NBA summer league: First impressions of the rookie class and other key notes

LAS VEGAS -- The 2025 NBA draft class hit the floor over the weekend at Las Vegas Summer League, after the California Classic in San Francisco and the Salt Lake City Summer League wrapped up Tuesday.

The biggest story of the weekend was, unsurprisingly, No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and how he'd look against NBA competition for the first time as a Dallas Maverick. After shooting 5-for-21 in his debut against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Flagg bounced back by scoring 31 points versus No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs. Sources confirmed to ESPN's Tim MacMahon that the Mavs will be shutting down Flagg after his two-game stint in Las Vegas, but the 18-year-old from Duke clearly left his mark.

Harper and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe also put together impressive performances over the first weekend, but who else stood out as all 30 teams converged on Vegas?

Here's who caught the eyes of ESPN's insiders Tim MacMahon, Michael C. Wright, Jamal Collier and Jonathan Givony.

Top pick Flagg passes test as primary offensive creator

The Mavericks wanted to put the ball in No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg's hands as much as possible to see how he'd respond to uncomfortable situations as the primary offensive initiator. Mission accomplished.

The 18-year-old forward launched at least 20 shots in both of his summer league appearances, something he did only twice in 37 games during his lone season at Duke.

"I'm exhausted," Flagg said after his 31-point performance in Saturday's loss to the Spurs. "I'm not used to bringing the ball up like that, and every time I'm getting the ball full court, I had somebody on my hip playing 94 feet. So, definitely not used to that, but I think I did a solid job of bringing it up against pressure and trying to set up our different actions."

Although Flagg had a poor shooting effort in the opener, going 5-of-21 from the floor, the Mavs were pleased with his two outings. He consistently made good reads and created open looks for teammates, despite finishing with just five assists. He committed only three turnovers overall and appeared to get more comfortable against ball pressure in real time. Case in point against the Spurs: The last two possessions of the third quarter, when Flagg escaped Carter Bryant's pressure in the backcourt and attacked for an and-1 layup then drove down the lane for a dunk out of a half-court set.

"Incredible for a kid who we're saying, 'We're going to give you the basketball and they're going to pick you up full court,'" Mavs summer league coach Josh Broghamer said. "Everyone has 10 fouls, so there is no penalty for grabbing and holding. The referees can't call everything on every play, so it's even more exhausting and tougher on him than a regular game." -- Tim MacMahon

Harper debuts vs. Flagg

After missing the Spurs' run in the California Classic and their Las Vegas opener due to a minor groin injury, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper returned just in time to face Flagg in Saturday's anticipated matchup. Limited to 20 minutes, Harper still showed plenty of the skills that made him the consensus second-best prospect after Flagg.

Perhaps Harper's most impressive highlight came on defense, as he raced back in transition to swat Ryan Nembhard's transition layup, getting well off the court to protect the rim. On offense, Harper's ability to draw contact stood out. He went 6-of-7 at the foul line, including finishing through a Flagg foul for a three-point play.

The biggest question mark about Harper remains his shooting, as he missed all four of his 3-point attempts. How quickly he improves will determine how soon he joins the San Antonio veterans (who were sitting courtside Saturday) as a starter. -- Kevin Pelton

Bulls' Essengue will be a project

When the Chicago Bulls selected Noa Essengue at No.12, they readily acknowledged how the 18-year-old from France -- the second-youngest player in the draft -- was not coming into the league as a finished product. But Essengue's first appearance of the summer on Friday showed just how raw of a talent he truly is.

He scored five points in 25 minutes, dribbled the ball off his foot, knocked the ball into the rim while trying to grab a rebound and acknowledged after the game he was surprised by the level of physicality.

Essengue was better and more comfortable in his second game on Saturday, and the Bulls staff was happy with the way he responded. But Chicago doesn't expect Essengue to be a key part of its rotation entering the season, and it's unclear if he'll be much of a contributor at all during the 2025-26 campaign. -- Jamal Collier

Impressive early flashes from Kings' Clifford

Going into the draft, Nique Clifford was labeled a plug-and-play Swiss Army-knife-type wing who can have a positive impact with his feel for the game, his perimeter shooting and his defensive versatility.

Clifford has looked the part through two games while accumulating 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists over 54 minutes in a pair of Kings wins.

The hope in drafting the 23-year-old player is that he'll be ready to contribute from day one. He has demonstrated his ability on and off the ball. He attacks the rim aggressively out of pick-and-rolls and in the open court. And he does the little things he built up a reputation for: going out of his area for rebounds, guarding multiple positions from point guard to power forward, fighting over screens and making simple plays to find teammates for open looks.

