NBA Summer League: Breakout Players Who Can Impact 2026-27

LAS VEGAS – The implications of NBA Summer League are a bit different for every player, depending on the circumstances that brought them to the Thomas & Mack Center.

For top picks and highly touted rookies, the 10-day foray is mostly looked at as a low-pressure opportunity to log your first minutes on the court as a professional. For an overlooked second rounder, it presents the opportunity to prove that every team who passed up on you in the first round made a terrible mistake.

If you’re a second year player who played in the NBA as a rookie, it’s often an additional moment of preparation for the challenges that will rear their head during what is typically a notoriously challenging sophomore season. Many second year players avoid Summer League entirely, but those who didn’t live up to expectations as a rookie typically find themselves in Las Vegas. For a player who was drafted over two years before a given Summer League, an appearance on the circuit could be anything from a last-ditch effort to make the league to a last-chance bid to preserve a spot in it.

Every Summer League, there are always a handful of breakout performances from guys in those latter three categories that serve as a welcome reminder that even the players on the fringe of the NBA are in the upper echelon of elite professional hoopers. Throughout history, some of these performances were signs of what was to come with a particular player, while others were just a flash in the pan in the steaming hot Mojave Desert. What’s to come with this year’s breakout stars remains to be seen, but there were certainly some performances that changed the perception of some players around the league.

Meleek Thomas, Cleveland Cavaliers

Meleek Thomas’ slide to the Cleveland Cavaliers at pick No. 34 was one of the defining stories of last month’s NBA Draft, and it’s safe to say it didn’t take Thomas long to make a sizeable portion of NBA GMs regret their first round decisions. Thomas earned first-team All-Summer League honors and arguably deserved the MVP over Yaxel Lendeborg, posting a league-high 27.2 points per game in his four appearances while leading the Cavaliers to a 4-1 record while he was in the lineup. Thomas scored 35 points in a 90-73 win over the Miami Heat on July 13, matching the single game rookie scoring record at Summer League set by Caleb Wilson just three days prior. That performance was an encore to what Thomas did against the Detroit Pistons the previous afternoon, as he tallied 30 points, seven assists and four rebounds in a 103-94 loss.

Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets

After all five of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2025 first round picks had relatively disappointing rookie seasons, the outlook on the entire situation in Brooklyn only got even more depressing. However, Summer League offered a brief moment of reprieve, as it appears the Nets may actually have a legitimate talent on their hands in Egor Demin despite his inefficient maiden campaign. Denim earned second-team All-Summer League honors, averaging 21.3 points per game in three appearances in Las Vegas and 21.8 points per game in five appearances overall. Denim’s most impressive performance in Las Vegas came against the Sacramento Kings on July 14, as the second-year BYU product tallied 22 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals in a lights out performance on both ends of the floor.

Liam McNeely, Charlotte Hornets

Liam McNeely only made 31 appearances with the Charlotte Hornets last season, spending a handful of time in the G-League in addition to some missed time due to injury. McNeely showed in Las Vegas that he’ll surely be a key rotational piece for the new look outfit in Charlotte this upcoming season, as he earned second-team All-Summer League honors with a three game run that can only be described as a statement. McNeely averaged 21.6 points per game in his trio of appearances, his most impressive performance being a 28-point, four assist clinic on opening day at Thomas & Mack Center.

When we talk about potential sophomore breakouts, you can’t leave out Liam McNeely

He’s looking confident and comfortable so far, with Charlotte entrusting him as their main shot creator and initiator in Summer League

If his shot is back, watch out pic.twitter.com/oICtVRw7IJ

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) July 11, 2026

Khaman Malauch, Phoenix Suns

Khaman Malauch surely didn’t have the rookie season of his dreams, but his performance in Las Vegas proved that he’s on track to being a legitimate asset with continued development. Malauch led the circuit with 12.7 rebounds a game and posted double-doubles in all four of his appearances, including a 23-point, 15-rebound performance against the Detroit Pistons on July 15 and a 21-point, 10-rebound game against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 13. The Suns went 3-1 with Malauch in the lineup in Las Vegas and held their opponents below 90 points in each of those games.

Trevor Keels, Miami Heat

Trevor Keels only made two appearances for the Heat in Las Vegas, but his performance against the Orlando Magic on July 11 proved that he has a shooting stroke that belongs in the NBA. Despite the fact that Miami ultimately lost 93-88, Keels torched Orlando for 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting and buried 6-of-10 attempts from 3-point range in what was among the most impressive shooting displays by any player this summer. Not to mention, Keels led all players at Summer League with a 36.0 PER, according to RealGM. Keels’ previous NBA experience includes three appearances with the New York Knicks in 2022-23 and eight with the Heat in 2025-26, but he’s been a G-League standout with Iowa and Sioux Falls the last two seasons and has averaged over 20 points per game in back to back seasons.