With every team having played at least one game during the 2025 NBA Summer League, it’s time to rank the most intriguing performances from the first few days in Las Vegas.
Several highly anticipated debuts resulted in either success or disappointment, but either way, they were intriguing to dissect. Let’s get into the list, beginning with a player who nearly reached double-figure scoring on just one shot attempt. Yes, one shot attempt.
Top 10 Most Intriguing 2025 NBA Summer League Performances
10) Phillip Wheeler, Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
9 points, 0-1 shooting, 9-10 free throws, zero rebounds, zero assists
While the NBA Summer League might not constitute putting anything in the stat line, it’s not nothing when a player nearly scores 10 points without making a single shot from the field — on just a single attempt.
But that’s precisely what Indiana Pacers forward Phillip Wheeler did on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. His aggressive driving to the hoop repeatedly drew contact, earning him 10 shots from the stripe. And credit to him for knocking down nine of them.
In addition to not making a shot, he registered no rebounds or assists. Wheeler ended with a -21 plus/minus in the 19-point loss, dampening a truly peculiar game for the Pacers forward.
9) David Jones-Garcia, San Antonio Spurs (Two Games)
24 points, 9-12 shooting, 4-5 3-point, five rebounds, three assists
21 points, 8-15 shooting, 3-3 3-point, five rebounds, five assists
Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise from the first few days of the summer league in Las Vegas has been the play of Davis Jones-Garcia, a forward for the San Antonio Spurs.
While much of the hoopla surrounding the team has been around lottery picks in Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, Jones-Garcia has stolen the show, leading the team in scoring in both games despite playing just 18 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
The former Memphis Tiger may simply be on a hot streak with his shooting, which is more than likely true considering he’s seven for eight from deep, and he’s contributing in other aspects of the game. He’s cleaned the boards and distributed them to teammates at a high level.
Having never played in an NBA game, Jones-Garcia is a prime candidate to secure a two-way deal coming out of summer league and should have teams clamoring for his services.
8) Bronny James, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
8 points, 2-8 shooting, 1-6 3-point, two rebounds, two assists
In Bronny James’ second summer league stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, he looked much more comfortable than he did a year ago. That didn’t mean he looked amazing, as he was far from productive on the stat sheet.
But the eye test told a different story, as his competitive drive and defensive spirit noticeably lifted the intensity of the Lakers whenever James was on the floor. His 3-point attempts looked good, inspiring belief that he’ll be able to knock those down with more play time.
Despite the negative shooting splits, it was a step in the right direction for James, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
7) Brooks Barnhizer, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers
17 points, 8-10 shooting, five rebounds, six steals
The Thunder’s surprise draft pick in the second round at 44th overall, Brooks Barnhizer, has shown that he was worthy of the selection. He especially looked like an NBA player against the Pacers, and he filled the stat sheet.
At 6’6″ and 230 pounds, he’s a sort of “tweener” positionally who was essentially a bruiser at the college level at Northwestern. There were concerns about what role he’d fill in the NBA, but Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti — easily one of the best in the business — took a chance, and it looks like it may pay off.
Not necessarily a shooter, he also nailed a three-pointer, slashing to the rim and finishing off two feet. The Thunder appear to have found another do-it-all bench piece.
6) Ryan Nembhard, Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
21 points, 8-14 shooting, five assists
While all eyes were on Cooper Flagg and James in the premier game to kick off Las Vegas Summer League, undrafted point guard Ryan Nembhard was the one who would’ve gotten the proverbial game ball in the Mavericks’ victory.
He showed admirable poise in the face of pressure, distributing the ball to teammates and, more surprisingly, was able to create his own looks. Like clockwork, when the shot clock was running down, Nembhard drove at his defender and pulled up for a leaning jump-shot in the mid-range, knocking them down.
Nembhard led the nation in assists per game during his senior season at Gonzaga, so that part of his game was widely known. But his small stature at 6’0″ led to him going unselected. And while it’s just one game, he may already be the most promising undrafted prospect from the 2025 draft class.
