The first time Cooper Flagg touched the ball, two L.A. Lakers defenders ran at him in a rare double team shortly after tip-off. It was the type of attention Flagg commanded both on the court and inside the Thomas & Mack Center as the main event of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The teenager from Newport, Maine, and the second-youngest No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft certainly didn’t disappoint in an 87-85 Dallas Mavericks victory over the Lakers. He knew a lot of eyes were glued to him, and he gave the fans who packed UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center a good show — for about a half.

After missing his first two shots, Flagg delivered a highlight-reel dunk on a fast break for his first basket as a member of the Mavs. He followed it up with a pull-up jumper from the corner over Dalton Knecht. Then, there was a sequence in the second quarter when Flagg posted up on the wing while being guarded by LeBron James’ son, Bronny James. It caused a few oohs and aahs from the pro-Laker crowd on the first night of the Las Vegas Summer.

A determined Flagg kept bumping Bronny with each dribble, but the second-year Lakers guard stood his ground and came close to causing a turnover but was called for a foul.

On the very next play, Flagg posted up Bronny again and this time he elevated over him and drained a turnaround jumper. Flagg turned to a few of Mavs teammates sitting courtside, including Kyrie Irving, and gestured something that got them all riled up.

Tickets for courtside seats were selling for $2,500, so Kyrie and Co. got their money’s worth.

Flagg finished the first half with 10 points on 5-for-15 shooting, playing predominantly as a point forward and initiator on offense. That was Mavericks coach Jason Kidd’s plan all along. He wanted to see how Flagg handles ball pressure.

“He’s shown that he can handle the press,” Kidd said of Flagg during a halftime interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

Kidd continued: “When you have someone like Cooper who can handle, who can shoot, who can pass you want the ball in his hands. He’s a great decision-maker. He did that at Duke and also in high school. He’s gonna have some mistakes; he’s gonna throw [the ball] in the stands. We all do. But I think just his poise as an 18-year-old is incredible.”

Flagg played 16 minutes in the first half, which is highly unusual for a rookie playing in his first pro game, especially a rookie who hasn’t played a meaningful game in four months. He tallied a total of 32 minutes and fatigue factored in his second-half struggles as he went 0-for-6 from the field, including two air balls from the mid-range where he normally excels.

“The coaches have a lot of confidence in me,” Flagg told reporters after the game. “They’ve been telling us to experiment and try some new things. I was trying to be aggressive, which was new for me, too. I would say it might be one of the worst games of my life.”

It wasn’t the “worst game” of Flagg’s basketball career, but his 5-for-21 shooting, including 0-for-5 from behind the 3-point line, was dreadful. But the shooting stroke will improve as he gets more fit and gets used to playing 30-plus minutes against NBA competition.

Flagg was relatively absent much of the second half until the final minute of the game gave the Mavs the lead for good. However, he made a key block to snuff a layup that ignited a fast break that led to a 3-pointer by Ryan Nembhard — on an assist from Flagg — that gave the Mavs an 87-85 lead.

Flagg only cares about winning, and the block and the assist on the game-winning 3-ball are the kind of winning plays he’ll be doing for the Mavericks. He can impact the game in so many ways, and he doesn’t have to score to impact the game.

He’ll have more good days ahead than bad days.

The NBA Summer League is the best teaser on what to expect from the incoming rookie class. As expected, the top lottery picks didn’t disappoint, while others have obvious weaknesses that need to be corrected.

The California Classic in San Francisco and Sacramento kicked off the summer league season, with games at Chase Center and Golden 1 Center. As usual, the crown jewel of the summer hoops season was the Las Vegas Summer League. All 30 teams, armed with their first-round picks from the 2024 NBA draft, showed up to The Strip to showcase the potential stars of tomorrow.

Here are the studs — and duds — from the full NBA summer league slate.

