Gonzaga’s Drew Timme shows versatility in NBA Summer League win

On the campus of UNLV on Monday night, three former top players from the Gonzaga men’s basketball team participated in the annual NBA Summer League event.

While Anton Watson and Killian Tillie were playing against the Boston Celtics at the Thomas & Mack Center, their old college teammate Drew Timme was putting in an all-around performance for the Sacramento Kings just down the road.

Timme, who was officially named to the Kings’ summer league roster last week, scored 19 points, dished out four assists and grabbed five rebounds in an 82-70 win over the Utah Jazz. The 6-foot-10 Texan shot 8-of-12 from the field in 22 minutes of action and was the focal point in the closing stages, accounting for 15 of his team’s 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Timme punished the Jazz with a series of post hooks and floaters that became a staple of his game at Gonzaga. But he was much more than a low-post threat Monday, as he often tried to push the pace himself and create chances for his teammates in transition.

Timme’s first bucket of the night, a 12-foot jumper from Mason Jones, gave the Kings a 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. All five of Sacramento’s starters got on the board before Utah scored its first points with 6:14 left in the first quarter. The Kings kept their foot off the gas pedal en route to a 48-25 halftime lead.

Timme had a quiet first half with just five points, but he kept going as the Jazz mounted a comeback in the second half. Utah, once down 24 points in the third quarter, trailed by 11 with 5:44 left in regulation after a pair of free throws by Taylor Hendricks.

Timme put the finishing touches on the victory with 10 points in the final six minutes, including a two-handed dunk to make it 80-65 with 2:35 left on a long pass from Jones.

In the two summer league games, Timme has averaged 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and a shooting percentage of 62.5%.

After suffering a broken foot in February, Timme returned to competitive basketball with the Kings earlier this month at the California Classic. He dropped a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in his debut, followed by a 6-point, 7-rebound performance. Timme had 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in the California Classic final.

Timme and the Kings will be back in action on Wednesday against the New York Knicks (NBA TV).

For Thomas & Mack, Watson finished with seven points and seven rebounds, while Tillie scored eight points in the Celtics’ 88-74 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Watson played the most minutes off the bench (22 minutes) of any Boston reserve.