Does NBA Summer League Really Matter?
This July, rookies from the 2025 NBA Draft class make their debuts. However, with how easy it is to overreact, what does Summer League actually mean?
For many of us basketball sickos, Summer League is the perfect time to get your fill coming off the NBA Finals. It’s a great time of year as we come into a new season or a new regime for your team, getting your first look at a player or new looks at other players who are aiming to improve.
Basketball discourse is reactionary, and if you’ve spent any time on Twitter in the last year or so, it’s easy for conversations on players to spiral out of hand. Every year, rookies thrive and struggle, veterans improve or continue to trend down, and when everything is about clicks, definitive takes, and instant gratification, the only time to perform is now, even if you’re 18 or 19 years old. Every missed shot is a nail in someone’s coffin and permission to call you garbage or tell you you’re getting traded to the Shanghai Sharks.
Summer League is the very first time we’ll ever see players touch an NBA court of any ilk. As such, judgement begins early, and once again, we get to have the conversation about Summer League and why people are writing players off immediately.
Summer League is a lot of things at once. It’s the first time players will touch a court at this level. It’s the first time some players will play with their teammates. It’s inconsistent and unlike real NBA environments. It’s unrefined. It’s scheduled weirdly and hard to watch even with League Pass. It’s lacking in the real tempo and physicality of the NBA, but it’s fairly close. It lacks the stakes of real NBA games and feel. Given everything that it is, everything that can’t emulate the true NBA, and every insistence that statistics don’t matter here, what are we supposed to even take away about Summer League?
What is Summer League, and why does it exist?
The NBA Summer League is an official offseason basketball program designed for NBA teams to get their first looks at newly selected rookies, as well as continued looks at young players on the roster. The primary goal is for young players to get the opportunity to play, mesh with teams, and establish early grounds to begin their careers, while front offices get deeper looks at the players they only recently selected and interviewed with the goal of molding them into key cogs in their teams.
Offseason play and leagues have existed unofficially for decades, and for years prior, former and current commissioners David Stern and Adam Silver had ideas of making unofficial gatherings official. In 2004, the NBA launched its Summer League program hosted in Las Vegas, NV, as a means of hosting all 30 NBA teams in one space to compete in exhibition games early and allowing everyone an equal chance to work with their young players. There’s an interesting feature on this written in 2015 if you’re interested in learning more.
Not all Summer League participants are created equal
Summer League takes on a similar feel to the NBA regular season as it pertains to players. We care about who’s doing well and it’s easy to get excited when you have living proof of a young up-and-comer dropping 30 out of nowhere. While there’s always context behind players who shine in Summer League and who fizzles out, it’s rarely about identified “good” players being good and other players being bad. Summer League is just… different.
Every summer, NBA teams recruit a variety of their drafted rookies and young players, undrafted free agents, G League players, and others to formulate a roster made up of youngsters and young-ish veterans alike. Given the smorgasbord of rosters and the many random names, the best of the best in Summer League is often random and contains multitudes. Like, just look at the list of MVPs. You’re not going to find many super-duper stars here, and the draft positions are even more random.
From 2024 to 2006, here is everyone who won the Summer League MVP award:
Jalen Wilson, BKN; Cam Whitmore, HOU; Keegan Murray, SAC; Cam Thomas, BKN; Davion Mitchell, SAC; Brandon Clarke, MEM; Josh Hart, LAL; Lonzo Ball, LAL; Tyus Jones, MIN; Kyle Anderson, SAS; Glen Rice Jr., WAS; Jonas Valanciunas, TOR; Damian Lillard, POR; Josh Selby, MEM; John Wall, WAS; Blake Griffin, LAC; Jerryd Bayless, POR; Nate Robinson, NYK; Randy Foye, MIN
When you look at this list, you’re probably recalling what you know about these players and the roles they play in the NBA. You see the stars; Damian Lillard, John Wall, Blake Griffin. You see the big-time hoopers; Cam Thomas, Cam Whitmore. You see the connective pieces that have played solid roles for good teams; Jerryd Bayless, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Jonas Valanciunas, Nate Robinson. There’s a lot of good names here.
