WBOB Original Reads

R.I.N.B.A.

7/17/2018

Tyler Krusz

While none of them heard their names called on draft night, former URI basketball stars Hassan Martin, Jared Terrell, and E.C Matthews were all invited to show off their talents at the NBA Summer League and make one final push for a roster spot.

Martin isn’t new to the NBA Summer League, as he played with the Orlando Magic last summer following his four-year stint at URI. He played four games last summer, averaging 6.5 points and 4.25 boards in 16.2 minutes per game.

After receiving no offers from NBA teams, Martin took his game over to Japan and played with the Ryukyu Golden Kings. Hass became a star in Okinawa, Japan, averaging 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 27.7 minutes and really impressing with his athleticism.
After starting 58 games for the Golden Kings, Martin was invited to the states again for the 2018 Summer League, this time playing for the New England’s own Boston Celtics. Playing 16.0 minutes a game, Martin averaged 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, while taking over the highlight reel a few times with his thunderous dunks.

Following his summer stint with Boston, it was reported that Martin is likely to get offers from a few teams for a two-way contract- probably seeing time for an NBA G League team this season.

With impressive performances in their senior campaigns, both Terrell and Matthews were able to pick up some interest heading into the 2018 NBA Draft. In his last season at URI, Terrell started in all 34 games and averaged over 16 points per game, and was a key player in big victories over #20 Seton Hall and Trae Young’s Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. He earned Atlantic-10 All Conference First Team honors, and when Matthews went down with injury, Terrell showed he can single-handedly carry an offense to victory- which really improved his draft stock.

Terrell went undrafted after working out with several teams, but on July 5 he was offered a two-way contract with The Minnesota Timberwolves. Since Summer League tipped off, Terrell has been a force for Minnesota on both ends of the ball. He’s started all five games, averaging just under 10 points per game, with 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals a night.

Unlike Martin and Matthews, Terrell already had a professional contract going into Summer League. Although he more than showcased his skills in the tournament, with breakaway dunks and deep, contested threes, Terrell will likely start the NBA season with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G-League team.

Matthews, on the other hand, has been flying pretty under the radar in the 2018 NBA Summer League. After working out with several teams before the draft, including the Kings, Pistons, and Knicks, Matthews went undrafted and was offered a spot on the Memphis Grizzlies’ summer roster. In their tournament in Las Vegas, Matthews averaged 5.0 minutes per game, and only appeared in a few contests. He failed to score, but was able to bring down one rebound per game he was on the floor.

Like Martin did last year, Matthews will most likely take an offer to play somewhere overseas for the 2018-2019 basketball season. A season away would help Matthews- the competition isn’t as tough and the stress around making the G-League jump is out the window. It’d be no surprise if Matthews caught fire overseas while gaining his confidence back and made another appearance in the 2019 NBA Summer League.

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