Liberty grad Strawther shines in NBA Summer League with Nuggets

Las Vegas native Julian Strawther has done what he said he was going to do in his second NBA Summer League season: dominate. 

The Denver Nuggets forward, in just two games, has averaged 28.5 points, which leads the entire league in scoring.

“It’s kind of what I set out to do,” Strawther said. “Come out here, dominate and set myself apart from the rest of the group.” 

He had 25 points in the Nuggets 88-78 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on July 12, and 32 points, hitting six 3-pointers, in a narrow 84-81 loss to the Toronto Raptors on July 14. 

“He’s (Strawther) been a pretty confident guy, but he’s been working like crazy for the better part of a year,” Nuggets Summer League coach Andrew Munson said after the loss to the Clippers. “He hasn’t taken any time off, so he’s had the reps and all the work. The guy is crazy talented. Why wouldn’t you be confident?” 

After two impressive performances, the Nuggets shut down Strawther for the rest of Summer League, likely impressed with what they’ve seen. He’s also dealing with a minor ankle injury, which he said wasn’t going to hold him back from “what he wanted to do” in the first two games. 

“Everything moves a lot slower this year,” Strawther said. “Last time was the first time I put on an NBA jersey, so there’s a lot of nerves and a lot of outside noise that you kind of let seep in.  This time around there was just a different confidence and swagger I felt on the court.”  

After three years at Gonzaga, averaging 15.2 points and 31.2 minutes over 37 games in his junior season, Strawther was selected 29th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Nuggets. 

This past year he played in 50 regular season games but averaged just 10.9 minutes per game. Going back to Denver, he wants to roll off the confidence he’s built in Las Vegas. 

“There’s no opportunity or no time to slow down,” Strawther said. “I feel so confident and comfortable with my game right now that I kind of want to stay in this type of mindset.” 

Balling out in Vegas is nothing new for Strawther as this is his home. 

He attended Liberty High School in Henderson and helped turn the Patriots into a regional boys’ basketball powerhouse. Since his senior year in 2020, Liberty has won 19 games or more each season and won its first state championship in 2022. 

“I love playing in Vegas,” Strawther said. “I feel like every time I come out here it’s becoming more and more of a basketball town. There’s always a lot of love here and the fans always show me love.” 

He used the time back home to be with family, where there were home-cooked meals and trips to Roberto’s Tacos with his older sister, former UNLV forward Paris Strawther. 

The Summer League concludes today at the Thomas & Mack Center.