The Summer League is where rookies get their first taste of the NBA , while others get some extra reps. Many returning young players use it as an opportunity to hone their craft, while others use it as rehab. Some of these players, however, are not only too good to play with their inexperienced peers but have already proven themselves at the NBA level.

Here are the top five players from this season who have clearly shown that they do not belong in the Summer League anymore.

5 Neemias Queta – Boston Celtics

The Portuguese center was part of the 2024 championship roster

Neemias Queta was drafted in the second round in 2021 by the Sacramento Kings and is now in his fourth year in the Summer League. He has played two games so far for the Boston Celtics , but has already established himself as too good for this level.

During the Celtics’ first game against the Miami Heat , Queta went 9-of-15 from the field, scoring 20 points while looking unstoppable in the paint. He also had nine rebounds (six offensive rebounds) along with a steal and a block in just 23 minutes of action.

Queta still suited up for Game 2 against the L.A. Lakers , where he was at his best once again. He scored 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting while also going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He had eight rebounds and three blocks as well, holding off opposing center Colin Castleton to just eight points, in what was a stellar two-way performance.

Queta began the 2023-24 season on a two-way contract with the Celtics. He played a few games in the G-League, after already dominating there in previous seasons. The Portuguese big played in 28 games for the C’s last season, averaging 5.5 points in almost 12 minutes per game. In the little time he had, Queta impressed the front office and secured a three-year, $7 million deal with the Celtics.

The 7-footer may not be high up the pecking order, but with Kristaps Porzingis set to miss the start of the season, the Celtics just have 38-year-old Al Horford , Luke Kornet , and Xavier Tillman Sr. as their big-man options. So Queta should be able to fight for some minutes.

4 GG Jackson II – Memphis Grizzlies

The youngest player from last season is looking like a veteran in Vegas

GG Jackson II started the 2023-24 season in the G League as a second-round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies . As the youngest player in the league, he needed some extra time to develop before he could carve out a spot in the rotation. But with the team going through an injury crisis, he received a call-up and has since established himself as a part of the team.

Currently, in the Summer League, Jackson II may be younger than many of the rookies in Vegas, but his experience is showing. He had a wild first game where he was still shaking off the cobwebs from an extended break, going 6-of-20 from the field and 0-of-10 from three, which also skewed his stats. But since then, he has found his feet and has been electrifying for Memphis.

In his most recent game against the Orlando Magic , Jackson II had a great outing, finishing with a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds. He looked like a true three-level scorer, finishing at the rim at will. The only knock on his game would be his poor free throw shooting, where he went 4-of-9 from the line, but that could be considered an outlier for him.

Jackson, who signed a four-year deal worth $8.5 million last year, will see himself fall down the pecking order with players returning. However, the Grizzlies coaching staff will have a hard time ignoring him, after seeing his exemplary performances last season, including a record-breaking 44 point game against a full-strength Denver Nuggets.

3 Keon Ellis – Sacramento Kings

The 24-year-old was a starter towards the end of last season

Keon Ellis started for the Sacramento Kings in their Play-In game last season, but he has been in action for all of their Summer League games this year. He played in every game of the California Classic tournament and is now with the team in Las Vegas. And he excelled in both.

Ellis averaged 20.3 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field during the tournament in California, and left the tournament with a 30-point masterclass against the Golden State Warriors .

Ellis had a slightly slow start in Vegas, but when his shots didn’t fall in the first two games, his defense and leadership were still evident. In his third game against the New York Knicks , he found his groove and posted an emphatic stat line with a game-high 29 points, six assists, and four blocks. He shot 10-of-18 from the field and also went 5-of-10 from three during the one-point loss.

The former Alabama guard joined the Kings as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2022-23 season. It was a two-way deal, which allowed him to develop and work on his game in the G-League with the Stockton Kings. He earned his stripes there and was promoted to the rotation for the 2023-24 season. He ended up becoming a starter in March because of his defensive prowess and held on to the spot until the end of the season.

Despite Malik Monk staying, Ellis is likely to continue as the starting shooting guard in Sacramento, since they need him to be their point-of-attack defender, who can also be a serviceable shooter. The three-year, $5 million deal he signed in February is going to be one of the biggest steals if he continues to improve.

2 Brandin Podziemski – Golden State Warriors

The San Francisco native looks like a man among boys in Summer League

The Golden State Warriors have been in cap hell for the last few years now, and then they stumbled across Brandin Podziemski with the 19th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. After starting 28 out of the 74 games he played last season, Podziemski was bossing the Summer League in Vegas this year.

He played one game during the California Classic where he struggled with his shot. But since then, he has looked a step above the competition in the two games he played in Vegas, averaging almost a double-double while shooting 50 percent from the field.

Against the Phoenix Suns , he scored 16 points on just four shots, while grabbing seven boards and dishing out six assists. In the next game against the Chicago Bulls , he took over completely, scoring 21 points to go with 12 rebounds (three offensive) and seven assists in the Warriors’ win.

The Warriors front office must have seen enough because they have announced he won’t be playing in Vegas anymore this summer. Especially since he has also just returned from playing with the USA Men’s Select Team. Or maybe it’s because a trade is in the works, and he could be headed elsewhere. Maybe Utah?

Part of the All-Rookie First Team last season, GM Joe Lacob certainly thinks highly of Podziemski. If the Warriors hold on to him, he is certain to be a great role player for the Warriors, who have two more years to take advantage of his rookie contract.

1 Jaime Jaquez Jr. – Miami Heat

It feels almost unfair that rookies are forced to face him in Vegas

The league just let Jaime Jaquez Jr. fall all the way to the Miami Heat last year, who had the 18th pick during the 2023 NBA Draft. He had a solid year one campaign, finishing with All-Rookie First Team honors, which also led to a call-up for the USA Men’s Select Team. He continued this busy summer with a couple more games at the Summer League in Las Vegas, where he was dominant.

In his first game against the Celtics, Jaquez Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds, both game-highs, to go with five assists. He didn’t make either of his two attempts from deep, but his aggressiveness would have made the coaches happy, as he went 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Jaquez Jr. punished the Oklahoma City Thunder in his second and final game while playing just 25 minutes. He ended the game with 23 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting an uber-efficient 8-of-13 from the field. He also went 3-of-5 from three, showing his willingness to improve from deep after faltering in the previous game. The Heat would certainly be happy that he’s continuing to work on his shot, after averaging just 32 percent from three last season.

Jaquez Jr. may have had a long summer, but he was more than happy to be a part of the action in Vegas. “There’s nothing better than getting game reps. You can’t beat it,” Jaquez said, as quoted by The Athletic’s William Guillory. “Here (at summer league), those are game reps. I was happy and grateful to be able to do it.”

The 23-year-old, who started 4/5 games in the playoffs last season for the Heat, could be a permanent addition there, with the Heat not making any significant moves over the summer.

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