NBA Summer League: Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James and the most intriguing players to watch on all 30 teams
Imagine telling someone 12 months ago that Cooper Flagg'sSummer Leaguedebut would come in a Mavericks jersey against Bronny James, while LeBron James might be eyeing a new team because the Lakers want to build around Luka Dončić. Yet that's exactly the reality of the situation we're presented with as Summer League in Las Vegas begins today. Flagg is actually a Mav after the most shocking trade — and lottery result — in recent NBA history. And nowLeBron's future is in limbo, and there's still so much that's yet to occur this offseason. Bradley Beal still hasn't been bought out. All the restricted free agents are in contract purgatory. And are we totally sure Giannis Antetokounmpo is staying in Milwaukee? (Giannis says"probably.") [NBA Summer League: Full schedule and how to watch] It all brings me back to when Zion Williamson was making his debut. A literal earthquake shook the Jumbotron at Thomas & Mack Center, and within hours, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were Clippers. Chaos! This year feels like it's flirting with that kind of madness again. Hopefully minus the geological activity. Even if nothing seismic happens off the court, what's happening on the floor is still fascinating.Flagg vs. Bronnywill fill the arena and draw eyes everywhere. But beyond the headline matchup, Vegas is stacked with intriguing rookies, sophomores, and fringe guys trying to earn a spot. So here's one player to watch on every team. We're entering Year 3 with Bufkin after he was selected 15th in 2023. And it's been a rough start for the 6-foot-4 combo guard with only 27 games played due to numerous injuries: a fractured thumb and a sprained big toe as a rookie, then a right shoulder issue as a sophomore that required surgery. Bufkin was supposed to be a speedy spark-plug scorer, not a guy who is always hurt and has struggled with his limited chances. Bufkin has averaged 44.5% true shooting and posted a career-high of only 12 points. Vegas might be his last chance to show the Hawks he's more than a what-if. González averaged 10.7 minutes per game for Real Madrid this season, so this will be the first time he's consistently played heavy minutes since he was on the under-18 team for the Spanish youth national team. At 6-6, he earned his bench role behind his tone-setting hustling and versatile defense. But can he shoot or not? If Hugo can't shoot a corner 3, he's not seeing the floor. Not in Joe Mazzulla's system. Of the four point guards the Nets drafted in the first round, Wolf is the most fascinating. At 6-11, he's a walking highlight with his silky handle, behind-the-back passes, and step-back 3s. So far his mixtape is more impressive than his box score, but Vegas will be a chance for him to show off a more efficient jumper, better decision-making, and improved defense. If not, the Nets have plenty of other shot creators to feed touches. After Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, and Sion James, Kalkbrenner was the fourth and final draft pick made by the Hornets. Buried in the draft, he might end up starting. That's Charlotte for you! Mason Plumlee and Moussa Diabate are the only other two centers on Charlotte's roster. So watch out for Kalkbrenner: If his rim protection alone translates, he should earn early minutes. If he's finishing as loudly on dunks as he did in college, he could start. And if he made even more progress as a shooter, he could go down as an immediate steal. Essengue went from barely playing for his international team Ulm to being the main attraction in Chicago following his selection with the 12th pick. What first-time viewers will witness is a 6-9, toolsy forward who might become even greater than the guy Bulls fans wish Patrick Williams was. And if he pans out, Essengue, Matas Buzelis, and Josh Giddey would make for a trio of huge shot-creators. Cleveland's trade of Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball gives the Cavaliers a replacement for Ty Jerome, who left for the Grizzlies in free agency. Okoro was expendable with Max Strus, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, and De'Andre Hunter all on the roster. And Tyson. As it stands, the second-year wing is probably the 11th guy in the rotation. But he's still quite talented — at 6-6, he has a reliable jumper, some secondary creation skills, and versatile defense. So he could play himself into becoming a valuable trade piece. Or he could make someone else expendable, giving a Finals contender an even greater chance at improving the roster. All eyes will be on Flagg, and rightfully so when he's the star of this whole event. But the undrafted point guard who will be feeding the No. 1 pick is no slouch either. Nembhard is a senior out of Gonzaga who stands at 5-11 and logged 9.8 assists to only 2.5 turnovers this season. He plays the game with a veteran's pace and precision. And with Kyrie Irving sidelined to begin the year, there's always a chance Nembhard ends up playing early on with his two-way deal. And earning that responsibility starts in Vegas. One year