The Salt Lake City Summer League is in the books, and the first real look at this rookie class gave us a clear pecking order at the top. Before the full 30-team field heads to Las Vegas, a handful of recently drafted players made their case in Utah - and a few of them wasted no time looking comfortable.
No one separated himself more than Darryn Peterson. The No. 2 overall pick was the best rookie in Salt Lake City, and really one of the best players there, period.
Through two games with the Jazz, he piled up 53 points while showing plenty of work both on the ball and away from it. Peterson looked calm throughout, kept the shot-making humming, and helped lead Utah to two wins.
His second game may have been the loudest statement of all. Peterson finished with 12 assists, blowing past his previous college high of four. The on-ball creation people had been pointing to before Kansas showed up in full view on Monday, and he backed it up with a performance that felt every bit as advanced as advertised.
Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick, didn’t have quite the same flash with Memphis, but the production kept coming. That’s been the story for him for a while now, dating back to his National Player of the Year season at Duke. In his first NBA game, Boozer posted 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, then followed it with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
What makes that even more notable is how the Grizzlies have used him. They haven’t exactly centered the offense around Boozer, instead leaning on Cedric Coward and Javon Small to handle the ball. Even with that setup, Boozer kept putting up numbers.
Kingston Flemings also left a strong impression. The Hawks guard did what he’s built to do: pass, defend and play with feel.
Across two games, he totaled 26 points, 14 assists and five steals, using his speed and quick processing to stay involved everywhere. That’s the same kind of all-around profile that pushed his stock up before the draft, and he looked the part in SLC.
There’s still work to do on his scoring process, but Flemings was clearly one of the most talented players on the floor.
Aday Mara gave the Thunder another big body to add to an already crowded front line. The No. 12 pick joined Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, and at 7-foot-3, he’s now the biggest player on the roster.
In his debut, Mara’s passing stood out immediately as he found cutters and shooters from spots you don’t often see a 7-footer operating. His second game brought more turnovers, but he was elite protecting the rim.
That kind of versatility gives Oklahoma City plenty to work with heading into the season.
Zuby Ejiofor, the former St. John’s big, also turned in a strong showing after being made a first-rounder at the ’26 draft.
He had a quieter scoring night in his first game, but still managed eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Then he broke out in a major way in his second appearance, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and a block.
That performance helped power the Hawks to a win over the Thunder, and Ejiofor had success battling Aday Mara along the way.
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Cedric Coward already gave the Grizzlies plenty to like in his first NBA season after Memphis took him 11th overall in the 2025 draft. He put together a strong rookie year, earned All-Rookie First Team honors and showed enough across 62 games to suggest the franchise may have found a long-term piece on the wing.
Now Coward is back in Summer League, where the early returns have been encouraging. His added strength and defensive activity stand out, and the Grizzlies can see the outline of a valuable two-way player who fits their timeline, even if there is still a part of his offensive game that will determine just how high his ceiling can go. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Young Core Faces Its First Real Vegas Test Tonight
Summer League in Las Vegas is where a young roster stops being a collection of draft-night talking points and starts getting judged on how it functions against real competition. For the Bulls, that means a first look at recent picks Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue under Tiago Splitter, with Memphis waiting at the Thomas & Mack Center as the kind of opponent that can quickly expose whether the pieces fit or just look promising on paper.
From the Grizzlies side, this is the sort of early test that matters because their own young core is still settling into roles and responsibilities, with a projected lineup that includes Javon Small, Cedric Coward, Oliver-Maxence Prosper, Cameron Boozer and Carson Cooper. The matchup also adds a layer of intrigue because Wilson and Boozer have already been tied together in draft conversation, and their previous college meeting left enough of a footprint to make this one feel like more than a routine July run, even before the ball goes up. [Read more 🡒]