Jazz rookie Darryn Peterson showcased his playmaking throughout the Salt Lake and Vegas Summer Leagues.
The NBA Summer League wrapped up in Las Vegas with the Golden State Warriors taking home the championship, and rookie Yaxel Lendenborg winning MVP honors. While it’s always dangerous to overreact to a handful of games against inconsistent competition, it gave us our first real look at how this rookie class translates to the NBA level.
This top 40 is built for 10- and 12-team leagues running three-round rookie drafts (36 picks), with a handful of extra names thrown in for depth. It’s a deep class once again and there will certainly be some surprises — especially at the top of the board.
Let’s get to it.
Rookie rankings: The top 10
-
Caleb Wilson – F/C, Chicago Bulls
We’re coming out swinging. Wilson over the consensus first pick, Cameron Boozer. I think Wilson has the highest ceiling in the class. Scoring, rebounding, stocks, 3s and a dog mentality — he looks like a star in the making. He’ll start and contribute right away for the Bulls. Across four games, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.3 steals and 3.3 3s in 27.7 minutes per contest. Not worried about the turnovers or FT percentage, either.
-
Cameron Boozer – F, Memphis Grizzlies
Boozer is as efficient and productive as they come. He has the highest floor out of the gate and will be a strong fantasy asset in Year 1. Memphis is rebuilding and he’ll get plenty of usage and opportunity to continue his dominant play. Across six Vegas games, he posted 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 3s per game. There’s a reason why most have Boozer first overall. He’s one of the most decorated freshmen ever.
-
AJ Dybantsa – F, Washington Wizards
Dybantsa posted a 25/7/2 line with 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks a game over two contests (32.4 PER, best ever for a No. 1 pick). If those stocks are real, that’ll boost his 9-cat value a ton. There are quite a few mouths to feed in Washington, but he’ll get ample touches playing with a floor general like Trae Young. Now we just need to see the 3-ball fall.
-
Darryn Peterson – G, Utah Jazz
Peterson is arguably the most polished offensive player in the class. Beyond the scoring, he did a great job showcasing his playmaking throughout the Salt Lake and Vegas Summer Leagues. The downside is that usage and on-ball touches won’t be as plentiful once the season starts. I love Peterson’s potential, but the environment lowers his ceiling.
-
Mikel Brown Jr. – G, Brooklyn Nets
After dealing with injuries in his only collegiate season, I thought Brown was quite impressive despite only seeing him in three games. He has the ball on a string, sees the court well and looks every bit like a kid that’s more than capable of running the Nets offense right now. In just 22 minutes per game, he put up 15.0 points, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 3s per game. Brown and Egor Dёmin are going to be a nice backcourt of the future.
-
Darius Acuff Jr. – G, Sacramento Kings
Acuff was a letdown for much of the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer leagues. I’m still high on him as a player. Yet, the turnovers and shaky defensive effort were prominent despite the scoring and playmaking. I’m keeping him in my top 10 because by the regular season he’ll have more seasoned vets on the floor to alleviate some of the pressure and attention he drew. Still preferred for points over 9-cat leagues, though.
-
Brayden Burries – G – Milwaukee Bucks
He was the best and most consistent guard in Las Vegas. I’m going to eat crow because I gave him a D- for the landing spot after the draft. I stand by it for redraft — until the Bucks move off of one of Tyler Herro, Kevin Porter Jr. or Ryan Rollins. For dynasty, though, Burries could be a top-five guy. He shot 50% from the field, 36% on 3s and averaged 24-4-4 with over 2 stocks. In 9-cat or points leagues, he’s going to be GOOD.
-
Yaxel Lendeborg – F, Golden State Warriors
I’m higher than consensus on the Summer League MVP. Probably because I care more about his role and situation than his age. Typically, you want the younger guys, but he’s so versatile that if the Warriors strike out on LeBron James, he’s done enough to command starter-like minutes already. Mainly because Jimmy Butler III is still recovering from a torn ACL, but Lendeborg does everything you want for fantasy and plays in a fantasy-friendly scheme.
-
Kingston Flemings – G, Atlanta Hawks
Flemings’ leadership, playmaking and defense stood out most. CJ McCollum is on a one-year deal, so Flemings is the point guard of the future. The shot looked rough, but overall, I came away encouraged that he’ll be fine in time. He’ll need to find his shot because the last thing the Hawks need is another non-shooting guard à la Dyson Daniels.
-
Keaton Wagler – G/F, Los Angeles Clippers
I was close to not having Wagler in my top 10. He didn’t look like a top-five pick in Game 1— he looked slow and overmatched. But by Game 4, he found his rhythm and comfort, showing real progress. With a chance to start for the Clippers, I gave him a boost in these rankings.
