Illinois Basketball: Matthew Mayer continues hot Summer League run

A couple of nights ago, former Illinois basketball one-hit-wonder, Matthew Mayer, made his NBA Summer League debut.

Despite the Houston Rockets winning the first two games, the franchise decided to rest its top two youngsters for the rest of the Summer League. This opened the door for the former Illini stretch No. 4 to shine his brightest.

Meyer took his opportunity to show the NBA that he was a solid player who could be an asset to a team. In his first showing, he played just over 28 minutes and finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 54.5% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.

Matthew Mayer continued his progression from Illinois basketball to the Houston Rockets

The Rockets once again suited up on Thursday night in the hope of keeping its top spot in the Summer League standings. Without two of its best players, you would think there would be a dip in production. That wasn’t the case at all, though.

Houston would go on to trounce the Golden State Warriors, 118-101, to keep the top spot in the standings. Six different Rockets had double-digit points, including Mayer.

Mayer would end the night as Houston’s fifth-leading scorer, as he would put up 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. Mayer did lead the team with eight rebounds as well.

Just two games into his NBA career and Mayer is showing the world he belongs in The Association. He is averaging 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Mayer has also gone 6-of-15, 40%, from three-point range. These types of numbers warrant a look from NBA scouts. Don’t be shocked if Mayer ends up on a good NBA team as a deep rotation piece.