Mar 12, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) brings the ball up court during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Javon Small Drops Dimes and Turns Some Heads in Debut with Memphis Grizzlies

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 8:43 AM ET

It wasn't an all-star performance by any means, but former West Virginia guard Javon Small turned a few heads in his NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, helping them to a 92-80 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Summer League action.

Small collected four points in his debut on 2/6 shooting (0/2 from three-point range), while dishing out six assists and registering a steal. He also finished the game as a +8.

Less than 5 seconds to shoot the ball?
'
No problem for @memgrizz rookie Javon Small

MEM-OKC I ESPNU pic.twitter.com/bPjaiVrMtf
— NBA (@NBA) July 5, 2025

Javon Small MUSCLE pic.twitter.com/Goie5JQ5Gi
— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) July 5, 2025

As I mentioned the other day on Between The Eers, Small will likely become more of a facilitator at the next level than he was at WVU. He had to do much of the scoring in Morgantown, which hid his playmaking ability for others. Don't be alarmed by the low-scoring output. He'll score the rock, but first and foremost, he needs to get his teammates involved and play strong defense - both boxes were checked on Saturday.

Small was selected with the 48th overall pick in last month's draft and will likely split time between the Grizzlies and their G League affiliate, the Hustle, during his rookie campaign.

Small and the Grizzlies will be back in action on Monday night, taking on fifth overall pick Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBA TV.