STUDS: Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Dalton Knecht, Bub Carrington, Zach Edey, Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis

Donovan Clingan, center, Portland Trail Blazers — Clingan’s high-profile matchup against No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr turned out to be a one-sided affair. Clingan thoroughly outplayed Sarr, helping hold him down to an embarrassing 0-for-15 shooting from the field. The national champ from UConn came in with a reputation as a defensive stalwart and he has certainly lived up to the billing, leading all players at the Vegas summer league in rebounds (12.3) and blocked shots (4.3). Clingan’s mere presence (7-2, 285 pounds) on the court should greatly improve a Blazers squad that ranked in the bottom 10 in terms of defensive rating last season. He is far from a finished product offensively, but with the help of dynamic young point guard Scoot Henderson, Clingan could be on the receiving end of lobs and put-backs. The Blazers didn’t select Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft for his offense. They drafted him to be their defensive anchor, and he should fill that role immediately.

Kel’el Ware, center, Miami Heat — Last year, the Heat found a gem in 18th overall first-round pick Jaime Jaquez. The Heat may have struck gold again this year in 15th overall first-round pick Kel’el Ware. After a shaky debut, the former Indiana product rebounded with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance in his second game at the California Classic. Ware flashed all the skills that made him an exciting prospect: rim running, lob threat, soft touch around the basket, rim protector. Ware did miss all his shots from behind the 3-point line, so he’ll need to improve that aspect of his game to be a more well-rounded big man. But his ceiling is high and he could play an immediate role on the Heat, much like how Dereck Lively did his rookie season with the Mavericks. Ware and Lively not only have similar body types but they also mirror each other on the court in terms of skill set. Ware capped off an outstanding summer by leading the Heat to the championship game of the Vegas summer league. In the final against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ware had 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds in helping Miami take home the trophy with a 120-118 victory in overtime.

Dalton Knecht, guard, L.A. Lakers — Knecht was one of the few bright spots for an otherwise challenging summer season for the Lakers. The former Tennessee Volunteer’s shot-making ability in college has translated well into the pro game. He averaged 21.3 points per game in three games, shooting 41.8% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range. He showed an ability to put the ball on the deck and create offense not only for himself but for his teammates. Defensively, Knecht is still a work in progress. He tends to straighten up too much when he gets in his defensive stance, allowing quicker players to get by him. His weakness on the defensive end might have been the reason why he dropped to the 17th spot in the first round of the draft. But the Lakers won’t be asking Knecht to be a defensive stopper. As long as he can get buckets on the other end, head coach JJ Redick will have a spot for him in the rotation.

Carlton “Bub” Carrington, guard, Washington Wizards — Not many experts had Bub Carrington on their tarot cards to make the all-summer league team in Las Vegas. Carrington was one of the biggest surprises of the summer season with an impressive showing in Vegas. The 14th overall pick averaged 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 32.6 minutes. While at Pitt he was known for a lethal midrange shot, but he showed he can extend his range by knocking down 35.9% of his 3-point shots in summer league. He had an outstanding debut in a win over Zaccharie Risacher’s Atlanta Hawks, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Wizards are planning to put Bub at point. It’s not his natural position, but he seems to be a quick learner. He should get plenty of run on a Wizards squad that isn’t expected to make the playoffs any time soon.

Zach Edey, center, Memphis Grizzlies — The 7-foot-4 big man out of Purdue was the most polarizing prospect in the 2024 draft. Nearly all of the mock drafts — except for OMFB — had Edey going mid- to late-first round and some mocks (we know who they are) even had him slotted in the early second round. OMFB ranked Edey as the top prospect in the draft and graded him very high going in. Edey fired his first shot at his doubters with a strong performance in his debut for the Grizzlies in Salt Lake City. The ninth overall pick in the draft put up 14 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots in 33 minutes against a stacked Utah summer squad led by second-year pros Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler. Edey won his spicy matchup with Kessler, and delivered two eye-popping moments against the Jazz center. Edey sent shockwaves online when he dunked on Kessler and made a watch-your-head gesture as he ran back down the court. Then, he made up for missing an easy tip dunk when he muscled past Kessler and Kyle Filipowski and tipped in a shot following an intentionally missed free throw to send the game into overtime. Edey suffered an ankle injury at SLC, which caused him to miss nearly all the games in Vegas. He played for about a half in his only Vegas appearance before leaving with another ankle injury. The Grizzlies had seen enough at that point and decided to shut down their prized rookie for the remainder of the summer.

