Summer league has finally arrived, and with a top-tier class of rookies in Vegas, it’s going to be intense. With so many new faces and players eager to prove themselves, there are plenty of chances for breakout stars. We’ll guide you through which players to watch, our top picks for the games, and our most promising breakout players!
Players to Watch:
Rob Dillingham #1 (MIN)
Terrence Shannon Jr. #4 (MIN)
Leonard Miller #33 (MIN)
Joan Beringer #19 (MIN)
Jeremiah Fears #0 (NOL)
Yves Missi #21 (NOL)
Derik Queen #22 (NOL)
The Summer League openers this year will feature the Timberwolves facing the Pelicans. This should be an exciting game, with young talent on both sides that we haven’t seen much of. Rob Dillingham will be the player to watch. The second-year guard out of Kentucky joined the Timberwolves via a trade with the Spurs, who drafted him 8th overall. His first year in the league didn't live up to expectations, but with a team aiming for the Finals, a rookie cracking the rotation was unlikely. Still, he’ll get his chance to play today. Alongside Terrence Shannon and Leonard Miller, who were also drafted in 2024, these three are expected to be the main focus of Minnesota's offense, along with their rookie Joan Beringer.
For the Pelicans, we’ll see some top-tier talent early in the 2025 NBA Draft. Jeremiah Fears will be in the spotlight in this game. After a standout season at Oklahoma, he climbed the draft boards and landed at #7 this year. But the Pelicans weren’t done yet, making a surprising move up to #13 with Atlanta to acquire Derik Queen, the Maryland big man. This Summer League roster looks elite, especially with Yves Missi back, who had an excellent rookie season and was one of the top rebounders in his class. This is a strong core, but with some new rookies taking on big roles, they might face challenges today.
Best Bets
Minnesota Moneyline (-278)
Terrence Shannon Jr 20+ Points (+140)
Players to Watch:
Kam Jones #7 (IND)
Johnny Furphy #12 (IND)
Jaylon Tyson #20 (CLE)
Tyrese Proctor #24 (CLE)
Next up, we have the playoff rematch with the Paces facing the Cavs. Obviously, these teams aren’t bringing many players from the rosters that went deep in the finals, but there are still a few notable names to watch out for. One of the more interesting players in this game is Kam Jones, the guard from Marquette. Jones is entering the league a little later than some of his peers, but his last season at Marquette put him on the radar. He still managed to slip into the second round, but being picked up by Indiana was ideal. With Tyrese Haliburton officially missing the entire 25-26 season, Kam could find an opportunity to get some playing time as a shot creator. He was an elite scorer in college, so expect a lot from him in this game. Also, keep an eye out for Johnny Furphy, another prospect from last year’s draft with a lot of buzz. He didn’t see much court time last season, but with a 6’7" frame, he could make an impact in today’s game.
For the Cavs, they’re entering the Summer League with a fairly weak roster. Jaylon Tyson will probably be the most impactful player in their lineup. Taken 20th in the 2024 draft, he fell far into the Cavs' rotation and spent most of the year on the bench. However, with the roster losing Ty Jerome to the Grizzlies in the off-season, Tyson will be looking to prove he deserves those minutes. He’ll have to compete with his teammate, Tyrese Proctor, the former Duke point guard, who was an excellent pick for the Cavs at 40th in the draft this year. Overall, the Cavs have a few interesting guys, but this roster overall looks a little short on NBA talent this year.
Best Bet
Pacers Moneyline (-135)
Players to Watch:
Thomas Sorber #12 (OKC)
Ajay Mitchell #25 (OKC)
Nikola Topic #44 (OKC)
Egor Demin #8 (BKN)
Danny Wolf #18 (BKN)
Ben Saraf #77 (BKN)
Nolan Traore #19 (BKN)
Drake Powell #4 (BKN)
This might be the best game of the night with two loaded teams. Of course, it feels like OKC always has a high pick in the draft, but this year their first selection was only 15th. At that pick, they chose the big man Thomas Sorber from Georgetown. He was a late riser in the draft, but after his combine measurements came back at 6’9" with a 7’6" wingspan, he climbed the boards. Pairing him with the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, Nikola Topic, should be interesting, considering we haven’t seen much of Topic after missing his entire rookie season. With him recovered from injury, he’ll be someone to keep an eye on, along with teammate Ajay Mitchell. Mitchell has already had some notable moments in the NBA this year, which should give him a nice advantage tonight. Overall, this OKC roster is stacked with high-caliber talent, but Brooklyn's talent level is just as impressive.
The Nets went a bit wild this year, acquiring all five of their first-round picks. Starting with Egor Demin at 8, they focused heavily on guards, selecting four of them. It’s a little confusing, but this should make for an exciting Summer League with so much young, explosive talent on one team. Among their guards, Drake Powell might be the most exciting; the freshman from North Carolina didn’t light up the box score, but with his size and athleticism, he could be a Summer League standout. Pairing him with Michigan big man Danny Wolf could create a dynamic offensive duo. Wolf, selected 27th in the 2025 Draft, slipped a bit, but with his unique passing ability for a 7-footer, he has the potential to be something special for the Nets. Overall, this Summer League roster feels a little messy. They have some interesting talent, but with so many players vying for touches, I’m not sure how it will all come together. Maybe sheer talent will prevail, but I think OKC might still have an edge.
