively, while 2014 Draft entrant Drew Crawford received an invite to play from the Toronto Raptors, opting for yet another Summer League run over playing in the Philippines.
For Demps, there will be no shortage of familiar faces on the Bulls’ roster. He's set to join fellow Big Ten alumni Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), Dez Wells (Maryland) and this year’s No. 14 pick Denzel Valentine (Michigan State) with Chicago. The team's official roster has yet to be released.
Olah is one of several 2016 Draft entrants on the Pelicans' roster along with No. 6 pick Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) and second-round selection Cheick Diallo (Kansas). Hield led the Sooners to the program’s fifth Final Four in 2016, while the once highly touted Diallo struggled to find minutes in the Jayhawks’ crowded front court in his freshman year.
The rest of the Pelicans’ roster reads thusly, per Real GM:
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In summer 2015, Crawford played three games for Orlando (Blue) in the Orlando league and five for Toronto in the Las Vegas league. Over those two stints, Crawford registered 18.8 minutes per game, scoring 8.1 points per game and shooting 41.7 percent. Returning from the Raptors’ 2015 summer roster along with Crawford are Bruno Caboclo (Brazil), DeAndre Daniels (Connecticut), Norman Powell (UCLA) and Delon Wright (Utah). No. 9 pick Jakob Poeltl (Utah) is also listed on the roster.
Here’s a look at the full roster, per Real GM:
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So you want to see some of your favorite former Wildcats in action? We’ve got you covered. Below are schedules and how you can watch Demps, Olah and Crawford fight to keep their NBA aspirations alive:
Chicago schedule
| Day | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Network |
| Saturday | July 9 | 5:00 p.m. | Celtics | NBA TV, ESPN3 |
| Sunday | July 10 | 7:30 p.m. | 76ers | ESPN2 |
| Tuesday | July 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Spurs | ESPN |
New Orleans schedule
| Day | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Network |
| Friday | July 8 | 9:30 p.m. | Lakers | ESPN |
| Sunday | July 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Jazz | NBA TV, ESPN3 |
| Monday | July 11 | 9:00 p.m. | Kings | ESPN2 |
Toronto schedule
| Day | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Network |
| Friday | July 8 | 9:00 p.m. | Kings | NBA TV, ESPN3 |
| Sunday | July 10 | 5:00 p.m. | Timberwolves | NBA TV, ESPN3 |
| Monday | July 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Mavericks | NBA TV, ESPN3 |
The Las Vegas league will also feature a tournament schedule beginning on July 13, with the Championship game being held on July 18. The full schedule for these playoffs can be found here.
How to Watch
Mobile: NBA Game Time app, WatchESPN app