NBA Summer League Standouts: Fantasy Basketball Rookies to Watch

There's not many big NBA transactions to discuss from Monday, or the past few days, so today, let's focus on some NBA Summer League action.

We'll discuss some first-year players who are excelling on the court and then get into their possible fantasy basketball outlooks for the coming year.

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Meleek Thomas - Cleveland Cavaliers

Thomas was a second-round pick in the 2026 draft, but he leads all players with 28.3 points per game so far in the Summer League, and that's across three games.

He has played 30.1 minutes a game, also averaging 4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.3 blocks. Thomas is shooting 50% overall and 45.8% from 3-point land. Some negatives are 1.7 turnovers a game and four fouls committed per contest.

Thomas is a guard, and is likely buried on the depth chart unless injuries pop up in Cleveland. The Cavs are expected to re-sign James Harden, and of course Donovan Mitchell is there too. Some reserve options include Dennis Schroder, Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr., Max Strus, Tyrese Proctor and Jaylon Tyson.

There's a lot of guards in Cleveland, but if the team likes what they are seeing with Thomas, maybe they move on from a veteran to open a few minutes for the second-round pick. Thomas is a name to keep tabs on, but right now, he appears pretty buried in Cleveland.

Caleb Wilson - Chicago Bulls

Wilson was the fourth overall pick this year, so to see him excelling in the Summer League is good news for Chicago, which is expected to start Wilson this coming year.

In two games and across 31.2 minutes a contest, Wilson is averaging 27 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals. He is shooting 52.6% from deep and overall. He has five turnovers and 3.5 fouls per game and has struggled at the free-throw line, but everything else has been positive for the rookie.

Wilson has a good fantasy outlook for the coming season, especially if he's slated to start at power forward. Chicago has some other notable starters too, which will ease some of the pressure off Wilson, but I could still see the rookie thriving in his first NBA season.

I'm curious to see where Wilson eventually falls in fantasy drafts for the 2026-27 season. He's already trending up, and the hype could have him going really early by the time fantasy drafts are really gaining steam.

AJ Dybantsa - Washington Wizards

Dybantsa was the top pick in the draft, so to see him excelling early on is good for Washington, which hopes to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season.

In two games and across 25.4 minutes a contest, Dybantsa is averaging 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2 assists and 1.5 blocks. He's shooting just 39.4% overall though, and is only 9.1% on his 3-point attempts. Dybantsa has four turnovers and just one foul so far, so those are more positive things.

He's found a way to score a lot of points without shooting the ball super well. That bodes well for him going into his rookie year, where he's expected to start at small forward for the Wizards.

With Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Alexandre Sarr around, it takes pressure off Dybantsa to have to star right away. All those talented players around him could help the rookie shine and be efficient early on, and that means he should be a good fantasy asset.

He's another guy I'm really intrigued to see an average draft position mark for as the season gets closer.

Darryn Peterson - Utah Jazz

Peterson was the second pick in the NBA draft, and the Jazz have to be pleased with what they've seen from the guard so far.

He's played in two games and averaged 27.9 minutes a contest. Peterson is also averaging 23.5 points, 4 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1 steal per game. He's shooting 33.3% overall and is 30% from deep.

Peterson has turned the ball over 10 times and has committed 13 fouls, so those are things he will need to clean up in time.

Peterson is expected to start at shooting guard for Utah, and have Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic as starters around him. There's more talent off the bench too, and means Peterson doesn't have to carry the load right away, which could help his progression and development.

He's going to need to do more than score a ton of points to be a high-end fantasy asset, so we'll see exactly where he falls in fantasy drafts and if he's worth the pick as the season gets a little closer.

Brayden Burries - Milwaukee Bucks

Burries went 10th overall to the Bucks. So far, he's played very well, despite Milwaukee not winning a game or looking good otherwise.

In three games, Buries has averaged 26.9 minutes a contest. He's also averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1 block. He has shot 44.4% from deep and 50% overall. Burries has one turnover and 3.7 fouls per game so far.

It's great to see Burries excelling early on, even while his team is struggling overall. The problem is all the guards the Bucks have on the roster right now.

Burries is expected to come off the bench and be a reserve option at point guard and shooting guard. Ryan Rollins and Tyler Herro are the projected starters, with Kevin Porter Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Gary Trent Jr., Caris LeVert and others as options there.

I'd expect Milwaukee to give Burries ample playing time, but the bevy of guards around will hold his ADP and fantasy outlook back for now. We'll see if that changes before the regular season tips off.