So, why is it that we’ve seen both surefire Hall of Famers and (with respect to Rice) someone who played 16 career NBA games and a total of 152 minutes win Summer League MVP? What does it mean that, in 18 years of Summer League honors, there are only 2 of those 18 Rookie of the Year winners?
Let’s look further at the names who exceeded expectations in Summer League in the last few years alone. In the past 5 seasons, here is everyone who was named to the Summer League All-Tournament First Team:
2024: Kel’el Ware, MIA; Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM; GG Jackson, MEM; Reed Sheppard, HOU; Jordan Miller, LAC
2023: Hunter Tyson, DEN; Sam Merrill, CLE; Cam Whitmore, HOU; Orlando Robinson, MIA; Keyonte George, UTA
2022: Keegan Murray, SAC; Quentin Grimes, NYK; Cam Thomas, BKN; Sandro Mamukelashvili, MIL; Tari Eason, HOU
2021: Obi Toppin, NYK; Payton Pritchard, BOS; Jalen Johnson, ATL; Cam Thomas, BKN; Jalen Smith, PHX; Trey Murphy, NOP; Davion Mitchell, SAC
2019 (2020 skipped due to COVID-19): Kendrick Nunn, MIA; Jarrett Allen, BKN; Mitchell Robinson, NYK; Brandon Clarke, MEM; Nickeil Alexander-Walker, NOP
In the last 5 seasons, here is everyone who was named to the Summer League All-Tournament Second Team:
2024: Jalen Wilson, BKN; Jaime Jaquez Jr., MIA; Bub Carrington, WAS; Jarace Walker, IND; Donovan Clingan, POR
2023: Jabari Smith Jr., HOU; Xavier Moon, LAC; Max Christie, LAL; Jalen Wilson, BKN; Emoni Bates, CLE; Javon Freeman-Liberty, CHI
2022: Marko Simonovic, CHI; Santi Aldama, MEM; Trendon Watford, POR; Bennedict Mathurin, IND; Lindell Wigginton, MIL
2021: Patrick Williams, CHI; Jalen Green, HOU; Luka Garza, DET; Paul Reed, PHI; Cade Cunningham, DET
2019 (2020 skipped due to COVID-19): Lonnie Walker, SAS; Jaxson Hayes, NOP; Chris Boucher, TOR; Anfernee Simons, POR; Rui Hachimura, WAS
So, again, we see each list of honored players with a lot of variety; one star, some solid high-caliber players on big-time contracts, some good players, some role players, and some guys just clinging to the NBA that may never make it full-time. Multiple top 5 picks and plenty of lottery picks, down to mid-2nd rounders to undrafted players. However, on both First and Second Team, we see zero Rookie of the Year winners. This can’t even possibly account for the number of players who were also really good and didn’t get honors. That would’ve been about a mile long if we went 20 years back. With this much variety, what are we honestly supposed to take away here?
Summer League participants are there for wholly different reasons. For some, it’s a first look at representing the future of a team, the first glimpses at a possible franchise player or high-impact role player, the foundation and metamorphosis of potential. For others, it’s survival of the fittest, the chance at proving themselves to earn a contract, the last shot to show they deserve to keep doing the thing they’re good at.
Last summer, the 2024 2nd overall pick, Alex Sarr, made headlines for his infamous Summer League performance where he shot a whopping 0-15 from the field and 0-7 from 3 as a center. At 18, Sarr came into the NBA as a stretch big and defender with a lot to work on offensively and a budding 3PT shot. Yet, he would still go onto finish First Team All-Rookie at the end of the season.
In 2019, a little-known player who went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, aged 26, was on what could’ve been his last chance to fully make an NBA roster after dominating the G League the year prior. He would proceed to average 23 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 49% from the field, get named Summer League All-Tournament Second Team, and continue to play a high-impact role for the Toronto Raptors for over 5 years. His name? Chris Boucher. His story is one of many that have done the same this summer.
