The Las Vegas Summer League is back, bringing 11 straight days of NBA action from Thursday through July 20. While the spotlight is on rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, I’m just as intrigued by the next wave of talent — guys like Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and draft-day wildcards like Yang Hansen. With so many intriguing rookies and second-year players, I can’t cover them all — but for fantasy purposes, here are five players (and one team) I’m especially excited to watch in Vegas:
Cooper Flagg – F, Dallas Mavericks
The No. 1 can’t miss pick of the 2025 NBA Draft has the most buzz coming into the Las Vegas Summer League. While I don’t expect him to play more than a couple of games, I look forward to seeing how Flagg handles playing point.
Flagg is the most NBA-ready player in this class, boasting a well-documented versatile skill set that translates to fantasy immediately. The area of opportunity lies in his playmaking (assist-to-turnover ratio) and his 3-point shooting.
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A strong performance at Summer League will only increase his fantasy stock, but remember, only three top picks over the past 10 years (Karl-Anthony Towns, Victor Wembanyama and Deandre Ayton) finished in the top 100 in their rookie seasons. Based on Flagg’s freshman year numbers at Duke and his mix of efficiency, athleticism, and defense, I’ll be targeting him near the fifth round, understanding that others will reach earlier to secure the most hyped white American prospect since Larry Bird.
Bronny James – G, Los Angeles Lakers
Bronny James averaged 12 minutes per game at the California Classic. I witnessed him put up 10 points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) in 10 minutes against the Heat at the Chase Center. At that moment, he looked like a player who didn’t need to be playing there.
That revelation didn’t last long, as he followed it up by scoring two points (1-5 FG, 0-2 3PT) in 15 minutes against the Heat.
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Enough of the teasers. We need to see Bronny play G-League-like minutes in Vegas. His defense is where he’s been earning the most praise and seeing him get the opportunity to build on other areas of his game is what hoops fans and dynasty managers want to see. JJ Redick said he expects Bronny to be a part of the rotation in 25-26, so let’s see what he sees!
Reed Sheppard – G, Houston Rockets
The third overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft appeared in 52 games last season, averaging 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12 minutes per contest. He was one of the best shooters in the 2024 class, so to see him finish the year with 35/34/81 shooting splits was underwhelming. The Houston Rockets’ front office and coaching staff have discussed how critical Sheppard is to their future. The Vegas Summer League will be the first opportunity for the public to see (beyond the G-League) how Sheppard has matured over the past year.
Fred VanVleet signed a new deal that will keep him in Houston until the 2027-2028 season, so while the starting spot isn’t up for grabs, a strong showing could land him the backup PG job on one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
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Washington Wizards
The Wizards are crushing the offseason, acquiring aging veterans on expiring contracts while taking a chance on talented players who haven’t reached their full potential. Given the parameters around the new CBA, Washington is rebuilding the right way. As a result of having so many young players, their Summer League roster is loaded with rookies and battle-tested sophomores — it’s why they have the third-shortest odds to win the Vegas Summer League.
I particularly want to see growth from Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington, two All-NBA rookies last season. Other players I’m looking forward to watching are AJ Johnson (who arrived midseason in the Kyle Kuzma trade), Kyshawn George, and the sixth pick in the 2025 Draft, Tre Johnson. I expect a high-tempo, fast-paced offense that’ll have plenty of highlights with buckets.
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Jeremiah Fears – G, New Orleans Pelicans
Few teams received more hate than the Pelicans this offseason. The decision to trade up for Derik Queen at the cost of a 2026 unprotected pick will be a head-scratcher that only time can prove out. Still, I’m hyped to see what Jeremiah Fears can do. Dejounte Murray is a ways away from returning from his Achilles injury, leaving Jose Alvarado ahead of him on the depth chart at point guard.
I doubt the Pelicans plan to thrust him into the starting lineup right away, but going off in the Summer League could elevate their confidence in getting the 18-year-old into the rotation. He’s been pegged as a score-first guard (much like teammate Jordan Poole), so I’d like to see how he adapts to running an NBA-style offense, while still utilizing his elite ball-handling and shot creation to put points on the board.
I don’t have much faith in the Pelicans in general, so getting a glimpse of the future could give fantasy managers some feel for how Fears could factor later in the season when they’re inevitably out of contention. And if not for Fears, Queen is another Pelicans player worth monitoring since Zion Williamson can’t be trusted.
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Egor Demin – G, Brooklyn Nets
Ah, the Nets. I didn’t anticipate Brooklyn using all five of their first-round picks, but they did — and managed to select four non-shooting, unselfish players in the process. With such a depleted backcourt, the process made sense. However, they leaned too far into solving that particular need.
That said, Egor Demin, the rookie from BYU, is penciled in as their starting point guard in Vegas, and depending on how he performs, could bleed into training camp and the regular season. It’s not that I’m super high on Demin as a prospect (I thought the Nets drafted him too high), but few rookies will have the chance to start from Day 1. That matters for fantasy purposes, so his performance is worth keeping an eye on.
