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Every July, all 30 teams cram into two gyms in Las Vegas and we collectively overreact to basketball games that will be forgotten by Halloween. And yet, Summer League matters because it’s the one place where every fanbase, from the contenders to the doomed, gets to squint at a 19-year-old and think, “Hey, he’s gonna be a guy for us!”

Here are the 50 players I’ll be watching, including one player from every team. Some are star rookies. Others are second-year guys who need to show something. A handful are just fighting for a chance in the league.

1. Darryn Peterson, Jazz rookie guard

Peterson’s lone Kansas season was a medical drama with a hamstring strain, mysterious cramps, and 11 frustrating absences. So naturally, he showed up in Salt Lake City and reminded everyone why he was still the second pick: 28 in his debut against Atlanta, including a 3 to answer a fourth-quarter push and another to break a tie in overtime. Two days later, 25 points and 12 assists against Memphis. The guy with the cramps appears gone. The high school phenom has returned.

(Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

In high school, he was a dynamic playmaker who used his burst to get into the teeth of defenses and generate buckets for himself and his teammates, while also showing off the kind of shot-making that draws comparisons to Hall of Famers. At Kansas, he thrived in an off-ball role, stroking jumpers out of movement actions and showing he can scale up or down depending on what a roster needs. With Utah, he appears to be combining both of those skills to so far look like the star of the summer. Will this run continue? On Thursday night, he’ll face off against the one player drafted ahead of him.

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2. AJ Dybantsa, Wizards rookie forward

Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot-creators, but he’s already under pressure entering his Summer League debut on Thursday with a matchup against Darryn Peterson, who is looking like a superstar for Utah, and with the third pick, Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer, resembling a veteran All-Star.

But for Wizards fans feeling panicked, just remember who Dybantsa is: At 6-foot-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools the way he bends, shifts, and explodes with the ball in his hands. He gets to the rim at will, cooks in the midrange, draws fouls at a high rate, and displays point-forward potential. The native of Brockton, Mass., has a tremendously high floor with his scoring skill alone that gives the Wizards a face of the franchise to build around and the ceiling to be a future MVP. And on Thursday, he’ll face off against Peterson, his potential rival for years to come.

3. Caleb Wilson, Bulls rookie big

Wilson is the most gifted athlete in the draft class. He’s 6-9 with springs for legs. When he’s flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot in his area code, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone. That’s exactly what the Bulls need in the frontcourt. But in Las Vegas, it’s going to be fascinating to see how effectively he shoots the ball from midrange and from 3.

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Sources said Wilson shot the hell out of the ball in pre-draft workouts. If that translates to games, it changes the idea of what he could become on the offensive end of the floor given his existing skills as a ball-handler. Even without the jumper, though, he has star upside. But the addition of that skill could vault him into a territory to contend for annual All-NBA teams.

4. Cameron Boozer, Grizzlies rookie forward

Boozer was selected with the third pick with the expectations of being the most polished player in the class, and that’s exactly what he looked like in his debut games playing in the Salt Lake City Summer League. At 6-8 and 253 pounds, Boozer scores from the post with both footwork and power, hits 40% of his 3s on high volume and has enough handle to run offense as a point forward. He shifts between those modes based on what the defense gives him, and that adaptability led to a 35-win season at Duke and the Naismith Player of the Year.

5. Darius Acuff, Kings rookie guard

Acuff shot 16 for 48 in his two games in the California Classic to go along with seven assists to five turnovers. But the summer is for trying things out and it’d be foolish to overreact to inefficient exhibition games. Moving forward to Vegas, Acuff will get the chance to show why Sacramento was so infatuated with him as a wiry scorer who can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor with a quick trigger, slippery handle and a feel for manipulating defenses.

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6. Aday Mara, Thunder rookie big

Mara stepped on UCLA’s campus as a lottery-projected center from Spain. Then he fell off draft boards during two forgettable seasons there before transferring to Michigan and becoming one of the best true 5s in the country on his way to winning the national championship. And now he’s in Oklahoma City and will serve as a vital piece in future battles against Victor Wembanyama. He reads the floor like a guard, finishes with both hands, and swats shots with elite timing. The complication is he doesn’t shoot from outside and makes below 60% of his free throws, so it’ll be curious to see how he shoots the ball this summer. The Thunder seemingly have a way of turning shaky shooters into reliable shooters. If Mara figures out how to shoot, it’ll be a nightmare for the NBA. Even if he doesn’t, well, the Thunder are already a nightmare.

7. Mikel Brown, Nets rookie guard

Egor Dëmin looks like he’s too good for Summer League, so he probably won’t play long for Brooklyn. But his new rookie teammate should. When Brown is in the zone, he has an unstoppable pull-up jumper, an ambidextrous finishing ability, and the quick reads to rifle passes before the defense has time to react. He had a 45-point breakout performance in February after a back injury dogged him all freshman year and then ended his year later in the month. The absences leave real questions about his consistency that may not get answered until he proves he’s fully healthy.

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8. Nate Ament, Bucks rookie forward

Ament was unable to play in the California Classic because the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade with Miami wasn’t official. But he was added to the roster on Wednesday, and should now be good to go for Vegas. Ament was a love him or hate him prospect, so it’ll be fascinating to see how he performs. The Bucks took him because players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively. Over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch and shots began to fall. He averaged 23.8 points over a six-game stretch in January and February that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit in the country. If Ament pans out, it could look like a stroke of genius that Milwaukee landed him with the 13th pick as the first draft pick to join the team in return for Giannis.

