Here’s how Missouri basketball grads Tamar Bates, Caleb Grill and Kobe Brown performed in this year’s NBA Summer League.
NBA Summer League wrapped up Sunday night, and some recent Missouri basketball graduates were among the competitors looking to lock down opportunities in the association for the 2025-26 season.
Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill, both of whom went undrafted after the 2025 NBA Draft, competed for the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls, respectively, while former first-round pick Kobe Brown began his third year with the LA Clippers.
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Sacramento Kings 83-78 on Sunday night to claim the Summer League title.
Here’s how Mizzou’s recent graduates performed over the past couple weeks:
Tamar Bates gets the most run of all Missouri basketball alums
Bates, a Kansas City, Kansas, native who played two seasons in Columbia, appeared in all fiveSummer League games for the Nuggets and was on the floor for 20.6 minutes per contest.
He didn’t have his best shooting stretch, as he was 40.4% from the floor on 11.4 attempts per game, including an uncharacteristically low 19.0% mark from 3-point range. He made each of his seven free-throw attempts.
The wing finished the summer with a near-perfect shooting display in Denver’s consolation-game win over the Los Angeles Lakers, going 4-of-5 from the field, 1-of-1 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 11 points in nine minutes on the floor.
Bates averaged 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 turnovers per contest.
He signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets, meaning he can appear in up to 40 regular-season games this upcoming campaign. He will likely split time between Denver and its G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
Caleb Grill competes for spot with Bulls
As expected, Grill was active from behind the arc in his first taste of the professional game. The Wichita, Kansas, product made four appearances for the Bulls, sitting out one contest, and took 5.5 attempts from 3-point range per game.
Grill finished the summer with a 36.9% mark from 3-point range, as he averaged 8.0 points in 15.0 minutes per contest. He also recorded 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 turnovers per game.
He had a strong finale in Summer League, going 4-of-9 from 3-point range and 7-of-13 from the field en route to a summer-high 18 points.
Grill signed an Exhibit-10 deal, meaning he is essentially competing for a spot on the Bulls’ G League roster. It’s possible he ends up with Chicago, but not necessarily immediately likely that he gets a spot on the 15-man roster. Exhibit-10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals.
Kobe Brown played in opener, sat out remainder
Brown appeared for 20.2 minutes in the Clippers’ Summer League opener, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a 2-of-3 clip from deep, and had four rebounds, four assists, two steals and three turnovers.
But didn’t play again with a right ankle bruise, which he reportedly sustained in the Clippers’ opener.
The Clippers exercised Brown’s third-year option last season, which is a decent indicator that he will be part of their 15-man roster this upcoming season. Like his first couple seasons, he may spend some time in the G League.
More former MU players
Former Mizzou wing John Tonje, who spent one season with the Tigers but mostly was sidelined due to injuries, made two appearances for the Utah Jazz and averaged 3.5 points with a 33.3% mark from the field. He sat out with an ankle injury for the opening three matchups of Summer League. Tonje was the No. 53-overall pick in this year’s draft.
DaJuan Gordon, who spent the 2021-22 season with Mizzou, averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in four appearances for the Lakers.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Missouri basketball alums performed in NBA Summer League
Category: General Sports
