The Memphis Grizzlies may have lost on Wednesday, but the performance of rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. in the Salt Lake City Summer League caught the attention of everyone watching, including Ja Morant.
Lofton, who went undrafted last month, produced a game-high 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes of work in an 87-71 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He went 8-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range.
The 19-year-old went to work quickly, scoring 14 points alone in the first half. He faced little resistance inside the paint on several occasions and even got the best of former USA Basketball teammate and Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren a few times.
Lofton entered the draft highly touted for his ability to bully opponents and score in a variety of ways. He had each of those areas of his game on display throughout the contest, including a deep 3-pointer early in the third quarter of action.
The shot earned a mid-game dap from Morant.
The performance by Lofton followed up a solid debut on Tuesday.
He recorded nine points, three rebounds and one blocked shot on 4-of-5 shooting in that win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Memphis has one game left in Utah before heading to Las Vegas as Lofton will look to build upon his latest effort.
The Grizzlies signed Lofton to a two-way contract after the draft and believe he can eventually develop into a key player in the future. He will likely need some time in the NBA G League throughout the year but has the potential to eventually earn a standard contract from the team.
It certainly looks like Morant is a fan of the rookie.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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