NBA Roundup: Thomas Lights Up Las Vegas; Spurs Re-Sign Jones-Garcia; Pelicans Ink Pierre Jr. on Two-Way Deals
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Meleek Thomas’ scoring surge in Las Vegas, a pair of two-way contracts in San Antonio and New Orleans, and a roster move by the Cavaliers headline the latest NBA personnel news.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Second-round guard Meleek Thomas paced all Summer League participants with 27.3 points per game, converting 50 percent of his field-goal attempts and 44 percent of his eight three-point tries per contest. Over four appearances he also posted a 15-to-6 assist-to-turnover ratio and recorded eight steals.
An NBA scout told ESPN the 21-year-old’s scoring instincts are legitimate, noting, “To say he has a scorer’s mentality is an understatement. The guy is looking at the rim the moment he checks in.” While the evaluator questioned whether Thomas can maintain the same level of aggressiveness against regular-season competition, he deemed the rookie’s offensive skill “undeniable.”
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs brought back guard/forward David Jones-Garcia on a two-way contract after waiving fellow two-way player Emanuel Miller to clear space. Jones-Garcia appeared in 11 NBA games last year but averaged 26.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists with the G League’s Austin Spurs before ankle surgery ended his season.
New Orleans Pelicans
Undrafted guard Jaron Pierre Jr. accepted a two-way agreement with the Pelicans following three Summer League outings in which he averaged 10 points. Pierre completed his college career at SMU after earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors at Jacksonville State. He joins center Hunter Dickson as New Orleans’ second two-way player, leaving one slot open.
Source: Hoops Wire
