Basketball News: 7-7-2026
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Auburn Basketball News: 7-7-2026
All about defense for Auburn basketball in summer practices:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-tigers-basketball-roster-steven-pearl-2026-288166689/
Former Auburn stars open NBA Summer League action with big games:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/07/06/auburn-basketball-stars-compete-in-nba-summer-league-first-weekend/90816576007/
Jaylin Williams added to Timberwolves NBA Summer League roster:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/07/06/auburn-basketball-jaylin-williams-joins-timberwolves-roster-nba-summer-league/90816415007/
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All about defense for Auburn basketball in summer practices
By Nathan King
Even if Steven Pearl's speciality as a coach wasn't defense, that would still be anyone's focus for Auburn next season.
The Tigers took a major step back on that end of the floor in Year 1 under Pearl. Auburn had reached some tremendous heights defensively in the Bruce Pearl era, with plenty of elite seasons, including Walker Kessler's Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2021-22, and back-to-back top-10 finishes in KenPom's defensive rating when Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell were patrolling the frontcourt.
So last season's struggles — No. 109 in defensive rating and No. 251 in opponent scoring rate — were tough for Pearl to stomach in his first season as head coach, especially since he served as the Tigers' defensive coordinator previously.
With Auburn's new roster now fully in place, it's no surprise where the Tigers are eager to make the most improvements in summer practices.
"Right now it has all been one-on-one defense — who can keep their man in front and who can't," Pearl said last week.
Summer practice sessions are not as lengthy or as involved as what the team can do during the season, but they still provide lots of value for the coaching staff to determine strengths and weaknesses of their roster. Right now, Pearl said there's a big emphasis on evaluating the best individual defenders on the team, since there's eight newcomers to learn about. Simply put, Auburn's coaches just haven't seen a lot of these players defend in person before.
"Guys that don't require help are the best defenders on the floor," Pearl said. "We're trying to put these guys in really disadvantaged situations and see who can recover and make plays. We're making practice intentionally a little bit harder for the defense. When you go to practice you're going to say, 'That's not very good defense.' No, we're doing that on purpose to see who can react and who can respond."
The arrival in the last couple weeks of Lithuanian wing Mantas Rubstavicius and French center Narcisse Ngoy will help to speed along more team-based defensive work in practice, Pearl said. But for the past month, he and the staff have been more focused on individuals.
The foreign tour next month in Greece will help this team learn about how to game plan together for an opponent, but Tigers' season is a long way away. The challenge from Pearl about being an empowered and confident defender starts now, though.
"We've basically been letting them figure it out and just see who communicates and reacts," Pearl said. "If they get hit on a ball screen, who is going to call out a switch or who is going to get back? We're trying to study those things without making them play like robots. We're trying to let them play with a little more freedom to see what their decision making is on both ends of the floor."
Pearl obviously did not fully dictate Auburn's practices last year until Bruce Pearl retired in September, though anyone around the program knows he was largely running the show well before that. Steven Pearl's first Auburn team probably couldn't have been helped much defensively no matter when his father retired — or at least the Tigers hope their personnel was lacking and that aspect of the team can see notable improvement next season. Auburn didn't have much size, for starters, playing a 6-foot-9 center and a 6-foot-7 power forward, along with having to rely on a lot of young players in the lineup.
Auburn certainly does not lack for size this season, with Ngoy, a 7-footer, plus 7-foot-1 Santa Clara transfer Bukky Oboye and 6-foot-10 Creighton transfer Owen Freeman. The wing and forward positions should have a lot of versatility, with 6-foot-8 forwards Thomas Dowd (Troy) and Adam Olsen (South Alabama), plus Rubstavicius, whom Pearl said is 6-foot-7.
The Tigers hope versatility can be a strength in 2026-27, but as usual, their usage will depend upon their ability to defend, Pearl said.
"It's all going to be based on what positions they can guard," Pearl said of his new-look Auburn lineup. "That's the most important thing where you decide offensively where they can play. Can they guard guards or can they only guard bigs? That's one of the things we're trying to find out this summer through the things we're doing in practice."
