Former Dayton Flyers forward Nate Santos improved his chances of reaching the NBA in his second season of professional basketball with his performance in the NBA Summer League earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nev.
Santos, a 2025 UD graduate who played in the NBA G League last season, averaged 13.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in five games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He averaged 25.8 minutes per game and shot 51.5% from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in four of the five games.
Santos had the third-highest scoring average on the Timberwolves roster behind guard Zyon Pullin (21.0), who has appeared in eight NBA games in the past two seasons, and forward Joan Beringer (18.0), who appeared in three games for the Timberwolves last season.
Santos converted back-to-back 4-point plays in a 38-second span during a game on July 18.
On July 11, Nathan Bubes, the head coach of the Timberwolves’ Summer League team, was asked by reporters what the next step is for Santos to reach the league.
“For him, it’s just keep doing what he’s been doing out here,” Bubes said. “His defense has been really good. He’s standing up drives. He’s using that big body to stop guys. He’s making catch-and-shoot 3s. He’s making the right play and decisions running the floor and doing whatever the team needs. If he just keeps doing what he’s done these last two games, I don’t see where he stops.”
Santos, who spent two seasons with the Flyers after starting his college career at Pittsburgh, made his second NBA Summer League appearance. As a rookie in 2025, he averaged 3.2 points in 11.1 minutes per game in five games for the Orlando Magic.
In his first season of professional basketball, Santos averaged 10.3 points in 41 games for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s NBA G League affiliate.
One other former Flyer saw action in the NBA Summer League. Koby Brea, a 2024 UD graduate who played four seasons at Dayton and one at Kentucky, averaged 7.4 points in 26.1 minutes per game in five games for the Phoenix Suns.