Top 5 picks VJ Edgecombe (No. 3, 76ers) and Ace Bailey (No. 5, Jazz) hit the floor for summer action.
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Saturday tipped off NBA summer action as the California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer League both delivered doubleheaders. With a 20-point pairing from the Grizzlies and VJ Edgecombe (No. 3 overall) going head-to-head with Ace Bailey (No. 5), here’s a sampling of the top individual performers:
Salt Lake City Summer League
Jaylen Wells & GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
With the Grizzlies often sending seasoned rosters into summer action as their developmental conveyor continues to churn, Wells – a Kia Rookie of the Year finalist out of the second round – and Jackson – who has shown scoring promise throughout his two-season run – are the latest to pop off the page.
In a 92-80 victory over the Thunder, Wells continued building on his First Team All-Rookie campaign, putting up 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, offsetting inefficient shooting from the floor (5-for-14 FGs) with determined driving and a perfect (7-for-7) showing at the line. Jackson matched the 20 points, connecting on eight of his 15 attempts, including a solid 3-for-8 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, limiting the turnovers to a pair in 28 minutes.
VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers | Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
Philadlephia’s VJ Edgecombe scores 28 points on 13-for-26 shooting with 10 rebounds and four assists in his NBA Summer League debut.
The No. 3 overall pick, Edgecombe landed with the 76ers and joins a roster looking to turn the page toward contention after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign. Bailey, a mystery man heading into Draft night after skipping all individual workouts, was plucked by new GM Austin Ainge for the developing core in Utah.
The Jazz stayed in front on the team side, winning 93-89, but Edgecombe unquestionably landed the strongest impression. The Baylor product delivered the day’s most prolific performance, pouring in 28 points on 13-for-27 shooting (48.1%), despite a 1-for-7 mark from range. And he added 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal to boot.
Bailey’s overall line was more muted – eight points and seven rebounds while shooting 3-for-13 (1-5 3PM) – but the Rutgers forward delivered a huge on-ball block in the third quarter, sticking with the driver and forcing a floater up, up and onto the fingertips. The potential, as always, remains evident.
Nikola Topić, Oklahoma City Thunder
On the other side of the Grizzlies’ resounding victory, Topić made his stateside debut after the Thunder drafted him a year ago in the wake of an ACL tear overseas. The tall (6-foot-6) guard showed why he earned the commitment, racking up 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting (2-4 3PM) along with four assists and two steals, though the seven turnovers will need to come down.
California Classic
Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
Kel’el Ware alley-oops home two of his 14 points on Saturday.
A standout early and often throughout last year’s run, Ware was right back at it in the Heat’s 82-69 rout of the Spurs, turning in the kind of robust line one wants to see from second-year talent: 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Several of the plays earned a spot in the highlight reel, though the 5-for-14 shooting could stand to come up.
Cole Swider, L.A. Lakers
The Lakers couldn’t quite overtake a balanced Warriors effort on Saturday, ultimately falling 89-84 to a team whose high scorers topped out at 13 points. But Swider turned in an impressive individual outing on offense, dropping 24 points on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range (7-for-10 overall). Also racking up eight rebounds, Swider delivered a two-pronged performance that could slot in nicely alongside high-usage orchestrators LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.