The 2026 Las Vegas Summer League will be the first NBA proving ground for the 2026 rookies, with these three underrated gems expected to shine.
Everyone is locked into watching how the players who went in the first half of what was expected to be a generational Draft Class.
Opening night encounters at Las Vegas Summer League between AJ Dybantsa’s Wizards and Darryn Peterson’s Jazz, as well as Michigan duo Yaxel Lendeborg (Warriors) and Morez Johnson Jr. (Mavericks) have already gotten fans excited.
But let’s take a look at the three prospects you should keep an eye out for in Las Vegas who aren’t as highly-touted as the lottery stars everyone will be watching.
Los Angeles Lakers: Cameron Carr
Despite being one of the standouts at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, Baylor swingman Cameron Carr fell to the No. 24 pick and was selected by the LA Lakers. With the team going through an offseason makeover, the 21-year-old Carr will be expected to contribute as a rookie to help drive winning for the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves-led franchise.
Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks in college last season, and has had a few impressive Summer League games already, including a 26-point and eight-rebound affair against the Miami Heat in the California Classic earlier this week.
He is the only prominent rookie on the Lakers Summer League squad, which will likely lead to a star role for him over the next few games. He’ll be able to put his silky shotmaking on display while hoping his perimeter defense can also shine through.
Other Summer League stars for the Lakers, like second-year Adou Thiero, aren’t expected to match Carr’s on-ball usage, so this is a golden opportunity for the rookie.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah Evans
The Timberwolves started their campaign in Las Vegas on Thursday night with a 105-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but their second-round pick, Isaiah Evans, wasn’t on the court. This is due to the trade that led to the Timberwolves drafting Evans still not being completed, but with hopes it’s finalized in time for the weekend.
Evans is coming off a season with the Duke Blue Devils, where he averaged 15.0 points on 36.1% from three on 7.4 attempts per game.
He’s proven he can be a high-level scorer, but fell in the draft over long-term defensive concerns. When he gets onto the Summer League court, everyone will be watching to see how aggressively he can get buckets and put on a show.
The Timberwolves selected Evans with the hope that he can factor into their rotation over the course of the season, with the Summer League being the first real test for Evans, who many argue fell too far in the draft after being a projected first-round pick.
Phoenix Suns: Koa Peat
Despite being the No. 3-ranked prospect in his high school class, Peat slid all the way to the last pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. This was primarily over concerns that Peat’s offensive game might not develop after a disastrous 2026 Combine appearance where he was among the worst shooters in the class.
He averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in his lone season with the Arizona Wildcats.
Peat will likely not be stuffing the box scores with breakout offensive performances at Summer League, but everything else in his game that made him a top recruit hasn’t disappeared.
He’s still among the most impactful individual defenders in this class, capable of guarding across positions with the athleticism to be an explosive rim threat as well.
Peat will be a delight to watch on the interior as he’s an aggressive rebounder on both ends of the court, while promising to have high-impact defensive production with his elite disruption and high motor. There’s no shortage of offensive stars at Summer League, but Peat likely will entertain fans in an entirely different way through his aggressive defense and hustle.
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