It’s too early to make a proper evaluation on Edey as we’re only given a small sample size. But based on what transpired in Salt Lake City, it’s safe to say Edey will prove his critics wrong and the Grizzlies may have found their starting center for years to come.

Stephon Castle, guard, San Antonio Spurs — Castle told people at the NBA draft combine that he preferred to play point guard instead of off-ball shooting guard, the position he mostly played in his lone season for national champion UConn. The fourth overall pick in the NBA draft has shown the maturity and the control to handle point duties and even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is impressed. “I love his seriousness for such a young kid,” Popovich told ESPN. “I love his pace. You’ll see his expression never changes. He doesn’t go too fast, he doesn’t go too slow, he reads the situation. The more minutes he gets, the better he will be.” Castle got better each time he took the court in summer league, averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the California Classic and dropped 22 points in his Vegas summer league debut. If there was a hole in his game it’s 3-point shooting as he made just 20%. A wrist injury forced Castle to miss the remaining of summer league, disappointing some fans. But the Spurs were protecting their investment and there was no need for him to make the injury worse.

Reed Sheppard, guard, Houston Rockets — After a solid 23-point debut at the Vegas summer league against Bronny James and the L.A. Lakers, the No. 3 overall selection in the draft put together an outstanding all-around game against the Washington Wizards, teaming up with second-year pro and 2023 Vegas Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore on a couple of dazzling plays. Sheppard struggled from 3-point range (1 for 5) but still finished with 22 points, using an array of shots around the paint. He also filled up the stat sheet with six rebounds, seven assists and impressive five steals. Sheppard could be more than just a high-level role player for Houston. He’ll play behind veteran Fred VanVleet, but could eventually become the team’s point guard of the future.

Matas Buzelis, forward, Chicago Bulls — Buzelis said he was disappointed in his first game at the Vegas summer league despite a solid stat line (15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks). “Honestly, I was very sloppy,” the 11th overall pick told NBC Sports Chicago. “I can play a lot better.” And he did play better. In his second game, the Lithuanian-American teenager dropped 28 points on the Golden State Warriors, including a social-media-busting dunk on a fastbreak. The dunk itself was spectacular, but what made it a meme was Buzelis staring down his opponent as he completed the dunk.

When Buzelis wasn’t dunking on people’s heads, he was draining shots from long range as he rattled home four of his eight 3-point attempts, the last one coming on a step-back corner 3-ball with a heavy contest. He took on the difficult defensive assignment of guarding Warriors second-year pro and All-Rookie team selection Brandon Podziemski. There is a lot to like about Buzelis’ game, and once his body fills out he could turn out to be one of the best players in the 2024 draft class.

DUDS: Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Rob Dillingham, Tidjane Salaun, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier

Alex Sarr, forward/center, Washington Wizards — The No. 2 overall pick in the draft had a historically bad night in his third game in Las Vegas. He went an abysmal 0-for-15 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts against his highly anticipated matchup with No. 7 pick Donovan Clingan. Sarr did have nine rebounds and three blocks, but few will remember that. The Wizards big man have a ton of work to do between now and the start of training camp. His shot mechanics is not terrible, but his shot selection has to improve. He has been consistently bad with this shot attempts throughout his time in Vegas, and he seems to settle instead of working to get a better look. In a game against the Houston Rockets, Sarr put up eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Not awful numbers, but those are the kind of numbers you’d expect from a second-round pick.

Zaccharie Risacher, guard-forward, Atlanta Hawks — The 6-9 swingman had a solid outing in Vegas. He had a smooth stroke from 3-point range. He showed that he can create his own shot off the bounce, and even threw down a left-handed dunk on a break that got fans and NBA personnel all excited. He showed a willingness to defend multiple positions, and he also didn’t appear overwhelmed by the NBA experience. In three games, he averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. If he was a mid-round draft pick those numbers would be sufficient. But Risacher was the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. There’s a level of expectation that come with being the top pick, and Risacher didn’t meet those expectations. He shot just 39.3% from the field and was even worse from 3-point range at 25.0%. Luckily for the Hawks, he’s only 19 and has plenty of time to grow and mature into his leading role.