9. Ebuka Okorie, Pistons rookie guard

It’s been a dud of an offseason so far in Detroit. But Okorie could change reviews for it with a big summer. The Pistons took him because they badly needed more creation alongside Cade Cunningham, and Okorie is the best driving guard in the class, a 6-1 jitterbug who manipulates defenders with a tight handle, sudden changes of speed, and an advanced feel for the game. He’s not an above-the-rim athlete, though, and not long ago he was a kid from New Hampshire who ranked outside the top 100 and committed to Harvard. Then Stanford found him, he flipped his commitment, and he proceeded to lead the ACC in scoring with eight 30-point games and a habit for hitting clutch shots.

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The post-Kawhi Leonard era will largely hinge on how Wagler translates to the NBA. If things go as smoothly as they did in college, we could be in for a show in Vegas. At Illinois, Wagler quickly became the orchestrator of a high-powered offense with his high-IQ playmaking and crafty scoring, and led the team to an unexpected Final Four appearance. On the Clippers, he’ll be sharing the ball with Darius Garland. This summer, I’ll be curious to see how he plays alongside promising young Clippers like Kobe Sanders, a big wing who can handle.

11. Kingston Flemings, Hawks rookie guard

Flemings didn’t shoot particularly well in Salt Lake City. But he did have 14 assists to only a pair of turnovers while showing off the explosive first step and the passing vision of a true point guard who can run an offense. In Vegas, Hawks fans will hope to see him show off the midrange touch (and deeper range) that made him a skilled scorer at Houston. After all, the big question is whether his scoring package translates against NBA length and spacing, or whether opposing scouts figure him out the same way late-season defenses did. Still, he brings incredible effort and passion to the floor and will likely maximize whatever he’s going to become.

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In some ways, Summer League isn’t made for a guy like Johnson. He’s the beyond-the-box-score player who sets the bone-crushing screen that springs the star, blows up an opponent’s action, and dives for loose balls. He’s a winning player through and through. That said, I can’t wait to see how that style translates to these exhibitions. How will Dallas use him? He transferred from Illinois to Michigan and became the connective tissue of the national champions as a 251-pound wrecking ball with surprisingly soft hands and the defensive IQ to guard 1 through 5 in a switch-heavy scheme. Will he screen and roll on offense? Will they use him as a spot-up shooter? On defense, will he defend wings? Will he play drop coverage? He can do it all. Maybe we’ll see it all in Vegas.

While Warriors fans are waiting to find out about the future of Draymond Green and the decision by LeBron James, they’ve been able to enjoy The Dominican LeBron at the California Classic. Lendeborg shot the hell out of it, and showed off some of the role versatility that made him such an appealing prospect to Golden State with the 11th pick. He fills the stat sheet, he can play multiple positions, and he has a 7-4 wingspan at 240 pounds with a genuine handle. He’ll be 24 as a rookie, but that aspect could be appealing to Steve Kerr, who re-signed for a two-year deal. Yaxel comes in ready. The next step in Vegas is showing progress on defense, because as polished as he looked offensively he was as raw on defense.

Veesaar fell to the Hawks with the 52nd pick, in part because his agency steered him in that direction toward a team that would give him a guaranteed contract instead of a two-way deal. But still, there was a strong expectation entering the draft that Veesaar, an agile big with real shooting touch, would be a first-rounder. Now he’ll get his first chance to prove those teams wrong for passing on him in the 20s. He has connective playmaking, baseline big skills with the ability to set screens and catch lobs, and he also offers rim protection.

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15. Cedric Coward, Grizzlies second-year wing

Coward was one of my favorite prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he’s the only player to be named to the All-Rookie First Team to play this summer. In Salt Lake City, he struggled to shoot, making only six of his 20 3-point attempts. After a stellar rookie year, we already know he can handle secondary creation, crash the boards, and defend across positions. But finding his shot will be a priority in Vegas after making only 34% of his 3s as a rookie.

16. Brayden Burries, Bucks rookie guard

Burries arrived at Arizona as a top-10 recruit, started slow, and then erupted once conference play began, helping lead his team to the Final Four. He started slow in California, too, struggling to score the ball from all levels. But he’s a physical, versatile scorer who can beat you from everywhere, rebounds like a forward, and competes hard on defense. He’s a methodical creator rather than an explosive one, and his shooting history before Arizona gives scouts reason to wonder whether the efficiency is real or a blip. Vegas is a chance to offer optimism that it’s for real.

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17. Sergio De Larrea, Mavericks rookie wing

De Larrea won the Spanish League title, and now he makes his way to America to join the Mavericks. The Spaniard is a tall, playmaking guard with major feel and a knockdown jumper. With size, smarts, and defensive versatility, he could carve out a role with the Mavericks and end up one of the steals of the draft class.

18. Dailyn Swain, Bulls rookie wing

Swain is relentless getting to the rim, creative as a finisher, and active enough defensively to project as a switchable wing. But the reason he lives at the rim is because his jump shot is genuinely terrible. He has stiff mechanics, bad percentages, and a reluctance to even attempt it that goes all the way back to high school. I interviewed him before the draft and he said he grew up a knockdown shooter. Well, let’s see if he can return to his younger form starting in Vegas.

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19. Mo Diawara, Knicks second-year forward

Diawara was taken with the 51st pick one year ago, then played 69 games deep off New York’s bench while excelling whenever he was provided extended chances. At 6-9, he made 37% of his 3s and showed off the ability to attack in a straight line. Diawara was so good that Knicks fans were (half-jokingly) afraid to talk about him out of fear that other teams would take notice and steal him away this summer. Well, the Knicks signed him to a four-year, $10 million contract and now he’ll get a chance to put his skills on display for everyone to see and for Knicks fans to freely rave about.

20. Noa Essengue, Bulls second-year forward

Remember Essengue? Of course you do:

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