NBA Player News

The Cavaliers were without Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on Sunday, so Bryant was able to make his first start of the season. And he played well, recording his first double-double since February 6, 2025 as a member of the Pacers. Keon Ellis also made a spot start on Sunday, finishing with 13 points (5-of-9 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and three three-pointers.

The Spurs added Gillespie with the 42nd pick in the draft last month, and while he may not be a rotation piece in year one, he has had a strong showing this summer. He has been effective as a scorer, facilitator and defender, which is encouraging to see out of an older rookie that is supposed to be more ready for NBA action. He’ll likely spend most of his first season in the G League, but if injuries force the Spurs to call him up, he’ll be ready to contribute.

Bryant wasn’t a critical piece during the Spurs’ playoff run, but he was getting some minutes during the postseason. His role was quite different than what his role was in this game, but it was still disappointing to see him struggle the way he did. The good news is that Bryant’s offensive role likely won’t expand much next season, so they’ll just need him to focus in on defense, which he is still more than capable of doing. However, it would be nice if he showed more offensive juice over the next couple weeks.

Reed was quiet in his first summer league game, but he has now recorded a double-double in two straight outings. With Jayden Quaintance still recovering from a knee injury, Reed has a chance to be the backup to Victor Wembanyama in year one. He won’t play enough to be a consistent double-double producer, but if he’s able to make an impact on the glass in the non-Wemby minutes, he’ll be a valuable piece in year one.

Newell has been productive in his second summer league on both ends of the floor. He needs to continue to improve as a shooter to have a chance to crack the Hawks’ rotation this season, though. He shot 1-of-3 from deep in this game and is just 3-of-12 this summer. The volume is encouraging, but he still has more growing to do as a rebounder, defender and floor spacer, even if he has developed considerably since entering the NBA already.

Veesaar was quiet in Salt Lake City, but he was able to make a strong offensive impact in his first game in Las Vegas. He got some boards and defensive stats as well, which was a nice bonus, but his success on offense will help him get on the floor in year one. Defense is still a question mark for him, but if he’s able to score in year one, he could end up being a rotation piece for the Hawks as a rookie.

Ejiofor has struggled with his scoring efficiency through three summer league games, but he has still found other ways to impact the game. He made more of an impact on the glass in Salt Lake City, but he has been a solid playmaker and defender in all three games so far. He should end up slotting in as a valuable rotation piece for the Hawks in year one.

Flemings has struggled as a scorer this summer, but his impact as a defender and playmaker has been evident. That was the case in Salt Lake City, and it has carried over to Las Vegas. So far this summer, he has 22 assists, 10 stocks and just three turnovers. Atlanta has enough scoring options, so if Flemings’ scoring struggles continue during the regular season, his defense and playmaking should allow him to still make a positive impact in year one.

Pullin is still on a two-way deal with Minnesota, but this was an impressive showing for the 25-year-old. He’s only appeared in eight NBA games, and he’ll likely spend most of next season in the G League, but there is clearly some talent here. If he continues to develop, he could become a rotation player in the near future.

Kaufman-Renn played 16 minutes in his first summer league game, which didn’t give him much time to contribute in the box score. The 59th pick in the draft last month should see his minutes increase as summer league continues.

Beringer is a raw prospect, but after starring in summer league last year, he was able to get off to a strong start this summer. He has some growing to do before he’s ready to be an every contributor for the Timberwolves, but they’re banking on that growth happening this year. He is certainly on track to be a fantasy star one day, and he’s still only 19 years old.