LAS VEGAS —Two courts, eight games, there is a lot to see the first weekend of the 2025 NBA Summer League Las Vegas. Here are just some of the highlights we saw.
Yang Hansen is fun
That went better than expected.
It's just one Summer League game, and Yang Hansen still has a long way to go to prove he can hang in an NBA rotation — let alone live up to the starry-eyed expectations of some Trail Blazers fans — but his Summer League debut went as well as could be hoped.
What's undeniable is that Yang is fun to watch — and the late-night Las Vegas crowd loved him.
" In the game, the coach told me to go to high post and be a play-making player today," Yang said. "Be a hub for everyone. I just followed the coach's execution and did my job."
Yang finished the night with 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting, with five assists and four rebounds (and six fouls).
"I think he played how some of us expected him to play," Portland Summer League coach Ronnie Burrell said. "He showed a lot of facets to his game. We know he's very versatile and skilled, and I just like the fact that he was having fun. He was loose and relaxed. He played tough, and he made some amazing plays tonight."
Yang was the surprise No. 16 pick of the Trail Blazers, a guy projected to be drafted in the middle of the second round went in the middle of the first. The 7'1" big-bodied center from China was known as a high-level passer (that skill was on full display in Las Vegas), and he shot the ball better than expected at the NBA Draft Combine (which also continued to Friday night). However, there were questions about his athleticism, his defense (especially if pulled out on the perimeter), and his strength when battling for rebounds or needing to be physical inside.
One good Summer League game does not answer all those questions, but it was a good start.
And it was fun. —Kurt Helin
Reed Sheppard dominates at Summer League. Again.
Reed Sheppard didn't see the floor much during his rookie season on a competitive Rockets team. They traded away some of their depth to bring in Kevin Durant, which should open the door for him to take on a larger role.
He proved that he's ready to rise to the occasion.
In a loss to the Clippers, Sheppard finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals, three blocks and six three-pointers.
He scored 15 of his 28 in the third quarter, which included three straight threes to bring them from down 12 to only down three points entering the fourth quarter. However, he was held scoreless in the final frame.
Sheppard spent most of the game as the lead ball handler, and he did a good job facilitating to his teammates. He led the team in assists and set up numerous other clean looks that just didn't fall, which included some impressive one-handed skip passes with both his left and right hands.
He also spent some time on the floor with Kennedy Chandler, who has spent the last two seasons in the G League after appearing in 36 games for the Grizzlies as a rookie during the 2022-23 season. Chandler finished with 22 points and three assists, and Sheppard credited him as someone who can "bring the ball up the floor, go get a bucket on his own and put you on the spot to get an open three."
Sheppard said the focus for him this offseason has been "trying to get in the weight room, get a little stronger. Work on defense, being more physical, offensively and defensively."
The work was evident in this game. He totaled seven defensive stats and was also active defensively in other ways that didn't end up in the box score. Houston boasted the fifth-best defensive rating in the league last season, and it seems that inserting Sheppard into the rotation in a larger capacity isn't going to drag that number down. —Noah Rubin
Other news and notes
• Hornets may have something in McNeeley; Knueppel struggles. The latest addition to the "don't read anything into a Summer League debut" file is Charlotte's Kon Knueppel. Friday was not his day: 1-of-8 shooting, 0-of-5 from 3, four assists but three turnovers, and some rough defensive rotations. What matters with rookies at Summer League is that there is growth, we'll see how he looks next time he steps on the court.
Hornets fans, ignore Knueppel and focus on UConn's Liam McNeeley.
" It seemed like he was everywhere the entire day," Hornets Summer League coach Chris Jent said of McNeeley. "Just what stood out about how he competed today. I think his competitive nature and also his conditioning. I thought of all the guys out there, he was able to kind of sustain it. So that's really impressive for a young player. Probably hasn't played much basketball through the draft process at all, but he's able to maintain that same pace throughout the game." —Helin
• Kobe Bufkin's good day. Kobe Bufkin is entering his third season with the Hawks after they made him the 15th overall pick in 2023. He spent most of his rookie year in the G League and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early during the 2024-25 season, so he has only appeared in 27 NBA games so far.
He scored a game-high 29 points against the Heat, with 17 of those coming in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks secure the victory.
Atlanta added Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a four-year contract, so there isn't a guarantee that Bufkin will be in the rotation if everyone is healthy. However, if he's dominating the Summer League like a player entering his third season should, he'll be in contention for the backup point guard role behind Trae Young. —Rubin
• Matas Buzelis windmill slam. Without Collin Murray-Boyles, who was sidelined with a left adductor strain, the Raptors still had no issues dominating the Bulls. A.J. Lawson (22 points), Alijah Martin (16 points) and Jonathan Mogbo (15 points) led the scoring charge for Toronto, while Jamal Shead facilitated well and was a menace defensively, which shouldn't come as a surprise whatsoever.
Matas Buzelis shot 4-of-14 from the floor. Toronto's defensive intensity certainly altered some of his shots, though there are certain shots that defenses just can't do much about.
That intensity also bothered rookie Noa Essengue, who finished with five points and seven turnovers. His debut for the team that drafted him with the 12th overall pick last month wasn't everything they hoped and dreamed it would be, but the 18-year-old has plenty of time to figure things out. —Rubin
• Bucket of the day. As great as the Buzelis dunk is, the bucket of the day goes to Tre Johnson — the former Texas star is entertaining because he has yet to meet a shot he doesn't like, you can't take your eyes off him. He's going to score a lot of points as a rookie, and he's going to take a couple of years off Wizards' coach Brian Keefe's life. —Helin
• It was a good day to be Kasparas Jakucionis. Summer League should be about growth. Miami Heat's Kasparov Jakucionis struggled through games in the California Classic Summer League. But Friday in Vegas the No. 20 pick showed why some scouts had him as a late lottery selection, scoring 19 in the first half on his way to 24 points and four assists.—Helin
• Utah Jazz bright spots. It's shaping up to be another season for Jazz fans. We're going to try to find them bright spots wherever we can.
First. Kyle Filipowski is a quality offensive center who just knows how to get buckets. Summer League is about growth and Filipowski showed a lot of it.
Also, guard Isaiah Collier was very physical on his drives, used that to create space, and finished with 16 points and 9 assists. Whatever is getting built in Utah over the next few years, he can be part of it. —Helin
• Khaman Maluach is going to be good... eventually. Two things became clear about the Duke center and the Suns' No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach. First, he's going to be a quality NBA center, he showed flashes on both ends of the court of his potential. Second, he's a couple of years away from being that guy. He's a project. (Is that how the Suns see him?) —Helin
