Judah Mintz had his work cut out for him when he decided to leave Syracuse for the NBA. He wasn’t projected to get drafted, and as expected, was passed over for all 58 picks. After that, it took a few days to land on an NBA Summer League roster. However, since signing a Summer League contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, he’s made the most of his opportunity.
Across five appearances, Mintz has 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. That’s despite coming off the bench in four games, and averaging just 22 minutes per contest. A particularly strong part of his game has been getting to the free throw line, and then converting once he’s made it there. Mintz is averaging 6 made free throws a game, which is tied for the sixth-best mark in the entire NBA Summer League.
Mintz peaked in his most recent outing, in a win over the Boston Celtics Summer League squad. The guard tallied 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals.
A performance like the one Mintz just had is critical for his chances to continue playing NBA-affiliated basketball after the summer ends. His contract is just for the Summer League, and while he’s not likely to receive a full NBA deal, he is competing for a two-way contract. A two-way deal would let Mintz split time between the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and the Delaware Blue Coats of the G-League.
One of the biggest obstacles for Mintz will be how few spots are available. Unless the 76ers move on from one of their current two-way players, they just have one more slot for an additional two-way deal. That means even if Philadelphia likes Mintz, if they like one other Summer League player more, he might be out of luck.
The upside for Judah Mintz? He could always get a two-way deal from another NBA team. In the past, other Syracuse alums, like Cole Swider, have earned two-way deals from other teams after succeeding over the summer.
