Two of the three worst-performing first-rounders by PER were Nets imports Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf, while fellow first-rounders Danny Wolf and Egor Demin weren’t much better. Given that many league observers already had questions about Brooklyn’s choices and strategy on draft night, this was not a great kickoff.

Behind No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel, the Charlotte Hornets won the NBA Summer League crown, knocking off the Sacramento Kings in the championship game. Knueppel was named Summer League Championship Game MVP. NO. 4 PICK KON KNUEPPEL LEADS THE @hornets TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP IN VEGAS 🏆 🐝 21 PTS 🐝 5 REB 🐝 4 3PM #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/MaIfk73GF9

Boston Celtics fans got their first glimpse of Hugo Gonzalez during the franchise's five-game run at the Las Vegas Summer League. Gonzalez joined the Celtics as the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, having spent the past two seasons with Real Madrid.

W hile recent draft picks are always the main attraction at NBA summer league, this year it was some of the elder statesmen who made the biggest impression. Of course, history teaches us to take even our most extreme optimism with a grain of salt as success from summer league can prove to be fickle once the NBA regular season rolls around.

The Dallas Mavericks gave a platform to Maxwell Lewis during NBA Summer League, and he used it well, putting up 12 points per game. But that wasn't enough to stick with the Mavs or another NBA team. Instead, Lewis is heading to Turkey to play for Tofas S.K., the team announced on social media.