Rookie rankings: Top 11-20
-
Hannes Steinbach – C, Charlotte Hornets
-
Morez Johnson Jr.– F, Dallas Mavericks
-
Ebuka Okorie – G, Detroit Pistons
-
Allen Graves – F, Toronto Raptors
-
Aday Mara – C, Oklahoma City Thunder
-
Cameron Carr – F, Los Angeles Lakers
-
Labaron Philon Jr. -G, Philadelphia 76ers
-
Meleek Thomas – G, Cleveland Cavaliers
-
Sergio de Larrea – G, Dallas Mavericks
-
Koa Peat – F, Phoenix Suns
Steinbach was the leading rebounder in college basketball last season. He averaged 9.2 RPG through five Vegas games — including a 15-board, double-double against Milwaukee — to back that up. Steinbach looked like he could unseat Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner in short order, the best true, traditional center in this class.
Morez Johnson Jr. flashed real two-way stocks (3.0 BPG, 2.5 SPG) before an illness cut his summer short, exactly the defensive versatility Dallas’s new staff coveted. Ebuka Okorie’s playmaking and defense (2.4 SPG) held up even as his shooting cooled. He’s real and I wouldn’t be surprised if he outperforms Daniss Jenkins off the bench this upcoming season. Allen Graves did the most with the least hype in this range, punishing the glass and validating Toronto’s first-round bet while displaying two-way fantasy potential. He ended Vegas averaging 17-7-3 with 2 3s, 2 steals, 1 block and 51/50/100 shooting splits. WHAT?!
Aday Mara underwhelmed near the rim and on the glass in Vegas, but the passing and reads (3.7 APG) were on point. With Isaiah Hartenstein returning on a three-year deal and Thomas Sorber on his way back, Mara might be riding the pine for some time.
Cameron Carr looked like an early rotation piece for the Lakers. They’ll need his shot-making and athleticism. Labaron Philon Jr. was steady for Philadelphia. He has the best handle in the class, is a walking bucket and proved to be a strong facilitator (5.8 APG). Unfortunately, a crowded backcourt featuring Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Anfernee Simons will impact his production.
Meleek Thomas was the best pure scorer in Las Vegas at 27.3 points a game, and his play may be pushing Cleveland toward trading Dennis Schröder to clear a lane for him to cook. Sergio de Larrea’s playmaking… my god. 8.8 assists per game, including a SL-record 12-assist game. Ryan Nembhard was just traded to Atlanta, leaving really just de Larrea and Kyrie Irving as true point guards. He and Meleek Thomas are the biggest winners of the Summer League.
The 3-ball is still looking sketchy, but Koa Peat was solid everywhere else. Highly efficient in the mid-range and active on defense.
Rookie rankings: Top 21-25
-
Chris Cenac Jr. – F/C, Boston Celtics
-
Dailyn Swain – F, Chicago Bulls
-
Christian Anderson Jr. — G, Charlotte Hornets
-
Nate Ament — F, Milwaukee Bucks
-
Bruce Thornton – G, Houston Rockets
Chris Cenac Jr. averaged 2.8 blocks across four games. I was surprised by how well he processed the game and how high his energy was. Two double-doubles and helping Boston win three of four games was a heck of a debut.
Dailyn Swain’s summer was bad in exactly the way scouts warned about pre-draft — a 4.3 PPG, 12.9% shooting in four games confirms the jumper is still a ” work in progress.” Bruce Thornton was the opposite story: a five-steal near-5×5 game and a 2.6 SPG average made him Houston’s actual engine after they traded up for him in the second round. I don’t know; Reed Sheppard might have some competition.
Christian Anderson Jr. and Nate Ament round out the group as more limited, role-dependent pieces — Anderson projects as Coby White‘s backup, while Ament’s floor is baked in simply by being part of the Giannis trade return.
Rookie rankings: The rest of the top 40
-
Bennett Stirtz – G, Oklahoma City Thunder
-
Karim Lopez – F, Memphis Grizzlies
-
Ryan Conwell – G/F, Miami Heat
-
Tarris Reed Jr. – F/C, San Antonio Spurs
-
Zuby Ejiofor – F, Atlanta Hawks
-
Jayden Quaintance – C, San Antonio Spurs
-
Joshua Jefferson – F, Brooklyn Nets
-
Henri Veesaar – C, Atlanta Hawks
-
Baba Miller – F, Los Angeles Clippers
-
Richie Saunders – F, Memphis Grizzlies
-
Alex Karaban – F, Sacramento Kings
-
Ja’Kobi Gillespie – G, San Antonio Spurs
-
Emanuel Sharp – G, Sacramento Kings
-
Isaiah Evans – G, Minnesota Timberwolves
-
Dillon Mitchell – F, Boston Celtics
