Summer League Mirage: Day 1 Overreactions & Reality Checks
Breaking down the standout performances, early struggles, and classic overreactions from Day 1 of the Las Vegas Summer League – because not everything in July is as real as it seems.
Welcome to Summer League Mirage – a short series I’ll run every couple of days over the next two weeks, sharing my thoughts on player performances from Vegas. NBA Summer League is always a place where it’s easy to overreact. A couple of strong games can make you think you’re watching the next All-Star, while a few quiet outings can spark concern about whether a rookie is cut out for the league.
Donovan Mitchell, for example, lit up Summer League and turned into an All-NBA guard. On the other hand, Trae Young – statistically one of the best offensive players of all time – struggled in Summer League and turned out just fine.
And if we rewind even further, back to the 2012 Las Vegas Summer League, Josh Selby was named co-MVP alongside Damian Lillard in a tournament that featured Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, and Klay Thompson. Selby was out of the league within two seasons.
All of this is just a reminder to pump the brakes and slow down before getting too excited – or too concerned – about what we see in these July exhibitions. Because more often than not, what looks real in Vegas ends up being just a mirage.
With that said, here are my initial reactions – and yes, a few overreactions – from Day One of the NBA 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League.