Joshua Jefferson had to wait a few days before he would make his debut in the NBA Summer League.
Traded on draft night from Minnesota to Brooklyn, the Liberty High graduate missed the California Summer League.
Once the trade cleared, Jefferson, fittingly, made his Summer League debut for the Nets in his hometown.
Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 forward, was a first-round pick at 28th overall in last month’s draft. He made his Summer League debut on Saturday night and scored nine points in 26 minutes in Brooklyn’s 83-76 loss to Atlanta.
“It was frustrating,” Jefferson said of not being able to play in the Nets’ first four Summer League games (three in Northern California and one in Las Vegas).
“The one beneficial things I could do was get mental reps and make sure I’m learning the plays and everything. Just trying to learn as much as I can from the sidelines. The game reps are going to help me just continue to get better and keep on going up.”
Jefferson made his second Summer League appearance on Tuesday, scoring nine points and recording two steals in 18 minutes off the bench.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Jefferson said Tuesday after Brooklyn rolled to a 115-83 over the Sacramento Kings. “I think the most important thing here is getting reps. Not getting too high or low but just continuing to play through all the ups and downs that are going to come, but I’m having a lot of fun.”
‘Everything happens for a reason’
As a forward who primarily plays on the perimeter, Jefferson showcased his athleticism Tuesday with a steal and score, putting an up-and-over move to get past a Kings defender in transition for the basket in the first quarter. Jefferson also had a transition, one-handed dunk in the second half.
“(The scoring), is something that we want from him,” Brooklyn Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley said. “His ability to get into the paint, finish for himself, but also make plays for others.”
Now, Gaitley said, the focus for Jefferson is to use his size on both ends of the floor.
“Using that physicality to get in the paint – but we have to help him with his understanding of defensive concepts,” Gaitley said. “Increasing his physicality and feeling comfortable shooting 3-pointers, once he gets those things down, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Jefferson was a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection last year as a senior with Iowa State while averaging 16.4 points per game. But Jefferson’s year ended during the first round of the NCAA Tournament after he suffered a sprained left ankle.
“I was out two-and-a-half, three weeks and then had to get back to training right away,” Jefferson said of the draft process. “It was a really fast rehab … I think I did well throughout that, managing the pain, making sure I’m getting my body right and my rehab.
“It sucks it ended that way, but everything happens for a reason.”
‘Best version of myself’
At Liberty, Jefferson was the Nevada Preps boys athlete of the year his senior year in 2022. He starred on the Patriots team that beat Bishop Gorman 63-62 in overtime to win the Class 5A state title.
Liberty had lost to Gorman three times that season before the title game. The loss was the only defeat for a nationally-ranked Gorman team that season and ended the Gaels’ run of nine straight titles.
Jefferson said at Liberty during his senior year, he learned leadership skills that were building blocks for him to play at a high level at college. Jefferson became the first Las Vegas player since Liberty grad Julian Strawther (Denver in 2023 at 29th overall) to be taken in the first round.
“There’s not a lot of Vegas NBA players, so to etch my name into that means a lot,” said Jefferson, who started his college career at Saint Mary’s (2022-24) and played his last two seasons at Iowa State. “Hopefully I can continue to leave my legacy in Vegas and build it up.”
Jefferson joins a Brooklyn team that went 20-62 last year. But Jefferson is optimistic about the young core in Brooklyn (with guards Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin), and veteran additions (Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle), the team could be competitive.
“(I want to) be the best version of myself,” Jefferson said. “I’m going to accept any role that they give to me and continue to be a great shooter or on-ball defender — all the little things that I’m going to need to do to stay on the floor.
“I trust the plan that the Nets have for me, so I’m going to continue to work hard.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
