There's something for everyone at Las Vegas Summer League. For the prized rookies in the 2015 draft class, it's a chance to get their feet wet. For the prospects who haven't found luck in the league yet, it's an opportunity to jump-start a career. For others, it's simply a shot at getting on the radar.
The following is our annual "back of the envelope" guide to the 23 NBA teams (and D-League Select Team) participating in the Las Vegas Summer League, highlighting some of the more promising and intriguing prospects who will take the floor. The West guide is below, and the East guide is here.
Dallas Mavericks
Justin Anderson: The Mavs likely wanted a point guard with their first-round pick, but Anderson is still a nice consolation prize. He'll likely follow in the path of Jae Crowder and Al-Farouq Aminu as a versatile wing defender who can play multiple positions, but it will be interesting to see if the 3-point stroke Anderson displayed in his final year at Virginia was for real.
Satnam Singh: Meet the NBA's first drafted player from India. Dirk Nowitzki joked after the draft that he didn't think it was possible for the Mavs to draft someone slower than him. While Singh won't win any foot races, he is 7-2 and 290 pounds with a sweet shooting touch. He's a project big worth monitoring.
Jordan Crawford: Remember him? Crawford seemed like he was coming into his own as a scoring sixth man after a successful stint with the Boston Celtics during the 2013-14 season, but last year he was out of the NBA, playing in China and then the D-League. With the Mavericks in need of bench scoring, could Crawford be Rick Carlisle's latest reclamation project?
Denver Nuggets
Emmanuel Mudiay: It's still unclear if he'll be given the keys to the Nuggets' offense with Ty Lawson still around, but summer league will be all Mudiay. He's already being praised for his maturity and ability to make the simple play in practices, but here's hoping he lets loose a little bit and shows off the blend of size and athleticism that makes him such an intriguing prospect.
Jamaal Franklin: When it comes time to build a bench, jack-of-all-trades often are overlooked in favor of specialists. Franklin's ticket to a regular role in the Nuggets' rotation likely will depend on his ability to develop into more of a 3-and-D type for new head coach Mike Malone. He's a player Denver shouldn't give up on.
Gary Harris: After a brutal rookie season where he shot just 30.4 percent from the field, Harris has some reputation rebuilding to do. Playing next to a point guard like Mudiay should certainly help, as Harris is primarily a jump shooter who needs someone to create easy looks for him.
Golden State Warriors
Kevon Looney: There were apparently injury issues that scared teams away, but it seems awfully dangerous for the rest of the league to let a 41 percent 3-point shooter with a 7-3 wingspan fall to the Warriors, right? With David Lee now in Boston and Andrew Bogut's injury history, there's a chance the UCLA big man finds playing time with the champs at some point next season, health willing.
Ognjen Kuzmic: How many players won two championships last season? Kuzmic won a title in the D-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, and then received a ring with the big club as well. Can the 25-year-old backup center keep it going with another championship in Vegas, or is that just being greedy?
Matt Stainbrook: If the Internet was a basketball player, it would be Matt Stainbrook. He's an Uber driver with a neckbeard who talks trash and wears goggles and fully supports his nickname being the "Stain Train." After he was done with a very productive career at Xavier, he joined the track and field team. And kept wearing his goggles. All aboard the "Stain Train."
Houston Rockets
Christian Wood: Just look at this heartbreaking photo of Wood on draft night when he realized he wasn't going to be selected. Maybe that's the humbling moment Wood needed, as it wasn't his talent that kept his name from being called. The UNLV product can stretch the floor and protect the rim, which is an awfully tough combination to find.
Sam Dekker: Dekker quickly familiarized himself with a national audience during Wisconsin's deep run in the NCAA tourney, as he showed an attacking nature offensively that should translate well to the league. He'll need to develop into a more consistent perimeter shooter in order to earn playing time in Houston, but the mental makeup and physical skills are there.
Glen Rice Jr.: The reigning summer league MVP couldn't take advantage of an opening for playing time with the Washington Wizards last season, and now he'll be gunning for another chance somewhere else. Rice Jr., like many others, is sort of stuck in NBA purgatory. He's too talented of a scorer to ignore, but he's not quite good enough to receive the amount of possessions he would need to be effective at the next level.
Los Angeles Lakers
D'Angelo Russell: Showtime! All eyes will be on Russell as he leads a stacked Lakers team into Vegas. Russell's smooth scoring and incredible vision out of the pick-and-roll should translate very well here, especially since he'll be surrounded by a caliber of athletes he didn't get to enjoy at Ohio State. The player comparisons will undoubtedly be flowing after his debut, but he reminds me most of a prime Manu Ginobili, as he makes passes no one else would even dream. This could be a lot of fun.
Julius Randle: This may sound strange, but Randle breaking his leg in his rookie debut last year might have been the best thing for him. Maybe the stink of last year's Lakers team wouldn't have got on him, but Randle needed to improve his range and work on his shot more than anything else regardless. There's a lot of hope that Randle will develop into a playmaking 4, and his jumper could be the key that unlocks the rest of his attack.
Robert Upshaw: Upshaw was yet another highly talented big man who was passed over in the draft due to character concerns. Upshaw was dismissed from both Fresno State and Washington and reportedly failed multiple drug tests along the way. The Lakers aren't risking anything by giving the 7-footer a chance at summer league, and the reward could be huge: Upshaw averaged 7.2 blocks per 40 minutes last season for the Huskies.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns: Here comes the Big KAT. Before he gets mentored by Kevin Garnett to take over as a franchise big man, Towns will have the chance to lead the pack all on his own in summer league. While post players don't usually enjoy the benefits of great spacing and quick entry passes in Vegas, Towns is a cut above talent-wise and could make waves by showing a more expansive skillset than what he displayed at Kentucky.