ago, Holmes tore his Achilles during Vegas Summer League. Now he's back. At Dayton, Holmes developed into a versatile big man who could block shots at the rim with his 7-1 wingspan while also offering some modern switchability. Following such a severe injury, it's important that he retains some of the mobility that would've made him such a weapon off Denver's bench behind Nikola Jokić. Now that Jonas Valančiūnas is (hopefully) committed to playing with the Nuggets, there's a bit less of a need for Holmes to be ready right away. But his 3-point shooting ability and hopeful defensive versatility would give him a lane to playing minutes at either the 4 or 5, giving Denver immense lineup flexibility. Malik Beasley dropped the bag, and the Pistons filled his spot with Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert. But don't rule out Lanier as a guy who could fill that role too. Lanier shot the hell out of the ball at Tennessee, showing an ability to drain 3s off movement actions like screens and handoffs. At 6-4, he even looked like Beasley at times. Maybe he'll make Pistons fans say, "Beasley who?" Hawkins got some second-round hype one year ago after an impressive senior season at Illinois. Then he transferred to Kansas State, tanked his draft stock, and now he's trying to salvage his NBA future. As a playmaking big who can shoot it a little bit, there's no better team to give him a chance than the Warriors. The Rockets held Sheppard out of trade discussions with the Suns for Kevin Durant, and that's in part because they envision him playing a big role for the team this season. Sheppard didn't play a lot last year, but showed incredible flashes, scoring 25 against Oklahoma City and 49 against the OKC Blue. He's a 6-2 guard with an elite jumper, a sneaky midrange game, and fantastic defensive playmaking skills. Houston has a high floor given the existing talent on the roster, but if Sheppard goes boom in Year 2, then suddenly the Fred VanVleet contract looks like a mentor tax. Peter played 22.7 minutes per game last season coming off the bench at Liberty. Nobody invited him to the NBA Draft Combine, or any other pre-draft completion for that matter. But he could be the sneaky draft steal. In college, he displayed versatility shooting off different actions, and explosive craft finishing at the basket. He led the NCAA in true shooting percentage. Maybe the Pacers hit a home run with Peter. The Clippers finally have a better backup center than Ben Simmons after signing Brook Lopez and drafting Konan Niederhauser. Ivica Zubac offers brute interior scoring and All-D caliber rim protection as the starter. Lopez can space the floor and protect the rim, while Konan Niederhauser could give James Harden a vertical threat once again. Knecht averaged 13 points in three California Classic games last week, shooting only 23.5% from 3 and overall looking a lot more raw than you'd expect from a 24-year-old entering his second season with the Lakers. It's important for him to start dominating in Summer League like a player with his experience should. Or else it'll be time to start questioning who he could actually be as an NBA player. Cedric Coward would've earned this spot, but he's doubtful to play in Las Vegas due to his recovery from shoulder surgery. So GG gets the nod instead. What's crazy is Jackson is the youngest player on the Summer Grizzlies despite entering his third season with the franchise. Last year was a down year for him, but now he has an opportunity to get back on the trajectory he was seemingly on as a rookie. I gave the Jakučionis pick a D+ because Miami is a poor fit for him next to Tyler Herro (and now also Norm Powell). Jakučionis would be best suited on a team that plays with speed and motion, and also has a recent history of helping shooters develop their 3-point jumpers. After shooting 1-for-15 and logging 12 turnovers in the Utah Summer League, while struggling to generate any space off the dribble, hopefully he begins showing progress in Vegas. Milwaukee drafting Marković came as a surprise considering the pressure the franchise is facing to build a winner now around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Marković still wears braces; he could also draft-and-stash and play next season overseas again. But it doesn't hurt the Bucks to at least take a swing on a 6-11 shooter with a knack for shot creation. Let's see what he has this summer. Sometimes these guys can develop sooner than expected. At only 6-1 and 164 pounds, Dillingham is small for a modern guard, but he still has an enormous scoring bag. At a minimum, it should be a lot of fun to watch him this summer. But there's really a lot for Dillingham to gain after playing only sparingly as a rookie. Mike Conley is near retirement. The Timberwolves haven't yet signed Chris Paul or any another veteran guard. Dillingham could steal all of those minutes and become the man in the backcourt next to Anthony Edwards. Pelicans general manager Joe Dumars made arguably the riskiest two trades of the offseason. First, during the NBA Finals, he sent the Pacers back their own first in 2026 for the 23rd pick in 2025. This was before Tyrese