NBA scouts, fans and executives eagerly awaited the 2026 draft, and the newest rookie class hasn't disappointed in its first few weeks in the league. Except for No.
20 pick Jayden Quaintance and No. 21 pick Karim Lopez , who are injured, every first-round selection appeared in multiple games at the Las Vegas summer league.
Which means it's time for some way-too-early rookie rankings, based on the best rookies' potential and their initial showings at summer league. In this exercise, we'll rank the top 11 picks from the 2026 draft, who have been impressive or notable on the court this summer.
(That count stops at 11, alas, because No. 12 pick Aday Mara of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks like he has a long way to go before contributing to a championship contender.) Note that this is a ranking of the players' quality right now , rather than long-term projection, and it's inherently subject to small-sample variance.
I saw all of these youngsters play at least once in Las Vegas, but none of them more than twice. Before we begin, the following rookies all deserve at least a brief mention for their performances: the Cleveland Cavaliers ' Meleek Thomas , the summer league scoring leader at 28.3 points per game; the Philadelphia 76ers ' Labaron Philon Jr ., a smooth offensive operator; and the Toronto Raptors ' Allen Graves , a steals machine who could be an absolute terror playing with Scottie Barnes , Collin Murray-Boyles and (maybe) Kawhi Leonard .
Now, on to the top 11 rookies, with some shuffling of their draft order based on summer play. 11.
Darius Acuff Jr ., Sacramento Kings 2026 draft pick: 7 Let's start with the positive: Acuff looks the part of a lead creator. As he threaded several nifty passes through traffic in Vegas, I grew excited to watch him partner with Domantas Sabonis in pick-and-rolls and handoffs this season.
But Acuff also checked off almost every negative box for a small guard. He didn't assuage any concerns about his lackadaisical defense, especially off the ball.
And his offensive efficiency was subpar in all but one game. Including his play in the California Classic, Acuff shot 35% from the field, 27% on 3-pointers and 70% on free throws this summer.
Those percentages will surely tick upward in a larger sample in the regular season. But given his other limitations, Acuff needs to be a transcendent offensive talent to truly succeed in the NBA, and he's shown some early reasons to doubt that path.
10. Keaton Wagler , LA Clippers 2026 draft pick: 5 Wagler is Exhibit A for why it's important not to overreact to summer league performances.
I watched him struggle through six quarters in Vegas before leaving at halftime of his second game to catch a flight -- yet he scored 18 points in a quarter as soon as I left the gym. With his size (6-foot-5, 188 pounds), smooth 3-point stroke (35% at summer league) and shrewd passing out of the pick-and-roll, Wagler profiles as a lead creator at the NBA level.
But he was overly passive for long stretches in Vegas, and a lack of explosiveness meant he rarely created any separation from defenders. Even his 18-point quarter came mostly from shots beyond the arc; Wagler made just 33% (7-for-21) of his 2-point attempts at summer league, which suggests a rookie year more like Egor Demin 's in Brooklyn than that of a Rookie of the Year contender.
9. Kingston Flemings , Atlanta Hawks 2026 draft pick: 8 Flemings was the best defender among the lottery guards in Vegas, able to stick with opposing guards and hold his own when switched onto opposing bigs.
Nets forward Danny Wolf isn't the most imposing post presence, but it's still notable that Flemings swiped the ball from the 6-foot-11 player after a late switch in a close game. More questions surround Flemings' offense.
On the one hand, I saw him score at all three levels in one half at summer league, and he largely looked composed and controlled under pressure. But he also appeared unwilling to drive to his left, and his overall efficiency (32% from the field, counting his play in Salt Lake City summer league) left much to be desired.
8. Morez Johnson Jr ., Dallas Mavericks 2026 draft pick: 9 Johnson was one of the standout performers of summer league despite playing only two games.
He made several advanced reads out of the short roll and was extremely efficient inside the arc, making 75% (15-for-20) of his 2-point attempts. Johnson was even more impressive on the other end, where he was a very active defender with six blocks