The NBA Draft is in the rear-view mirror, which means the NBA Summer League is right around the corner in Las Vegas.
This year, only two full-time members of the Nuggets will report to the desert for duty: DaRon Holmes II and Hunter Tyson. Joining them at Summer League are two-way players Tamar Bates and Spencer Jones. The rest of the Denver Nuggets Summer League roster — and other players competing at the tournament — will potentially vie for the final two-way roster spot.
With practice underway and the first game against Milwaukee scheduled for July 10, let’s meet the players representing Denver in Las Vegas over the next week-plus.
The Full-Timers
DaRon Holmes II
The “Mile High Flyer” will be back in Vegas in a Nuggets jersey again, but let’s all hope this year goes much better than last. The Nuggets’ 2024 first-round pick tore his right Achilles tendon after registering 11 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes in the first game of last summer.
The 22-year-old No. 22 overall draft pick in last year’s draft missed all of the 2024-25 season. Before being selected by Phoenix and traded to Denver, he averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. The 6’10” ex-Dayton University star shot 54.4% from the field and 38.6% from three during his junior year with the Flyers. Holmes was the Atlantic 10 Conference’s co-player of the year.
I’m excited to see what Holmes looks like coming off the injury and whether he fits better as a stretch big at power forward or center.
Hunter Tyson
The third-year forward is heading back to Vegas. For the third consecutive year. Not great.
After taking home NBA Summer League All-Tournament First Team honors in 2023, Tyson has not shown the same shooting splash in actual NBA games. He led the Nuggets with 20.8 points per game that year, splashing half of his 7.2 attempts from 3-point range, but regressed to 15.2 points per game last year, second behind Julian Strawther.
In the NBA, Tyson’s seen only 69 games played. And the 25-year-old former Clemson Tiger has cashed in on just over 30% of his 88 attempts from deep. Not exactly the shooter the Nuggets hoped to add with a second-round pick. Here’s to hoping he can turn it around.
The Two-Way Players
Tamar Bates
Tamar Bates joined the Nuggets on a two-way contract after going undrafted in this year’s draft. The 6’4” guard most recently played for Missouri, where the smooth lefty set career-highs in field-goal percentage (50.8), three-point percentage (39.7), and free-throw percentage (94.6) on his way to averaging 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals as a senior for the Tigers.
Bates is a splendid shooter, and his 6’10” wingspan will help him on the defensive end, where he might be a bit skinny against bigger opponents. I think the vision here is a 3-and-D bench off-ball scorer. Kinda reminds me of Will Barton. I’m intrigued.
Spencer Jones
The only returning two-way player from last year’s roster, Spencer Jones, will join the Nuggets in Vegas for the first time after playing just seven minutes for Portland during the 2024 NBA Summer League.
The 6-foot-7 former All-Pac-12 forward only saw the floor for 125 minutes last year, scoring 7.5 points, snatching 4.9 boards, and dishing 1.4 assists per 36 while playing some solid defense. However, Jones only converted one of 17 attempts from three last year, leveraging an awkward-looking jumper. We’d like to see him start cashing those outside shots to get more playing time in 2025-26.
The Rest of the Nuggets Summer League Roster
Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu
The 6’9” forward from Mesquite, Texas, most recently played for Varese in Italy’s Lega Basket Serie A. Akobundu-Ehiogu averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game, putting up a ridiculous 79.8% from the field (95/119).
The 25-year-old can jump out of the gym. Insane vertical leap for a man that tall.
Ibou Badji
Badji is a 7’1” center from Senegal who previously played at NBA Academy Africa, for the Wisconsin Herd, briefly for the Portland Trail Blazers, and most recently for Tenerife in the Spanish league last season. In 226 NBA minutes, Badji scored 34 points on 14/22 shooting, splashed half of his 12 free-throw attempts, snagged 51 rebounds (20 offensive), notched 13 assists, and tallied 20 blocks.