Haliburton ruptured his Achilles and the Pacers lost Myles Turner, which could lead to Indiana missing the playoffs this season. And then on draft night, Dumars dealt the 23rd pick with an unprotected 2026 first via the Bucks or Pelicans to move up 10 spots for Queen. There's a lot to love about Queen as a versatile scoring weapon; he could end up a happy-go-lucky version of DeMarcus Cousins on offense. But for Queen to be worth it, he'll have to start taking and making 3s, while also getting stops on D. New head coach Mike Brown would be wise to investigate playing with two-big lineups more often following the success of units anchored by Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs. The team would need another big to do it more frequently, though, and Hukporti might be New York's best chance to play bully ball again. Nikola Topić is the prospect that'll make you say, "Wait, OKC got another one?!" Barnhizer is the prospect you already love if you're a basketball freak who watched Big Ten noon tipoffs. He's a 6-5 dude who plays his ass off, ripped down 8.8 boards per game last season for Northwestern, and makes all the right passes on the floor. The hurdle is his shooting ability. There couldn't be a better fit for Richardson than Orlando, where he'll get to play around giants like Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter that will unleash his off-ball movement and passing feel. Plus, Richardson is small at only 6-1. So it'll benefit him and mitigate his main flaw by being able to be surrounded by so much length on defense. There's a strange thing happening in Philadelphia. On one hand, this is a team that still hopes to contend. But for that to happen, Joel Embiid and Paul Geroge need to stay healthy. On the other hand, the Sixers have a beautiful young core of players featuring Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgecombe. Unfortunately Edgecombe may not play in Vegas due to a left thumb contusion, so instead look out for Sallis, a midrange scoring king. And if Sallis makes his 3s? He turns the Maxey–McCain–Edgecombe trio into a quartet. Maluach offers lob finishes on offense and rim deterrence on defense. But I'll be watching what he's doing on the perimeter. Will Maluach unleash spot-up 3s? Will he switch frequently onto guards and wings? At 7-1 with a 7-7 wingspan, we know what Maluach will be able to do on the interior as he grows into his frame. But it's those skills outside of the paint that could vault him into star status. On draft night, I gave Portland's choice a C+ because Yang is an imperfect fit with Donovan Clingan, last year's lottery pick. Neither of them can reliably shoot 3s or reliably defend on the perimeter. Both are interior-based players, for now. Either the Blazers are zigging while everyone else zags, or they're recreating 1999 at the worst possible time. Either way, I can't wait to see how Yang looks for Portland after more than holding his own during the draft combine scrimmages just two months ago. I guarantee he wows viewers with at least one pass in Vegas and causes the announcer to call him "Chinese Jokić." Carter's rookie year was a dud after he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder that knocked him out for the first three months of the season. He never really got going after that. But he is now 23 and has one year of experience under his belt. De'Aaron Fox is gone. Dennis Schröder is the only point guard in his way. Sacramento's got a job opening. Carter better treat Vegas like a tryout. Harper has the downhill attacking skills to be a dominant force in Vegas. It's hard to fathom anyone stopping him from getting where he wants. But I look forward to seeing how he shoots the ball: Does he have a higher shooting release? Does he get shots out quicker? Does he simply make more jumpers? Speed on the break. Violence at the rim. Momentum-swinging defensive plays. Those are the defining qualities of Martin. I just love watching him play. And I bet you will too if you tune in to a Raptors game. If Summer League had a Most Fun to Watch award, Martin's already the betting favorite. Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton are the main attractions on the Jazz. But what about last year's lottery pick? Williams did a whole bunch of nothing as a rookie, and then was a non-factor just last week in the Utah Summer League. Will things change? Or will he continue trending the way of a bust? Johnson should be one of the most exciting shot-makers in Las Vegas with his ability to drain jumpers from all over the floor off any action. But from Washington's perspective, it'll want to see how he operates as a distributor, Johnson will be sharing the floor with a ton of NBA-caliber talent, including last year's rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George, and his rookie teammates Will Riley and Jamir Watkins. Depending on how long the Wizards let their core youth play in Vegas, this is a team deep enough to win it all. Well, win it all this summer.
NBA Summer League: Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James and the most intriguing players to watch on all 30 teams Imagine telling someone 12 months ...
