After a down year for the 2024 NBA rookie class, during which second-rounder Bronny James was the most anticipated draft pick to play in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, the excitement was back earlier this month as No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and other top selections from the touted 2025 class took the court with their new teams.
Bouncing back from a tough shooting performance (5-of-21) in his Dallas Mavericks debut on Thursday, Flagg scored 31 points Saturday before the team shut him down — tying John Wall (who was in attendance) for the most scored by a No. 1 pick at summer league. No. 2 pick Dylan Harper debuted for the San Antonio Spurs in the same game, scoring 16 points in 20 minutes.
With summer league already over for Flagg and other top rookies ahead of Sunday’s championship game, let’s recap the action — excluding performances in the separate California Classic and Salt Lake City summer leagues that preceded all 30 teams arriving in Vegas — by taking a look at some of the standouts in several different categories. Plus, we dive into what lies ahead for the top performers in 2025-26.
Best rookies in Vegas
1. Nique Clifford, Sacramento Kings
2. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
3. Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets
The 23-year-old Clifford was among the most polished rookies in this year’s class after five years of college experience, averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in Vegas. Given how much of Clifford’s breakout as an upperclassman was related to shooting, it’s encouraging to see him go 9-of-17 (53%) from the NBA 3-point line. It’s not realistic to keep that up, but his savvy playmaking will be a strength so long as opponents respect his jumper.
By design, Flagg’s role in summer league was more akin to what we usually see from second-year players getting force-fed additional opportunities on the ball. Playing as a point forward, Flagg had the third-highest usage rate thus far. He’ll need to tighten his handle to play that sort of role in NBA games, but he showed the ability to stay efficient at high volume against the Spurs, getting to the foul line a remarkable 13 times.
McNeeley has thus far outplayed teammate Kon Knueppel, the No. 4 pick, who bounced back after a rough debut. Taken 29th, McNeeley had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists — better than his career high in rebounds at UConn, and one of his top assist totals — in his debut. McNeeley made three 3-pointers in both games he played, encouraging after he shot 32% from the college line.
Most promising rookies
1. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
2. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
3. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
Flagg’s potential speaks for itself. But Harper was one of the two players with an even higher usage rate (39%), and although his efficiency buckled under that load (36% shooting, including 1-of-8 on 3s), we saw plenty of the skills that made him the No. 2 pick. When Harper is playing with the talented teammates who sat courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center, including Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, he might have more assists than the 2.0 per game he averaged — and fewer shot attempts.
No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe showed plenty of promise in his debut at the Salt Lake City summer league (28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists), but since we’re including only Vegas, I’ll give No. 6 pick Tre Johnson the edge here. Johnson’s size, including a wingspan measured longer than 6-foot-10 at the combine, separates him from score-first shooting guards who can’t get off their shot as easily. He shot 69% on 2s and 5-of-11 from 3, looking smooth in the process.
Most intriguing rookie
Yang Hansen, Portland Trail Blazers
After Flagg, no rookie drew more eyeballs than Hansen, the highest draft pick (No. 16) from China since Yi Jianlian in 2007. Hansen’s passing from the perimeter stands out at 7-foot-1. He had 10 assists in three games, with several of them being of the highlight variety. Hansen also showed better shot blocking than expected (2.0 per game) and went 4-of-11 from 3-point range. He must improve his rebounding, having averaged just 4.0 per game, but he didn’t look like a reach during summer league.
Best undrafted rookie Eli John N’Diaye, Atlanta Hawks
N’Diaye, a native of Senegal who has played with Spanish power Real Madrid, signed a two-way contract with the Hawks after going undrafted. He played just one game in Vegas before suffering a wrist injury, but he had 12 points and six boards in 21 minutes.
Slowest-starting rookie
Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans’ giant frontcourt of first-round picks Yves Missi and Derik Queen, both primarily centers, didn’t leave much room for Fears to operate offensively. Still, his shoot-first style raised questions about his ability to make an immediate contribution. Fears sported a usage rate north of 30%, including 5-of-21 shooting against the Los Angeles Lakers. He made just three assists in as many games to start summer league — with 16 turnovers — before his strongest game against the Oklahoma City Thunder: 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 6 assists and just 4 turnovers. That’s the Fears New Orleans hoped it would get at No. 7.
Best veterans
1. Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz
2. Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Cleveland Cavaliers
The leading scorer at summer league with 29.3 PPG, Filipowski also delivered a game-tying dunk in the final seconds of overtime against San Antonio, only to be outdone by Riley Minix’s buzzer-beating 3 to win it. Having averaged 21 minutes per game as a rookie on a rebuilding team, Filipowski isn’t exactly too good for summer league, but he’s as skilled offensively as anyone in action. Filipowski shot 56% overall despite attempting 23 3-pointers in three games, which he made at a 39% clip.
Shannon, who is expected to play a larger role after the departure of Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency, looked the part in Vegas, averaging 22.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 5.0 APG. Shannon’s quickness and strength allow him to get to the basket, and he shot 10-of-26 (38.5%) on 3s after hitting 35.5% beyond the arc as a rookie for the Timberwolves.
Tomlin played just 63 minutes in the NBA last season, finishing the season on a two-way deal with Cleveland. The Memphis product stuffed the stat sheet during summer league, averaging 20.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 3.8 APG. Perhaps most intriguingly, Tomlin made nine 3-pointers in four games. He shot just 34% beyond the arc in the G League.
Best free agent
Daniss Jenkins, Detroit Pistons
As an undrafted rookie, Jenkins parlayed a strong performance in Vegas last summer into a two-way contract with the Pistons, but he played just 23 minutes in the regular season. Now a restricted free agent, Jenkins is still with Detroit and made life difficult for the Rockets’ Reed Sheppard on Sunday, holding him to 6-of-19 shooting with six turnovers. Offensively, Jenkins was effective in creating for others, recording 26 assists and just seven turnovers. He struggled with his shooting (43% overall, 33% on 3s) in the G League last season but merits a longer look in the NBA.
Jenkins’ play is more likely to translate to an NBA role than the high scoring by the Spurs’ David Jones-Garcia, who averaged 24.3 PPG over his first three games with an enormous usage rate. Charles Bassey, who led all players with 11.3 RPG through three games, also stood out with the Boston Celtics after playing the past three seasons with San Antonio.
