Ty-Shon

Alexander

Charlotte signed him to be able to add him to their training camp roster. This won’t affect fantasy hoops.

Alexander added six assists, three rebounds, four triples and three turnovers in his 30 minutes of floor time, and he hit multiple clutch shots down the stretch to force both overtime and the double-overtime period. He’s spent the past few years playing in Europe, but he’s trying to make it back to the NBA with the Summer League deal he signed with Charlotte, and he likely turned some execs’ heads with his play tonight. JT Thor banged in the game-winner from the corner in the sudden death period and finished with 12 points, three boards, two triples, one steal and two turnovers in 29 minutes.

This is all we know for the time being, but hopefully it’s nothing serious. Alexander looked decent in his limited minutes out there, and it’s not the best timing as he’s headed for his second season with Virtus Bologna of Italy (at least as far as we know). For that reason among plenty others, this injury won’t move the fantasy needle in the slightest.

Undrafted after three quality seasons at Creighton, Alexander appeared in just 15 games for the Suns last season. Waived by the team in late-August, Alexander has decided to head to Europe for the next stage in his professional career. The two-year contract that he has agreed to with Virtus Bologna includes an NBA out clause. Among the players Alexander will join forces with at Virtus is former Warriors guard Nico Mannion.

He struggled in his five Summer League games to the tune of 11.2 points per game on 33.9% from the floor, and he wasn’t a rotation player last year by any means after appearing in just 15 games for Phoenix (3.1 minutes per game). He’ll look to work on his game elsewhere such as the G-League.

Alexander appeared in just 15 games for the Suns in his rookie year, scoring nine total points, and grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out six assists. So game experience is what Alexander needs the most, and that is certainly what he is getting in summer league, as he is getting a good chunk of minutes at the guard spot. Justin Simon, who spent last season in Australia, but also has experience in the G-League played well in the backcourt, scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, and adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks, and two turnovers in 23 minutes. Jalen Smith also had a solid night, tallying a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds to go with three steals in 30 minutes in Monday’s loss. With the addition of JaVale McGee, it will be a more crowded frontcourt in Phoenix, meaning Smith will have to vie for minutes at the power forward spot or try to beat out McGee for the backup center spot behind Deandre Ayton.