Derry Newton NBA scouts and team executives gave a glimpse of what UConn fans saw all season over this weekend g league elite camp. In the end, that wasn’t enough to earn him an invitation to stick around NBA Draft Combine.
Newton was in Chicago for an elite camp, hoping to get a call-up to the group, where he could showcase his skills alongside fellow NBA hopefuls.
His first day was difficult, and he scored Only two points He committed five turnovers in his first scrimmage. But he picked things up on the second day, putting up 14 points, grabbing six rebounds and draining three of his four 3-point attempts. His performance was impressive enough that the NBA G League account tweeted about it.
Some cool stuff today from Tristen Newton:
14 points 😤
6 REB 😤
3 3 m 😤It appeared on the 2nd of #EliteCamp! pic.twitter.com/s5QUAJcDBM
– NBA G League (nbagleague) May 15, 2023
However, no one was Eight players are invited to stay all week. Instead, those invites went to Johnny Broom (Auburn), Kendrick Davis (Memphis), Toussaint Evpoumwan (Princeton), Jazyan Gortman (elite overtime), BJ Hall and Hunter Tyson (Clemson), and Dillon Jones (Weber State). and Sir Jabari Rice (Texas).
Those eight joined Andre Jackson, Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins of Yukon, as well as 75 other players in the combine, which kicked off Monday.
Highlights for UConn’s Tristen Newton on day two of the G League Combine
Newton finished with 14 points, shot 3/4 from distance and showed more flashes of solid defense
Newton is expected to seek the NBA Combine Invitational, which will be announced tonight/tomorrow pic.twitter.com/sXnY9IUZpL
— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) May 15, 2023
Shooting scheme of Tristen Newton in the first half of his game in the NBA G League Elite Camp: pic.twitter.com/gJ85W6RWXr
– John Fanta (@John_Fanta) May 14, 2023
Newton retained his collegiate eligibility during the NBA Draft Water Test, so he still has the option to return to UConn next season.
The 6-5 guard from El Paso, Texas averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game last season. He made his mark in Huskies history, becoming the school’s first player—men and women—to record multiple triple-doubles in the same season. He also left on a high note, scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out four assists in UConn’s 76-59 national championship game over San Diego State.
Even though he played four seasons, Newton still had another year of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 rules. He is not expected to be drafted on most fictitious NBA draft boards, but he can decide to sign with a team and start his career regardless. He must make a decision one way or another by May 31st.