Rob Dillingham, guard, Minnesota Timberwolves — While at Kentucky, Dillingham served as a primary scorer off the bench, a role in which he thrived in. But in summer league, he’s been tasked with running the show for the Timberwolves at point. The No. 8 overall pick seems capable of playing point guard, but it’s quite obvious it’s not his natural position. Against the 76ers in Vegas, Dillingham posted a decent stat line (10 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), but he had seven turnovers and shot just 3-for-10 from the field. It also doesn’t help his cause that his former Kentucky teammate Reed Sheppard has been lights out in Vegas. Dillingham finally found his footing in his final summer league game in Vegas with 25 points and 12 assists against the Orlando Magic, flashing all the skills that the T-Wolves loved about him. He could eventually be the stud most projected him to be, but it’ll take some time.

Tidjane Salaun, forward, Charlotte Hornets — Salaun was part of the impressive French talent surge in the 2024 draft, rocketing all the up to No. 6 overall. His 6-9 frame and 7-2 wingspan to go along with his age (he won’t turn 19 until Aug. 10) made him an extremely enticing prospect. So far, he looks like he’ll need time to develop and would benefit greatly from more reps. There were times on the court in Vegas where he looked impressive while there were other times where he looked lost. He had a double-double in his Vegas summer debut, but he took a step with a 3-for-7 shooting performance in just 14 minutes in his second game. It didn’t help that he missed the Hornets minicamp due to a minor laceration near his knee. The Hornets will need to be patient with Salaun as he’s far from a finished product.

Kyle Filipowski, forward, Utah Jazz — Many basketball experts were quite surprised that Filipowski dropped to the second round in the draft. The former Duke product didn’t do much to completely prove his naysayers wrong that he was worthy of a first-round pick, but he did show enough promise. He scored a grand total of four points (went scoreless in his debut) in two games at the Salt Lake City summer league. He finally broke loose in his fourth game with a 20-point game on 9-of-16 shooting from the field against the Toronto Raptors. The Jazz are hoping Filipowski can play the stretch-4 role next to Walker Kessler. That plan might eventually play out, but it’ll require a bit more lab work for Flip because he seems to be struggling with the speed and physicality of the pro game.

Isaiah Collier, guard, Utah Jazz — Collier was rated as one of the top high school prospects when he came to USC and appeared to be a lock to a surefire NBA standout. But finding success at the pro level is not easy, and Collier is struggling to find his footing. The concerns scouts had about him came to fruition in Vegas. He turned the ball over too many times (4.3) and he was one of the worst shooters from 3-point range, making just a shockingly bad 9% of his 3-pointers. When defenders are not respecting Collier’s 3-ball, they tend to go under the screens making it difficult for Collier to get downhill. Collier’s story is a common narrative in the world of basketball. Let’s just hope he’ll be able to bust through his early struggles and be a rotational player for the Jazz.

The NBA summer league is the best teaser to what to expect from the incoming rookie class. As expected, the top lottery picks didn’t disappoint, while others have obvious weaknesses that need to be corrected.

The Las Vegas summer league was the main event of the NBA offseason. All 30 teams, armed with their first-round picks from the 2023 NBA draft, showed up to The Strip to showcase the potential stars of tomorrow. The main attraction was 7-foot-4 center Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Wembanyama had quite the roller-coaster ride in Vegas, and we’re not referring to his games on the hardwood. Wembanyama had strange encounter with pop star Britney Spears at Aria, which resulted in a wild 48 hours in which the San Antonio Spurs star’s security detail was accused of slapping Spears in the face. The claim was investigated by Las Vegas police and no charges were filed. No harm, no foul.

Wembanyama was literally and figuratively the biggest attraction in the Vegas summer league. There was a palpable buzz around UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center as a massive crowd that snaked around the arena were there to catch a glimpse of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

His summer league debut was a major event. Thomas & Mack Center was sold out for the whole day to watch the 19-year-old human Eiffel Tower. When Wembanyama took the court, it was like watching Usher or Adele hit the stage.

His first game was dud as he went 2-for-13 from the floor with just nine points.

His second game was worth the price of admission.

