Chris Youngblood came into Summer League without much in the way of expectations. As an undrafted free agent signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, Youngblood faces a long road to making an NBA roster, or even catching on in the G-League.
But in his debut at Vegas Summer League on Thursday night, Youngblood showed the world why he can be an NBA player and made the case to earn the final two-way roster spot for the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the Thunder's 90-81 win over the Nets, Youngblood led the way for OKC with 19 points, connecting on 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three-point range. He added five rebounds and two steals in the Thunder win.
Finding a spot on a young and deep team like the Thunder was never going to be easy, but Youngblood is making it a difficult decision for the OKC brass. His ability as a shooter and defender makes him an intriguing NBA prospect, more than anyone gave him credit for coming out of college.
Youngblood flashed his potential during his lone season in Tuscaloosa, but also struggled to get comfortable in a new system after missing the first eight games of the year due to injury. He had some games where he was red-hot from three, but also plenty more where he struggled to find any kind of rhythm.
Chris Youngblood could be trending to a two-way contract
Even if the Thunder aren't he team to give it to him, Youngblood could earn himself a two-way contract somewhere else if he keeps performing at a high level in Summer League.
A two-way contract would allow Youngblood to play the majority of the season in the G-League as he continues to develop, but would also allow him to spend some time in the NBA as well. Oklahoma City has a young, talented team that will make it challenging for him to ever get a legitimate shot on the NBA roster, but they do have an open two-way spot that could end up going to Youngblood if he has more performances like Thursday in him.
If not, other teams are surely taking note of his ability as a three-and-D guard. He has the ability to torch the nets, and he's a physical defender capable of defending guards or wings.
Youngblood came to Vegas flying under the radar, but his performance on Thursday opened some eyeballs and could allow him to get a legitimate shot in the league.