Spartans' Akins Shows Promise with NBA Summer League Performance

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Former Michigan State basketball guard Jaden Akins turned in the best performance of his young professional basketball career in the 2025 NBA Summer League with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

Akins scored 9 points on 2-of-6 shooting with one made 3-pointer while going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in 14 minutes. He added three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Orlando would ultimately lose the contest against the Brooklyn Nets, 94-90.

The Magic are now a pitiful 0-4 in Summer League play this year. They have an average point differential of -6.8 and are one of four winless teams currently around the league. The good thing is that Summer League standings do not matter in the grand scheme of things, and most of the Magic's top players are not participating.

MSU's 2025 25th overall pick Jase Richardson did not play for Orlando in Wednesday's contest as it was a coach's decision that he sit out and rest. We have seen other top draft picks not play in every single Summer League game, including Dallas Mavericks' No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

Fans should be pleased to finally see Akins thrive and earn chances on the court after scoring just 3 points in 21 total minutes of action in his first two games of Summer League. He did not play in the opener, played 4 minutes in the Magic's loss to Toronto for his debut, and saw 17 minutes of action against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Akins went undrafted this year and is trying to make an NBA roster or become a two-way player with Orlando's G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. He certainly has the skills to do so, but his shaky shooting percentages are a thing that hindered his draft chances and are still lingering issues.

The former Spartan star will have one more opportunity this summer to sign some sort of contract with the Magic or their G League affiliate. Orlando battles the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at 4 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. We'll see if he can top Wednesday's performance.

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