He scored 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had three blocks, and threw down a couple of crowd-pleasing dunks. But just as Wemby was starting to get on a roll, the Spurs inexplicably shut him down for the rest of the summer league after two games. Two games! Fans who were hoping to catch Wemby after the weekend must have felt like they got slapped in the face by Wemby’s security team.

We shouldn’t be surprised by now that a Gregg Popovich-run organization is unnecessarily load managing Wemby. Pop did it with Tim Duncan. He did it with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. And he did with with Kawhi Leonard.

Wembanyama wasn’t the only NBA rookie who put on a show in Vegas. Here are the studs — and duds — from the Las Vegas summer league:

STUDS: Cam Whitmore, Keyonte George, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson

Cam Whitmore, forward, Houston Rockets — For whatever strange reason, Whitmore dropped to 20th in the draft. The 19-year-old former Villanova standout is now using his draft night disappointment as motivation. Whitmore silenced his doubters with his outstanding performance in summer league. He was arguably the best two-way player in Vegas, leading the Rockets to a 5-1 record and winning the MVP of the Vegas summer league. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.5 steals. He tied a summer league record with eight steals in a win over Golden State. When we revisit the 2023 draft, we’re all going to wonder how in the world did Whitmore fall out of the lottery. He looks like the steal of the draft and could be an absolute stud.

Keyonte George, guard, Utah Jazz — The 16th pick in the draft put on a show in his first two games before a sprained ankle in his third game ended his summer session. George, 19, dropped a cool 33 points and 10 assists the first time he hit the Vegas stage, and followed that up with 26 points and seven assists for an encore. The former Baylor Bears guard shot 44% from 3-point range. It’s safe to say, Jazz general manager Danny Ainge hit another home run in the draft.

Scoot Henderson, guard, Portland Trail Blazers — Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick, looked the most NBA-ready player from his draft class. The 19-year-old prodigy had the advantage of playing in Vegas where he has been training for the past two years under the G League Ignite program. Henderson was comfortable in the spotlight. He met the moment during his summer league debut, making his first four shots and finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists. He went head-to-head with fellow rookie point guard Amen Thompson and both of them made a strong first impression.

Amen Thompson, guard-forward, Houston Rockets — Amen and Ausar Thompson were the first set of twins to be drafted in the top-5 in the draft. Amen, 20, was seen as the slightly better prospect than his brother and that scouting report proved to be accurate. He posted 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting with four rebounds, five assists, three steals and four blocks in 28 minutes before leaving the game with a sprained ankle. The Rockets shut him down the rest of the summer league.

Ausar Thompson, guard-forward, Detroit Pistons — After somewhat of a slow start, Ausar really got going once the Pistons sat second-year players Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. The fifth overall pick in the draft saved his best for last when he had 18 points and 14 rebounds against the Spurs, including a spectacular one-handed, putback dunk over Dominick Barlow.

DUDS: Brandon Miller, Jett Howard, Bilal Coulibaly, Jordan Hawkins, Kobe Bufkin

Brandon Miller, forward, Charlotte Hornets — Miller has had an up-and-down summer season. He struggled in his pro debut during the California Classic in Sacramento, and it carried over in his first two games in Vegas as he went 9-for-33 from the field. He finally shook off the cobwebs in his third game against the Blazers scoring 26 points in a loss. There’s a stain that has followed past No. 2 overall picks in the last 23 years. Some might even say it’s cursed. From Stromile Swift to Darko Milicic to Hasheem Thabeet to Marvin Bagley, being selected No. 2 has not worked out for a host of much-hyped prospects. Miller is hoping he can avoid the curse.

Jett Howard, forward, Orlando Magic — Howard, the son of former NBA player and Michigan Fab Five member Juwan Howard, is one of Orlando’s two lottery picks. The other was point guard Anthony Black, the sixth overall pick. Howard was the 11th player selected. In other words, the Magic passed on Cam Whitmore twice. Howard couldn’t find his shooting stroke in a bumpy Vegas run. The 6-8 former Michigan forward shot just 38% from the field in three games and looked unsure at times on both ends.