***********************
Former Auburn stars open NBA Summer League action with big games
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
Day three of the NBA Summer League at the California Classic featured three former Auburn stars competing for potential roster spots.
Unlike the previous two nights, the games did feature past Tigers competing on opposing teams. On Saturday night, the Sacramento Kings defeated the Brooklyn Nets 79-76 in a game that featured both Dylan Cardwell (Kings) and Chaney Johnson (Nets).
While both teams played on Sunday, neither Cardwell nor Johnson was active in the game.
Heat fell in double overtime to the Lakers
The Heat were able to pull off a close win on Friday night versus the Spurs and Miles Kelly, but Sunday afternoon was different. The Lakers took a 93-91 double overtime win to put both teams at 1-1. Keyshawn Hall scored just six points in the game on two of three shooting in 14 minutes of game action. While not a lot of points, he did show more efficiency than he did against the Spurs. He did show his rebounding ability with six in the loss.
Tre Donaldson was perfect in the game, shooting and connecting on all four shots from the field, and he made his one free throw attempt. He scored 11 points off the bench and had four assists.
Golden State Warriors Gold defeat the Spurs easily
Miles Kelly performed well in the Summer League opening night, scoring 16 points for the Spurs. He did not play as well on Sunday. The Warriors have split their team into two rosters: Blue and Gold. The Spurs played the Gold team and lost big 89-69. Kelly was 2-for-6 from the field, scoring just six points in the game. He missed both shots from beyond the three-point line and had two turnovers in the game. The loss drops the Spurs to 0-2.
Monday's NBA Summer League schedule
A quartet of former Auburn stars plays on Monday as part of the California Classic Summer League portion of the event. Actin begins Monday when Miles Kelly and the San Antonio Spurs face the Los Angeles Lakers at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU and Prime Video.
Chaney Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets face the Golden State Warriors blue squad at 7 p.m. CT on Prime Video, setting up a pair of games that will tip off at 9 p.m. CT. The Miami Heat, which houses Keyshawn Hall and Tre Donaldson, will face the Golden State Warriors Gold squad, and Dylan Cardwell, who plays for the Sacramento Kings, will battle the Milwaukee Bucks. Both games will stream live on Prime Video.
***********************
Jaylin Williams added to Timberwolves NBA Summer League roster
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
The 2026 NBA Summer League tipped off on Friday with the California Classic. Several former Auburn players have shown their NBA teams what they are capable of in the games. Another former Auburn star is getting an opportunity to do the same.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced their Summer League roster that features former Auburn star Jaylin Williams. Williams joins several former Tigers, including Dylan Cardwell and Keyshawn Hall, by competing in the NBA Summer League.
Williams has spent his first two seasons as a professional basketball player in the NBA G-League and the Canadian Elite Basketball League. He was undrafted in 2024 after he used up all of his college eligibility at Auburn. For the 2024-25 season, he played for the Grand Rapids Gold, who are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets.
He would go on to play with the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the CEBL before returning to the G-League this past season for the Stockton Kings in the G-League. He started in 17 games for the Kings, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Williams was a fan favorite for the Tigers during his time at Auburn from 2019-24. Over those years, he played in 141 games and started in 93. In his last season for the Tigers, he averaged 12.4 points per game and was named Second-team All-SEC. Over his career, he averaged 9.3 points per game.
