Former Gonzaga teammates Julian Strawther, Drew Timme pull out familiar moves in NBA Summer League matchup

LAS VEGAS – Julian Strawther scored his first points on a running floater – the kind he made over and over again during a three-year career at Gonzaga.

Roughly five minutes later, Drew Timme converted a fallaway jumper off the glass, demonstrating the same touch and finesse that helped him become the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer.

Their situations have changed, but Strawther and Timme went about their business in a way that probably looked familiar to Gonzaga fans when the former college teammates reunited in Las Vegas on Friday for an NBA Summer League opener between Strawther’s Denver Nuggets and Timme’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Months removed and just 2 miles away from the location of their final college game against UConn in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, Strawther and Timme were at odds this time, warming up on different ends of the court, sitting on opposite benches and only interacting briefly, hugging in the handshake line after the Bucks held off the Nuggets for a 92-85 win at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Making his unofficial NBA debut in his hometown of Vegas, Strawther started and played 26 minutes for the Nuggets, shrugging off a slow start from the 3-point line to finish with 15 points on 4 of 11 from the field, 3 of 9 from beyond the arc and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Strawther, the 29th overall pick of the NBA draft, also had two steals, one rebound and one foul, finishing minus-7 for the game.

Weeks after signing an Exhibit 10 contract for Milwaukee, Timme was effective in 13 minutes off the bench, scoring seven points on 3 of 4 from the field while making his only 3-point attempt of the game. He added one rebound and finished plus-12.

Strawther received a solid ovation from the Vegas crowd when the Liberty High product was announced in Denver’s starting lineup. The former Gonzaga wing got on the score sheet less than three minutes into the second quarter, catching a pass from Peyton Watson and driving past Milwaukee’s MarJon Beauchamp before lobbing up a 13-foot floater.

Strawther, drafted by Denver largely because of his 3-point shooting ability, missed three of his first four shots from deep but recovered to make two of the final five.

“I think just being an older player, playing at Gonzaga, playing in a lot of big games, I don’t think anything like this shocks him,” Nuggets Summer League coach John Beckett said. “Came out there and he played really well, he played within himself. I thought he took some really good shots, I think he missed some shots I think later on, he’ll knock those down as well. But just his poise and just his ability to make those shots is huge for us.”

Strawther, who made 143 3-pointers at Gonzaga while shooting at a career 38% clip, wasn’t hesitant to pull the trigger in his first game as an NBA player. Through the first six Summer League games, only three players attempted more 3s than Strawther did during Friday’s afternoon opener.

In limited minutes, Timme was more selective with his opportunities on the offensive end, checking in for the first time with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Timme’s first bucket, a 7-foot fadeaway shot off the glass, came with 3 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Minutes later, with the game clock winding down, Timme drove into the lane and attempted a poster dunk on Hunter Tyson. The former Clemson star got the better of Timme, though, rejecting the Gonzaga forward at the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Timme did give fans a sample of the perimeter shooting he’s tried to work into his game, knocking down a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left wing midway through the first quarter.

“The beauty of this Summer League, you get to really know guys and I tell them you get to showcase your talents, man,” said recently appointed Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, the only NBA head coach also leading his team at Summer League. “We’re going to throw you out there as long as you can defend and one of the things I tell these guys is, it’s your job to find a way to get on the floor.

“You’re going to do that with your defense and hustle, but when you’re on the floor you’re going to get an opportunity to show what you can do on the other end and I thought (Timme) did that at a high level today.”

The three-time All-American scored his final points in the third quarter, maneuvering past 6-foot-10 Denver center Grant Golden to find open space before flipping in an 8-footer.

“I love to watch Drew play, man,” said Milwaukee teammate Andre Jackson Jr., the 36th overall pick of the NBA draft and a member of the UConn team that ended Timme’s and Gonzaga’s season in Vegas three months ago. “He brings a different kind of vibe to the team and he’s really kind of calm and he knows the game and he plays the game really smart. He’s really smart, he can make plays, he can score the ball and he’s always in the right spot.”

Strawther and the Nuggets have an off-day before playing the Atlanta Hawks at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at COX Pavilion (NBA TV). Timme and the Bucks will be back on the floor Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip against the Phoenix Suns at COX Pavilion (NBA TV).

Despite seven former GU players competing at Summer League, there will be only one other Zag vs. Zag matchup during the first stretch of games in Vegas, not including playoffs. That won’t take place until July 12, when Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder take on Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers (4:30 p.m., COX Pavilion, NBA TV).

Also on Friday, former Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye made his summer league debut for the Atlanta Hawks.

Gueye, a second-round pick, started for the Hawks and scored 10 points. Gueye added five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in Atlanta’s 80-76 loss to Sacramento.