LAS VEGAS -- The 2026 NBA draft class hit the floor in Las Vegas last week after summer league commenced in California and Salt Lake City earlier this month. The biggest matchup last week featured No.
1 and No. 2 picks AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson , as the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz debuted their top draft picks.
However, other new faces made big impressions, including Chicago Bulls' No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson , who scored 35 points in his summer league debut Friday night, the second most in a Las Vegas debut since the event began in 2004.
With the 2026-27 NBA regular season on the horizon and teams preparing to premiere an impressive rookie class, here's who caught the eyes of ESPN insiders Ohm Youngmisuk, Dave McMenamin, Jamal Collier, Anthony Slater and Ben Golliver. Plus, what fantasy projections to keep your eyes on from ESPN's Andre Snellings.
Top rookies' first impressions AJ Dybantsa , Washington Wizards It didn't take long for Dybantsa to show off his scoring prowess and versatility. His first professional basket came against No.
2 pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz last Thursday as he drove left and scored on a reverse layup in traffic with his right hand. His first highlight impressed Wizards officials as he drove past two Jazz defenders, had the ball knocked out of his hand but then collected it for a two-handed dunk over a Jazz defender.
And in his debut, Dybantsa wanted to show off something he's not as known for -- defense. Ever since Dybantsa was taken No.
1, Washington brass emphasized defense to the 6-foot-9 wing, even picking up opponents full court. In a 92-88 Wizards win over the Jazz, Dybantsa had 27 points and seven rebounds.
But the numbers the Wizards were eyeing were Dybantsa's two steals and one blocked shot. It was easy to see why the Wizards were harping on defense.
Dybantsa's seven-foot wingspan caught eyes when he got down into his defensive stance. However, the Jazz's No.
2 pick Peterson finished with 24 points but just 2-for-7 shooting from behind the arc -- something that caught Washington owner Ted Leonsis' eye. "Do they play defense?
That's the one thing that's really got my attention," Leonsis told ESPN on Thursday. "They're playing.
They don't want Peterson to go off [and] score. They're playing individually.
That wasn't our forte the last three years." In his second game, against Sacramento on Sunday, Dybantsa had 23 points but again struggled from 3, shooting 1-for-6. However, he has shown flashes of his versatility and a knack for scoring, and has impressed with his 7-foot wingspan.
He had three steals, two blocks and even guarded 7-foot-1 center Maxime Raynaud on Sunday. -- Youngmisuk Darryn Peterson , Utah Jazz Sources familiar with the Jazz's thinking told ESPN it's already obvious why Utah felt confident with whomever they landed between Dybantsa or Peterson with the No.
2 pick. Peterson starred in his first two summer league games in Salt Lake City, scoring 26.5 points on 52.8% (43.8% from 3), with 7.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
His debut in Vegas was less noteworthy. He scored 24 points on 6-of-18 shooting (2-of-7 from 3) and not only coughed up eight turnovers -- an uptick from the 5 per game he had in Utah -- but also committed nine fouls (one shy of being disqualified).
"Teams are going to come after Darryn," Jazz summer league coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "He's going to be the first, second, and third guy on the scout." Despite the uneven performance, Peterson relished having the ball back in his hands, something he said didn't happen enough in his lone season at the University of Kansas.
"I'm back having fun," Peterson said. "I wasn't really experiencing it that much at Kansas.
I was off [the ball] a ton. So just, I feel like myself again." He's already earning praise, even with the growing pains.
"Peterson has the most polished offensive perimeter package of any guard over the last 10 draft seasons," a Western Conference team scout told ESPN. "He and Anthony Edwards have a chance to set the NBA standard by which guards are judged by." -- McMenamin Cameron Boozer , Memphis Grizzlies Boozer already very much looks the part of an NBA player with the body and size that towered over his peers during his first action in Las Vegas.
His skills, shooting and strength are already advantages that made it easy to see why he had, perhaps, the highest floor of any of the top prospects. And getting to play a few games at Salt Lake City summer league helped him prepare