Top 15 most interesting players at 2025 NBA Summer League: Cooper Flagg, Yang Hansen, Reed Sheppard
And there's basketball. A lot of basketball. It's the first chance for many fans and media members to get a look at the top draft picks in person and see how their games translate in a quasi-NBA setting. It's also a chance to see how players who have been in the league for a year or two have improved.
Here are the 15 most interesting players I saw in Las Vegas, broken down by category. This is an incomplete list and only includes players I saw in Las Vegas. That means guys such as Ace Bailey are not on here (he has yet to play in Vegas).
The Big Names
Cooper Flagg
The No. 1 pick lived up to the hype.
What makes Flagg such a promising prospect is that his floor is high — on nights his shot is not falling, he remains an elite defender and shot blocker, he runs the floor hard, makes smart passes, and he can be a secondary shot creator. That's what happened in his debut.
Mavericks' Cooper Flagg with the monster help side block, transition push and assist for go-ahead jumper in final minute vs. Lakers pic.twitter.com/rBXktQp0HH
Flagg struggled with his shot in his first game (5-of-21) and there are going to be moments like that during his rookie season. His ability to create and consistently knock down shots is the only real question about his game entering the league, and consistency with that will take some time to develop. That said, Flagg bounced back with 31 points in his second outing, showing off his ability to drive and finish with either hand.
Cooper Flagg's second Summer League game:
- 31 points
- 4 rebounds
- 1 assist
- 1 block
- 10/20 FG
- 3/8 3P
- 8/13 FT
- 31 minutes
This kid is special.#MFFL
pic.twitter.com/WTpo0USagN
While Flagg looked good with the ball in his hands, he looked better playing off it, and that will be more of his role in Dallas where D'Angelo Russell in the short term and Kyrie Irving long term (once healthy), not to mention Anthony Davis, will facilitate the offense most of the time.
Dylan Harper
Spurs fans had to wait to see the No. 2 pick, he didn't play in the California Classic games or in the Spurs' Las Vegas Summer League opener due to a groin issue. When he did take the court, he impressed, showing flashes of his athleticism and putting up highlights — and not just on the offensive end.
NO. 2 PICK DYLAN HARPER GETS WAY UP FOR THE SWAT 😱 pic.twitter.com/flyqcYuqos
Harper was smooth on offense, showing control of his pace to get into the lane and the ability to finish with either hand at the rim, or hit a little floater. He finished in Vegas averaging 16 points a game, but shooting 35.7% from the floor — there is some work to do, but Harper impressed with how he played and his body control. He's going to be special.
smoooth with it @dy1anharper 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/K20lBesqdN
VJ Edgecombe
After creating a buzz by dropping 28 points in the Salt Lake Summer League, Edgecombe's Las Vegas debut was delayed until Tuesday night due to a thumb injury. When he finally got back on the court, he impressed with a couple of athletic defensive plays in transition to take away scoring opportunities, and his drive-and-dish game was on. What was not on was his shot. Edgecombe shot 0-of-7 from the floor in the first half, but he wasn't making excuses.
'Simple, I was just missing shots. Ain't nothing I can say about that,' Edgecombe said.
In the second half, he started to get downhill to the rim more, and with that, he found his shot, hitting 4-of-7 on his way to finishing with 15 points. Forget the shooting struggles, plenty of promising rookies have them at Summer League, it was the way he did everything else that makes us think Edgecombe is going to get plenty of run in Philly this season.
VJ Edgecombe in his #NBA2KSummerLeague debut:
🔔 15 PTS
🔔 6 REB
🔔 4 AST
🔔 3 STL
🔔 76ers W pic.twitter.com/XxZyMeERaO
Yang Hansen
Yang's style of play is infectious — it had the other Trail Blazers in Las Vegas playing hard and cutting off him, knowing he could find them with a pass. It was also infectious for the crowds, who turned out in large numbers to see the Chinese star play. He didn't disappoint them.
The Yang Hansen show premiered in Las Vegas tonight!
🏀 10 PTS
🏀 4 REB
🏀 5 AST
🏀 3 BLK
A walking highlight reel in his Trail Blazers summer debut. pic.twitter.com/HQQVqrJVbc
Yang's passing skills are as advertised, he sees the court and makes passes that few big men can. He's also got a nice 15-foot jumper, and he can bully his way to the paint in a mismatch. There is a lot to like about his game. There is also a long way to go — his defense is unimpressive (especially away from the rim) and he's going to have to get a lot stronger. Still, there was plenty to like about the Trail Blazers' surprise first-round pick.
Bronny James
Summer League is a benchmark for young players — it's not the raw numbers we see from second-year players, it's how much they improve season over season. Are we seeing growth?
With Bronny James, the answer is a clear yes. His defense has always been good, but his handles and decision-making came with a lot more confidence this year.
