The 2026 NBA Summer League came to a close last night as Yaxel Lendeborg and the Golden State Warriors outlasted Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies 94-90 in the championship game.
Lendeborg, the second of three Michigan players selected in the first round, was impressive down the stretch scoring seven straight for his team in the last three minutes of the game to close out the Grizz. The 23-year-old rookie finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 9/18 from the field.
That championship game marked the last time fans could check out their young prospects in professional action wearing their team's colors until the preseason begins in early October.
Several rookies and second-year players impressed, some disappointed, and some didn't play enough to form a real opinion about them. For example, No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa won't be included on the list because he only played in two games before getting shut down for the rest of the tournament.
It's difficult to determine if a player's Summer League output will translate to the NBA as they haven't spent much time around their future coaches and the competition is obviously a step down, but we've ranked the top-five players in 2026 Summer League below. There have been plenty of cases of players performing well in Summer League and disappointing in the NBA, and vice versa, but regardless, fans would much rather see their recent draft picks perform well.
Here at the top-five players of NBA Summer League in 2026:
2026 NBA Summer League: Top 5 Players
1. Caleb Wilson
The No. 4 overall pick by the Chicago Bulls out of North Carolina, Wilson missed the last two months of the college basketball season due to a broken hand, which might've made fans forget just how much of an athletic specimen he is.
He showed off that elite athleticism throughout the four games he played in Summer League, putting a couple players on a poster and swatting away nearly three shots a game mostly in help rotations. The most eye-opening part of his performance, however, was his surprising three-point shooting and ability to create his own shot off the dribble.
After making just seven threes in 24 games at UNC (shot 25.9%), Wilson nailed 41.9% of them on 7.8 attempts per game in SL. He made several catch-and-shoot threes, shot them from a deep range, and even made a couple of step-back threes of the dribble. His lack of shooting is what ultimately made the 6'10 forward fall the fourth overall pick, but his Rookie of the Year chances increased after his big-time tournament.
Wilson averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 50/42/33 from the field.
2. Brayden Burries
The Milwaukee Bucks need some excitement in their organization after trading away their face of the franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brayden Burries might provide their fans exactly that in his upcoming rookie season.
The 10th overall pick out of Arizona was renowned for his three-point shooting, which he showed is real, but maybe more impressive was his ability to touch the paint and make tough floaters and layups around the trees - his best play of the tournament was a game-winning double-clutch layup with his left hand to take the lead against the Philadelphia 76ers with 1.5 seconds on the clock.
If Burries continues his trajectory into becoming an elite shooter and driver, he'll be extremely hard to contain on-ball, even in the NBA. The 20-year-old averaged 23.5 points in his four games, shooting 50% from the field and 36.4% from three.
3. Cameron Boozer
In six Summer League games, Boozer showed precisely why he was picked third overall: high floor, efficient, tough, and a winner.
He's won tons of games at all levels and led the Grizz to the Summer League championship with his consistent play. He won't ever dominate a team's shot diet, instead looking to set up his teammates with clean looks and choosing to shoot when it makes sense throughout the offensive process.
Boozer wasn't even the leading scorer for his team as second-year player Cedric Coward drilled nearly three threes per game, but he was solid all-around. He made shots from the post, made threes, rebounded well, defended at a high level, and dished out over three assists per game. Overall, he averaged 18.5 points, 8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2% from the field.
He has a chance to be the best player on the Grizzlies next year, and it wouldn't be surprising if his regular season statline is similar to his Summer League output.
4. Meleek Thomas
While Darius Acuff Jr. was selected seventh overall, it was his college teammate, and second-round draft pick, Meleek Thomas that put on a show.
Scoring guards coached by John Calipari in college tend to work out more often than they don't in the NBA and Thomas could be next up despite dropping all the way to the 34th overall pick in the 2026 draft.
He was the leading scorer at Summer League, averaging 27.3 points in 29 minutes per game. He had the ultimate green light, attempting the most shots per game in the tournament (20.5), but he was still efficient despite the high volume. He made 3.5 of his eight three-point attempts per game (43.5%) and shot 50% from the field overall.
Thomas is a true volume shooter, which may not always sound like someone that would be a good fit on winning NBA teams, but as a bench scorer he could be elite. While Sam Merrill and Max Strus can be spark plugs off Cleveland's bench, they can't create their own shot and aren't effective inside the three-point line like Thomas is.
Time will tell if his scoring can translate to the NBA, but with no concerns about his size (6'5, 190), there's more reason to believe that it will rather than not.
5. Khaman Maluach
Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach is the only second-year player on this list, but he deserves the recognition. He was drafted as a very raw 18-year-old prospect with the 10th overall pick last year and spent most of the season on the bench as he continued to get better behind-the-scenes.
Maluach only started playing basketball in 2019, but his size, athleticism, and touch made him an intriguing prospect. Of course his calling card is his high-floor defense and rim-protection, but it's his offense that took a real step up in Summer League and makes him a potential star in Phoenix.
He made only four threes in 39 games at Duke in 2024 and made five of 21 threes in his rookie season last year, but he cashed in 40% of his looks in SL on five attempts per game. Along with being a true pick-and-pop threat, he was dominant inside the paint with his soft touch around the rim and terrific rebounding ability.
The 19-year-old averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 53/40/68 shooting splits in his four Summer League games, showing that he can be the future of the Suns center position moving forward.
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