Reece Beekman
Another player with a little NBA experience, Reece Beekman, spent four years at Virginia before starting last season on a two-way contract with Golden State. The Brooklyn Nets acquired Beekman via trade, and the 6-foot-1 guard played almost 500 minutes, averaging 2.7 points on just 32.1% shooting from the field, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in just under 14 minutes per game.
Like many recent former Virginia Cavalier players, Beekman brings excellent defensive energy. He’s a steady, not flashy, offensive player who can make the right pass. A 3-and-D guard — in theory — his 32.6% shooting from three is about where he shot throughout college, but he needs to improve for him to truly catch on in the NBA.
Boo Buie
Boo Buie is a bucket-getter. A 6’2” guard who played five college seasons at Northwestern, Buie averaged 19 points on 43.8% shooting, five assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 34 games in his last year for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds last season in the G League.
Tyrell Harrison
Born in Australia to a father from New Zealand, the 7-footer has played professionally since 2017. Most of that time comes in Australasia’s NBL for the Brisbane Bullets, where he was recognized as Most Improved Player last season after averaging a near double-double: 14.3 points and 9.7 boards. He joined Puerto Rican club Indios de Mayaguez in March, recording that double-double average across 25 games, with 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Terrence Hargrove Jr.
An undersized forward, Terrence Hargrove Jr. played in college at St. Louis before joining the Bakken Bears of Denmark’s Basketligaen. He put up 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 29 minutes per game across 30 matchups in Denmark last year.
Keyontae Johnson
Another player who’s enjoyed a cup of coffee at the NBA level, Keyontae Johnson, played four years for the Florida Gators before finishing his college career at Kansas State. Johnson played in nine games for the Thunder in 2023-24, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. Last season, the 6-foot-4 wing played for the Greensboro Swarm in the G League, averaging 17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 51.8% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range.
Logan Johnson
A G League veteran, Logan Johnson played college basketball at Cincinnati and St. Mary’s before going undrafted in 2023. He joined the Oklahoma City Blue, where he made 22 appearances in 2023-24, helping the Blue win the NBA G League title. Johnson was also the 2025 NBA G League Slam Dunk Contest Champion.
Curtis Jones
A 23-year-old former Iowa State Cyclone, Curtis Jones earned second team All-American honors from the Associated Press this past season, as well as being named College Hoops Today National Sixth Man of the Year and an All-Big 12 First Team selection. His 17.2 points per game off the bench were the most in the country for any reserve player. The 6’4” guard shot 37.4 from deep last season.
E.J. Liddell
The former Ohio State standout joins the Nuggets summer league roster in Vegas after appearing in 20 NBA games over the past two years for the Pelicans and the Bulls. Liddell uses his wide frame — 6’7” 240 lbs. — to score inside and outside (34.1% from three in college). He’s also a versatile defender and solid rebounder who does a bit of everything but is a bit undersized as a big in the NBA.
Reyne Smith
An Australian hooper who played for Charleston and Louisville at the college level, Reyne Smith is a pure shooter. Across four collegiate seasons, Smith was a 38.2% shooter from 3-point range. He also helped Australia to the gold medal at the 2019 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship, played for his home country at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup, and was named to the Australian Boomers squad ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
Donovan Williams
A 6-foot-6 guard who appeared in two games for the Atlanta Hawks in 2022-23, Williams most recently suited up for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. In China, the former Texas Longhorn and UNLV Rebel averaged 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in seven games.
The Nuggets Summer League Schedule
With the roster set, Summer League tips off for the Nuggets tonight:
- July 10 vs. Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.
- July 12 vs. Minnesota at 8:00 p.m.
- July 15 vs. Toronto at 6:00 p.m.
- July 17 vs. L.A. Clippers at 9:00 p.m.
- Game #5: TBD
The summer Nuggets will look to advance to the single-elimination Summer League playoffs. If they do not qualify, the team will still play a fifth consolation game against a to-be-determined opponent.
Good luck to the Nuggets representing Denver at Summer League!