Aussies and Kiwi get underway at 2025 Summer League

THE NBA Summer League has officially started this week, with all the action taking place out west as the California Classic kicks things off, and there are a few Aussies and a kiwi that have been a part of the action in the opening few days.
It all began last Sunday with day one seeing four games take place in San Francisco, and it was Taran Armstrong who got his opportunity on the first day. Entering his second season with the Golden State Warriors, the point guard is looking to finally make his NBA debut.
Armstrong impressed during his time with the Santa Cruz Warriors, and got the chance to make his case this week with a pair of appearances with Golden State. In the first clash against the Lakers, he posted seven points, two rebounds and six assists, while backing it up later in the week against the Miami Heat with five points, one rebound, seven assists and two steals.
Although he did not have the best week shooting the ball – making just three of his 14 attempts from the field – the guard was still able to showcase his impressive passing skills and create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
In that same clash, recent draftee Alex Toohey made his debut for the Warriors, with the Aussies set to be teammates throughout the 2025/26 season. The wing was rock solid in the loss to the Heat, and has shown enough to justify some playing time at the top level.
In 24 minutes of action, Toohey posted numbers of six points and six rebounds, while shooting 1/5 from the field and a perfect 4/4 from the charity stripe. His size and frame mixed with some impressive drives into the paint ensured he did enough to catch the eye in his first outing with Golden State earlier this week.
There is a third Australian on the Warriors’ roster in Alex Higgins-Titsha, but he has unfortunately not received any playing time as of yet. The same can be said for NBL Champion and Boomer Will Magnay, who is yet to hit the court for the Memphis Grizzlies.
From a New Zealand perspective, Sam Mennenga has been suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers and has received considerable court time in the first week of play. The big man has been making a name for himself with the New Zealand Breakers, and now gets his chance to impress with Los Angeles.
During the win over the Heat, Mennenga posted four points and an assist on a perfect 2/2 shooting from the field in 15 minutes, before backing it up with a rebound in four minutes of play against the Spurs, although he did get to experience the excitement of starting for the Lakers despite the limited opportunity.
The Summer League continues tomorrow with other teams set to join in on the action, including a clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, which could see a battle between Tyrese Proctor and Johnny Furphy.