NBA Summer League doesn’t really matter, but still one of the most fun events on the league calendar. Team personnel and diehard fans converge in Las Vegas every year to get a first-look at rookies, check-in on second-year players, and gossip about the state of the league. Along the way, journeymen hoping to one day crack a roster get some extra eyeballs on their game.
The rookies are always the biggest draw at summer league. Players drafted just weeks earlier put on their new pro uniforms and compete for the first time. It’s not that big of a deal if a rookie struggles a bit in summer league, but teams definitely want their second-year players to look dominant in this setting. This year’s list of “Too Good For Summer League” players included Pistons wing Ron Holland, Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski, and Wolves wing Terrence Shannon Jr.
Now it’s time to evaluate the best rookies in Las Vegas. This list does not include No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who was terrible in his first game and just didn’t put up good enough numbers (47 percent true shooting!) across his two outings. Flagg is a total stud and the obvious Rookie of the Year front-runner, and his performance in Vegas should in no way discourages the optimism around his career. For this exercise, let’s shine a light on the recently drafted rookies who actually played well and got their new fans excited. For more on this rookie class, go back and check out my top-60 big board from before the draft.
9. Brooks Barnhizer, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Barnhizer’s senior season at Northwestern ended early with a broken foot, but the Thunder thought enough of him to take him in the second round at No. 44 overall. His offense remains a big work in progress even at 23 years old, but the 6’6 wing looked like an absolute buzzsaw defensively. Barnhizer posted a monstrous 4.8 percent steal rate and 3.4 percent block rate to help the Summer Thunder mimic their big league counterparts by forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. Did the Thunder find another Alex Caruso? Well, Barnhizer is going to have to learn to shoot a little bit (5-of-20 from three) to even get on the floor at the NBA level. The Thunder clearly know what they like out of their role players, and Barnhizer fits the mold enough for a mid-second round flier. Nikola Topic will be the real OKC rookie under the microscope next year as he debuts from ACL surgery, but Barnhizer will be an interesting name to track in the years ahead.
8. Joan Beringer, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Beringer rose up draft bards quickly late in the process after a solid season in Slovenia and better measurements (6’11 barefoot, 7’4+ wingspan) than expected. The Timberwolves took the young French center at No. 17 overall to be a rim protector/rim roller protege behind Rudy Gobert, and he showed all the necessary tools during his time in Vegas. Beringer is an incredibly fluid athlete for a player his size with crazy bounce as a leaper, speed in transition, and some ability to flip his hips and stay with guards. He was incredibly dominant as a shot-blocker with a 10.5 percent block rate, showing great timing and anticipation on his contests at the rim. His hands looked pretty good offensively as he hammered home feeds from Rob Dillingham and others. Beringer’s game is simple but effective, and he’s in an ideal spot to develop his skills long-time.
7. Collin Murray-Boyles, F, Toronto Raptors
Murray-Boyles is a tad short to be an NBA front court and he’s still far away as a shooter, but he’s so damn in almost every other aspect of the game that he still leaves an undeniable imprint on winning. The No. 9 overall pick showcased his best-in-class defensive versatility, his ability to vacuum up rebounds, and his capable scoring punch during a productive run in Las Vegas. CMB stuffed the box score in all the ways Toronto expected when they drafted him: he put up huge steal (4.3 percent) and block (3.2 percent) rates, he scored efficiently (67 percent true shooting), and he had a bunch of nice passes to teammates. Murray-Boyles was one of my favorite players in this class (read my feature on how he went from a three-star recruit to a lottery pick), but I was a bit worried Toronto wasn’t an ideal landing spot for him, just because the Raptors don’t have much shooting and he likes to work from the same parts of the floor as Scottie Barnes. Well, summer league only continued to prove that CMB always finds to way to both fit in and stand out. His length and strength are going to play at the highest levels of the game, his elite defensive instincts can’t be taught, and he’s a much better driver and playmaker than his skeptics realize. Murray-Boyles has some limitations, but he’s the type of player any team would want on the roster. He proved that again in Vegas.
6. Tre Johnson, G, Washington Wizards
Johnson led the big, bad SEC in scoring as a true freshman, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he finished just behind Flagg as summer league’s leading scorer among rookies. Getting buckets is just what Johnson does, and he showed the full arsenal in Vegas. The No. 6 overall pick is a deadly shooter with real versatility for getting his shot off. Johnson can zoom around screens off the ball to bend the defense with his gravity, but he also showed a solid mid-range pull-up game in Vegas. Every transition sequence is just another opportunity for the former Texas standout to rip a three off the dribble. His tough shot-making from a variety of angles is a great weapon in late in the shot clock, too. I do worry a bit of the lack of burst Johnson has a ball handler. It feels like he’s going to live and die with tough shots, but he’s shown he can make them. His off-ball scoring and ability to contribute a little bit in the other areas of the game as a passer and defender sets him up for a big rookie year on a young and bad Wizards team. He should have every chance to be First-Team All-Rookie at the end of the season.
