Syracuse Basketball: Judah Mintz, Cole Swider cook up some heat in NBA Summer League

Former Syracuse basketball standouts Judah Mintz and Cole Swider are off to hot starts in the 2025 NBA Summer League.

The main event takes place from July 10 to July 20 in Las Vegas, but some earlier NBA Summer League games were held in both San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

In this earlier action, the 6-foot-8 Swider, a forward, and the 6-foot-4 Mintz, a combo guard, were among the top performers, according to data provided on the NBA's Web site.

Swider is suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers, which went 2-1 in San Francisco. Mintz is competing for the Philadelphia 76ers, which went 1-2 in Salt Lake City.

Former Syracuse basketball stars are balling out in the NBA Summer League.

In three games, Swider averaged 29.0 minutes, 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest while making 55.9 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line.

According to Syracuse basketball's X account, Swider was named to the All-California Classic team. He played for three seasons at Villanova before transferring to the Orange for the 2021–22 campaign, in which Swider averaged 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per encounter.

On Tuesday, for the 76ers, Mintz was tremendous. He tallied 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting while also collecting three assists and three steals. Mintz scored the last five points for the 76ers, including an and-one layup with under 10 seconds to go, as Philadelphia would defeat the Memphis Grizzilies, 91-90.

Over three games, Mintz averaged 24.7 minutes, 19.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game while hitting on 60.0 percent from the field, 20.0 percent from 3-point land and 91.3 percent from the charity stripe.

In his two seasons on the Hill, Mintz averaged 17.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. During the 2022-23 term, he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Freshman team. As a sophomore in 2023-24, Mintz resided on the All-ACC second squad.

On Thursday, July 10, the Lakers will play the Dallas Mavericks beginning at 8:00 pm EST in Las Vegas, while on that same day at 10:00 pm EST, the 76ers will battle the San Antonio Spurs.

Former Syracuse basketball shooting guard Buddy Boeheim is on the Indiana Pacers' NBA Summer League roster in 2025. Other former Orange players in the Summer League include center Jesse Edwards with the Minnesota Timberwolves, combo guard Kadary Richmond with my hometown Washington Wizards, and forward Quincy Guerrier with the Toronto Raptors.