Despite nearly melting on the pavement in the 115-degree weather outside of the Thomas & Mack Center, I enjoyed being back at NBA Summer League for the first time in a few years. While I missed Cooper Flagg’s debut, those that dropped $2,500 on a court side seat saw him finish with just 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting. The No. 1 overall pick was able to shake off the rust on Saturday, though, dropping an impressive 31-points on the Spurs before being shutdown for the rest of the week.
Flagg was obviously the draw of the event as a whole, but there were still plenty of other cool moments and performances throughout the week in Vegas. While we still have the Summer League playoffs to come over the weekend, I thought we could breakdown a couple of the top moments in the arena, along with give props to the players that helped their NBA stock the most this week.
While I missed Flagg on the court, he was around watching games throughout the week. Flagg got plenty of attention just while sitting and watching games, but it was still nothing compared to when LeBron James was in the arena to support his son. King James was in attendance for all the Lakers’ games during the week, and generally had more fans standing around watching him than watching the actual game. As for Bronny James, he was solid enough to at least make honorable mention as a player that helped his NBA stock this week. Through four games in Vegas, Bronny is averaging 14.3 points (47.6% FG), 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in just over 24 minutes.
The biggest crowd pop of the week is probably one you’ve seen by now — a Summer League poster for the ages. In a very unfortunate turn of events for recent lottery pick, Noa Essengue, Johnny Furphy threw down one of the most vicious dunks you’ll ever see. Just as the dunk had SportsCenter hosts unable to finish segments, it was what everybody was talking about in Vegas — “Were you at the Furphy dunk?”
Now let’s talk some actual basketball. Is NBA Summer League an excuse for anybody that’s able to go galavanting down the Las Vegas strip? Sure. Trust me, I saw plenty of them out and about while I was hard at work and absolutely not doing any galavanting of my own. But for the large majority of dudes on the court that were not a recent lottery pick, they are here to try and take advantage of a chance at their dream job of playing in the NBA.
So let’s rip through some of the top performers as we enter the final weekend of Summer League. Yes, Cooper Flagg looked great against the Spurs, but for the purpose of this exercise I’m going to use players that played at least three games.
Kyle Filipowski (Utah Jazz): Building off a solid rookie season in which he averaged 9.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 72 games, Filipowski went off in Vegas. Over three games, he averaged more than a point a minute, finishing leading the league with an average of 29.3 points, alongside 7.7 boards and 2.3 assists. The former Blue Devil shot over 56% from the field, and made nearly 40% of his triples. Filipowski slipped out of the first round in the 2024 NBA Draft, but is going to have an opportunity in Utah. The Jazz have already moved on from three veterans this offseason, and will be looking to see what their young talent is capable of this season.
Cody Williams (Utah Jazz): Prior to drafting Filipowski last summer, the Jazz invested a top-10 pick in the younger brother of Jaylen Williams. Cody Williams was a raw prospect coming out of Colorado after just one season, but the Jazz saw his upside. After a very inconsistent rookie season in the NBA, Williams displayed some of that upside in Vegas — averaging 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists over four games. He should see an expanded role next season.
Drew Timme (Brooklyn Nets): After not being drafted in 2023, the former Gonzaga standout finally got his shot in the NBA towards the end of last season. While playing on an extremely depleted Nets roster, Timme was solid over nine games, finishing with averages of 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in a little more than 28 minutes per game. He rolled some of that success into Summer League with Brooklyn this year, and is leading the Nets with over 25 points per game and eight boards. While there’s not star upside here, Timme is certainly a capable NBA scorer.
Jordan Miller (Los Angeles Clippers): Miller was a second round pick out of Miami by the Clippers in 2023. He only appeared in eight games as a rookie, but after showing out at Summer League in 2024, Miller earned a larger role. He played in 37 games last season, earning over 11 minutes per game. The Clippers rewarded Miller with a four-year contract worth a total of $8.3 million, and are committed to his development as a role player. In four games, Miller is averaging 21.5 points, but his volume scoring isn’t going to be required with the roster the Clippers have. I was impressed by Miller’s willingness to rebound and commitment to getting to the free throw line as a guard — averaging eight boards and seven free throw attempts per.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Minnesota Timberwolves): Shannon Jr. provided the Timberwolves with a spark off the bench at times during their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. He’s a very talented scorer that slipped to late in the first round in 2024, and Minnesota likely got a bargain here. The Wolves’ investment in Shannon Jr. was only reaffirmed this week in Vegas, where he’s averaging 22.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and shooting a blistering 38.5% from downtown and 94.7% from the free throw line.
Ron Holland (Detroit Pistons): Holland was a bit of a surprise when the Pistons selected him No. 5 overall in 2024, but it looks like Detroit knew what it was doing. Despite the perception Holland may fall in the draft, he was once in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick, and the Pistons bought low on the potential. While his playing time was inconsistent as a rookie, Holland was consistently in the rotation to a degree, playing in 81 games. While some games were just for a few minutes, he showed what he was capable of, twice setting a career-high of 26 points. Holland progressed as a star on the Summer League roster, averaging 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists. What could make Holland a special player is his versatility as a scorer. So far in Vegas he’s getting those 21.7 points per game on just 12 shot attempts. Holland is shooting 52.8% FG, 46.7% 3PT and getting to the free throw line 8.7 times per game.
Nique Clifford (Sacramento Kings): Plenty of rookies are hyped up heading to Vegas, but Clifford wasn’t necessarily one of them. After five seasons in college, Clifford was a bit of a late bloomer, but really came on strong this past season for Colorado State. His experience has shown in Vegas, and early whispers from around the league are that many feel the Kings found a gem here. In four games, Clifford is averaging 18.5 points on some insane efficiency — 58.3% FG and 52.9% 3PT. Clifford is also showing his value in all areas, ripping down 6.5 boards to go with 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
David Jones-Garcia (San Antonio Spurs): The former Memphis Tiger spent most of last season playing for the Mexico City Capitanes, but he’s looked like an NBA player so far in Vegas. After averaging nearly 25 points per game on some elite shooting in Mexico City, Jones-Garcia is simply doing more of the same for the Spurs’ Summer League roster. Jones-Garcia has put together another well-rounded stat line, scoring 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals with another impressive shooting clip. Once a member of the Jazz’ G-League affiliate, look for Jones-Garcia to get a much more serious look from the NBA this season.
Chris Livingston (Milwaukee Bucks): Livingston was one of the final selections of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Kentucky, and has really only played mop up duty through two seasons in the league. It’s been an interesting couple of years for Milwaukee’s roster turnaround, and “three and D” wings are much need. After scoring over 20 points per game in Vegas on 38% shooting from downtown, perhaps Livingston gets a better crack at carving out a real NBA role this season.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Cleveland Cavaliers): Tomlin was with the Cavs last season, but only wound up playing in five games. However, he clearly left a strong impression in the final game of the season, despite both teams resting their stars. Tomlin started the game (which eventually went to double overtime) and played 47 minutes, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. Tomlin took some of that confidence into Vegas, averaging 20.3 points and impressively hitting over 40% of his triples. Tomlin also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks. It was a strong showing, and Tomlin is looking like he belongs in the league.
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