NBA summer league: Five non-rookies who look ready for potential breakout seasons

While recent draft picks are always the main attraction at NBA summer league, this year it was some of the elder statesmen who made the biggest impression. Of course, history teaches us to take even our most extreme optimism with a grain of salt as success from summer league can prove to be fickle once the NBA regular season rolls around. Regardless, here’s a look at five non-rookies who turned the summer league into a potential springboard to a breakout season.

Filipowski was arguably the best overall player this year, beginning in the Salt Lake City Summer League and continuing to Vegas. Collectively, those performances just further reiterated what a steal he was 13 months ago for Utah when they grabbed him early in the second round at No. 32 overall and subsequently locked him up to a very afford four-year $12 million deal. While he averaged 21.1 minutes, 9.6 points, and 6.1 rebounds in 72 minutes as a rookie for the Jazz, he now looks poised to take another step forward.

The former Duke star averaged 29 points in 3 games in Vegas, but there were times when he downright dominated the paint in ways that won’t likely translate to a real NBA game. What was most encouraging on that end of the floor was his three-point shooting, an area of his game which has consistently developed over the years. When he first arrived at Duke, he was mislabeled by many as a shooter. He went on to connect on 28% of his threes as a freshman. That number jumped up to 34.8% as a sophomore. Last year as a rookie, he made 35% on 3 attempts per game. This summer, that number was up to 39%. While the sample size is far too small to get excited about, there are some mechanical iterations that were encouraging. His footwork is more consistent and his release noticeably more compact. Of course, with Flip, the swing skill is almost always going to be the defense as he’s a borderline seven-footer who lacks the rim protection of a center and ideal lateral quickness on the perimeter. He’s self-aware though, and even amidst the offensive explosions this summer, he spoke openly about the need to keep improving on the defensive end of the floor and the work he’s put in this offseason.

While Holland is a vastly different type of player than Filipowski, he has some similar issues, the shooting being the most glaring. He’s an athletic wing with an attacking two-way game and a high-motor. The shooting has always been the Achilles heel though and on a Detroit roster that is still trying to figure out how to get multiple suspect shooters to co-exist in NBA spacing, his development in that area is perhaps even more vital than it would be elsewhere. So while it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see him put up big numbers in his three games in Vegas (21.7 points on 53% shooting) what was most encouraging was the 7-for-15 shooting line from 3-point range. 

Even Holland acknowledges it’s “no secret” the work he’s putting into his shot and while it’s still not an ultra-fluid release, it’s just about being able to make open catch-and-shoot threes. Jaden Ivey has made those gains since coming into the league, and that’s why he’s gone a long way towards proving he can be a piece of Cade Cunningham’s supporting cast. Holland needs to follow suit, especially if Ausar Thompson and a non-spacing five like Jalen Duren are also in the mix. His other key variable is actually his defense, which is somewhat counterintuitive given his physical tools and intensity. To be clear, he’s always had defensive upside, but timing and positioning remain problematic at times. In other words, there are just too many preventable breakdowns, whether it be how quickly he reacts to an action, the angle he might take, or an off-ball rotation. We still saw some of those in Vegas, although his 13 stocks in three games illustrated his playmaking and ability to erase mistakes quicker than most.  

Shannon played three games in Vegas and averaged 22.7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.7 steals on 48% shooting from the floor and 39% from 3. This comes on the heels of a rookie season in which he played in just 32 games with an early G League assignment and a foot injury mixed in. He did get some run in the Western Conference finals, though, and provided some instant offense in spurts with 37 points in 39 minutes. There is an opportunity on the horizon as Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s departure in free agency opens up about 25 minutes per game for the Wolves. 

It looked like Shannon may be willing to fill a large portion of that void in Vegas, and that may be what the Minnesota front office is counting on. He’ll turn 25 later this month and is just one year away from being a relatively surprising first-round pick for the Wolves, which means that the front office was betting on an immediate return. This summer, Minnesota also prioritized retaining Julius Randle and Naz Reid, over Alexander-Walker, presumably believing they had internal replacements. Shannon’s ability to get a bucket is not in question. He’s physical to the rim, shot 40% on catch-and-shoots 3s as a rookie, and has a complementary floater game. The progression of his guard skills has been a talking point dating back to his time at Illinois, but there was clear progression in Vegas. Beyond the numbers, he was throwing lobs, kick-outs to shooters off the dribble and quick extra passes around the perimeter. That’s only going to increase his value as a secondary playmaker around Anthony Edwards, especially with Mike Conley set to turn 38 before next season tips. Overall, if Minnesota brought him to Vegas to see if he was ready to take on a bigger role next season, the team likely got its answer.