The reason I bring up all of this is to illustrate the point that no two participants in Summer League are there for the same reason, nor does success look the same for them. Success for Boucher meant making a roster spot and being a high-impact bench player when the deck was stacked against him. Success for Sarr meant playing through the mistakes, getting his feel for NBA-level ball, and building a proof of concept for what the team envisioned for himself and for Washington as their potential best player of a rebuild. Playing well was just a bonus for him. Performing at a high level in this environment is not an end-all be-all for your career if you have the safety of being a top draft pick. It also means that young stars these days are rarely going to be so good out the gate that they’re dominating this context. Older players with higher feel and experience often do well in Summer League with enough experience played and success at their respective levels, and that makes sense. It’s also the exact evidence for why it’s a tough environment to judge when you’re mixing young, inexperienced guys up against multi-year players who can’t hang in the NBA but dominate in the G League. There’s so much more at stake.
That element is important as part of my larger point: Summer League success or failure does not signify true success or failure as an NBA player. Someone not averaging enough points per game to miss out on team honors is not the point. It’s great if rookies are ahead of schedule, but what’s most important about Summer League is about assessing where players are, what players can do, and being a proving ground for players to either earn their spot from out of nowhere, make those improvements to build on in their follow-up seasons, or signify if they are ahead of schedule or need some fine-tuning to get there. It’s just not fair to make a call either way off numbers alone or off a sample size of so few games, and the reality is that so many stars in this league were not stars or overnight sensations in Summer League.
So, if that is the case, then Summer League would 100% not matter, right?
Well, not exactly. There’s a lot of things and reason for why Summer League doesn’t mean much and it’s not worth putting stock into… but, there are some things that definitely matter. Let’s get into the real meat here and talk about what does and doesn’t matter.
For what reasons would Summer League not matter?
To illustrate my opinion on why some things matter and some don’t for Summer League, here are a few reasons for why this environment is not ideal why some things should not matter much:
Lack of true game environment. Oftentimes, players are getting these early reps in limited time in exhibition games. There is no accounting for higher tempo, energy or stakes. There are players with egos. There are players solely there to round out rosters and, in turn, grinding to make a roster. To put it simply, this environment is not even close to a real game environment and players know it.
Lack of chemistry and adjustments. This year, the NBA Draft ran for two rounds on June 25 and June 26. The earliest Summer League games started on Saturday, July 5. Barring any practices, these games will be the first time players have ever played with one another. These quick turnarounds also mean players have spent very little time preparing and are just getting in the groove with their new teams.
Not being in in-game shape. Same application for no true game environment, but players are not in proper NBA game shape yet and won’t be for a while until we get closer to opening night.
Competition is inconsistent, varying, and weird. Most Summer League rosters will range in between non-rookies that already have NBA experience and are looking to sharpen their tools and prove to their teams that they made improvements and are too good for Summer League, rookies with high draft capital, pedigree and expectations, and players scraping by to make rosters. Anyone who has made the NBA or participating in this environment is objectively talented, but there is clear skill gaps, of which many players making Summer League rosters will live in the G League or play overseas. It’s just not a fair comparison. Like, we’ve seen this happen often; Kenneth Lofton Jr. worked Chet Holmgren when they were rookies. Two years later, Lofton is playing in China and Holmgren was the 3rd best player on a championship-winning team. Kai Jones was beating up on Victor Wembanyama as a rookie before going onto being Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Defense, and leading the NBA in blocks. Meanwhile, Kai Jones will likely play in the G League for a majority of the season. This stuff just happens.
Schemes and playmaking are rarely at the NBA-level. Summer League play can get a little hairy when teams’ main facilitators are young point guards without a lot of experience. We’re seeing exactly that with players like Kasparas Jakucionis or Nikola Topic: very talented passers at the collegiate/international level that turn the ball over a lot early on. This hurts everyone; this hurts their own numbers, this hurts the off-ball players who aren’t able to consistently create their own looks, and this hurts centers.
Egos. As I mentioned, some players are fighting for roster spots and treat every possession like it’s do or die. Scoring often reigns supreme in the awards categories, with many of the MVPs and First and Second team selections being high scorers and hoopers. High scoring just happens in an open environment like this and egos to be the guy like it’s AAU take over. It would also just make sense that high scoring players, like Cole Swider or Josh Christopher, are going to also score a lot in this environment that seasoned G Leaguers understand the feel of.
What actually matters for Summer League?