Best Bets
Thunder Moneyline (-110)
Danny Wolf 7+ Rebounds (-145)
Players to Watch:
Jase Richardson #11 (ORL)
Tristan da Silva #23 (ORL)
Noah Penda #93 (ORL)
Nique Clifford #5 (SAC)
Devin Carter #22 (SAC)
This was a relatively quiet draft for both the Kings and the Magic this season. In recent years, with both teams selecting high in the draft, Nique Clifford ended up being the highest-selected player drafted by the Kings at #24. However, that was a strong pick, with Clifford being a solid older prospect who could contribute immediately. Out of Colorado State, Clifford provides size in the backcourt and a two-way skill set. He’s exactly the type of player who can thrive in these early Summer League games. He’ll also have Devin Carter alongside him. After missing part of his rookie season, Carter has struggled in the NBA. Coming out of Providence as an older rookie himself, the Kings expected early returns on the #13 pick, but that hasn’t happened. Hopefully, he can regain some momentum in Summer League, but that might be challenging against Orlando.
Orlando had a quiet but solid draft for themselves. They ended up snagging Jase Richardson at 25, which was solid value. The 19-year-old was a breakout talent at Michigan State, but his size hurt his draft prospects. Regardless, he landed in an ideal spot on the Magic, a team that needs guard talent wherever it can find it. With him on the court next to Tristan da Silva, the 18th pick in the 2024 draft, and Noah Penda, this team could be interesting. Da Silva was excellent in the Summer League last year and had some limited but positive minutes with the Magic in the regular season. Overall, it’s easy to see how things could go well for this Orlando Summer League team.
Best Bet
Orlando Moneyline (+120)
Players to Watch:
Cooper Flagg #32 (DAL)
Ryan Nembhard #9 (DAL)
Dalton Knecht #4 (LAL)
Bronny James #9 (LAL)
We all know this will be the highlight game of the evening, with the NBA getting its first look at number 1 pick Cooper Flagg. This should be an exciting game to finally see him on the court against other NBA athletes. However, the roster around him is fairly weak. With only one pick in the draft, the Mavericks are somewhat lacking in younger talent to include in the Summer League. Aside from Flagg, the only other notable name in this group is Ryan Nembhard, brother of Andrew Nembhard on the Pacers. Ryan finished his senior year at Gonzaga, but at only 6’0", he didn’t have the size to get drafted. That’s not to say he isn’t a talented guard. In his last year at Gonzaga, he managed to increase his three-point percentage to 40%, while averaging nearly 10 assists per game. Pairing him with a blue-chip talent like Flagg will make for an exciting duo tonight against LA.
For LA, they’re also a bit light on talent. With no first-round picks this year, they’re bringing back Knecht and James for the Summer League second round. The rest of the roster is somewhat piecemeal. It’s not terrible, with a few names like Darius Bazley, who’s been around for a while, or Christian Koloko, but it’s definitely one of the older Summer League rosters. Knecht will be the guy to watch for LA. After a somewhat up-and-down year on the Lakers, the former SEC Player of the Year can still light it up from deep. Either way, though, it’s going to be a spectacle with Bronny and Flagg in this game, but I think Dallas will win.
Best Bets
Dallas Moneyline (+125)
Cooper Flagg 20+ Points (+125)
Players to Watch:
DaRon Holmes II #14 (DEN)
Tyler Smith #21 (MIL)
This game is perfect for anyone who wants to dive deep. Neither of these teams has many notable players, but occasionally, you can find a hidden gem. The most interesting player entering this game is DaRon Holmes, the big man from Dayton, drafted 22nd in the 2024 draft. He missed the entire NBA season but looked promising as a much-needed bench option for Denver during the draft process. Now, after a full year to recover, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do on the court again. Looking at the rest of the team, many players are trying to make a roster this year, so we should see plenty of effort even if the talent levels aren’t the best.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, is digging deep to find players to add to their roster. They’ve had 20 guys go through their Summer League roster so far, searching for that hidden gem. They’re basically strip-mining the NBA Summer League talent pool for anyone. We will see Bogoljub Marković, who was drafted 47th this year, and Tyler Smith, their rookie from last year. Both should get a good amount of court time, but we’ll see if this group comes together. I have my doubts, but it’s not like Denver is jumping off the page either.
Best Bet
Denver Moneyline (+140)
Players to Watch:
Dylan Harper #2 (SAS)
Carter Bryant #11 (SAS)
Johni Broome #22 (PHI)
Adem Bona #30 (PHI)
VJ Edgecombe #77 (PHI)
Capping off the night, we’ve got two of the best teams facing off. The Spurs are coming into this game completely loaded with Carter Bryant and Dylan Harper leading the charge. San Antonio had everything fall in their favor in the draft, adding a dynamic big guard in Harper and a potentially elite defender in Bryant, surrounded by a mix of NBA-level talent. Harper is the player to watch here selected second overall, he had an elite year at Rutgers. Son of Ron Harper, he already has NBA pedigree, but now he gets to show everyone what he can do. Carter, on the other hand, coming out of Arizona, is definitely a question mark. We know he has size and athleticism, but will it translate against higher-tier talent? We’ll see, but with these guys facing Philly in their first game, it should be an excellent proving ground for both of these top-tier talents.
This Philly team is no joke either, getting VJ Edgecombe third in the draft; he’ll be the perfect guy to put on Harper. After an elite two-way season at Baylor, he solidified himself as one of the best prospects in the draft. This 76ers team is full of solid young defenders, though. With Adem Bona, their second-best last year out of UCLA, and Johni Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, flanking him, this team is stacked. Broome will be one of the main guys to keep an eye on. He was a terror at Auburn, averaging 18 points and being a monster in the paint. I could see him being a real pain for San Antonio to stop down low in this game, which I think gives them an edge tonight. Either way it falls, though, this is likely to be a memorable game.
Best Bet
Philadelphia Moneyline (-185)
Johni Broome 20+ Points (+370)