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The Houston Rockets’ NBA Summer League team allows for former Arizona Wildcats guard Nick Johnson to have a few reunions with old teammates and adversaries.
Johnson and the Rockets open the Orlando Summer League Saturday at noon against Detroit (the games will be televised by NBA-TV). The Pistons feature former Arizona guard Mustafa Shakur, who turns 30 next month. Shakur had his second short stint in the NBA with Oklahoma City last year before ending the year playing in Lebanon.
Other storylines from the summer league:
— Johnson’s teammates with Houston include three former Pac-12 rivals, including longtime friend Jahii Carson of ASU. Jermaine Marshall (ASU) and Richard Solomon (California) are also with the Rockets.
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— Johnson and Carson have played AAU basketball together since grade school. Another former teammate, Jabari Brown, a 6’5″ wing player, is also with the Rockets’ summer-league team. Johnson and Brown played for the AAU Oakland Soldiers in the summer before Johnson entered his senior year at Findlay Prep in Henderson in 2010.
— Brown will join Johnson in Las Vegas on July 11. Carson and Marshall are not part of the Rockets’ roster there.
ARIZONA WILDCATS IN THE NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
*DLS is NBA Developmental League Select team
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— Former Arizona Wildcats standouts Aaron Gordon (Magic) and Solomon Hill (Pacers) will also only compete in Orlando. Therefore, the Arizona contingent in Orlando will include Johnson, Gordon, Hill and Shakur.
— Grant Jerrett was slated to play in Orlando with Oklahoma City but will miss the games there because of an ankle injury.
— Hill did not play this morning in Indiana’s 101-81 loss to Brooklyn this morning.
— Golden State coach Steve Kerr and assistant Luke Walton will be on hand when the Warriors’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League plays. Their first game is Friday at 5:30 p.m., Tucson time.
— Sean Rooks is one of the coaches who will lead the NBA Developmental League Select team in Las Vegas.
— Derrick Williams will play in his third Las Vegas Summer League, this time with Sacramento. He participated in the 2011 and 2013 summer leagues with Minnesota.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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