The Las Vegas Summer League started up on Friday with eight games. One of the most highly anticipated games of the night was the San Antonio Spurs against the Charlotte Hornets.
The matchup pinned the first and second overall picks in the 2023 NBA Draft against each other in Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs and Brandon Miller for the Hornets.
Former Ohio State guard, and now second-year pro for the Spurs, Malaki Branham, held his own however as one of the best players on the floor. The Columbus native put up 17 points as he shot 6-of-16 from the field and an efficient 4-of-7 from three. He also added five rebounds and three assists.
After being drafted No. 20 overall in the 2022 NBA draft, Branham had a very solid rookie season. In particular, in the second half of the season, Branham came on strong averaging 14.1 points from February 1 through the end of the season.
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With the addition of Wembanyama, the Spurs will be a fun team to watch in the coming years, and with Branham’s steady improvement, he could certainly develop into an important player for them.
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Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire