‘It’s always fun to prove yourself.’ Coming off iconic college career, Drew

LAS VEGAS – It’s a waiting game for Drew Timme on Milwaukee’s bench during a July 11 NBA Summer League game against Brooklyn at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

The first quarter goes by without a cameo from Timme. Same thing in the second quarter. A similar pattern follows in the third, but late in the quarter Timme gets a knee tap from Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin, signaling he’d be part of the Bucks’ starting unit in the fourth.

Seconds after checking in, Timme gets his first touch, catching the ball at the top of the key. Sensing that Brooklyn’s RaiQuan Gray is pressed up against his back, Timme goes to one of his favorite tricks, swiveling away from the defender to create separation. Moments later – and officially 15 seconds after checking into Milwaukee’s third summer league game – Timme finishes with a scoop shot at the rim.

But it doesn’t take long for the harsh reality of Timme’s new situation to set in. A few possessions later, the Gonzaga product coughs up the ball trying to make a pass out of the post and his only stint in a 92-71 victory ends after just 2 minutes, 6 seconds.

“You’ve just got to be ready when your number’s called and I think it’s a good lesson,” Timme said after a game against the Phoenix Suns two days earlier. “It’s part of the learning process.”

For the vast majority of an unrivaled career at Gonzaga, Timme was a player who thrived off rhythm, feel and instinct. If he scored on consecutive possessions, chances are he wasn’t giving the ball up the next time down the floor.

That mindset sunk Memphis in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament when Timme scored 25 points, including five straight baskets to open the second half, helping the Bulldogs claw out of a 10-point hole.

During a 99-90 win at Pacific last season, Timme scored 24 of his 38 points after halftime, at one point accounting for nine consecutive Gonzaga baskets. He took 23 shots in that game – eight more than he did all of Milwaukee’s stint at summer league.

He played 12 minutes in the opener against Denver and former GU teammate Julian Strawther, 7 minutes against Phoenix, 2 minutes against Brooklyn and rounded out summer league with 16 minutes against Miami.

Timme averaged 4.3 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 33% from 3-point range. He also had 2.5 rebounds per game.

“You’ve got to learn how you can be impactful in short spurts and it’s obviously different, so you don’t have time to feel your way into a game,” Timme said. “You’ve got to be feeling it right away.”

It’s all part of Timme’s new role, and new reality, as an undrafted rookie who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks last month. That means he theoretically has an upper hand at earning a two-way contract or G League spot but still hasn’t secured a job in the NBA beyond four games at summer league.

After 30 NBA teams passed on drafting the three-time All-American –…