Miles Kelly deserves your respect

The Auburn product turned some heads over the week in Vegas

Coming into this 2025 NBA Summer League, Miles Kelly was under the radar for the most part. The Auburn product, who signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks as an undrafted free agent, was well behind both Cooper Flagg and fellow undrafted free agent Ryan Nembhard in terms of intrigue going into Summer League.

However, Kelly was able to accomplish a rare feat: A successful ten-day run in Las Vegas. He was able to average 12.6 points per game, which was second on the team behind Flagg. The shooting wasn’t necessarily efficient, as Miles shot just 39% from the field and 32% from three. However, Summer League is not really the place for efficiency; just ask Cooper Flagg (36% from the field, 21% from three). The eye test is where Kelly really showed his worth, as his spacing and feel for the game shined throughout.

The long ball

Kelly was actually almost 36% from three in Summer League until the last game, where both Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard did not play. The eye test backed up the numbers, as the shot looked smooth and in rhythm for the majority of Kelly’s five games. You saw a variety of makes from Miles, whether it was catch and shoot, like these were against the Lakers.

Or like this one in the game against the San Antonio Spurs, where Kelly was able to walk down into a pull up in transition.

Floor game

Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Kelly shined with 21 points and stuffed the stat sheet against his former Auburn teammate, Johni Broome. If you’re good enough to get a Panda highlight tape, that’s all I need to know.

Kelly showed it all over the course of these five games. He was able to flash some of his play making chops with several solid drives that led to either kick outs or finishes, like this one against the Orlando Magic.

Miles Kelly deserves your respect

Kelly was a four-year guy in college and has played enough high-level ball to process the game at an elite level. Realistically, nobody should expect Miles to get minutes right from the start in the 2025-26 NBA season. But when guys like that inevitably get their chance, they will be ready for the moment and Kelly will be no different. At the very least, Kelly’s performance during Summer League proves that he deserves your respect going forward.