Williams' first NBA Summer League game will be Thursday versus the New Orleans Pelicans with a 2:30 p.m. CT tip-off, and the game will be broadcast on Prime Video.
https://x.com/Timberwolves/status/2073799424766058598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2073799424766058598%7Ctwgr%5Ec4fd0f1bfe00b106978932c96021c982a747ebb1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fmens-basketball%2F2026%2F07%2F06%2Fauburn-basketball-jaylin-williams-joins-timberwolves-roster-nba-summer-league%2F90816415007%2F
All about defense for Auburn basketball in summer practices:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-tigers-basketball-roster-steven-pearl-2026-288166689/
Former Auburn stars open NBA Summer League action with big games:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/07/06/auburn-basketball-stars-compete-in-nba-summer-league-first-weekend/90816576007/
Jaylin Williams added to Timberwolves NBA Summer League roster:
https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/auburn/mens-basketball/2026/07/06/auburn-basketball-jaylin-williams-joins-timberwolves-roster-nba-summer-league/90816415007/
**************************
All about defense for Auburn basketball in summer practices
By Nathan King
Even if Steven Pearl's speciality as a coach wasn't defense, that would still be anyone's focus for Auburn next season.
The Tigers took a major step back on that end of the floor in Year 1 under Pearl. Auburn had reached some tremendous heights defensively in the Bruce Pearl era, with plenty of elite seasons, including Walker Kessler's Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2021-22, and back-to-back top-10 finishes in KenPom's defensive rating when Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell were patrolling the frontcourt.
So last season's struggles — No. 109 in defensive rating and No. 251 in opponent scoring rate — were tough for Pearl to stomach in his first season as head coach, especially since he served as the Tigers' defensive coordinator previously.
With Auburn's new roster now fully in place, it's no surprise where the Tigers are eager to make the most improvements in summer practices.
"Right now it has all been one-on-one defense — who can keep their man in front and who can't," Pearl said last week.
Summer practice sessions are not as lengthy or as involved as what the team can do during the season, but they still provide lots of value for the coaching staff to determine strengths and weaknesses of their roster. Right now, Pearl said there's a big emphasis on evaluating the best individual defenders on the team, since there's eight newcomers to learn about. Simply put, Auburn's coaches just haven't seen a lot of these players defend in person before.
"Guys that don't require help are the best defenders on the floor," Pearl said. "We're trying to put these guys in really disadvantaged situations and see who can recover and make plays. We're making practice intentionally a little bit harder for the defense. When you go to practice you're going to say, 'That's not very good defense.' No, we're doing that on purpose to see who can react and who can respond."
The arrival in the last couple weeks of Lithuanian wing Mantas Rubstavicius and French center Narcisse Ngoy will help to speed along more team-based defensive work in practice, Pearl said. But for the past month, he and the staff have been more focused on individuals.
The foreign tour next month in Greece will help this team learn about how to game plan together for an opponent, but Tigers' season is a long way away. The challenge from Pearl about being an empowered and confident defender starts now, though.
"We've basically been letting them figure it out and just see who communicates and reacts," Pearl said. "If they get hit on a ball screen, who is going to call out a switch or who is going to get back? We're trying to study those things without making them play like robots. We're trying to let them play with a little more freedom to see what their decision making is on both ends of the floor."
Pearl obviously did not fully dictate Auburn's practices last year until Bruce Pearl retired in September, though anyone around the program knows he was largely running the show well before that. Steven Pearl's first Auburn team probably couldn't have been helped much defensively no matter when his father retired — or at least the Tigers hope their personnel was lacking and that aspect of the team can see notable improvement next season. Auburn didn't have much size, for starters, playing a 6-foot-9 center and a 6-foot-7 power forward, along with having to rely on a lot of young players in the lineup.
Auburn certainly does not lack for size this season, with Ngoy, a 7-footer, plus 7-foot-1 Santa Clara transfer Bukky Oboye and 6-foot-10 Creighton transfer Owen Freeman. The wing and forward positions should have a lot of versatility, with 6-foot-8 forwards Thomas Dowd (Troy) and Adam Olsen (South Alabama), plus Rubstavicius, whom Pearl said is 6-foot-7.
The Tigers hope versatility can be a strength in 2026-27, but as usual, their usage will depend upon their ability to defend, Pearl said.
"It's all going to be based on what positions they can guard," Pearl said of his new-look Auburn lineup. "That's the most important thing where you decide offensively where they can play. Can they guard guards or can they only guard bigs? That's one of the things we're trying to find out this summer through the things we're doing in practice."
