NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is a unique proving ground in professional sports — part tournament, part showcase — and it’s packed with players fighting for a shot at their dream: an NBA roster spot. Former Illinois forward Ben Humrichous is one of them.
Just months removed from a Final Four run, Humrichous now finds himself navigating life as an Exhibit-10 signee with the Brooklyn Nets. It’s a situation that comes with the benefits of an NBA franchise and its development system, but no guarantees of what tomorrow could look like. Through that uncertainty, Humrichous is just focusing on what he can control.
“Number one, I know God is sovereign; God has a plan for me set out for where it is,” Humrichous said. “My hope is to play in the NBA. Whether or not that’s here in the NBA, whether it’s in the G League, wherever the Lord has me, I know He will be faithful to what is right in front of me. So a lot of my mind is just how can I be the best today? I’m trusting that God is faithful through all of that.”
The NBA has never been a promise for Humrichous. From NAIA basketball to playing at mid-major Evansville, making it to the league was a dream. Two years at Illinois turned that dream into a reachable goal after Humrichous became a key role player and made it to a Final Four. Humrichous took that momentum after the season and used it to his advantage in his pre-draft process, working out for multiple teams.
“A lot of that (process) was dreaming big, but being realistic,” Humrichous said. “For a guy like me, my role is very simple, to shoot the ball and play great defense, you know, and be a great teammate. So a lot of that for the draft process was going in and just showcasing that right there. Not trying to be somebody that you’re not, but trying to show what you can do and what you’re about.”
Although he didn’t have the built-in exposure of the Portsmouth Invitational or the NBA and G League Draft Combines, Humrichous still had various teams interested when it came down to locking in a deal. Ultimately, the Nets emerged as the best situation for him to kickstart his pro career in the right direction.
“It was deciphering where the greatest opportunity would be for myself. But then, to fit within a team, to fit within an organization where we value the same things,” Humrichous said. “A big part about Brooklyn is the development piece, the commitment to my development … And then even just the opportunity for the career path, the ability to compete for positions and stuff like that, I felt
Former Illini Ben Humrichous plays defense on July 10 at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. (Sahil Mittal)
like Brooklyn was a great place for it.”
With Brooklyn, Humrichous got his start in July at the California Classic and Las Vegas NBA Summer Leagues. At the California Classic, Humrichous played in two of three games for Brooklyn and impressed with an 8-rebound, 15-point performance on 5 of 12 shooting from deep. In his first game in Las Vegas, Humrichous showed off his shooting skill and knack for chasing down boards once again, registering 9 points (3 of 5 from three) and 5 rebounds.
Humrichous’ early flashes of success on both ends of the floor have shown off attributes that the current NBA loves, and playing within an offense at Illinois built off NBA principles only helped that.
“I think Illinois runs a very modern NBA-style of offense,” Humrichous said. “I got to sit down with the whole coaching staff (at Illinois); they’re out here in Vegas for a few days … and talk about some of the schemes that we’re doing. Some of the schemes might be a little bit different, but for the most part, it’s the same ideologies at the top about what we’re trying to do. It’s just, what are we trying to do from the jump or towards the end? I think Illinois prepared me extremely well for this moment.”
As he moves forward, Humrichous knows that he needs to keep playing to his strengths and playing his role: shooting the ball at a high level, having a high IQ and making effort plays on the glass and defensively. But to solidify a spot at the next level, there are still some points of improvement that will make him a more well-rounded player.
“For a guy like me, my size, to have some development, like the ability to guard multiple positions defensively, is something that I’m going to continue to work on,” Humrichous said.
Humrichous will finish out Summer League with Brooklyn before heading to training camp in the fall. From there, he’ll see what happens. It’s something he’s been preparing for over the last two years in Champaign. The lows, the highs, playing a background role or stepping up — Humrichous is ready to make the most of his opportunity.
“I think one of the great parts of Illinois is it set me up for this stage well,” Humrichous said. “I was able to adapt to whatever was in front of me, and then to just have a simple game where it was just about creating advantages, and then being ready for big moments.”
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