After being without Moneyball for a week, Michigan State fans were treated to some really fun hoops on Monday night.
Michigan State rookies Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler squared off in their teams’ second NBA Summer League games. For Kohler, it was his Summer League debut after failing to appear in Utah’s opener over the weekend. For Cooper, it was his second outing with the Memphis Grizzlies and his first was impressive, putting up 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Cooper followed up that impressive debut with a similarly impressive encore performance that had Memphis fans buzzing about a potential roster spot for the Spartan center.
After scoring 11 with five rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting against Aday Mara and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cooper dropped 10 points with six rebounds and an assist on 3-of-5 shooting against Kohler and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Plus, he threw down another alley-oop after posterizing Mara a couple of days ago.
Really impressed with Carson Cooper tonight.
— JPR (@Scouting_Col) July 7, 2026
There’s a reason Memphis signed him to a two-way deal. Tough, physical big who moves his feet well, has great hands, and finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. pic.twitter.com/pmeg4rwTdm
Through two Summer League games, Cooper is averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting. And he got to face two familiar faces in Mara and Kohler. You can’t ask for a much better start to NBA Summer League play than that for an undrafted big man.
Cooper signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies right after the 2026 NBA Draft which means that he’s going to be bouncing back-and-forth between Memphis and its G-League affiliate.
On the flip side, Kohler had 11 points and seven rebounds in his debut vs. Cooper and the Grizzlies. Kohler’s Jazz are now 2-0 after beating Cooper and the Grizzlies (1-1).
The Spartan rookies are showing out.
Carson Cooper is going to have a legit NBA opportunity
Grizzlies fans have liked what they’ve seen from Cooper through two Summer League games and some have even lobbied for him to be the third center on the roster for 2026-27.
Cooper will have a legitimate shot, especially after signing a two-way deal.
Memphis has former Purdue star Zach Edey as the starter and after trading for Isaiah Stewart from the Detroit Pistons, he’s looking like the backup. There’s really no clear third option and that’s where Cooper comes in. He’s showing out as a defensive big who can run the floor and assume that lob threat role on pick-and-rolls.
The Grizzlies’ organization also loves itself some Michigan State big men.
Memphis has had Zach Randolph, Deyonta Davis, Xavier Tillman, and Jaren Jackson Jr. rostered over the past couple of decades and I won’t be surprised to see Cooper become the latest.
Through two Summer League games, he looks very much like an NBA big whose game absolutely translates. He even hit a 3-pointer in his debut against Mara and the Thunder.
Cooper’s Grizzlies will play once again on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET against the Atlanta Hawks.
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