Cam Spencer takes on leadership role with summer Grizzlies

Former UConn star Cam Spencer has already accomplished more than most second-round picks after his rookie season.

He played in just 25 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last year, but still managed to give fans the full Cam Spencer Experience– a record-breaking shooting performance in the G League that saw him pour in 51 points, an on-court scuffle with Devin Booker in which he drew a shove from the four-time All-Star, and an unforgettable back-and-forth with Kevin Durant in which he taunted the first-ballot Hall of Famer after draining a corner three.

Those moments and others– possibly including his 23 points in the season finale– convinced the Grizzlies to give Spencer a two-year guaranteed contract this offseason, meaning he will be part of the franchise’s plans in the immediate future.

Spencer has gotten right back to work after signing his contract, an upgrade from the two-way deal he signed as a rookie that meant he’d spend a large portion of last season in the G League. He’s joined the Grizzlies’ summer league team in Salt Lake City this week, and is expected to play for the team when it takes the court in the Las Vegas summer league starting July 10.

The sharpshooting wing looked comfortable in his first game with the summer Grizzlies, scoring 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting while dishing out five assists and grabbing five rebounds in a 92-80 win over the Thunder. He did commit four turnovers, however.

As a second-year player, Spencer is now a veteran on the Grizzlies’ summer league team, and he appears to be finding his voice as a leader.

“It’s pretty cool,” Spencer told a Grizzlies team reporter after the game. “I think we want to use our experience as an advantage, and we want to help the guys who haven’t been here before with any little tips that we can give, just to keep them calm and have everybody play their game. They’re on the Grizzlies summer league team for a reason, and we believe in them.”

Asked about individual goals, he provided a characteristic answer:

“Win. Win the championship, that’s it.”

Sanogo getting tryout with Jazz

Another UConn national champ is getting some playing time this summer. Adama Sanogo, who was waived by the Chicago Bulls in February, signed on with the Utah Jazz summer league team. The former Huskies big man went 2-for-2 from the field for four points, grabbed five rebounds, and collected two blocks in 15 minutes against the 76ers in the team’s opener on Saturday.

Sanogo spent his first two seasons on two-way contracts with Chicago, alternating time between the NBA and the G League. He was dominant in the G League, averaging 20.4 points and 12 rebounds per game over two seasons, but wasn’t able to earn much playing time with the NBA squad, averaging just 6.7 minutes in 13 games across two seasons.

Though he’s cast as a ‘tweener’ at just 6-foot-9, Sanogo has shown the prodigious scoring and rebounding ability that made him 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player at UConn. He even put up a 22-point, 20-rebound performance in the final game of the 2024 NBA season against the Wizards, but that wasn’t enough to earn him regular minutes.

Chicago waived him after a knee injury sidelined him in February. The Jazz have a roster loaded with young players and bigs, but Sanogo will hope to earn a training camp invite if he performs well enough this summer.