Bilal Coulibaly, forward, Washington Wizards — Coulibaly has the biggest boom-or-bust potential among all the rookies in his draft class. The French teenager — a teammate of Wembanyama’s with Metropolitans 92 — rocketed to the top of many draft boards because of his high ceiling and vast potential. But potential could get coaches fired. Coulibaly has all the physical tools, but he’s far from being a finished product. His defense is way ahead of his offense. If he turns into Nic Batum, then the Wizards made the right call to take him at No. 7 overall. But if his offensive game doesn’t improve, we could be looking at another Frank Ntilikina.

Jordan Hawkins, guard, New Orleans Pelicans — Hawkins had a reputation of being a sharpshooter in college, flashing those skills in the Connecticut Huskies’ NCAA championship run in 2023. Some scouts compared him to former UConn great and basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen. Based on how Hawkins played during the Vegas summer league, let’s put those Ray Allen comparisons to bed. He’s definitely not Ray Allen. After a solid first game, Hawkins progressively got worse the more games he played in Vegas. He shot just 29% from the field and 21% from 3-point range. Hawkins (who’s already 21) doesn’t do much else outside of being a shooter, so if he doesn’t fix his shot he might have a hard time cracking the Pelicans’ rotation.

Kobe Bufkin, guard, Atlanta Hawks — Bufkin was a popular player to watch on many mock drafts, and he rose in the draft in part because of his potential as a scorer. The transition from college to pro is not a smooth one so far for the left-handed shooting guard, who primarily played point guard on the Hawks summer league team. Bufkin, 19, struggled when he was tasked as the primary playmaker, turning the ball over at alarming rate (4.6 per game). He also struggled with consistency on his shooting, especially from 3-point range as he made just 13% of his shots. Bufkin did finish strong with 18 points in his final game, but he’s got a long ways to go before he can crack the rotation in a very crowded Hawks backcourt.

Rookie point guard Shabazz Napier leads the Miami Heat summer league team in Las Vegas. (GETTY IMAGES)

LAS VEGAS — You don’t have to be a basketball junkie to love the NBA Summer League, especially if the venue is Las Vegas, Nevada. For the general admission price of $25 you get to watch a slew of games at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, and if you’re paying attention you could bump into some celebrities or NBA executives. That’s like watching four live shows for the same price you would pay for a dinner buffet at Mandalay Bay.

Each year I make a pilgrimage to Sin City to observe and absorb what is fast becoming one of the best shows on the Vegas Strip. This year should real exciting with most of the heralded 2014 NBA draft class — headed by No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins and No. 2 pick Jabari Parker — playing for their new teams.

The New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks will tip off the festivities on July 11 at 1 p.m. PT in the first of 67 games to be contested over the course of the 11-day event. Here are some of the top games to watch:

KNICKS VS. MAVERICKS, 1 p.m. PST, July 11: Derek Fisher will make his NBA coaching debut when New York takes on Dallas at Cox Pavilion. Fisher wasn’t Phil Jackson’s first choice as head coach (he courted Steve Kerr who went  decided to take the coaching gig at Golden State), but he was always on Jackson’s short list of coaches, having played for five championship teams for Jackson with the Lakers. Fisher is also very familiar with the triangle offense, something near and dear to Phil’s heart.

WARRIORS VS. HORNETS, 5:30 p.m. PST, July 11: Speaking of debuts, Kerr takes over the reigns in Golden State and will try to fill in the massive shoes of Mark Jackson, who successfully guided the Warriors to spectacular playoff runs the last two years. The Warriors are the defending Vegas Summer League champions. Charlotte debuts its new/old team name — the Hornets. Second-year forward Cody Zeller is expected to lead the Hornets, and this will be an important summer for Zeller because he has to show the Hornets that he can hold down that starting power forward spot next to franchise center Al Jefferson.

LAKERS VS. RAPTORS, 3 p.m. PST, July 11: Julius Randle, the seventh overall selection in the draft, will not participate in the summer league because he hasn’t signed yet. Randle says he was disappointed he went seventh in the draft, so he’ll have a chip on his broad shoulders to try to prove wrong those teams that passed on him. The Lakers may be auditioning for coaches to run the show this summer because as of now they still don’t have a skipper. Someone better remind GM Mitch Kupchak and president Jim Buss that the league requires every team to have a coach on the sidelines.

