There’s a different aura to the Las Vegas Summer League compared to the smaller, “warm-up” leagues like the California Classic and Salt Lake City. This is especially true in the earlier Vegas games, when higher draft picks are more likely to play and give fans a first glimpse at players expected to be in their teams’ rotation the next season.

This change in aura was especially noticeable as the Spurs blew out Philadelphia 76ers in impressive fashion, 111-70, in Game 1. Even though the 2nd and 3rd picks — Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecomb — did not play, there was more energy, and you could tell the Summer Spurs players had gotten more comfortable with each other after their three games together in California. (Oh, and the ESPN announcers were miles ahead of the announcers we got on NBA TV. That certainly helped with the viewing vibe.) With that in mind, here are some observations from Game 1 in Las Vegas.

Even though the debuts of the big names are what bring that crowds to Summer League, the true purpose of it is getting better look at fringe and potential depth pieces that otherwise may not get a shot. It always brings out a diamond-in-the-rough or two, with former Spurs like Gary Neal and Jonathon Simmons being prime examples.

This year’s breakout star is David Jones-Garcia, a Dominican swingman out of the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes. After making the All-California Classic team, he stayed hot in Vegas, posting 24 points on 9-12 shooting (4-5 from three), 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in just 18 minutes. At this point, it’s hard to know what else he needs to do prove himself, whether it’s to the Spurs or another NBA team. The Spurs themselves still have three roster spots and a two-way available, so surely there’s room for him if he’s interested.

14th overall pick Carter Bryant has yet to find his NBA three-point stroke with just 5 points on 1-6 shooting (1-4 from three) last night, but shooting comes with time. What’s really important is all the other intangibles are there. Defensive instinct, basketball IQ, leadership — all were in display last night while he also posted 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and steal, with all three of those blocks being highlight-worthy:

He could also be seen directing his teammates on where to be on defense, actually playing help defense (something the Spurs have lacked in recent years), and even shouting instructions from the bench like veterans normally do. Everything about this kid is special, both on and off the court. His shooting touch will come around, but even without it, he has intangibles that just can’t be taught. Despite knowing nothing anything about him before he was drafted, I’m personally stoked he’s a Spur, and it’s only been two weeks.

Just leaving this here. The Summer Spurs had quite the contingency of support from the main core of the roster. A team is only so good without chemistry, and this one has it in spades.

I had to laugh a bit at how much the NBA and ESPN were trying to hype up their primetime matchup of Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James. I certainly get the hype around Flagg making his unofficial NBA debut (we saw the same thing with Victor Wembanyama in 2023), but trying to also make it about Bronny felt like a reach. He just isn’t at the level of a typical NBA player yet, and unless he can become more of a point guard, he probably won’t get very far as a 6’2” shooting guard in the NBA.

As for Flagg, like Wemby, he had a shaky start in his NBA debut with 10 points of 5-21 shooting, 0-5 from three, albeit with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. We always say not to overreact to Summer League, but I still remember Wemby getting a lot more flack for his poor debut than Flagg is. The headlines are even saying he “impressed” when he himself said he clearly didn’t. I know I’m overreacting, but I guess I’m wondering why the reactions so are different. Wemby had to endure a summer of “bust” trolling a couple of years ago, but it seems like Flagg is getting a pass. We can always hope it’s just a case of “lesson learned”.

With that in mind, the Spurs get Flagg and the Mavericks next, and similar to how Wemby bounced back in his second (and final) SL game, the San Antonio should be prepared for something similar from Flagg. But that won’t be the only reason to tune in! We should also finally get the debut of Harper after he’s been nursing a minor groin injury, and while he could have some first game jitters too, he’s worth turning in for. The game will be on Saturday at 3:00 PM CT on ESPN.