Utah Jazz wrap-up team-hosted summer league with win over ATL

Led by journeyman Stanton Kidd, the Utah Jazz secured an impressive victory over the Atlanta Hawks to close out the Utah Summer League.

In front of 12,047 fans, the Utah Jazz were able to close out the Utah Summer League with a convincing 92-87 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

The Jazz were led by Georges Niang, Tony Bradley and the unheralded Stanton Kidd, each of whom scored 15 points in the win. Utah went 2-1 overall as the host of the summer league, and they have now had the best record in three of the four years that the league has been run.

All eyes were be on first-round picks Trae Young and Grayson Allen in this one, and while neither were able to get their shooting stroke going, Allen would get the upper hand through his all-around efforts. He played hard-nosed defense with three steals, and added eight assists and six rebounds.

Young has visibly struggled through the Utah Jazz Summer League, and it was more of the same versus the host team. He would finish the game with 10 points, but shot only 3-of-16 overall and misfired on seven of eight attempts from distance.

Over his three games in Utah, Young made 12 shots, and went 3-for-24 from three.

He also couldn’t compete with the  jaw-dropping dunks that Allen put down during the pre-game warm-ups —

Many of the youngsters on the Jazz have made an impact over the first three games of the summer league, but one of the best has been the one you’ve likely never heard of: Stanton Kidd.

Kidd played his senior year at Colorado State in 2014-15, and averaged 11.5 points and five rebounds. He proceeded to go undrafted, and has played professionally in Belgium, Germany and Turkey over the past three years.

At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, Kidd has certainly impressed the Jazz with his play, and he capped it off with 15 points, five rebounds and two steals in the win over Atlanta. In two games this summer, he has averaged 14 points, four rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. He has also shot an impressive 44.4 percent from three.

If Kidd continues to perform like he has throughout the rest of summer league play, he will almost certainly find himself on an NBA roster. At least through a two-way contract.

Kelan Martin is the other lesser-known prospect who has made a noticeable impact for the Jazz. After averaging 21 points and six rebounds during his senior season at Butler, some were surprised when Martin went undrafted.

With the Jazz, he has shown that was almost certainly a mistake, as he has averaged 9.3 points this summer league and shot 41.7 percent from three. In the closing seconds of the third quarter against the Hawks, he had perhaps the highlight of the game, blocking Young on one end, then hitting a three on the other.

While Allen is the most prominent player on this Jazz roster, Niang has been the leading scorer for the Jazz. He continued his impressive play in the victory over the Hawks. He scored 15 points, and is now averaging 16.7 points per game. As a 6-foot-8 combo forward, Niang can score in a variety of ways.

He could potentially have an impact on the Jazz this upcoming season due to his impressive 3-point shooting at his position.

Bradley, Utah’s first-round pick from 2017, has quietly been one of the best players across all teams participating in the Utah Summer League. Bradley has finished all three games with a double-double, averaging 14.6 points and 12.3 rebounds.

There is definitely room for improvement in his game, as he has struggled to finish at the basket consistently. Compared to last year, though, it’s obvious he has made strides to improve his game.

In particular, he has gotten stronger and his hands are much softer.

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The Utah Jazz will now turn their attention to Las Vegas, as they will be taking on Zach Collins and the Portland Trail Blazers this Saturday.