Las Vegas summer league offered the NBA world its first extended look at how this year's premier lottery class would fare against professional competition. The top four picks -- AJ Dybantsa , Darryn Peterson , Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson -- all had their moments.
Dybantsa led the Washington Wizards to a head-to-head victory over Peterson's Utah Jazz on opening night, though Peterson still found a way to show off his scoring savvy despite facing regular double-teams. Meanwhile, Boozer led the Memphis Grizzlies to the tournament's championship game , and the high-flying Wilson thrilled Chicago Bulls fans all week long.
The top tier of the 2026 class had plenty of competition for attention: a handful of 2025 lottery picks were back for a second run through Sin City, and Yaxel Lendeborg , this year's 11th pick, led the Golden State Warriors to the summer league title on Sunday. Now that summer league is officially in the books, let's hand out superlatives to this year's standouts.
Note: Players needed to appear in at least two games to be included, and those who stuck around for the entire event earned extra credit. Jump to a superlative: Most Valuable Player | Most Electric Rookie Most Intriguing Rookie | Most Inconsistent Rookie Most Disappointing Rookie | Best Second-Round Rookie Best Sophomore | Most Improved Sophomore Best Second-Round Sophomore | Best Undrafted Player Summer league MVP: Cameron Boozer , Memphis Grizzlies Boozer didn't play in front of as many fans as Dybantsa, draw as much defensive attention as Peterson or author as many YouTube highlights as Wilson, but the Duke product stood out by doing what he does best: produce consistently and win.
While Dybantsa's Wizards, Peterson's Jazz and Wilson's Bulls combined for a 6-9 record in Las Vegas, Boozer led the Grizzlies (4-2) to the summer league's championship game. The sturdy 6-foot-9 forward made a smooth adjustment to the professional level of competition: He averaged 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in six games.
On a per-minute basis, those numbers weren't far off his production during his sensational freshman season at Duke. Boozer's effectiveness as an interior scorer vacillated depending on the size of his matchup: He expertly exploited mismatches against smaller defenders but found tougher sledding when he tried to operate in the trees.
Because he's such a polished and intelligent player, Boozer mostly found the right in-game adjustments when stymied and moved well around the perimeter. The young and rebuilding Grizzlies flanked Boozer with NBA players -- Cedric Coward , Olivier-Maxence Prosper , Taylor Hendricks and Javon Small -- and he struck a nice balance between scoring and moving the ball.
Boozer has an uncanny ability to read defenses at his age, finding teammates with cross-court skip passes from the wing and baseline looks from the elbow. "There's a lot we can take into the regular season," Boozer said.
"[Our identity is] speed kills and outworking the opponent. I think we have a roster that can go out and compete this year." Skeptics might view Boozer as "more boring" or "less athletic" than the other top names in his class, but his reliability, control and intelligence are all major assets.
Ditto for his single-minded focus on team success. "We lost," Boozer said Sunday, rejecting any individual acclaim.
"You can't win MVP unless you win [the championship]." Most electric rookie: Caleb Wilson , Chicago Bulls No player generated more buzz in Las Vegas than Wilson, who poured his heart into the event after his one-and-done season at the University of North Carolina was cut short by a right thumb injury . Wilson, 20, performed like an athlete forced to bottle up his energy and competitive juices for the past five months.
In between monster two-handed slams, he blocked shots at the rim, pushed the ball in transition, threaded 40-foot bounce passes on the run and showed off his improved three-point shot. While the 6-foot-9 Wilson seems like a natural fit at power forward, it's possible that he's quick and versatile enough to also function as an oversize wing.
The most eye-popping aspect of Wilson's game is his leaping ability: He gets off the ground faster, skies higher and levitates longer than his opponents. No wonder Kevin Garnett, the former teenage sensation turned Hall of Famer, sat courtside last Thursday to get a look at Wilson.
While Dybantsa and Peterson cut short their summer league runs, Wilson compiled a