5) Kobe Bufkin, Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat
29 points, 6-16 shooting, 2-9 3-point, 15-15 free throws
After playing in just 27 games across his first two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Kobe Bufkin, the 15th pick in 2023, had a very promising performance against the Miami Heat.
Known as a combo guard and shot creator, his shot didn’t necessarily fall in the way he might’ve liked, but he made up for it by getting to the free-throw line. His marked improvement in attacking the rim led to him taking and making 15 free throws, contributing to over half of his points.
With little depth behind All-Star point guard Trae Young in the backcourt, there’s a massive opportunity for Bufkin to step into significant minutes if he can continue to show improvement and stay healthy.
4) Ron Holland II, Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks
28 points, 8-12 shooting, 4-5 3-point, 8-13 free throws, 11 rebounds, three steals
Maybe the most surprising singular stat to come out of the first few days in Las Vegas has been Ron Holland II’s four of five mark from three-point range. Drafted fifth overall a year ago, the main weakness in his game was his shooting.
As a 6’8″, 206-pound forward, he revealed himself as a terrific defender and slasher while having an edge to him that fit with the Detroit Pistons. But he made just 23.8% of his shots from deep, limiting his playing time in crunch time.
But against the New York Knicks, Holland’s stroke was pure. He dominated in all facets of the game, as he grabbed 11 boards and amassed three steals — neither a surprising mark.
If Holland can keep up this new shooting development, he could slot into the Pistons’ starting lineup next season and continue an upward trend of becoming a key piece of their core.
3) Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks (Two Games)
10 points, 5-21 shooting, 0-5 3-point, six rebounds, four assists, three steals
31 points, 10-21 shooting, 3-9 3-point, 8-13 free throws, four rebounds
While Cooper Flagg’s much-anticipated debut didn’t go as expected, as he missed 16 shots and failed to hit from behind the 3-point line, he fared much better in his second game.
Amid national overreactions to one summer league game, Flagg scored a game-high 31 points against the San Antonio Spurs despite the Mavericks losing the game. He took the same number of shots and had the same type of looks, but was closer to the mean of his percentage. We knew he’d be fine, and he was.
2) Liam McNeeley, Charlotte Hornets vs. Utah Jazz
22 points, 7-16 shooting, 3-6 3-point, 5-5 free throws, 12 rebounds, six assists
The second of the Charlotte Hornets’ first-round picks, Liam McNeeley, immediately revealed himself as a potential steal after falling to the second-to-last pick in the first round.
A one-and-done prospect out of UConn, McNeeley was projected mainly to be a standstill shooter with some capabilities of creating off the dribble. But what he showed in his summer league debut was much more than that, as he looked extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands.
He got downhill with ease, finishing at the rim, drawing contact, and knocking down three open triples. McNeeley also showed that he can involve others and mix it up down low, registering 18 rebounds and assists combined. It couldn’t have been a better debut for the 19-year-old.
1) Yang Hansen, Portland Trail Blazers (Two Games)
10 points, four rebounds, five assists, three blocks
10 points, five rebounds, three assists, one block
Though it may not seem like much stats-wise, Yang’s back-to-back night performances resulted in a large contingent of the crowd going and awing after a number of his passes.
Playing around the arc and creating for others, Hansen displayed his tremendous vision and passing touch, hitting teammates in stride on backdoor cuts to the hoop. On the other end, he used his 7’2″ frame to swat and dissuade shots.
RELATED: ‘Haters Wanted Him to Fail so Bad’ — NBA Fans React to Bronny James’ 14-Point Summer League Performance vs. Pelicans
He even delivered a poster dunk — arguably the dunk of the summer league so far.
Yang Hansen with AUTHORITY at the rim
He’s got 8 PTS in 11 MINS on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/fIUQSCNWGG
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2025
A surprise pick at No. 16 to the Trail Blazers, eyes were going to be on Hansen. Projected to go in the second round, he’s showing the league that he deserved the mid-first-round pick that Portland took a risk on him for.