Former Kansas star Andrew Wiggins will make his Cavaliers debut at the Las Vegas Summer League. (GETTY IMAGES)

CAVALIERS VS. BUCKS, 5 p.m. PST, July 11: The marquee game of the first day is Cleveland and Milwaukee. This game features the top two picks in the 2014 draft in Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. Wiggins and Parker have faced each other in AAU circuits and high school all-star games, but this is the first time they’ll be dueling as professionals. Most experts are already predicting the 2014-15 rookie of the year race will come down to Wiggins or Parker. Also expected to play is last year’s top pick Anthony Bennett. The Cavaliers forward struggled mightily during his rookie season but should be better this season. He’ll be energized by playing alongside Wiggins, his fellow Canadian. Both teams also have new coaches this season. The Cavaliers are now led by former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt, while the Bucks gave Larry Drew the boot to make room for former Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd.

HEAT VS. ROCKETS, 7 p.m. PST, July 12: After a shaky opening game in the Orlando Summer League, Miami rookie point guard Shabazz Napier has settled down and  is showing the skills that made him a two-time NCAA champion at UConn. Napier has shown to be turnover prone, but that’s to be expected since he’s learning on the fly on how to run an NBA offense.

BULLS VS. CLIPPERS, 5:30 p.m. PST, July 12: Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau will likely be in the stands watching first-round pick Doug McDermott. Most scouts were split on McDermott. Some don’t think he can be an NBA starter, while some believe he could be a star. His performance in this year’s Vegas Summer League will provide some answers.

JAZZ VS. SIXERS, 7:30 p.m., July 12: The marquee game on Saturday, July 12, is the matchup between the Sixers and Jazz at Thomas & Mack Center. Sixers forward Nerlens Noel looked impressive in the Orlando Summer League, but all eyes will be on Utah prized rookie Dante Exum. Outside of a few YouTube clips and highlights from the 19-and-under tournament, very few have seen Exum play. Some of the mystery behind the Australian phenom will finally be uncovered. The primetime game that will be televised on NBA TV.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Kent Bazemore made the all-tournament team at the Las Vegas summer league. (GETTY IMAGES)

LAS VEGAS — When you win the NBA championship you get to hoist a gold trophy, receive a $100,000 ring, and enjoy a championship parade. When you win the Las Vegas summer league you get to hoist a gold trophy, receive a cherry flavored ring pop from Rick Mahorn, and if the team is extremely generous there could be a parade at the buffet line.

The Golden State Warriors may not be greeted with a championship parade when they return to the Bay Area, but they accomplished something special this summer by going undefeated and winning the inaugural Vegas summer league tournament title.

Two players who truly benefited from the summer circuit were Kent Bazemore and Draymond Green.

Both are second-year players who saw a lot of action during the 2013 playoffs, especially Green. The former Michigan State standout was part of a frontcourt rotation that powered the Warriors to a Western Conference first-round playoff series win over the Denver Nuggets and pushed the San Antonio Spurs to six grueling games in the conference semifinals.

Green looks fitter and slimmer this summer and it showed on the court, bumping his point average from 6 to 12 and appears quicker to the ball. His defense is what earned him major playing time for the Warriors as a rookie, and that part of his game has only gotten better. Look for head coach Mark Jackson to rotate the 6-7, 230-pound Green with David Lee and Harrison Barnes at the forward position.

Prior to emerging as one of the stars of the Vegas summer league, Bazemore was mostly known for his towel waving skills from the bench and token appearances on the court. He did make a memorable reverse layup that put the Warriors ahead during Game 1 of the Spurs playoff series, but was overshadowed by Manu Ginobili’s spectacular 3-pointer in overtime.

With supersub Jarret Jack now in Cleveland, the 6-5 Bazemore should get a long look as the backup point guard as well as shooting guard, and may even play some small forward if Jackson decides to go extra small. The Warriors coach told NBA TV’s David Aldridge that Bazemore will be ready when called upon.

“He’s gonna get a serious look,” Jackson said of Bazemore, who averaged 18 points a game in 30 minutes and was named to the Vegas all-tournament team.