Livingston has spent two years in the Milwaukee organization after being taken with the 58th pick in 2023. He’s seen action in only 42 NBA games in that time, so it wasn’t shocking when Milwaukee waived him on July 2. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old opted to play in the summer league and it paid off, literally. He averaged just under 21 points per game in four games and as a result, Milwaukee opted to bring him back on a fully guaranteed $2.3 million deal. That, in and of itself, makes Livingston a big winner of the summer league, but what would it look like for that to be a springboard to a breakout third season? 

If he can play his way into Milwaukee’s rotation, that would certainly qualify. Livingston is a long and powerful wing. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and a powerful upper body, he certainly looks the part. He gets to the rim with power and physicality and has a physical profile that could ultimately yield itself to defensive versatility. Similar to others looking to carve out minutes as a role player, the shooting is a critical variable. Livingston has gone just 1 for 13 from 3 in those 42 NBA games. Through four summer-league games, he went 8 for 21. In short, it’s not just notable that he made 3s, but that he was willing to take them. They didn’t look bad either. His release is a little low but he had good loft and rotation on his ball. It may never be totally pure, but as was the case with Holland, it’s just about being a threat to make open standstill triples. Also relevant to his chances of cracking the rotation were that Andre Jackson really struggled in summer league. Jackson was ahead of Livingston in the rotation last year, starting 43 of 67 games, but it was Livingston who looked like the better player in Vegas. If that gives him momentum going into training camp, he may be able to carve out a spot in the rotation.

The Nuggets have revamped their supporting cast this offseason by adding Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. In so doing they’ve improved their floor spacing, depth, and defensive versatility around Nikola Jokić, all while retaining other core members of last year’s rotation like Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun. They have another potential new contributor this year as well in Holmes. Their 2024 first-round pick missed all of last season with an Achilles injury suffered at this very summer league. A year later and he returned to the scene and looked not just fully healthy, but productive. In fact, he got progressively better with each passing game, culminating with 19 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists against the Clippers. 

A healthy Holmes gives the Nuggets the type of frontcourt asset they don’t otherwise have. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, and a now bulked up frame, he can offer minutes at both the four or the five. The shooting gains we saw in his final season at Dayton look intact, as he knocked down seven 3s in just four games. We also saw some complementing ball skills with flashes of being able to put the ball on the floor and make some passes, albeit with some turnovers mixed in. He outran opposing bigs from rim-to-rim and showed versatility as a roll-man. There were quick slips, glimpses of short roll potential, and then other times where he put pressure on the rim and got maximum separation right away. Ultimately, his performance created optimism that he’s ready to compete for minutes, which only adds to Denver’s newfound depth and versatility.

Notable Under-The-Radar Names

• Darius Bazley is now 25 years old. The former celebrated high school prospect turned first-round pick was out of the NBA last year, playing in China. But he used the summer league as a platform to prove he deserves another shot. Suiting up for the Lakers, he made an impression showing not just the size, length, and athleticism — which he has always been known for — but also speed, positional versatility, improved offensive skill, and defensive playmaking. His best game might have actually been at the California Classic, which preceded Vegas, where he dropped 27 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, his run ended with injury as he went down in a game against the Celtics and ultimately taken out in a wheelchair. While his status from that injury has yet to be reported, he was making a case for his return prior to it.
• Former Villanova guard Mark Armstrong suited up for the Sixers and averaged 14 points per game in Vegas, shooting 41% from the 3-point line. Armstrong’s tools have been undeniable dating all the way back to high school, he’s just never been able to put them all together. The Sixers are believed to still have a vacant two-way contract and while they have Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Kyle Lowry, there may be a case to be made for an additional ball-handler in that group. Armstrong certainly played his way into consideration.
• Former Gonzaga star Drew Timme signed a two-year contract with the Nets for roughly $2 million in late March, and he looked like a steal through three games in Vegas. The questions about his defensive position and floor-spacing are still lingering, but his sheer productivity reinforced what he showed in nine games with the Nets late last season when he averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game in 28 minutes. In short, all eyes were on the Nets four first-round draft picks, but Timme looks like a real NBA player.
• Former DePaul, St. John’s, and Memphis star David Jones-Garcia spent last year playing with Mexico City in the G League before joining the Spurs’ summer-league roster. He averaged 21 points while shooting 50% from 3 in Vegas and now appears bound for an NBA future, whether it is in San Antonio or elsewhere, after turning down a reported three-year contract offer from Olympiacos BC in Greece.