'His passing out of the pick and rolls and really seeing,' Lakers Summer League coach Lindsey Harding said of Bronny's improvement. 'And it's not just the pass to the big rolling, it's if the low man comes over, he sees the man in the corner. Right? It's the whole floor. And I think it's easy to see one read, but, like, he's developing everything else. Understanding where everyone else is on the floor and where their defenders are coming from.'
Bronny's shot is still a work in progress, and if he wants to be a regular rotation player that has to become consistent, but he looks like a guy who can handle a few more minutes for the Lakers this season.
Guys too good for Summer League
Matas Buzelis
The Bulls' Buzelis is getting the chance to run an offense in Las Vegas and show he is ready for more. His first game was a little rough around the edges (17 points on 4-of-14 shooting with four turnovers), but in his second outing he reminded everyone he is better than just about every other player in Vegas. He can run an offense, and he is too good to be here.
Matas Buzelis (28 PTS) put on a SHOW in the @chicagobulls #NBA2KSummerLeague win 🤩 pic.twitter.com/1S5xcqhDoY
Reed Sheppard
Reed Sheppard was a standout a year ago at Summer League, but that didn't buy him consistent run during last season on a deep Rockets team. Back in Las Vegas, Sheppard has looked impressive again and just too good for this level, averaging 23 points a game. What should make coach Ime Udoka happy is that Sheppard just looks stronger and seems more comfortable with the physicality of the game, something he needs if he's going to get into the Rockets rotation as expected this season.
Ajay Mitchell
Ajay Mitchell re-signed with the Thunder for three years, $8.7 million this summer... so what is he doing in Las Vegas? Getting the reps and run he can't get on a championship roster. He's averaged 20 points a game, shooting 51.4% overall, with six rebounds and 4.3 assists a night, and is handling Vegas just fine (after three years of college parties in Isla Vista, before going pro, Vegas' party scene isn't going to faze him).
Kyle Filipowski
Filipowski is the leading scorer in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 points a game on 56.1% shooting, including 39.1% from beyond the arc, plus 7.7 rebounds a game (in 28.6 minutes a night). Filipowski came on in the second half of last season in Utah and has taken a step forward from there. Utah shut him down after three games in Vegas (plus a couple in the Salt Lake City Summer League).
Kyle Filipowski - Game 3 -
Vegas Summer League highlights
Flip played 31 minutes and finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, & 1 steal
.
.#JazzNation #UtahJazz #TakeNote#NBA #NBA2KSummerLeague#KyleFilipowski #NBASummerLeague pic.twitter.com/ti8hYw7IXz
Guys Who Caught My Eye
Joan Beringer
Rudy Gobert is still an elite defender, but he is 33 and expensive, the Timberwolves might need to move on from him in a couple of years. It's just a few Summer League games, but one can envision Beringer, the French center that the Timberwolves took at No. 17, sliding into that defensive center role. He impressed with his athleticism and defense — recording Beringer 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in his Summer League debut. He's averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game in Las Vegas.
NO FLY ZONE 😳
French rookie Joan Beringer with back-to-back blocks in Summer League for the Wolves 😯 pic.twitter.com/9Z9yLy7RXN
Noah Penda
The No. 32 pick in June's draft has shown a real versatility for the Orlando Magic (who traded some seconds to get him). He's averaged 11.3 points a game on 56.7% shooting, including 40% from beyond the arc, and has initiated the offense while playing point forward and even some stretch five. Most importantly, the French player has a high IQ game and is going to find a spot in the NBA.
'He's just got a knack for where to be on the floor, his instincts are phenomenal. I thought his rebounding for us was huge today. His ability to pick up things on the fly,' Magic coach Ameer Bahhur said. 'We played him at the five today, which he had never done before.... His versatility allowed us to use him as another ball handler to relieve pressure and bring the ball up the court. And he did a great job, whether he was at the four, whether he was at the five, he got us into what we needed to do and he helped us run our offense.'
Daniss Jenkins
The former St. John's star emerged from Rick Pitino's world to earn a two-way contract with the Pistons — he should get at least that this season, maybe more. With Detroit in Vegas, he is playing fantastic defense — he's the reason Reed Sheppard had a relatively tough first night — and he's averaging 17.3 points a game while shooting 58.3% in 3-pointers. He can just flat-out play.
Daniss Jenkins with the AND-1 DUNK!@DetroitPistons | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/vVxwqKKbGe
Ryan Kalkbrenner
He was a defensive anchor at Creighton, and that has translated nicely to his role for Charlotte in Summer League — he is a strong defender in the paint, averaging 2.3 blocks a game in Las Vegas. He's also scoring 8.7 points per game, although his rebounding and ability to be a stretch big need some work. Still, the potential is there, which is why Charlotte locked up the No. 34 pick with a four-year, $9.9 million contract.
