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Charlotte\u2019s lottery pick Kon Knueppel led the Hornets to a 6-0 record and the NBA 2K26 Summer League championship in Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a> Summer unofficially is over, at least for NBA fans, with the NBA 2K26 Summer League<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n In sheer statistical terms, the players who forevermore became lottery picks<\/a> late last month didn\u2019t dominate. For example, No. 1 draftee Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks ranked 14<\/a>th<\/a> in scoring<\/a> among the Summer League aspirants. While New Orleans\u2019 Derik Queen was second in rebounds<\/a>, Philadelphia\u2019s VJ Edgecombe topped the lottery guys at 38th overall in assists. Among shooters who averaged more than one 3-point attempt, Washington\u2019s Tre Johnson was the best of the bunch at 46th. <\/p>\n But glimpses of their potential for what\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Statistics from Las Vegas unless otherwise noted:<\/p>\n 1. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n > 20.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long for the consensus No. 1 pick in the June draft to become the heavy favorite to snag the NBA\u2019s 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\u2019s likeliest best newcomer. For all the things Flagg does well now, it\u2019s his sponginess for what he\u2019ll add to his repertoire that has the Mavericks and their fans most excited. <\/p>\n 2. Dylan Harper,\u00a0San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n > 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg<\/p>\n Harper\u2019s July work ended with a groin injury, but in his two games, he justified his lofty draft position. His debut<\/a> was Flagg\u2019s 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\u2019Aaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. <\/p>\n 3. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n > 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists When you can play just two summer games \u2013 one in Utah, one in Vegas \u2013 and prompt spectators to drop names such as Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo, you\u2019re 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\u2019 short-term future look brighter from the backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and last year\u2019s rookie Jared McCain. <\/p>\n 4. Kon Knueppel,\u00a0Charlotte Hornets <\/p>\n > 15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg<\/p>\n It might not take long for fans outside of Charlotte to forget about the Hornets\u2019 6-0 record as Summer League champions<\/a> and Knueppel\u2019s 21-point performance in the finale to lock down MVP honors<\/a>. But if Knueppel is like most past Summer League elite, he\u2019ll 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. <\/p>\n 5. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz <\/p>\n > 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.0 apg (Salt Lake City)<\/p>\n A hip injury limited Bailey\u2019s 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. \u201cEven though the rumor mill was saying that he wanted to go to certain teams,\u201d the former Miami Heat Hall of Fame guard said on his podcast, \u201cthere\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards <\/p>\n > 19.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 apg<\/p>\n Johnson scored and shot well in his two summer performances, hitting 45.5% of his 3s and 58.3% overall. He isn\u2019t Flagg, the rookie the Wizards had in mind before the lottery dashed those hopes<\/a>. But Johnson\u2019s ability to put up points could have him emerge quickly from the bevy of young guys on Washington\u2019s roster. <\/p>\n 7. Jeremiah Fears,\u00a0New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n > 17.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg<\/p>\n Thirteen assists to 25 turnovers wasn\u2019t going to stop Fears, whose confidence is evident on the back of his jersey (\u201cFears 0\u201d). He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 8. Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets <\/p>\n > 11.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg<\/p>\n Demin cobbled himself a little \u201c3Gor\u201d 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\u00a0he can punish opponents working from behind screens. <\/p>\n 9. Collin Murray-Boyles,\u00a0Toronto Raptors <\/p>\n > 10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg<\/p>\n Murray-Boyles\u2019 versatility \u2013 a half-full spin on a 6-foot-7 guy who\u2019s a little small positionally \u2013 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\u2019s \u201cability to move laterally, the ability to create deflections and steals \u2014 that fits into the style of play that we want to continue to develop and cherish.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. Khaman Maluach, Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n > 10.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 0.3 apg<\/p>\n \u201cBad hands\u201d is a harsh label, but it\u2019s 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\u2019t turn 19 until September. Suns owner Mat Ishbia said: \u201cPeople have unreal [expectations]. He\u2019s 18. I have a son that\u2019s 14. He\u2019s four years older. He\u2019s still a kid and he\u2019s going to develop.\u201d<\/p>\n 11. Cedric Coward,\u00a0Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n > DNP <\/p>\n It\u2019s ironic that a player who got folks excited about his wingspan \u2013 7-foot-2 on a guy 6-foot-6 \u2013 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\u2019s rookie Jaylen Wells. <\/p>\n 12. Noa Essengue, Chicago Bulls <\/p>\n > 12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 apg<\/p>\n Essengue\u2019s indelible image in Las Vegas \u2013 which definitely should stay there \u2013 was the look on his beleaguered face<\/a> trying to challenge Indiana\u2019s Johnny Furphy on a rousing breakout dunk. But the Bulls still came away encouraged about the draft\u2019s youngest player, confident he can add the strength the NBA game will require from him. <\/p>\n 13. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans<\/p>\n > 14.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.3 apg<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in his left wrist that required surgery and will shut him down for three months or more. <\/p>\n 14. Carter Bryant,\u00a0San Antonio Spurs <\/p>\n > 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 apg 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.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him\u00a0here<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Summer League: Complete Coverage<\/a><\/p>\n
> 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists (Salt Lake City)<\/p>\n
> 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.5 apg (California Classic) <\/p>\n