The 2025 NBA Summer League spotlighted an exciting mix of draft hopefuls, fantasy risers and under-the-radar dynasty stashes. With the opening weekend in the books, here’s a breakdown of the players who stood out and are worth paying attention to across formats.
Summer League players who are draftable in 2025
Cooper Flagg – F, Dallas Mavericks
Flagg proved that he’s NBA-ready. He willingly took on point guard duties and I came away impressed by his composure and vision running the offense. The playmaking upside enhances his versatility as a fantasy asset, making him a likely candidate to not last past the fifth round in drafts this season.
Alex Sarr – F/C, Washington Wizards
Sarr’s rim protection and mobility stood out. He broke the Vegas Summer League record for blocks in a game (8) and shot a surprisingly efficient 48% from the field across two games. He’s still a bit raw offensively, but there’s top-100 potential since he’ll start and be a reliable shot blocker.
Isaiah Collier – G, Utah Jazz
Utah’s starting point guard is probably done with Vegas and he did about what I expected. He averaged 12 points with 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game across three games. The efficiency will be inconsistent, but he’ll be a cheap late-round option for teams needing assists.
Matas Buzelis – F, Chicago Bulls
Buzelis looked stronger while playing with more physicality than last year. He averaged 2.5 stocks and went to the charity stripe 20 times over two games. That would be a nice development for his scoring profile if it translates to his second NBA season.
Jaylen Wells – F, Memphis Grizzlies
No Bane, no problem. The Grizzlies need Wells to step up and his first trial went successfully, averaging over 20 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3.0 3s and 1.5 steals. If he ends up starting with 30+ minutes per game, he’ll be a draftable asset in deep redraft leagues.
Players who cooked but are not yet draftable assets
Kyle Filipowski – F, Utah Jazz
Flip will make the All-Summer League team and be in contention for Summer League MVP. In three games, the second-year pro averaged 29.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.3 3s per game. He looks like Lauri Markkanen.
Terrance Shannon Jr. – F, Minnesota Timberwolves
No surprise that Shannon torched the competition, considering he was getting minutes throughout the Wolves’ Western Conference Finals run. Shannon’s summer league is likely over after averaging 22-6-6 in two appearances this weekend.
Rob Dillingham – G, Minnesota Timberwolves
We know what Dillingham can do as a scorer. However, he looked much better as a distributor. Dillingham averaged 7.5 assists per game in Vegas and, if he can manage to keep his turnovers down, he’ll be an important rotational piece behind aging PG Mike Conley.
Kyshawn George – F, Washington Wizards
If the Wizards continue experimenting with George at point guard, that’ll bump him up into the draftable tier. It’s the right decision, but until there’s more clarity, he’s a player I’ll be monitoring closely this offseason.
Tre Johnson – G, Washington Wizards
Johnson was a walking bucket, looking like the Wizards’ most natural scorer offensively. The Wizards need to buy out some guys, but by midseason, Johnson could emerge off the fantasy waiver wire.
Others who cooked: Reed Sheppard, G, Rockets; Ryan Dunn, F, Suns; Oso Ighodaro, C, Suns
Dynasty league risers
Kobe Bufkin – G, Atlanta Hawks
Bufkin shot just 35% from the field across his last three games, but he really stuffed the stat sheet, providing 21.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Liam McNeeley – G, Charlotte Hornets
McNeeley, a late first-round pick, was the most consistent player for the Hornets. Known for his shooting prowess, I did not expect him to be such a good rebounder (8.5 per game).
Nique Clifford – G, Sacramento Kings
The Kings have a lot of veterans in the locker room which may delay Clifford’s immediate fantasy impact. Still, he flashed multi-category fantasy appeal, averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 3-pointers and 2.0 steals per game at Summer League.