Ultimately, for rookies, what truly matters about Summer League is the process and being cautious about what you see. You’ll see that iterated with a lot of the below inquiries as my sort of guide of what I look for. If a player doesn’t perform well, regardless of the statistical results, I’m not worried, but I will acknowledge what happened to yield those results. If a player does perform well with the numbers to back it up, I’m not going crazy over it, but it is something to keep in mind about where they are right now, how ready they may be in the NBA, and where they’re going. In short, the details are crucial and help illustrate tidbits about a player.
Do pre-draft evaluations of positive and negative skills fairly match up with the process and results?
How ready are players from the jump and with very little prep time?
What skills are players showing early that will translate into real NBA minutes? Are they defending well? Do they have a good feel for the game already? Are they shooting it better than their previous numbers would suggest?
What weaknesses are players showing early that would hurt their chances at earning NBA minutes?
What improvements are they making early that evaluators looked at pre-draft? How does a player play in NBA spacing if evaluation implies he’ll thrive more in it? Are they able to finish through contact against bigger, stronger, and more athletic players? Are they able to create separation better? Is their handle tighter?
How comfortable do rookies look in their first games under the spotlight? Do they play like they’re overthinking every single movement?
Are they able to play against more deliberately physical players and schemes (even at this level of competition) even in a very small sample size?
How are they able to assess and process real time game speed? Are players with high BBIQ making plays? What do you see in players not processing the game well?
How aggressive or timid are they playing, and what results came out of their play?
How is their body language and energy? Are they talking to their teammates out there and keeping their head up? Are they staying confident out there if the game isn’t going their way? Are they communicating with their coaches? How’s their motor?
If they’re not performing well, what are they doing/can they do to make up for that to continue impacting the game? If they’re shooting it poorly, are they trying to create looks for others? Are they playing effectively off the ball? Are they defending well? Are these other things they can do skills that matter and impact winning if they’re not scoring?
Over a multi-game stretch, if they are struggling in a particular area, what is your best assessment as to why they’re struggling? Is this a trend from previous play, or is this something we can chalk up to nerves, an injury, the shot not falling, etc.?
What should I look for in non-rookies?
As we discussed above, non-rookies can fall into a lot of different buckets. Someone like Kevin Knox is there for a vastly different reason than 2nd year players like Bilal Coulibaly or even Jalen Wilson. Context matters, but the truth is that improvement and growth is the name of the game, whether you’re a raw player on year 2 or 3 of a rebuild or someone fighting for a two-way contract. Here are some questions I typically try to answer when evaluating non-rookies:
Before Summer League begins, ask yourself: if a player didn’t get on the court much as a rookie, why, and what can they do better this summer to get more minutes?
If they’re in their 2nd or 3rd seasons or beyond, are they playing above their peers on the whole and standing out?
What are they doing that’s new or signifying improvement? If they shot poorly from 3 last season, is their form better or did they make more at a better clip? Are they more active defensively? Are they getting better at finishing through contact?
Are they playing selfishly, or are they playing team basketball? Are they comfortable playing in complementary roles? Are they able to play off the ball, or are they hogging it and chucking up shots?
If they did see the court, what do you notice that’s different from last year? Is there anyone immediately standing out as being “too good for Summer League”?
Do you notice any outlier skills or anything that separates them from others?
If a player performed badly in their first season and still performs badly in their second season in this environment, why? Are the reasons for struggle suggesting they’re still not ready for the NBA?
My ultimate takeaways
Pay close attention to the more specific details of their games and the intangibles.
Don’t run wild with the statistics.
Whether the numbers were good and bad, analyzing the how’s, why’s, and the process that yielded the results is more important.
Team basketball matters. Winning isn’t everything in Summer League, but the guys that show impactful skills early and often in this environment are much more likely to show them where it means the most.
Be patient. No player is a complete product if they’re playing in Summer League.
Everyone struggles from time to time. Don’t put so much stock into a few games and lose sight of who players are.
Understand that no one is a bust or a superstar off one single game. It’s easy to be reactionary and run with narratives when it’s convenient.
Use your eyes. Summer League cannot be evaluated looking at a spreadsheet, and you will never know the full story by judging numbers.
Do not overreact or hold firm on takes. Be open-minded. Don’t be afraid to challenge your original opinions or outlooks on players.