Three takeaways from the first weekend of NBA Summer League

While heaps of praise have understandably been placed on Flagg for his multidimensional offensive skillset, he may not quite be ready to completely captain an NBA offense, at least not efficiently. That’s not to say Flagg shouldn't be given all the on-ball opportunities he can handle right now, but expecting him to perform all the functions of an NBA point guard may be expecting a bit too much. During Flagg’s bounce-back second game, he noticeably spent an increased amount of time off the ball, and the results spoke for themselves. Flagg’s 31-point performance on 10-of-21 shooting, were enough to convince the Mavericks to shut him down for the remainder of summer league.

Defending champs appear to have not one, but two dynamic playmakers to backup SGA

Fresh off an NBA championship and returning nearly their entire roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in just about as good a position to repeat as any defending champion in recent memory. But while most of the attention has been paid towards the contract extensions of the Thunder’s big three, there are two players on their summer league roster who deserve some serious recognition as well.

Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell, who were both on the Thunder’s roster last year but for differing reasons held little to no roles, have begun to separate themselves as serious difference makers heading into the 2025-26 season. Topic and Mitchell both look like elite playmakers, and not just because of the level of competition provided by summer league. 

With Topic offering plenty of floor general/court surveyor upside, and Mitchell packing a dynamic scoring punch, the Thunder could legitimately have a hard time keeping these players on the bench next season. 

Portland’s Hansen Yang is must-see TV

Outside of Flagg, there is perhaps no other player in Vegas seemingly as capable of creating a viral moment as Yang. The magnetism and excitement that is generated every time this year’s 16th overall pick has the ball in his hands is palpable.

Now, Yang’s inclusion here is in no way a full-blown endorsement of his long-term prospects; it's hardly even a signifier that he's playing well, currently. Through two games, Yang—a 7-foot-2 “stretch” big—is shooting sub-50 percent from the field and just 20 percent from distance. There is no doubt, however, that he has intriguing comfortability with the ball in his hands.

He may never—or rather, will likely never—develop into a 7-foot offensive hub reminiscent to that of Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis or Alperen Sengun, but as far as summer league goes, there's not another big man slinging passes from the top of the key and elbow the way Yang is.