Charlotte’s lottery pick Kon Knueppel led the Hornets to a 6-0 record and the NBA 2K26 Summer League championship in Vegas.
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Summer unofficially is over, at least for NBA fans, with the NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas and its two cousins in Utah and California wrapping up this month. No one is in a hurry to get to and beyond Labor Day Weekend, but after what we saw in the raw, sometimes frantic warm-up contests of July, a little eagerness for training camps makes a lot of sense.
In sheer statistical terms, the players who forevermore became lottery picks late last month didn’t dominate. For example, No. 1 draftee Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks ranked 14th in scoring among the Summer League aspirants. While New Orleans’ Derik Queen was second in rebounds, Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe topped the lottery guys at 38th overall in assists. Among shooters who averaged more than one 3-point attempt, Washington’s Tre Johnson was the best of the bunch at 46th.
But glimpses of their potential for what’s to come in a few months or even a few years generated plenty of interest. Here is a rundown of how draft picks 1-14 did in their first toe-dips of NBA basketball.
Statistics from Las Vegas unless otherwise noted:
1. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
> 20.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
It didn’t take long for the consensus No. 1 pick in the June draft to become the heavy favorite to snag the NBA’s 2025-26 Wilt Chamberlain Trophy as Kia Rookie of the Year. After the versatile 6-foot-9 native of Maine put up solid numbers and a few thunderous dunks in Vegas, the oddsmakers installed him as the league’s likeliest best newcomer. For all the things Flagg does well now, it’s his sponginess for what he’ll add to his repertoire that has the Mavericks and their fans most excited.
2. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
> 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
Harper’s July work ended with a groin injury, but in his two games, he justified his lofty draft position. His debut was Flagg’s second game, and the son of former Bulls guard Ron Harper kept up nicely with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Harper can give San Antonio a potent guard trio with De’Aaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.
3. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
> 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
> 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists (Salt Lake City)
When you can play just two summer games – one in Utah, one in Vegas – and prompt spectators to drop names such as Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo, you’re making strong first impressions. He was 2-for-13 from the arc in his two appearances, but his athletic ability and skills at both ends make the Sixers’ short-term future look brighter from the backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and last year’s rookie Jared McCain.
4. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
> 15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg
It might not take long for fans outside of Charlotte to forget about the Hornets’ 6-0 record as Summer League champions and Knueppel’s 21-point performance in the finale to lock down MVP honors. But if Knueppel is like most past Summer League elite, he’ll be around for a decade or longer as a solid role player at least. Charlotte is hoping for even more than that from the 6-foot-7 hustling shooter, who even answered a few questions scouts had about his defense.
5. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
> 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg (Salt Lake City)
A hip injury limited Bailey’s summer experience to just two games in the Salt Lake City competition (none in Vegas), but Jazz minority owner Dwyane Wade liked what he saw. “Even though the rumor mill was saying that he wanted to go to certain teams,” the former Miami Heat Hall of Fame guard said on his podcast, “there’s no way you can pass him up. He is too talented. He is one of those guys that just walk in the gym, and he can get you 30.”
6. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards
> 19.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 apg
Johnson scored and shot well in his two summer performances, hitting 45.5% of his 3s and 58.3% overall. He isn’t Flagg, the rookie the Wizards had in mind before the lottery dashed those hopes. But Johnson’s ability to put up points could have him emerge quickly from the bevy of young guys on Washington’s roster.
7. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
> 17.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg
Thirteen assists to 25 turnovers wasn’t going to stop Fears, whose confidence is evident on the back of his jersey (“Fears 0”). He’s quick and aggressive attacking the paint, though contact with stronger defenders can make it tough to finish. The Pelicans staff felt his decision-making improved over the five games he logged in Vegas.
8. Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets
> 11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg
Demin cobbled himself a little “3Gor” nickname in Las Vegas, hitting 43.5% from deep while attempting 7.7 per game. At a slender 6-foot-9, the alum of one season at BYU needs to get stronger and considers himself more of a playmaker than a prototypical point guard, but he can punish opponents working from behind screens.
9. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
> 10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
Murray-Boyles’ versatility – a half-full spin on a 6-foot-7 guy who’s a little small positionally – as well as his 3.0 offensive rebounds per game and solid 57% shooting in the desert had the Raptors pumped, with his earliest impact likely to come on defense. Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic praised the kid’s “ability to move laterally, the ability to create deflections and steals — that fits into the style of play that we want to continue to develop and cherish.”
10. Khaman Maluach, Phoenix Suns
> 10.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.3 apg
“Bad hands” is a harsh label, but it’s one that many big men shed in time. The Suns are hopeful Maluach, a native of South Sudan and a product of the NBA Africa Academy, can do that. Phoenix believes in his potential, reminding fans that the 7-foot-2 project who spent one year at Duke won’t turn 19 until September. Suns owner Mat Ishbia said: “People have unreal [expectations]. He’s 18. I have a son that’s 14. He’s four years older. He’s still a kid and he’s going to develop.”
11. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
> DNP
It’s ironic that a player who got folks excited about his wingspan – 7-foot-2 on a guy 6-foot-6 – missed summer play entirely because one of his wings was clipped by a shoulder injury that has lingered since November. The Grizzlies envision Coward as a replacement for Desmond Bane and are enthusiastic about another Washington State product, like last year’s rookie Jaylen Wells.
12. Noa Essengue, Chicago Bulls
> 12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 apg
Essengue’s indelible image in Las Vegas – which definitely should stay there – was the look on his beleaguered face trying to challenge Indiana’s Johnny Furphy on a rousing breakout dunk. But the Bulls still came away encouraged about the draft’s youngest player, confident he can add the strength the NBA game will require from him.
13. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans
> 14.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
You cannot make up more bad-luck, injury-related tales about the Pelicans than those through which that team has lived. New Orleans paid a hefty price to get Queen from Atlanta on draft night, sending its unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks. Then Queen, after three straight double-doubles in Vegas (and 17 turnovers), tears a ligament in his left wrist that required surgery and will shut him down for three months or more.
14. Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
> 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg
> 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.5 apg (California Classic)
Less Harper meant more attention focused on Bryant, who impressed spectators and scouts quickly with his defense. Offensively, he was a slower study, saving his best for last (16 points with 4-for-6 from 3 vs. Charlotte). But he led the lottery picks with 10 blocks across the two leagues in which he played.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.