Yuki Kawamura
Everyone loves Yuki — somebody give that man a two-way deal. He was on a two-way contract with Memphis and has earned at least another one of those from someone while playing for Chicago this summer.
Yuki Kawamura DAZZLES in the @chicagobulls W in Vegas 💫💯
15 PTS
10 AST (several are 😱)
3 STL pic.twitter.com/3okDslbGuT
Ryan Nembhard
The brother of Andrew Nembhard went undrafted because he was considered too small and there were a lot of questions about his shooting. What he showed in Las Vegas is that the former Gonzaga star knows how to run a team and be a strong floor general, and his shot is better than advertised, averaging 11.3 points a game. Nembhard is on a two-way contract with Dallas and will have the opportunity to prove his worth.
Carter Bryant
That other guy the Spurs drafted in the lottery (No. 14) turns out to be a defensive terror on the wing — he bothered Cooper Flagg more than any other player defending him in Las Vegas. You can see where he fits in San Antonio if he can develop a respectable offensive game, something that we have not seen in Las Vegas, where he is shooting 12.5% through three games. Still, the thought of a Spurs opponent struggling to drive past Bryant on the wing only to run into Victor Wembanyama in the paint is potentially terrifying.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"Thought I Was Going To Finish My Career With Luka": Dorian Finney-Smith Opens Up On His Bond With Luka Doncic
"Thought I Was Going To Finish My Career With Luka": Dorian Finney-Smith Opens Up On His Bond With Luka Doncic originally appeared on Fadeaway World. When Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers, it became increasingly evident to the world that the Lakers are planning to make him the face of their franchise for the coming decade. One of the key players on the Lakers who was delighted to hear this news was Doncic's former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith. He almost couldn't believe that Doncic was headed to the Lakers. In a recent interview with Wavy TV 10, Finney-Smith spoke about how he felt when he reunited with Luka Doncic in the Lakers and how Doncic reacted to his move to the Rockets. 'Oh, man. I was so happy, man. To be honest, I thought I was going to finish my career with Luka in LA, but like I said, things happened. We were excited, you know, happy to get him back. Also sad that everything that happened, you know, with the trade, you know, him being, you know, just the whole emotional thing, the bad talk about his weight, and just all that, cause I knew who he is as a person." "He, you know, he won't talk badly about anybody, and you know, he cares. Just like when I went to the Rockets, he shot me a text, 'I'm happy for you. I'm proud of you. I know you're excited to be back with your kids and family.' Things like that show me that he cared.' Doncic and Finney-Smith had been teammates ever since Doncic was drafted to the NBA in 2018. They both played on the Mavericks till 2023 before Finney-Smith was traded to the Nets for Kyrie Irving. They then reunited in LA while playing for the Lakers last season, and now have been separated again due to Finney-Smith's move to the Rockets. Experts were shocked to see the Lakers let Dorian Finney-Smith walk away as a free agent this summer, considering his fit on the roster with Luka Doncic. The Lakers indicated that they plan to rebuild around Doncic this summer, but they let go of a key asset who could've been crucial for the Lakers in the coming seasons. As a sharpshooting wing who is defensively skilled, Finney Smith perfectly fits the profile of the type of player the Lakers need at the moment to play alongside Luka. A career 36.2% shooter from beyond the arc, Finney-Smith makes 38.1% of his corner threes on average, which became a key asset for the Mavericks in the time this duo played together there. Doncic's ability to drive in and collapse the defense so he can kick out the ball to the corner for an open shot became the bread and butter of their offensive strategy. The Lakers have now replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Jake LaRavia, who last played for the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies. Do you think the Lakers will be able to replicate the chemistry between Finney-Smith and Doncic with LaRavia? I highly doubt it. But let us know what you think in the comments story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Luka Doncic Deeply Involved In Lakers Free Agency, Long-Term Concerns Ease
Luka Doncic Deeply Involved In Lakers Free Agency, Long-Term Concerns Ease originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Just months ago, questions swirled about whether Luka Doncic would truly commit to a long-term future with the Los Angeles Lakers. But according to NBA insider Marc Stein, that narrative is quickly fading. After taking an active role in the team's free agency plans and staying in constant communication with Lakers vice president Rob Pelinka, Doncic is now seen as fully aligned with the organization's vision. From roster decisions to relationship-building, this offseason has marked a turning point, and Luka is helping to shape the future of the franchise. 'External fretting about Doncic committing his long-term future to the Lakers, meanwhile, has dissipated considerably thanks to the contributions made by the 26-year-old throughout free agency in collaboration with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka,' Stein wrote. 