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It's been quite sometime now since Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin took the floor together in the sweet sixteen against Oregon, losing on the heartbreaking missed jumper by Walton.
On Sunday, nearly a thousand miles south of Michigan, the two ex-teammates got together again.
This time, Walton didn't miss his opportunities.
He took advantage.
Walton (playing for the Orlando Magic) took the floor with former Michigan State players Kalin Lucas and Matt Castello, while Zak Irvin took the hardwood for the Miami Heat and assistant coach Juwan Howard.
They were all given a great deal of opportunities to show what they can bring to the table, yet it was Walton proving to be the talent that stuck out.
The 6-foot-1 ex-Wolverine point guard came off the bench to score 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the afternoon, helping the Magic to an 81-68 victory over Miami. He made two 3-pointers, grabbed three rebounds and tossed three assists while committing two turnovers.
What really was the most impressive from Walton’s performance was how steady his presence was on the floor.
The Magic came out of the gates playing with fire, starting with a 21-0 lead. In the second half when the game started to level out and it got sluggish for Orlando, Walton was there to keep the game moving with a purpose.
Walton hit a big triple when the score was 55-48 late in the third quarter to push the contest back to a double-digit lead in favor of his squad.
This isn't the first time Walton (an undrafted free agent) has showed his worth in the NBA summer league. He scored 10 points in 16 minutes, totaling a 3-for-6 shooting day to go along with three boards and two assists when the Magic lost to the Pacers 85-74 on Saturday.
Irvin had a more quiet day, but it was respectable from a playing standpoint. The former Michigan forward scored five points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field.
He added three rebounds, two steals, and one assist in his 25 minutes of play against the Magic. He was one of two Miami players with a positive plus-minus (+4).
Saturday Irvin struggled more, going just 2-for-8 from the floor and scoring only four points, missing all six of the 3-point attempts he took in the game.
Walton said that he was “talking junk” to Irvin the entire game, but later said “that's my brother man, it was fun to see him out there.”
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As for the ex-Spartans who played alongside Walton and the Magic, it was Lucas leading the way with 12 points (5-for-11 shooting) in 20 minutes of action, while Castello went scoreless in 15 minutes.
Castello did total three blocks and two steals, while Lucas added two rebounds and an assist to go along with his scoring numbers.
Walton, Costello, Lucas and the Magic will return to court on Monday against the Mavericks (3 p.m., NBA TV). Irvin and the Heat will play the Pacers in the following game (5 p.m., NBA TV).