5. Yang Hansen, C, Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers gave us the biggest shock of draft night by trading down and drafting Chinese center Yang Hansen at No. 16 overall. Hansen was widely projected as a second-round pick entering the draft, but he clearly had fans in the league, and at this point it’s starting to feel like it wasn’t really a reach. Summer league was the first time most American audiences got a real look at 7’1 center, and his talent jumped off the screen. Hansen didn’t earn that “Chinese Jokic” moniker out of nowhere: he’s a really skilled passer for someone his size, and spent his time in Vegas dropping dimes from the elbows. He also showed he’s going to be a willing shooting on pick-and-pop threes, and that he should be a solid rim protector in drop. Hansen could struggle with the physicality of NBA bigs at first, and he doesn’t exactly look like a switchable defender yet, but his combination of size, feel for the game, touch on his passes and shots gives him a great foundation to work with. Given Donovan Clingan’s conditioning issues, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to get a high-level backup who can add a different layer to the offense. Even if it’s only summer league, Hansen was good enough to prove this wasn’t an unreasonable pick by the Blazers. Picking up an unprotected 2028 Magic pick in the process of the trade down doesn’t hurt either.
4. VJ Edgecombe, G, Philadelphia 76ers
Before the league congregated in Vegas, VJ Edgecombe put up the first signature rookie performance at Salt Lake City Summer League out in Utah. Edgecombe would only play one more game in Vegas before shutting it down with a wrist injury, but he showed all the promise that made him the No. 3 overall pick. Everyone knows Edgecombe is a nuclear athlete who can rip the ball away from opponents on the defensive end and shine in transition. What was more surprising about his summer league run was his ability to hit mid-range pull-ups offensively, something he rarely showcased at Baylor. His playmaking was also a pleasant surprise after he finished with a 28.4 percent assist rate in his two summer league games, up from 18.9 percent at Baylor. His three-point shot wasn’t falling (he went 2-of-12 from three), but he was still a major plus by impacting the possession battle (he had a single-digit turnover rate and rebounded well), defending well, and showing some growth as a decision-maker. The Sixers have a lot of talented young guards, so it will be interesting to see how Edgecombe fits next to Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Quentin Grimes (assuming he re-signs). If summer league is any indication, his talent will find a way to shine through.
3. Jase Richardson, G, Orlando Magic
It continues to be wild that it took Tom Izzo until the second week of Feb. to start Jase Richardson. Ever since, the diminutive point guard’s stock has been on a rocket ship, and he continued to prove why he was the biggest steal of the draft at No. 25 overall to the Magic. Richardson is an dead-eye shooter who continued to stroke from three-point range in Vegas. The Magic were the worst three-point shooting team in the league last season, so the fit couldn’t be better. While he’s going to be one of the smaller players in the league next season, Richardson still showed impressive finishing touch in close thanks largely to his body control and core strength. He’s never been a high usage player (he raised his usage rate slightly to 22 percent in summer league), but he doesn’t have to be next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic are probably going to be really good next season, and landing two impact rookies in Richardson and second-round pick Noah Penda makes them even tougher.
2. Nique Clifford, G/F, Sacramento Kings
Clifford should have been good at summer league as a 23-year-old rookie who spent five seasons in college. There’s inherent risk in taking older players like this, but Clifford’s all-around production and steady year-over-year improvement was impressive enough to make him feel like a steal at No. 24. Clifford showed off his tough, well-rounded game on both ends of the floor in Vegas as the leader of a dominant Summer Kings team. Every part of the game was there: tough pull-up shooting from mid-range, catch-and-shoot marksmanship from three, beautiful playmaking for teammates, and dependable rebounding. Clifford made a big leap as a passer in his super-senior year, and that carried over nicely to Vegas as he consistently found open teammates for buckets. The turnovers are a bit of a problem and he probably won’t shoot this well from deep against NBA competition, but Clifford is pretty solid in most areas, and that’s a recipe for success no matter how old you are starting your pro career.
1. Kon Knueppel, G, Charlotte Hornets
Knueppel doesn’t have ideal length and athletic explosiveness for an NBA wing, but he was still an extremely worthy No. 4 overall pick for the additive skill set he can bring to any team. The 6’6 guard was so good at Duke as the Robin to Cooper Flagg’s Batman for his elite shooting ability, his pinch of pick-and-roll playmaking, and his strong feel for the game at both ends of the floor. Knueppel formed an instant connection with second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner in Vegas by finding him with interior feeds, just as he did with Khaman Maluach in college. The shooting will be his calling card in the NBA, and his shot looked great after he got the nerves out with an 0-for-5 debut from three. The Hornets are always a disaster, but the rookie will fit snuggly between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller if they can stay on the court. Knueppel might never put someone on a poster with a dunk, but his gravity as a shooter and well-rounded floor game will open up opportunities for everyone else in Charlotte.