'Contact between Pelinka, Doncic, and two pillars of Team Luka — chief brand officer and business manager Lara Beth Seager and longtime agent Bill Duffy — has been constant since a well-chronicled dinner at Craig's in West Hollywood shortly after L.A.'s first-round playoff elimination.' Following his trade to the Lakers in February, there has been major uncertainty about Luka's contract situation. As it stands, the 26-year-old has two years left on his deal, including a player option for the 2026-27 season worth $48.9 million. He's yet to sign an extension with the Lakers despite a positive start, but there is growing confidence that he'll eventually re-sign with the organization. Arguably, the biggest sign is how active he's been in free agency. Communication has been constant and ongoing between the Lakers and Luka's camp, with the latter providing input on the entire team-building process. In fact, it was Luka who reportedly helped recruit both DeAndre Ayton and Marcus Smart to join this summer. While teams were originally bullish on their chances to acquire Doncic in 2026, confidence is fading that he'll end up leaving. In Los Angeles, he's got everything he could want on a team like the Lakers, who are willing to cater to his every whim. Regarding the potential timeline of a new contract, it may not be until next summer that Luka inks a deal, but that's only because he'll be focused on other things like EuroBasket, training camp, and staying in shape for the 2025-26 season. Once the season tips off in October, Doncic will be focused entirely on leading the Lakers, not on contract negotiations. For the Lakers, this is great news. After giving up their championship big man (Anthony Davis) to acquire Doncic, their very future hinges on his success, and they've already gone out of their way to try and maximize his impact. With a new big man in place (Deandre Ayton) and LeBron James slated to return for at least one more season, Luka will have everything he needs for a prosperous campaign. For now, the Lakers can breathe a little easier. Luka Doncic hasn't signed a long-term extension yet, but he's behaving like a franchise cornerstone—and the organization is treating him like one. If this offseason is any indication, the Lakers aren't just building around Luka on the court, they're building with him at every story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Luka Doncic Helped Lakers Land Deandre Ayton And Marcus Smart While Getting Into Best Shape Of His Career
Luka Doncic Helped Lakers Land Deandre Ayton And Marcus Smart While Getting Into Best Shape Of His Career originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Luka Doncic may not have publicly addressed his future with the Los Angeles Lakers yet, but his actions behind the scenes this summer speak louder than any statement. With an extension decision looming on August 2, the 26-year-old superstar has already acted like the franchise cornerstone, recruiting key free agents, reshaping the roster to fit his vision, and undergoing a dramatic physical transformation that has teammates and rivals alike buzzing. Doncic reportedly played a central role in helping the Lakers land both Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. After both players unexpectedly became available via contract buyouts, league sources confirmed that Luka personally reached out, pitched the Lakers' vision, and helped close the deals. These weren't just random additions, they were exactly the kind of players Doncic requested. He had communicated to the front office his desire for a rim-running big, perimeter defense, and shooting depth. In response, the Lakers brought in Ayton, Smart, and sharpshooter Jake LaRavia, effectively checking every box. This proactive approach is a far cry from the uncertainty many expected after the stunning midseason trade that brought Doncic to Los Angeles. That deal one of the most seismic moves in recent NBA history, blindsiding Luka, who never imagined being dealt by Dallas. Yet rather than sulking or demanding immediate changes, Doncic has leaned in, committed to building something sustainable in Los Angeles. That commitment, insiders say, is one of the main reasons the Lakers remain optimistic about locking him into a long-term deal next month. And it's not just front-office collaboration that has people talking. Doncic has spent the offseason in Europe, but not for vacation. Instead, he's been focused on what many are calling a 'revenge glow-up,' getting into the best shape of his life ahead of EuroBasket. Gone is the lingering fatigue or soft conditioning critics used to target. In its place is a leaner, faster, and more explosive Luka, determined to silence doubters and dominate in his new purple-and-gold threads. Behind closed doors, the Lakers are thrilled. Head coach JJ Redick and GM Rob Pelinka reportedly believe this version of Luka Doncic is fitter, sharper, and more engaged, which could lead the team deeper than most expect. That optimism is only magnified by the supporting cast. Rui Hachimura is coming off his best season and shooting above 40 percent from deep. Austin Reaves and LeBron James will have a full training camp to build chemistry with Luka. And Ayton, in a contract year, has every reason to be the best version of himself alongside an elite pick-and-roll partner. Meanwhile, LaRavia will finally get steady minutes, and Smart, if healthy, brings Defensive Player of the Year pedigree to the backcourt. The Lakers have pulled this off while retaining their 2031 first-round pick and keeping young assets like Dalton Knecht. In a summer filled with chaos, the Lakers have quietly moved with clarity, and Doncic has been at the heart of it all. Now, all eyes are on August 2. Because if this is the version of Luka the Lakers get moving forward, the extension won't just be a formality, it'll be the start of something story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
