Rookies to Watch in NBA Summer League: July 7

The final day of the NBA's Salt Lake City Summer League features two games tonight. Before teams head to Las Vegas to compete for a title, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Memphis Grizzlies at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz at 9 p.m. ET.

The games in Utah and California have had no shortage of high-level production from the 2026 NBA Draft. Many rookies are already living up to the hype, because while Summer League is never a clear-cut indication of an NBA career, it's exciting to watch them perform. Here are six rookies to watch in tonight's slate:

Kingston Flemings, Atlanta Hawks

Flemings has had a solid start to Summer League action, averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 27.0 minutes per game. The No. 8 pick of the draft has held his own on both ends of the floor, getting active on the defensive end while remaining an impressive facilitator on offense.

Tonight, he'll face fellow lottery pick Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies with the chance to show off more scoring than anything. One aspect of Flemings' performance to watch is the shooting, as he's posted disappointing 31-29-57 shooting splits in two games.

Zuby Ejiofor, Atlanta Hawks

Ejiofor has been a force on the glass through Atlanta's two games, and last night against the Thunder, turned heads with 19 points in a dominant performance. So far, he's averaging 13.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals.

Like Flemings, the shooting efficiency hasn't been up to par (35-33-86 splits), but after going 0-for-2 from beyond the arc against the Jazz on Independence Day, he went 3-for-8 from three-point range against the Thunder, which is a great sign considering spacing was a slight concern for Ejiofor entering the draft.

Cameron Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies

From a realistic perspective, Boozer has done exactly what we expected in two Summer League games. The No. 3 overall pick is averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 65-63-67 shooting splits (2-for-3 from the free-throw line). He has been an all-around stud, doing a little bit of everything and playing to his strengths.

Against Darryn Peterson and the Jazz last night, Boozer started slow, but finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. But what's so incredible about that is that he took just nine shots. The ability for the Grizzlies' new franchise player to put points on the board in a variety of ways without the ball in his hands so much is a huge plus within a young core.

Aday Mara, Oklahoma City Thunder

Mara, who many have already dubbed the "Wemby Stopper," has been quiet thus far. He will have more to prove in Las Vegas, but through two of three Salt Lake City contests, he's averaging a sound 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 blocks.

The defensive abilities are unsurprisingly translating, and after just 3 rebounds against the Grizzlies to open Oklahoma City's schedule, he grabbed 9 boards against the Hawks despite sacrificing efficiency.

Bennett Stirtz, Oklahoma City Thunder

Stirtz opened Summer League action with an exceptional 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 24 minutes while shooting 3-for-6 from the field. However, last night's performance against the Hawks was a missed opportunity.

The former Iowa star put up 9 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists but shot a disappointing 4-for-14 from the field. He just wasn't in a rhythm, and it felt like he was forcing shots for efficiency as the night progressed. Stirtz can redeem himself against the Jazz tonight.

Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz

The Jazz might not even need Peterson to play all of their games in Las Vegas, because it's clear he's too good for the competition.

Despite 8 turnovers in his debut, the No. 2 pick in the draft put up 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 11-for-21 from the field against the Hawks. Peterson followed that with an unbelievable 25 points, 12 assists (2 turnovers) and 2 steals on 8-for-15 shooting last night.

In terms of scoring, everything that the scouts were raving about appears to be translating. Peterson can get any shot he wants, but in the 109-100 win over the Grizzlies, he was a fantastic facilitator. It should only get fans more excited to see how he fares next to Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. this season.

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