The 2026 NBA Summer League wrapped up Sunday night with Golden State beating Memphis in the championship game, and for a handful of former Kansas players, the 11-day run in Las Vegas and the earlier stops in California and Utah offered a first real look at where they stand as pros.
Some got more runway than others. Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick, was the biggest name in the group and flashed exactly why the Utah Jazz are already looking at him as a centerpiece.
Tre White turned in the most productive all-around stretch of the bunch. Hunter Dickinson had a couple of strong scoring nights.
And for players like KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris Jr., the summer was more about getting back on the floor and finding whatever minutes were available.
Adams was back in competitive action for the first time since tearing his Achilles in his final collegiate game, after spending a year as an assistant video coordinator on Bill Self’s staff while rehabbing. He logged brief early appearances for Golden State’s Gold team in the California Classic, including seven points and two rebounds in a loss to Miami on July 6. Once the Warriors’ two squads reunited in Las Vegas, though, Adams didn’t play again, even as Golden State rolled to the Summer League title.
Peterson’s early work in Salt Lake City set the tone for the whole event. He opened on July 4 with 28 points in an overtime win over Atlanta, though the night also came with eight turnovers and only two assists.
Two days later, he was even better in another win over Memphis, posting 25 points and 12 assists. After sitting out the final game in Utah, he met No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa and Washington in Las Vegas.
Dybantsa’s 27 points and seven rebounds carried the day, while Peterson finished with 24 points on 6-for-18 shooting, plus eight turnovers and nine fouls. He later had 23 points on the same shooting percentage, sat out one game, then returned with 15 points on 4-for-16 shooting on Wednesday before resting for Utah’s consolation game against Portland.
White’s summer kept building from there. After missing the opener on July 3, he put up 11 points and six rebounds in an overtime loss to the Lakers on July 5, then moved into the starting lineup and answered with 16 points and four rebounds in just 23 minutes on July 6.
He followed that with a double-double off the bench on July 10 in Las Vegas, then added 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals the next day. His two best offensive games came at the end: 19 points against Toronto on Thursday and 21 points with four 3s in Friday’s consolation game against Detroit.
Miami Summer League coach Wayne Ellington has spoken highly of White, and the question now is whether he can push for the Heat’s final two-way spot.
Melvin Council Jr. also made his case in flashes. The undrafted guard, whose stock got a boost from his MVP performance at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, got a Summer League look from New Orleans.
He didn’t play in the opener, then scored six points in 20 minutes on July 11 and nine points in 25 minutes the next day, leading the Pelicans in plus-minus both times. He moved into the starting lineup Wednesday against Cleveland and finished with nine points and five assists in an 82-77 loss.
New Orleans did not use him in Saturday’s consolation loss to Indiana.
Dickinson, now a second-year Pelican on a two-way deal after making a few NBA appearances as a rookie, was one of the more productive bigs in the group. He had 12 points and six rebounds in the July 9 opener against Minnesota, then delivered his best outing two days later with 21 points as New Orleans erased an 18-point deficit to beat Charlotte.
Council found him for a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to put the Pelicans ahead. Dickinson was held to seven points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes by Phoenix on July 12, then sat out Wednesday and Saturday.
After a strong year in the G League, he appears headed for plenty of time with the Laketown Squadron.
Harris had a much quieter summer with Minnesota. After spending much of last season in the G League with Iowa, he got a shot with the Timberwolves but barely saw the floor.
He didn’t play on July 9 or 11, then logged two minutes in a loss to Portland on July 13, one minute in a win over Indiana on Wednesday, and three minutes in Friday’s overtime loss to the Clippers. He finished with one assist and one turnover in that final appearance.
Mayo, meanwhile, split his summer between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas with Atlanta after spending last season with the Cleveland Charge. He sat out the Hawks’ first two games in Salt Lake City before scoring 11 points with three 3s in 14 minutes in a win over Memphis on July 7.
In Vegas, he had another 11-point outing with three steals, then followed with three points on 1-for-7 shooting in 20 minutes in a win over Boston on July 13. He added 10 points in a blowout loss on Thursday and five more in Saturday’s finale.
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