Jaylon Tyson – G/F, Cleveland Cavaliers
The 24th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was an early candidate for “too good for Summer League.” He helped Cleveland finish with a 2-1 record over the weekend, dropping 19 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He notched an impressive 20-point, 12-assist double-double against the Pacers. That said, as good as Tyson was, he needs to chill with the turnovers.
Other intriguing dynasty options: Derik Queen, F/C, Pelicans; Joan Beringer, C, Minnesota Timberwolves; Ron Holland, F, Pistons; Daniss Jenkins, G, Pistons; Kevin McCullar Jr., F, Knicks; Bronny James, G, Lakers
The 2025 NBA Summer League spotlighted an exciting mix of draft hopefuls, fantasy risers and under-the-radar dynasty stashes. With the opening weekend in the books, here’s a breakdown of the players who stood out and are worth paying attention to across formats.
Flagg proved that he’s NBA-ready. He willingly took on point guard duties and I came away impressed by his composure and vision running the offense. The playmaking upside enhances his versatility as a fantasy asset, making him a likely candidate to not last past the fifth round in drafts this season.
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Sarr’s rim protection and mobility stood out. He broke the Vegas Summer League record for blocks in a game (8) and shot a surprisingly efficient 48% from the field across two games. He’s still a bit raw offensively, but there’s top-100 potential since he’ll start and be a reliable shot blocker.
Utah’s starting point guard is probably done with Vegas and he did about what I expected. He averaged 12 points with 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game across three games. The efficiency will be inconsistent, but he’ll be a cheap late-round option for teams needing assists.
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Buzelis looked stronger while playing with more physicality than last year. He averaged 2.5 stocks and went to the charity stripe 20 times over two games. That would be a nice development for his scoring profile if it translates to his second NBA season.
No Bane, no problem. The Grizzlies need Wells to step up and his first trial went successfully, averaging over 20 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3.0 3s and 1.5 steals. If he ends up starting with 30+ minutes per game, he’ll be a draftable asset in deep redraft leagues.
Flip will make the All-Summer League team and be in contention for Summer League MVP. In three games, the second-year pro averaged 29.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.3 3s per game. He looks like Lauri Markkanen.
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No surprise that Shannon torched the competition, considering he was getting minutes throughout the Wolves’ Western Conference Finals run. Shannon’s summer league is likely over after averaging 22-6-6 in two appearances this weekend.
We know what Dillingham can do as a scorer. However, he looked much better as a distributor. Dillingham averaged 7.5 assists per game in Vegas and, if he can manage to keep his turnovers down, he’ll be an important rotational piece behind aging PG Mike Conley.
If the Wizards continue experimenting with George at point guard, that’ll bump him up into the draftable tier. It’s the right decision, but until there’s more clarity, he’s a player I’ll be monitoring closely this offseason.
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Johnson was a walking bucket, looking like the Wizards’ most natural scorer offensively. The Wizards need to buy out some guys, but by midseason, Johnson could emerge off the fantasy waiver wire.
Others who cooked: Reed Sheppard, G, Rockets; Ryan Dunn, F, Suns; Oso Ighodaro, C, Suns
McNeeley, a late first-round pick, was the most consistent player for the Hornets. Known for his shooting prowess, I did not expect him to be such a good rebounder (8.5 per game).
The Kings have a lot of veterans in the locker room which may delay Clifford’s immediate fantasy impact. Still, he flashed multi-category fantasy appeal, averaging 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.3 3-pointers and 2.0 steals per game at Summer League.
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The 24th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was an early candidate for “too good for Summer League.” He helped Cleveland finish with a 2-1 record over the weekend, dropping 19 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He notched an impressive 20-point, 12-assist double-double against the Pacers. That said, as good as Tyson was, he needs to chill with the turnovers.
Other intriguing dynasty options: Derik Queen, F/C, Pelicans; Joan Beringer, C, Minnesota Timberwolves; Ron Holland, F, Pistons; Daniss Jenkins, G, Pistons; Kevin McCullar Jr., F, Knicks; Bronny James, G, Lakers