***********************
Former Auburn stars open NBA Summer League action with big games
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
Day three of the NBA Summer League at the California Classic featured three former Auburn stars competing for potential roster spots.
Unlike the previous two nights, the games did feature past Tigers competing on opposing teams. On Saturday night, the Sacramento Kings defeated the Brooklyn Nets 79-76 in a game that featured both Dylan Cardwell (Kings) and Chaney Johnson (Nets).
While both teams played on Sunday, neither Cardwell nor Johnson was active in the game.
Heat fell in double overtime to the Lakers
The Heat were able to pull off a close win on Friday night versus the Spurs and Miles Kelly, but Sunday afternoon was different. The Lakers took a 93-91 double overtime win to put both teams at 1-1. Keyshawn Hall scored just six points in the game on two of three shooting in 14 minutes of game action. While not a lot of points, he did show more efficiency than he did against the Spurs. He did show his rebounding ability with six in the loss.
Tre Donaldson was perfect in the game, shooting and connecting on all four shots from the field, and he made his one free throw attempt. He scored 11 points off the bench and had four assists.
Golden State Warriors Gold defeat the Spurs easily
Miles Kelly performed well in the Summer League opening night, scoring 16 points for the Spurs. He did not play as well on Sunday. The Warriors have split their team into two rosters: Blue and Gold. The Spurs played the Gold team and lost big 89-69. Kelly was 2-for-6 from the field, scoring just six points in the game. He missed both shots from beyond the three-point line and had two turnovers in the game. The loss drops the Spurs to 0-2.
Monday's NBA Summer League schedule
A quartet of former Auburn stars plays on Monday as part of the California Classic Summer League portion of the event. Actin begins Monday when Miles Kelly and the San Antonio Spurs face the Los Angeles Lakers at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU and Prime Video.
Chaney Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets face the Golden State Warriors blue squad at 7 p.m. CT on Prime Video, setting up a pair of games that will tip off at 9 p.m. CT. The Miami Heat, which houses Keyshawn Hall and Tre Donaldson, will face the Golden State Warriors Gold squad, and Dylan Cardwell, who plays for the Sacramento Kings, will battle the Milwaukee Bucks. Both games will stream live on Prime Video.
***********************
Jaylin Williams added to Timberwolves NBA Summer League roster
By Phillip Jordan
Auburn Wire
The 2026 NBA Summer League tipped off on Friday with the California Classic. Several former Auburn players have shown their NBA teams what they are capable of in the games. Another former Auburn star is getting an opportunity to do the same.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced their Summer League roster that features former Auburn star Jaylin Williams. Williams joins several former Tigers, including Dylan Cardwell and Keyshawn Hall, by competing in the NBA Summer League.
Williams has spent his first two seasons as a professional basketball player in the NBA G-League and the Canadian Elite Basketball League. He was undrafted in 2024 after he used up all of his college eligibility at Auburn. For the 2024-25 season, he played for the Grand Rapids Gold, who are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets.
He would go on to play with the Winnipeg Sea Bears of the CEBL before returning to the G-League this past season for the Stockton Kings in the G-League. He started in 17 games for the Kings, averaging 13.7 points per game.
Williams was a fan favorite for the Tigers during his time at Auburn from 2019-24. Over those years, he played in 141 games and started in 93. In his last season for the Tigers, he averaged 12.4 points per game and was named Second-team All-SEC. Over his career, he averaged 9.3 points per game.
Williams' first NBA Summer League game will be Thursday versus the New Orleans Pelicans with a 2:30 p.m. CT tip-off, and the game will be broadcast on Prime Video.
https://x.com/Timberwolves/status/2073799424766058598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2073799424766058598%7Ctwgr%5Ec4fd0f1bfe00b106978932c96021c982a747ebb1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fauburnwire.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fmens-basketball%2F2026%2F07%2F06%2Fauburn-basketball-jaylin-williams-joins-timberwolves-roster-nba-summer-league%2F90816415007%2F
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