Kobe Johnson leads the Hawks with 30 points in a Summer League win vs. the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS \u2014 The 2026 NBA Summer League<\/a> reached the midway point and the best way to describe the Monday standouts was that they were unique.<\/p>\n First: The younger brother of an NBA star looked like a Summer League one himself.<\/p>\n Second: It was a very good night for second-round picks.<\/p>\n Add more good performances from Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson, two of the premier players in this tournament, and there was more than enough good basketball in Vegas.<\/p>\n Here are the players who made a mark on Day 5 of the tournament:<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas goes off for 35 points in the Cavaliers’ victory over the Heat at NBA Summer League.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to \u201cleek\u201d some breaking news \u2014 Meleek Thomas is making a strong bid for being the top player in the tournament. For the second straight night he dominated, with 35 points on 14-for-23 shooting (60.9%) and a pair of steals against Miami. The previous night he dropped 30<\/a> against the Pistons. He looks comfortable in his own skin and an NBA uniform, and keep in mind, he lasted until the Second Round of the 2026 NBA Draft<\/a>. Entering the tournament, the Arkansas guard who drew the most interest was first-rounder Darius Acuff Jr. Well, that has changed. Thomas, with a silky game, looks like the steal of the draft, at least here in summer league.<\/p>\n Kobe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n Will the Hawks have a Johnson & Johnson connection next season? Well, that\u2019s up to Kobe, younger brother of Jalen. And the vibes he\u2019s giving off in Vegas, and especially against the Celtics, is pointing in a positive direction. Kobe had a strong two-way performance \u2014 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists, a pair of steals and a block versus Boston. He looked very Jalen-like, in other words. And he did this off the bench.<\/p>\n Jalen of course was All-NBA last season in what was a star turn for him. As for Kobe, he spent time in the Hawks\u2019 G-League and development program. If he keeps this up, the Hawks will have an interesting decision to make this fall. Kobe showed a solid give-and-go two-man game with \u2026<\/p>\n Henri Veesaar, Atlanta Hawks<\/p>\n The Hawks went into the draft looking for a 7-footer to add to a squad that lacked size. And that search went into the Second Round. When they drafted Veesaar, it appeared to be a steal. Well, so far, so solid for Veesaar. He\u2019s shooting 18-for-33 in the tournament, including 41% from deep. That\u2019s what attracted the Hawks to him, his ability to stretch the floor. Against the Celtics he had 20 points and added a block and a steal.<\/p>\n Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls<\/p>\n The Bulls were in the process of losing big to the Utah Jazz when Wilson came to life in the fourth quarter. He took over the period and at one point scored seven straight points. All told, he scored 12 in the fourth and once again showed the desire to be top-flight player in these situations. Wilson finished with 19 points in this, just his second game of the tournament. He shot 8-for-17, had five blocks and displayed an aggressive approach, especially on a vicious fourth-quarter dunk, in the losing cause.<\/p>\n Cam Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Cameron Boozer puts up 21 points vs. the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n The No. 3 pick had a solid night and once again showed double-double potential, this time against the Mavericks. Boozer finished with 21 points and eight rebounds with three steals. He didn\u2019t face a top matchup; the Mavs lacked a top-flight draft pick or second-year player to throw at him. Still, Boozer has been consistently good in this tournament, and he signed his rookie contract just hours prior to tipoff. He had 23 in his first game and is shooting 47% from deep.<\/p>\n Brayden Burries, Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n The Bucks are on the road to rebuilding here in the wake of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and they could use all the good news they can get from this tournament. Burries must\u2019ve heard the calling because he responded against the Suns with 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals \u2014 a complete, both-ends effort. The 6-foot-4 first rounder from Arizona was among six guards taken in the top 10. In his previous game, he had 26 points<\/a> against the Spurs.<\/p>\n Koa Peat, Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n Koa Peat’s 19 points lift the Suns to a victory over the Bucks at the 2026 NBA Summer League.<\/p>\n The final first round selection in the June draft, Peat nearly slipped into the second round. He thought he should\u2019ve been taken higher and is making a point to issue that statement in this tournament. Against the Bucks, the power forward had 19 points and six rebounds and finished with a plus-18 in a closely contested game. He and center Khaman Maluach, last year\u2019s No. 1 pick<\/a> by the Suns, ruled the front line in this game; Maluach added 21 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kobe Johnson leads the Hawks with 30 points in a Summer League win vs. the Boston Celtics. 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