NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League is officially in the books as the Heat won the title on Monday night, so it’s time to look at the top performers from the nearly two-week-long event. While most of the top picks from the 2024 NBA Draft participated, it was a handful of NBA players entering their second season that stole the show.
In particular, Jordan Miller from the Los Angeles Clippers and Jalen Wilson from the Brooklyn Nets stood out. Wilson earned official MVP honors by the NBA, but only was voted second-team all-summer league by the league.
Miller averaged 25.4 points in five games — the most of any player from Las Vegas who played in at least three contests — and Wilson wasn’t far behind, averaging 21.8 in five games. Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard and Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht were the leading scorers from the rookie class.
Not every top pick had a showing to remember in Las Vegas. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2024 draft class, Alex Sarr, averaged 5.5 points in four games for the Washington Wizards. While Sarr struggled on the offensive end, he did show promise on why he could be one of the top rookie defenders during the 2024-25 season.
With that in mind, here are CBS Sports’ All-Vegas Summer League teams, plus our MVP pick.
MVP: Jordan Miller, Los Angeles Clippers
Miller was the top scorer in Las Vegas and deservingly earned this honor. A Miami standout in college, Miller played a key role in helping the program reach the Final Four in 2023. After appearing in only eight games as a rookie for the Clippers, he could be in store for an extended look heading into Year 2. Miller scored at least 20 points in four games and had a 36-point outburst against the Denver Nuggets in the Clippers’ first game of the event. Miller shot 52.9% from the floor and knocked down eight of his 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Although the Clippers fell short of reaching the summer league title game, Miller showed why he could receive minutes this upcoming season.
All-Las Vegas Summer League first team
Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
Sheppard has been the best rookie in his class during the Las Vegas Summer League. Sheppard was statistically the best 3-point shooter in this draft class, and although the numbers from Vegas weren’t great (5 of 18 from distance) his shot will translate in the NBA. One of the biggest concerns/knocks on his game during the pre-draft process was positional size, but he made up for it with his active hands, which resulted in him recording 11 steals in four games. It’s easy to make overreactions after watching players in the summer league, but there’s a real case that Sheppard should’ve gone higher in the draft. I’m curious what Sheppard’s role will be with the Rockets once the season starts, but he should be playing significant minutes — even if it’s off the bench. Regardless, it appears the Rockets found their point guard of the future.
Jalen Wilson, Brooklyn Nets
The former Kansas star found a second wind during his time in Las Vegas. Wilson averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 43 games during his rookie campaign and has made strides to make him a candidate to be a top contributor for rebuilding Brooklyn squad. Wilson shined in Las Vegas and showed flashes of what made him so good at Kansas. With the Nets committed to rebuilding, Wilson should receive ample opportunities to increase his stock during a pivotal sophomore season in the league.
Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
The son of former NBA star Scottie Pippen stood out in Las Vegas. Pippen scored 29 points in a loss to the Heat in the summer league title game and likely would’ve won MVP honors if the Grizzlies finished the job. Pippen recorded a triple-double (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) in a win over the Clippers on Monday. The younger Pippen will enter his third NBA season and will look to parlay some of the success he had on the court in Las Vegas to cracking the Grizzlies’ rotation.
Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers
Clingan showed in summer league why he won’t have to play an ample amount of minutes to make an impact. Clingan was one of the best defensive anchors/rim protectors in Vegas and averaged 8.8 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in just under 26 minutes per game. Clingan should slot as the backup center in Portland behind DeAndre Ayton, which won’t be a bad thing for his long-term development. Another thing that impressed me with Clingan this week was his willingness to shoot the deep ball. He only made two total 3-pointers during his sophomore season at UConn and made three in Las Vegas. If he starts developing that part of his game to become even just a threat from outside, it will do wonders for his game.
All-Las Vegas Summer League second team
Carlton Carrington, Washington Wizards
There could be a world where Carrington has the best rookie season of any of his Wizards teammates — including No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. Carrington had a fantastic summer league showing against the Bucks, posting 13 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Carrington was a stat-sheet stuffer during his college career at Pitt and it appears the Wizards found a gem at the end of the lottery.
Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Da Silva showed why he can be an immediate contributor for a win-now Magic team. Da Silva averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds, three assists, and 1.3 steals on 60.7% shooting and knocked down 7-of-17 attempts (58.8%) from distance in three games for Orlando. After shining at Colorado, da Silva was selected No. 18 overall by the Magic, and it’s already looking like one of the steals of the mid-first round.
Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
It’s no secret that Knecht struggled to find his shot during the Lakers’ first summer league stint at the California Classic. After his worst shooting performance of the event, Knecht vowed he would keep shooting and he would find his shot. Although his overall efficiency wasn’t amazing in Las Vegas, it was a clear improvement from what we saw in Northern California earlier this month. Knecht is one of the most NBA-ready players in this class because of his pure shotmaking ability. Knecht should benefit from playing with someone like LeBron James, who is known to be able to get shooters open because of how much attention he draws. Knecht to L.A. is still a great fit.
Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
Jackson returned to Las Vegas and played even better than his first stint in summer league last year. Jackson recorded 28 points, nine rebounds, and two steals in the title game loss to Miami and scored at least 16 points in all eight summer league games. After having an impressive rookie campaign, it’s nice to see Jackson build off that success. With Ja Morant and Desmond Bane healthy, Jackson could be asked to play a big role off the bench for Memphis