As the first draft pick made by the new Sacramento Kings front office led by Scott Perry and B.J. Armstrong, Clifford likely will have every chance to prove he's ready to step into a role early in his NBA career. Nothing he has shown in summer league so far suggests otherwise, especially if the Kings can clear out some of their logjam on the wing. -- Jonathan Givony

Notable rookie performances

Liam McNeeley | Forward | Charlotte Hornets

McNeeley scored 22 points with 12 rebounds off the bench in his summer league debut on Friday against the Utah Jazz, showing a promising two-way skill set over 28 minutes. The 29th pick ran with the starting group the next day in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. -- Michael C. Wright

Kasparas Jakucionis | Point guard | Miami Heat

Jakucionis got off to a rough start at the California Classic (1-for-15 shooting, six assists, 12 turnovers in three games). He looked like a different player in Las Vegas, dropping 24 points on 12 shots -- including 5-for-9 from 3 -- in 28 minutes while making the adjustments you hoped to see with his decision-making and assertiveness.

Jakucionis' pace, feel and skills were evident as he used -- and rejected -- ball screens in getting to spots on the floor, created opportunities for big men rolling to the rim or shooters in the corners, and scored in the lane using his size, strength and craft.

He showed no hesitation drifting into catch-and-shoot 3s but also hit a tough pull-up 3 in transition and an isolation step-back jumper, demonstrating impressive confidence. At 6-foot-6 with a quick release and the ability to get his jump shot off against strong contests, his capacity to operate without the ball adds valuable lineup versatility for Miami's coaching staff as his shot creation continues to develop against bigger, longer athletes. His defense likely will play a major part in exactly what kind of role he'll be able to carve out as a rookie, but there was a lot to be encouraged by in his opening performance in Vegas. -- Givony

Noah Penda | Forward | Orlando Magic

The Magic traded up to No. 32 early on Day 2 of the draft to take Penda, who averaged 10.2 point per game in France at age 20. He flashed a variety of skills Sunday, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds and recording three steals against the Toronto Raptors, though at times he tried to do too much, leading to five turnovers. On an Orlando team that aspires to contend, Penda should have time to develop, perhaps in the G League. -- Pelton

Joan Beringer | Center | Minnesota Timberwolves

It took seconds for Beringer to show why the Timberwolves selected the project big man with the 17th pick: He rejected a pair of shots on his first summer league possession. The 18-year-old wound up with 6 blocks to go with 11 points and 8 rebounds in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Beringer needs a lot of seasoning after starting to play basketball only four years ago, but he has tremendous physical gifts at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and fluid movement. He has the potential to be an impactful rim-running, rim-protecting center and can develop as the understudy to fellow Frenchman and four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. -- MacMahon

Carter Bryant | Forward | San Antonio Spurs

Tasked with defending Flagg, Bryant showed his potential on that end Saturday. On a notable early possession, he prevented Flagg from getting separation then hounded him into a turnover. Later, multiple efforts by Bryant on the perimeter helped force a Dallas shot clock violation. Bryant hasn't shot well this summer (3-for-22 overall on 3s), but his physical perimeter defense can get the No. 14 pick on the court as he develops offensively. -- Pelton

Other key storylines from summer league

Spurs' Jones-Garcia 'belongs on an NBA court'

Harper calls David Jones-Garcia "a bucket," while Spurs assistant Mike Noyes has said on multiple occasions this summer that the 23-year-old forward "belongs on an NBA court." Before landing in Las Vegas, the undrafted Jones-Garcia made the All-California Classic summer league team after averaging 22.7 points over three games while going 8-for-17 from 3. Jones-Garcia followed that up with 24-point and 21-point performances in San Antonio's first two outings in Las Vegas. A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones-Garcia played collegiately at DePaul, St. John's and Memphis. The scorer could end up landing San Antonio's final two-way roster spot. -- Wright

Rockets' Sheppard showing defensive improvement

He's no rookie, but Houston Rockets second-year guard Reed Sheppard appeared Thursday on ESPN's NBA Today and explained "the biggest thing this summer was getting in the weight room and just working on defense." He revealed that for "probably a two- to three-week stretch my workouts were straight defense" on the program, as well.

Sheppard showed Friday the hard work is paying off, as Houston coach Ime Udoka watched courtside in Las Vegas along with general manager Rafael Stone and Patrick Fertitta, son of team owner Tilman Fertitta. Houston's brass is confident in Sheppard's ability as a shooter. But to earn minutes on a Udoka-coached team -- now loaded with high-level talent -- players need to flash a defense-first mindset, which is exactly what Sheppard did in the Rockets' summer league opener against the LA Clippers.

Sheppard shot just 5-for-14 in the first half but snagged three steals and registered a pair of blocks.

Sheppard's stingy defense finally ignited his offense in the second half. He went 5-for-8 for 13 points, including 3-for-6 from 3, while logging another steal and a block.

Houston entered the offseason planning for an expanded role for Sheppard, and the guard is validating the team's belief in him. -- Wright