3 takeaways from the early days of NBA Summer League: Yang Hansen has 'it'

As we gear up for day four of NBA Summer League, there has been plenty to write home about already. This is a dangerous time of year for fans. It's easy to get carried away with excitement or dread based on performances in mostly meaningless games. Summer League is not really a place for quality basketball; it's a chance for teams to experiment with lineup configurations and on-court roles without consequence.

So, please temper expectations and take all the opinions and analysis below with a grain of salt. That said, we can learn from Summer League. There are NBA sophomores who are simply miles ahead of their peers. The vets who struggle in Vegas, meanwhile, probably demand more acute panic. As for the rookies, it's always interesting to see how their roles morph compared to college.

A great example: VJ Edgecombe has not played in Las Vegas yet, but the Sixers' No. 3 pick was effectively their primary playmaker in his Summer League debut in Salt Lake City. He scored 28 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, consistently dribbling off of screens, getting into the lane and looking for his pull-up jumper — a skill he seldom deployed at Baylor in a more off-ball, connective role. It's one game, and it doesn't mean much, but it felt like a notable development.

Anyhow, here are a few major takeaways from the first few days of Summer League.

Yang Hansen looks the part for Portland

The story of Summer League has been Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen. The first draft pick from China since Yi Jianlian in 2007, Yang was widely projected as an early-to-mid second round pick in the leadup to draft night. Portland snatched him off the board at No. 16. Doubling the shock value is the fact that Yang, a 7-foot-2 true center, plays the same position as Portland's lottery pick from a year ago, Donovan Clingan.

And yet, the Blazers scouted Yang for years and fell in love. So far, he is rewarding their faith with an excellent Summer League. It has not been all sunshine and roses — Yang often finds himself in compromised positions defensively and endurance concerns are valid — but overwhelmingly so, watching him in Las Vegas has kindled the purest form of basketball joy.

Yang is basically Portland's quarterback. He's still learning the language, but Yang can be seen actively mapping the floor and directing teammates like he's Aaron Rodgers under center. He's a special passer at the five spot. The Blazers can station Yang at the top of the key and orbit the entire offense around him. Players are cutting and relocating with a purpose, knowing Yang can reward those efforts. He's handling physicality much better than expected coming over from a weaker league in China. Portland fans ought to be thrilled.

The Magic already feel like big winners of the 2025 draft

Jase Richardson's point guard skills are a work in progress, but he's enjoying a stupid efficient scoring run to open up his Las Vegas residency. With incredible touch at all three levels and an advanced feel for the game, Richardson looks like a day-one impact piece for Orlando. It's second nature for him to move into open space, find seams in the defense and exploit them. His floater and at-rim finishing as a small, below-the-rim guard is not normal.

Noah Penda also deserves a shout. The 17th-ranked prospect on FanSided's draft board, Penda fell to Orlando at 32 in the draft. He put up nine points, 14 rebounds and three steals in Sunday's loss to Toronto and might have been the biggest standout in the building. Orlando let Penda grab-and-go in transition, initiate halfcourt sets and do a lot of dribble-drive work offensively. The defense is special. He's ready to play in the big leagues, too.

Carter Bryant is an absolute dawg

The San Antonio Spurs beat Cooper Flagg's Mavericks on Saturday behind an impressive effort from their first-round picks. Dylan Harper shined in his Summer League debut and showcased all the skills that made him the clear No. 2 prospect. But it was 14th overall pick Carter Bryant who captured the hearts of fans across the country.

Bryant has been a menace on the defensive end. He's picking up full court and sticking to ball-handler's chests like a name tag. He doesn't get bumped off his spots. He doesn't take possessions off. The communication and effort level in meaningless Summer League games just pops. He picked up three steals and a block in 18 minutes against Philadelphia in his Vegas debut. The box score showed less against Dallas, but what didn't show up was how frequently Cooper Flagg dealt with Bryant blanketing him for 94 feet.

Other notes from days 1-4 of NBA Summer League

• Minnesota's Joan Beringer has compiled some of the most insulting blocked shots in recent memory. Folks will soon learn not to challenge the 18-year-old from France, who gets to learn from Rudy Gobert for the next few years.
• Ron Holland is going to take a leap for Detroit next season. Book it. The Pistons' need for more shooting complicates the fit, but Holland's slashing and defensive intensity are next-level. He's a winning player.
• Reed Sheppard, point guard, is not as fully actualized as Rockets fans probably hoped. But man, he's creating havoc on defense and he's going to shoot the lights out in a more refined role for Houston next season.
• OKC has an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt. Finding adequate minutes for Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topić with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso already locked in the rotation will be a challenge for Mark Daigneault.
• Philadelphia easily has the worst team at Summer League right now. Zero adequate guards, which puts their cornerstone talent like Johni Broome and Justin Edwards in a bind. VJ Edgecombe's impact is gravely missed.
• Liam McNeeley looks like a dude for Charlotte. I was skepticial coming out of UConn, but he's a 6-foot-8 sharpshooter who is playing with incredible energy and toughness in Vegas. If he can hold up defensively, crash the glass and bring a bit of secondary playmaking to the table, Charlotte will be playing him a lot next season.
• Koby Brea is shooting the lights out as expected in Phoenix. He might just be a rotation piece on day one. Older specialists are risky bets, but Brea is such an outlier shot-maker that Phoenix, already short on depth, might need to fall in love quickly.