Biggest Winners and Losers from 2026 NBA Summer League So Far

NBA fans know better than to overreact to Summer League showings.

But reasonably reacting to what's transpiring in Las Vegas? That's absolutely acceptable.

While neither struggles nor star turns are guaranteed to stick, they're still happening. Strong first impressions from first-year players will always be encouraging. Similarly, fumbled opportunities will always disappoint. (Especially for players with previous exposure to the summer circuit.)

With that perspective in place, let's crown some Sin City winners and losers, shall we?

Winners: The 2026 Draft's Top Tier

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Leading up to the 2026 draft, a general consensus held that there were four elite prospects ranking above the rest: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Already, hoops fans are seeing why the top four picks were held in that light.

Dybantsa needed just two outings to convince the Washington Wizards he had nothing left to prove. He netted 50 points in total, lived at the foul line (12-of-14) and leaned on his explosive athleticism to leave his mark as a rebounder (14) and defensive playmaker (eight stocks). Peterson has struggled with shooting efficiency but still impressed with his creation, tough-shotmaking and defense.

Boozer has looked like a polished, powerful, super productive men among boys—despite not even having turned 19 yet.

Wilson, meanwhile, has turned the most heads with knockout-powered scoring punch (24.3 points per game), ignitable shooting (48 percent from three) and highlight hammers that even his opponents can't process.

Losers: The 2026 Draft's Second Tier

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After that Fantastic Four came off the draft board, it immediately sparked a run on guards who mostly did their best work on the offensive end.

Four different lead guards went with consecutive picks, and only one of them (Mikel Brown Jr.) has inspired confidence with the selection.

Keaton Wagler, whose game admittedly isn't a great fit for this environment, has raised alarms about his ability to separate and create as a subpar athlete. Darius Acuff Jr. has lived up to his billing as a disinterested defender without providing the electric offense that's supposed to compensate for it (36.5/26.3/64.3 slash with 4.7 turnovers per outing).

Kingston Flemings has at least served up a mixed bag, earning high marks for his on-court leadership, distributing (6.5 assists against 3.5 turnovers) and defensive intensity. That said, shooting has been cited as a swing skill for him, and the early results aren't swinging the right direction (33.3 percent from the field and from deep).

Winner: Brayden Burries

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With Giannis Antetokounmpo gone from the Milwaukee Bucks and Tyler Herro not guaranteed to stick around, their young players have a tremendous opportunity to claim building-block status. Brayden Burries is doing everything in his power to answer that call.

The No. 10 pick, who already looks like he shouldn't have lasted that long, has flexed his versatility and flashed the wide range of his skill tree. He is shining as both a play-finisher and a playmaker, contributing at both ends and effectively maximizing the value of each possession.

Burries, perhaps regarded as having more of an elevated floor than a sky-high ceiling, certainly looks the part of a rising star so far.

His per-game production includes 22.3 points (on 50 percent shooting), 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 stocks, but the best part of his stat line might be the fact he has coughed up just a single turnover so far.

Loser: Nate Ament

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While Burries has soaked up the spotlight with the summer-league Bucks, the same can't be said for Milwaukee's other lottery pick, Nate Ament. Drafted 13th overall—a selection the Bucks snagged in the Giannis blockbuster—Ament appeared one of the bigger risk-reward prospects in this class, and Milwaukee is still waiting to see even hints of that reward.

Ament is, at least in theory, a 6'10" forward who can dribble, pass and shoot. Sounds super helpful on offense, right? Well, he has been a brutal combination of too passive and not nearly physical enough so far, making him an offensive afterthought: 21 total points, three assists and seven turnovers through three outings.

This isn't shocking, as Ament was always viewed as raw, both in terms of his skills and his frame. Still, understanding the struggles isn't the same as just happily ignoring them. If the hope was that he'd help ease the sting of losing Antetokounmpo, that relief doesn't appear to be coming any time soon.

Winner: Brooklyn's Backcourt

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If the Brooklyn Nets emerge as a competent, competitive club sooner than later, this offseason might be remembered as the foundation-setter. Because between a bulked-up Egor Dëmin and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr., they suddenly have one of the league's most intriguing young guard tandems.

Brooklyn has rolled out this backcourt twice in Las Vegas; it won those contests by a combined 58 points. With this multi-playmaker attack, the Nets guards have done a tremendous job of splitting scoring and table-setting duties. Combined, they've contributed 78 points (on 48/36/91.7 shooting), 18 assists (against seven turnovers), 10 rebounds, nine steals and three blocks.

"We're making the game easy for one another," Brown told reporters. "My job is to make it easy on him. His job is to make it easy on me. We're just playing off of each other. That's going to help us in the long run."

Loser: 2024 Draft Picks

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There are myriad labels players can wear in Las Vegas. Here's one that exactly none of them want: Seasoned veteran. If things go according to plan, prospects need just one summer run—or the early parts of a second—to show they're too good for the event to continue being a part of it.

So, it must be unsettling for all of the 2024 draft picks who are still suiting up in Las Vegas in 2026. Especially when none of them are setting the stat sheet ablaze. In fact, 2024 first-round picks Pacôme Dadiet and Dillon Jones aren't even shooting 40 percent from the field. Lottery picks Tidjane Salaün and Cody Williams are faring only slightly better at 42.9 percent; they're also both averaging more turnovers than assists.

Being a third-year player with this level of draft pedigree and still heading to Las Vegas is already a worry. Subsequently underpeforming on this platform is true alarm-sounding stuff. While these decisions don't need to be made before the end of October, you wonder if we're seeing fourth-year options being declined before our eyes.

Winner: Meleek Thomas

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Thirty-three players were taken ahead of scoring guard Meleek Thomas during this year's draft. None of them is averaging more than his 28.3 points per outing in Las Vegas. In fact, no one is.

Beyond being Sin City's top scorer, the Cleveland Cavaliers' new flamethrower is also converting 50 percent of his field goals, 45.8 percent of his perimeter shots and all of his free throws. He's also challenging the notion that he's just a scorer by averaging 4.3 assists (against 1.7 turnovers) and 2.3 steals.

He might be the most confident player in this rookie class, and that can sometimes lead to some wild risk-taking. But the Cavs are right to let him experiment and explore the full limits of his game. They might have uncovered a draft steal already, and he just might force his way into a spark-plug role as a rookie.