“At the end of the day we’re loaded. We’ve got five perimeter players that are better basketball players today,” Jackson said. “Kent’s a guy who continues to improve, works extremely hard, and he’s gonna stay ready. We’ll see how it pans out, but he’s a guy with a lot of confidence and he has separated himself this summer.”

Bazemore was overlooked coming out of Old Dominion. He went undrafted in 2012 and was the 499th ranked player in 2012-13 according to ESPN.com. To put that into better context, there were only 450 active players in the league last season. That wasn’t lost on Bazemore as he marked “499” on his shoes to remind him of that insult.

The No. 1 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft shook off some early jitters and entertained the sold-out crowd who came to see him play in the 2010 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard out of Kentucky showcased his blazing end-to-end speed and surprised some with his improved mid-range jump shot in leading the Washington Wizards to a 84-79 victory over Golden State Sunday.

Wall, wearing jersey No. 2, led the Wizards with 24 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field, was 10-for-11 from the free throw line and had a game-high eight assists. There were some glitches in his first NBA game, but those were to be expected. The 19-year-old led all players with eight turnovers, including three in the first quarter, and appeared a little tight in the first half, missing five of his first seven shots.

“I was just too hyped to play and I was playing too fast,” said Wall, who hasn’t played in an organized game since Kentucky lost in the regional final at NCAA Tournament. He was also nursing a minor groin injury, which forced him to miss one practice last week.

“I was trying to throw lobs and find my teammates, and a little jitters there in the beginning so I had a little bit of turnovers,” Wall added. “But I think I did good running the team and getting to the basket and helping my team to a tough win.”

Wall admitted he got careless with the ball because he was too anxious. But once he slowed down and cut down on the “hot dog” plays, he began to show the skills that made him a first-team All-American as a freshman.

His first shot was so off he clanked it off the backboard, but settled himself quickly and finally made his first basket three minutes into the game when he buried a pull-up jump shot near the free-throw line from about 16 feet. His first assist came at the 6:30 mark of the first quarter when he came around a screen and served a perfect lob pass to JaVale McGee, who slammed it home.

It would be the first of three alley-oop dunks Wall and McGee orchestrated during the game.

“When he comes off the screens and I get enough angle when I get in the paint, I could pull up or I can find him, and I did a great job of finding him today,” Wall said of McGee, the Wizards’ first-round pick in 2008. The 7-foot center scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Even though Wall turned the ball too much in his debut, he was still able to make plays for his teammates and showed a great ability to get inside the teeth of the defense and create offense. Twice he drove to the basket, took the bump and finished at the rim for three-point plays. When he didn’t get all the way to the basket, he was able to pull up near the free-throw line and convert mid-range shots, something most NBA scouts thought he didn’t possess during the pre-draft evaluation process.

“What we liked about him as much as anything is his ability to make other people better,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders, who was a spectator in the stands, told the Associated Press. “He doesn’t have to score a lot of points. He’s got the potential to be one of the top point guards in this league. Maybe, [Wall is] the best all-around point guard at both ends, both offensively and defensively.”

One thing that is also noticeable about Wall is he is a quick study. In the third quarter, Wall didn’t bother putting a hand up when Warriors point guard Brian Chase launched a 3-pointer from the top of the key. On the Warriors’ next possession, Chase tried another 3-pointer but this time Wall was there to block the shot.

Later in the quarter, Wall came off a high pick-and-roll and dropped a nice assist to a cutting Raymar Morgan (from Michigan State) near the baseline for a dunk. Moments later, Wall set up Lester Hudson for an open jumper to give the Wizards a 54-44 lead.

Wall’s overall performance was certainly better than his 2010 draft classmates Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe and Gordon Hayward, who are all struggling to adapt to the pro game. Wall already has a pro game. He just needs to clean up his turnovers and make the simple plays instead of going for the spectacular plays.

“When you consider everything … the atmosphere, the first game,” said Saunders, “to come out and play as he did, he’s got unbelievable intelligence and he’s unbelievably competitive. He’s one of the most coachable guys I’ve been around. He makes a mistake and he wants to know what it is.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com