High Stakes, Hot Takes: Breaking Down the 2025 Lottery Class in Vegas
From Cooper Flagg to Carter Bryant, My First Impressions on the 2025 Lottery Picks After Summer League
It’s been a crazy summer for me—one filled with a ridiculous amount of traveling. I started off in New York City for the 2025 NBA Draft, then made my way to Lausanne, Switzerland for the FIBA U19 World Cup. I made a quick pit stop back home in Dallas for a couple days, then headed straight to Sin City for the 2025 NBA 2K6 Summer League. I’d only planned on being in Vegas for four days for my son’s birthday, but thanks to some flight issues and a couple cancellations, I ended up staying longer than expected—and unfortunately missed his third birthday party.
Now I’m writing this from Athens, Greece, where I’m attending the TrenchWork Basketball Camp, which features several NBA players and coaches along with international players from across Europe. I’m here looking for under-the-radar European prospects. And now that Summer League is officially in the books, I’ve had a couple days—and a long flight—to dive into the film and put together my thoughts on some of the top rookies that stood out and caught my attention in Las Vegas.
I’m sharing my personal opinions on these players based on what I saw in Vegas, with draft positions reflecting where they were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft.
This is Part I of my Summer League breakdown, focusing on the lottery picks—with more to come on the rest of the rookie class, second-year players, and a few surprise standouts who made noise in Vegas.
1. Cooper Flagg - Dallas Mavericks
The NBA kicked off Summer League with a bang in the opening game, headlined by No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks taking on Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a rough debut for Flagg, who finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals—but shot just 5-of-21 from the floor and 0-of-5 from three.