📝ESPN Xialian inventory: King Clifford performed best, Yang Hansen performed the most eye-catching

(The original article was published on July 18, and the author is Kevin Pelton of ESPN website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views)

After a year of overall sluggish performance of the 2024 NBA rookies (then the second round pick Brownie James became the most anticipated rookie player in the Las Vegas Summer League), the popularity of the arena has rebounded again as new No. 1 pick Cooper Flag and other popular rookies of the 2025 debuted in the summer league earlier this month. The new No. 1 pick Flag encountered a shooting trough of 5 of 21 shots in his debut for the Mavericks, and then scored 31 points and was protected by the team, tying the No. 1 pick summer league single-game scoring record held by John Wall who watched the game on the spot. Second-tier Dylan Harper completed his Spurs' debut in the same game, contributing 16 points in 20 minutes.

With the Summer League officially coming to an end, we might as well review the highlights of this event and take stock of the rookie players with outstanding performance through multiple dimensions. In addition, we will also look forward to the development prospects of these outstanding players in the new season.

Best Rookie

1, Nick Clifford (Kings)

2, Cooper Flag (Mavericks)

3, Liam McNeley (Hornets)

23-year-old Clifford has become one of the most mature rookies of this year with his five years of college basketball experience. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game in the summer league. Given that his explosion as a senior is primarily related to shooting, his NBA 3-point line is exciting (53%). Although it is difficult to maintain this accuracy continuously, as long as the opponent is afraid of his jump shot, his experienced organizational ability will become an advantage.

Flag's positioning in the summer league has been deliberately designed to be closer to the core training model we usually see in sophomore players. As a ball-handling striker, he currently ranks third in use rate. To be competent for such roles at the NBA level, he still needs to control the ball thoroughly, but when he faces the Spurs, he demonstrates the ability to maintain efficiency under high output, and he scored 13 free throws in a single game, which is impressive.

McNeilly's performance surpassed his rookie teammate, No. 4 pick Kong Kniper, who recovered after his sluggish debut. The 29-coupled rookie scored 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists in the first game, surpassing his highest rebounding record in the UConn record and ranked among the best in his career. McNeley made three three-pointers in both games, which was a positive signal for him who shot only 32% of his three-point shooting percentage in college.

The most promising rookie

1, Cooper Flag (Mavericks)

2, Dylan Harper (Spurs)

3, Trey Johnson (Wizards)

Flag's potential needs no further description.

Harper's usage rate (39%) ranks among the top two players. Although his efficiency has been affected (36% shooting percentage and 1 of 8 three-pointers), we still see his core skills as the second place. When Harper plays side by side with talented teammates such as Wenbanyama and Castle who are watching the game on the sidelines, his average of 2 assists is expected to increase, and the number of shots may be reduced.

Tanhua Show VJ Edgecom's summer league debut in Salt Lake City (28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) has shown great potential, but considering the subsequent Las Vegas game, No. 6 pick Trae Johnson is more worthy of attention here. Johnson's body size advantage (armspan over 2.08 in joint trials) distinguishes him from those scoring point guards who are difficult to create their own mobile phones. His two-point shooting percentage reached 69%, 5 of 11 three-pointers was made, and the entire offensive process was smooth.

The most eye-catching rookie

Yang Hansen (Trail Blazers)

Except for Flag, no rookie this year has attracted more attention than this Chinese player. As the Chinese player with the highest draft pick since Yi Jianlian in 2007 (the 16th pick in the first round), Yang Hansen, who is 2.16 meters tall, has an amazing view of passing from the outside. 15 assists were sent in four games and selected many highlights. He also showed more blocking ability than expected (2.3 per game), with 4 of 12 three-pointers. Although his ability to compete with only 5 rebounds per game needs to be improved, his performance in the summer league proves that he is fully worthy of this pick.

The best undraft

Eli Ndiaye (Hawks)

The Senegalese player who played for Spanish giant Real Madrid signed a two-way contract with the Hawks after being out of the election. Although he only played one game due to a wrist injury, he contributed 12 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes.

The slowest starter rookie

Jeremiah Fells (Pelicans)

The Pelicans' double tower lineup consisting of first-round picks Missy and Quinn (both of them are centers) compressed Fells' offensive space, but his "shot-first" style still aroused doubts about his immediate combat power. Fels' shooting rate exceeded 30%, and he made only 5 of 21 shots against the Lakers. In the first three games of the summer league, he averaged only 1 assist but made 5.3 turnovers. He did not play a performance that matched the No. 7 pick until he played against the Thunder: he made 8 of 15 shots and scored 22 points and 6 assists and only 4 turnovers.

Best Veteran

1, Kyle Filipovsky (Jazz)

2, Terence Shannon (Timberwolves)

3, Necoen Tomlin (Cavs)

, leading the summer league scoring list with 29.3 points per game, Filipovsky once equalized the Spurs with a dunk at the last moment of overtime, but was defeated by Riley Minnix's buzzer-beating three-pointer. Although this sophomore, who played for the team rebuilding this season, averaged 21 minutes per game, is not a "dimensionality reduction strike" in the summer league, his offensive skills are top-notch. He still maintains an overall 56% shooting rate while shooting 23 three-pointers in three games (39% shooting percentage).

Shannon is expected to take on a more heavy role after Alexander Walker leaves the team, which is confirmed by his performance in the summer league, averaging 22.7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game. The combination of speed and strength makes it easy to break through the defense and make layups, and the performance of 10 of 26 three-pointers (38.5%) is also better than the rookie's 35.5% outside shooting percentage this season.

Tomlin only won 63 minutes of NBA playing time this season, and finally signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers to end. The Memphis University-produced forward exploded in this summer league, averaging 20.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. The most surprising thing is that he hit nine three-pointers in four games, which is in stark contrast to his 34% three-point shooting percentage in the Development League.

Best free agent

Denis Jenkins (Detroit Pistons)

The undraft won a two-way contract with the Pistons for his strong performance in the Las Vegas Summer League last year, but played in the regular season for only 23 minutes. Jenkins, who is now a restricted free agent, still plays for the Pistons and has allowed Rockets' Shepard to make only 6 of 19 shots and 6 turnovers in the summer league. On the offensive end, he showed efficient organizational skills, and made 26 assists and made only 7 mistakes. Although he struggled to shoot in the DL this season (overall shooting percentage is 43%, 33% of three-pointers), his performance deserves more opportunities to investigate. Compared with David Jones Garcia, the Spurs's explosive output averaged 24.3 points in the first three games with a super high usage rate, Jenkins's playing style is easier to convert into the NBA's rotation value. Also worth noting is forward Charles Bessi, who played for the Spurs in the past three years and now represents the Celtics, leading all players with an average of 11.3 rebounds per game (as of the first three games).

Original text: Kevin Pelton

Compiled by: Li Taibai