AJ Dybantsa vs. Darryn Peterson: The Five Best Games to Watch at NBA Summer League Las Vegas 2026

Less than a month after the Knicks sealed the franchise’s first title in 53 years, NBA basketball is back.

No, not the real thing, but the league’s freshest faces and youngest stars will meet in Las Vegas for the NBA’s annual Summer League extravaganza. Just enough to quench your thirst before the doldrums of August and September after what’s already been a doozy of an offseason.

Just two weeks removed from the NBA draft, the 2026 rookie class will be put on full display in Las Vegas for fans to come up with some way-too-early overreactions. Did the Wizards make the right choice with AJ Dybantsa at No. 1? How about the Clippers’ selection of Keaton Wagler as the first in a slew of guards? We won’t know the answers to those questions for years down the road, but Summer League is a fine start to the conversation.

Plus, you’ll see some second-year players and familiar faces that may be fighting for a roster spot come fall. Las Vegas Summer League has gotten bigger each year since its inception in 2004. The winning team has received championship rings in each season since 2022, which has only added to the competition.

Besides the bling, there are real stakes on the table like a signature first impression for top rookies and training camp invites and roster spots for others. Ahead of the 11-day long hoops festival, here are the top five games we’re sure to be seated for:

5. Bucks vs. Heat — July 10, 4 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Nate Ament went to the Bucks as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Summer League days are long gone, but the NBA was sure to give us a meeting between the two teams that completed the trade of the offseason. It won’t be anything like Antetokounmpo’s first game back in Milwaukee when next season hits, but Bucks draftees Nate Ament and Brayden Burries will try to get this new era of Milwaukee basketball off to a hot start.

The Bucks took Ament with the 13th pick in the draft, which the franchise acquired the night before in the massive trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Heat. That gave Milwaukee two lottery picks—they selected Burries at No. 10. Kasparas Jakučionis is on Milwaukee’s Summer League roster, too. He was Miami’s first-round pick last year and arrived in the Antetokounmpo deal. If that’s not enough, Heat rookie Ryan Conwell is a sneaky fun prospect who could make an impact for the team this year.

4. Hawks vs. Nets — July 11, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Atlanta and Brooklyn each selected guards in the top 10 with the Hawks’ pick of Kingston Flemings and Nets’ of Mikel Brown Jr. Atlanta also selected Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23, and the franchise ended Henri Veesaar’s long wait when they took the North Carolina product at No. 52. That’s three exciting rookies pitted against Brown and Brooklyn, who also have four first-round picks from last year’s draft on their Summer League roster in Egor Dёmin, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf. We’ll see how much run the second-year guys get, but it’s a fun matchup on paper.

3. Thunder vs. Warriors — July 12, 6 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendebor — After winning a title at Michigan, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg were picked in the NBA draft lottery | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A total of three members of Dusty May’s national champion Michigan Wolverines were picked in the NBA draft lottery. Morez Johnson Jr. joined May, the new Mavericks head coach, in Dallas as the ninth pick. Then, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg went in consecutive picks to Oklahoma City at No. 11 and Golden State at No. 12, respectively.

Johnson and the Mavericks will take on Lendeborg and the Warriors during the opening night of Summer League, but I have my eye on the matchup between Lendeborg and Mara a few days later. Two stars from the national champs, plus the Thunder took another exciting prospect who can shoot the lights out a few picks later in Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz at No. 16.

2. Bulls vs. Grizzlies — July 10, 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video

The Bulls took Dailyn Swain and Caleb Wilson in the first round | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The primetime matchup of the second night of Las Vegas Summer League sees the No. 3 and No. 4 picks go at it. Memphis took Duke standout Cameron Boozer third, while Chicago took North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson a pick later. The Bulls then took Dailyn Swain 15th, which brought the franchise two new members to its young core for new head coach Tiago Splitter. Chicago’s Summer League roster also includes Noa Essengue, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, after his rookie year was cut short due to shoulder surgery.

Boozer rounded out a talented first three picks and he had as good a case as any player to get drafted No. 1. Since he went third, that’s plenty reason to show out under the bright lights in Vegas. The Grizzlies’ roster also includes fellow first-round pick Karim López, plus two exciting second-year players in Cedric Coward and Walter Clayton Jr.

1. Wizards vs. Jazz — July 9, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

The battle between the top two picks takes the cake when it comes to Summer League. Washington’s AJ Dybantsa will get his first opportunity to wear Wizards colors, while second pick Darryn Peterson got some action for the Jazz in Salt Lake City Summer League. Which player Washington would take with the top pick was a topic of debate until the franchise made the selection of Dybantsa, the high-flying wing out of BYU. Peterson has the upside to become one of the best scorers in the NBA, and he already showed flashes of that in Salt Lake City.

Darryn Peterson vs Grizzlies in 2nd SL Game..

25 PTS (8-15 FG, 3-9 3PT, 3-3 FTs)
12 AST
2 REBS
2 STLS

TTM.. This was expected right?? pic.twitter.com/4xpwvDybpU
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) July 7, 2026

These two will only play twice a season, but the debate between them and Boozer will roll on for years to come. You have to cherish this battle between Dybantsa and Peterson, because it will come infrequently once their respective careers officially begin. Summer League is the perfect setting to make a statement—the only question is which top prospect shines over the others.

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