What Do Sophomores, Third-Year Players Get From NBA Summer League?
Jul 11, 2025, 10:28 PM
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: Cody Williams #5 of the Utah Jazz shoots a 3-pointer against Tidjane Salaun #31 of the Charlotte Hornets in the first half of a 2025 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS – With the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League in full swing, some people may wonder what players with real NBA minutes gain from the experience.
Each case is different, but questioning how playing against equal or lesser competition helps NBA sophomores and juniors is a fair and valid discussion.
NBA Summer League 🔥 Day 1 Recap
Rookies showed out. Energy was unreal. The future is bright 🌟
📍Up next: Day 2, don’t miss it! pic.twitter.com/bn0pU7KchL
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 11, 2025
For first-year players, the purpose is clear. Get some reps in the offense, get a feel for the pace and space of the NBA, and get the fans hyped up for the team’s new addition.
Even though second and third-year players have already gone through the ups and downs of an 82-game NBA season against full rosters, there’s a lot they can gain from the summer hoops as well.
For more raw prospects, like Utah’s Cody Williams and Charlotte’s Tidjane Salaun, any time on the hardwood helps. Getting a move to work or a shot to fall against the younger competition builds both muscle memory and confidence to be able to pull it off in the regular season.
Isaiah Collier drops the PRETTY pocket pass to Kyle Filipowski 😮💨
Utah climbing back vs. Charlotte on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/gHzpaZcyoo
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2025
One level up from the raw prospects are solid young players who need to address some glaring weaknesses in their game.
Jazz sophomore Isaiah Collier has as much athleticism and playmaking as you could want from a young guard, but if he doesn’t improve his jump shooting, he could end up not sticking in the league. The summer league is a perfect place to get shots up in a game setting.
There are definitely players that don’t get much from the summer league, though. Brice Sensabaugh averaged 28 points on almost 60 percent shooting in two Salt Lake City Summer League games and was promptly removed from the Vegas roster.
A good analogy for the summer league benefits for older players is weight lifting. Lifting as heavy as possible is key to getting stronger, but doing more reps with less weight can help with form and endurance.
What Is The Point Of Summer League?
The NBA Summer League dates back to 2004. Before that, though, summer leagues for incoming NBA players have existed for decades.
For first-round picks and more experienced players, it’s less of a tryout and more of a chance to get comfortable in the team’s offense—and simply get time on the court. If the performance is underwhelming, or even far exceeds expectations, a lot of times that means next to nothing.
There are countless examples of players underperforming in the summer league and doing just fine in the NBA. On the other end, there are as many examples of players lighting up the summer league and flopping on the big stage.
In 2009, Steph Curry shot 32 percent and looked shaky in the summer. In 2015, Nikola Jokic averaged eight points and six rebounds. Two years ago, Victor Wembanyama shot 2/13 in his Summer League debut. We all know how those stories played out.
In 2012, Josh Selby was named Co-MVP of the Summer League and played 38 total NBA games. Glen Rice Jr. was the MVP in 2014 and shared a similar fate.
