NBA 2K26 Summer League: Five games to watch
The past two days saw 59 hoop dreams fulfilled at the 2025 NBA Draft.
There is a unique duality to the draft in that it is both the culmination of countless hours of hard work and dedication to the game in order to achieve the dream of hearing your name called … and the beginning of a new level to prove yourself.
It is a moment to cherish and an accomplishment to celebrate. But that moment is short-lived. Now, it’s time to get back to work.
NBA 2K26 Summer League is just two weeks away – from July 10-20 in Las Vegas – featuring all 30 teams, giving us our first chance to see the new draft class in action.
A total of 76 games will be played over 11 days in the desert. Here are five you absolutely can’t miss.
On July 8, 2024, a then 17-year-old Flagg stole the show in Las Vegas as part of the USA Basketball Select Team that scrimmaged the U.S. Olympic Team in preparation for the Paris Games.
The fact that he fit in while sharing the court with NBA All-Stars and future Hall of Famers showed the promise that has had scouts, teams and fans eager to see what he can do in the NBA.
One year and two days later, the time has arrived. After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg will make his debut with the Mavericks on the opening night of NBA 2K26 Summer League when Dallas faces the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the Entertainment Capital of the World, Flagg’s debut will be the hottest ticket in town. And for those that can’t be in Vegas, the game will lead an ESPN primetime doubleheader.
What’s better than having the top pick in the draft make their summer debut in an opening night doubleheader? Make it the top three picks.
After Flagg’s Dallas debut, the spotlight will shift to No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe when the Spurs and Sixers close out Night 1 in Las Vegas.
Before he shares the court with the past two Kia Rookie of the Year winners Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, Harper will lead San Antonio’s Summer League squad to showcase his lead guard skills and crafty finishes in a new environment.
Meanwhile, Edgecombe is a highlight waiting to happen. A superior athlete with a mixtape’s worth of jaw-dropping plays in his bag, Edgecombe gets a chance to open that bag for the first time as a Sixer.
Night 2 helps us round out the Summer League debuts of the top five picks in the 2025 Draft as No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel and the Hornets face No. 5 pick Ace Bailey and the Jazz. Both of these players can get buckets, but in slightly different ways.
Knueppel is a lethal spot-up 3-point shooter but has more to his game than just being a deep threat. He can drive into the midrange or get all the way to the basket to finish.
Bailey excels at hitting shots off the bounce, pulling up for jumpers all over the floor, with the ability to hit contested shots at a high rate.
The musical chairs of top picks facing off continues on Saturday, with Flagg and Harper scheduled to meet when Dallas plays San Antonio (), followed by Edgecombe and Knueppel scheduled to meet when Philly plays Charlotte ().
Friday’s primetime doubleheader concludes with a bona fide bucket getter in No. 6 pick Tre Johnson potentially facing one of the top defensive anchors in the draft in No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach.
Maluach was selected by Houston, but his draft rights are being acquired by Phoenix as part of the Kevin Durant trade that cannot be finalized until the first week of July – which should clear the way for Maluach to make his summer debut for the Suns.
Johnson spent one season at Texas, showing off his ability to get buckets off the catch, off the bounce and every which way between. This will be his first test of those skills against NBA-level talent.
On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets made history as the first team to ever make five selections in the first round of an NBA Draft.
Will they field a full five-man lineup – G/F Egor Demin (8th pick), G Nolan Traoré (19th), G/F Drake Powell (22nd), G Ben Saraf (26th) and F/C Danny Wolf (27th) – of just 2025 first-rounders in Vegas?
It can be a rookies-vs.-sophomores affair as the Knicks have five 2024 draft picks on their roster — Pacôme Dadiet (25), Tyler Kolek (34), Anton Watson (54), Kevin McCullar Jr. (56) and Ariel Hukporti (58) – to counter Brooklyn’s 2025 quintet.
