The San Antonio Spurs have already played three Summer League games in the California Classic, but we haven't seen No. 2 pick Dylan Harper on the court yet. Ace Bailey (the No. 5 pick) and VJ Edgecombe (the No. 3 pick) put on a show in their head-to-head matchup to open up the Classic. Edgecombe then missed the 76ers next two games. Bailey only appeared in one more game for the Jazz.
That's three of the top five picks in the NBA Draft, with three appearances in nine Summer League games so far. And they're not the only ones ...
Thomas Sorber, the No. 15 pick in the draft, sat out all three of the Thunder's Summer League games so far. Carter Bryant, the No. 14 pick, sat out one of three games for the Spurs. Adou Thiero, who the Lakers traded up to get with the No. 36 pick, has yet to debut.
To be fair, we haven't hit the main Summer League event yet — the NBA2k26 Summer League in Las Vegas that includes all 30 teams starts today, July 10. But a lot of picks are already missing a lot of games. And the headline matchup for the opening of Vegas Summer League was supposed to be the Spurs vs. the 76ers, Harper vs. Edgecombe. However, both players have now been ruled out.
Teams are being especially cautious with their top players in Summer League
Each case is different but, for the most part, we're seeing teams being especially cautious in managing both actual injuries and the potential for injuries. Harper is nursing a minor groin injury. The team was hoping he would play in the July 10 showcase game against Edgecombe and the 76ers, but decided to push his debut back to Jul 12. The Spurs also held Bryant out of a game because it was the second of a back-to-back, the kind of load management usually reserved for fragile veteran stars, not 19-year-old rookies.
Edgecombe missed his two games because of a thumb contusion and will miss a third now that the contusion has been downgraded to a sprain. Bailey missed his game because of a groin injury. Sorber will miss all of Summer League as he recovers from a February toe surgery. Thiero is expected to miss all of the Lakers' Summer League games as he recovers from a knee injury.
So, again, we have a mix of injuries and preventative cautiousness. The good news for fans is that Bailey, Edgecombe and Harper are all expected to eventually play in Vegas, as will top picks like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Tre Johnson and Jeremiah Fears.
And we won't have to wait long for the premier matchups. The opening day schedule on July 10 includes Fears and the Pelicans vs. the Timberwolves, Egor Demin and the Nets against the Thunder, Jase Richardson and the Magic against the Kings, Flagg and the Mavs against the Lakers. The premier game — Harper and the Spurs against Edgecombe and the 76ers — will now be an opportunity for someone else to shine.