Zach LaVine: Dunk champion at summer league alert! LaVine took the momentum built from his freakish All-Star break performance and turned his whole rookie season around, as he averaged 21.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists over his last eight games. He's still incredibly raw, but LaVine would do well to work on his pick-and-roll chops with Towns during their time together here.
Tyus Jones: Surrounded by incredible athletes, the Most Outstanding Player from the NCAA tourney will surely be tempted to throw lobs like the second coming of Andre Miller. That said, it will be interesting to see how Jones picks his own spots, and if he manages to stay aggressive and look for his own buckets. If you can only watch one team in Vegas, make it Minnesota.
New Orleans Pelicans
Seth Curry: Why the Charlotte Hornets haven't signed Curry, I don't know. It only seems like a matter of time until Steph's younger brother finds a spot on an NBA bench, as his D-League shooting splits last season (48/47/92) were absurd. With former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry now in charge, don't be surprised if the Pelicans take an awfully long look at him.
He TianJu: There are currently no active players in the NBA who were born in China, and He will look to change that. Last year in the CBA, He shot 40.7 percent from 3 and hit 92.1 percent of his free throws, so he's clearly a special shooter. At 6-9 and still 24 years old, He could make some noise with a strong showing.
Darren Erman (coach): The former Celtics assistant coach will be watched with a careful eye by executives around the league. Erman is widely considered a defensive genius, but this will be a chance for him to show off some game management skills and start building his case for a head coaching job in the future. Summer league isn't just for players, you know.
Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker: After the trade deadline last season, the Suns shot just 29.8 percent from behind the arc, which was the worst number in the league. Enter Booker, a polished spot-up shooter from Kentucky who could factor into Phoenix's backcourt equation right from the start of the season if he proves to be a capable defender with enough playmaking skills to get by.
T.J. Warren: If you know someone who constantly bemoans the reliance on 3-point shooting in today's NBA, introduce them to Warren. The second-year forward from North Carolina State is a total throwback player who creates almost all of his damage off well-timed cuts and bullying drives to the rim in traffic. Warren looks like he's playing a different sport out there, but it works.
Alex Len: Between Len and Tyson Chandler, the Suns have a good shot at having one healthy center for most of next season. Len's injury history is unfortunate, mainly because he clearly has the potential to be a quality two-way center in the NBA. Len may not play for long in Vegas, but he'll almost always be the best player on the floor when he does.
Portland Trail Blazers
Noah Vonleh: If there's a consistent market inefficiency in a rapidly evolving league, it's young players who will fail to produce right away in their rookie seasons. Everyone knew Vonleh would be a multi-year project, and yet the Hornets bailed on him to acquire Nicolas Batum on an expiring contract anyway. The game may be moving a little too quickly for Vonleh now, but that should change with time.
Keith Bogans: Yes, it's him. You may not recognize Bogans without the words "non-guaranteed contract" immediately preceding his name, but it's him. The journeyman will be the oldest player in summer league at the age of 35, and it's more than a little surprising that the 11-year veteran is even here. Of course, Rasual Butler turned a solid summer league into a legitimate role with the Washington Wizards last season, so you can never say never.
Meyers Leonard: The man known as Legend really came into his own late in his third season, entering the elite "180 club" of shooters after posting shooting percentages of 51/42/93. Leonard probably won't be able to maintain anything close to that level of efficiency in an expanded role with more minutes, but he's a young player worth watching all the same.
Sacramento Kings
Sim Bhullar: There are a lot of big dudes playing in Vegas, but Bhullar is the biggest of them all at 7-5, 360 pounds. He's played here once before, but Sim City is coming back to Sin City in better shape after surviving at the frenetic pace of the D-League. That's good preparation for a team coached by George Karl, right?
Willie Cauley-Stein: Perhaps no player is in a better position to improve his reputation more in such a short time span. Cauley-Stein's offensive game is so often referred to as nonexistent that any made jumper, successful post move or nice pass will feel like a complete revelation. Most prospects won't get the benefit of lowered expectations, especially since defensive play is infinitely more difficult to evaluate in this setting.
David Stockton: Nothing about his physical profile or collegiate career suggested Stockton would ever be an NBA-caliber point guard, but that's becoming increasingly more difficult to reconcile with his awesome production in the D-League. If Stockton has a big summer, he could sneak on to an NBA roster, as improbable as that once seemed.
San Antonio Spurs
Kyle Anderson: Just like Garnett will mentor Towns, Boris Diaw will continue to watch over the development of Anderson. The second-year player moves at a shockingly slow speed, but he's a point-forward with great court vision who just seems too smart not to carve out a role for himself in the league.
Cady Lalanne: The Spurs don't really have any room on the roster for another power forward after signing LaMarcus Aldridge and David West in free agency, but stashing the UMass big man overseas while maintaining his rights would be a victory. Lalanne is mobile and long, and is probably a more consistent jumper away from being a rotation quality big man.
Becky Hammon (coach): The Spurs assistant coach will make history as the first woman to serve as head coach of a summer league team. Hammon is a basketball legend studying under one of the greatest head coaches of all time in Gregg Popovich, and at just 38 years old, she's on the fast track to becoming the first female head coach in NBA history.
Utah Jazz
Trey Lyles: Towns wasn't the only player from Kentucky who didn't get to completely show off his versatile skillset. Lyles is a forward who could completely change the outlook of what Quin Snyder will want to do offensively. With the ability to play off the bounce, he could develop into the kind of playmaking 4 needed to combat the "ice" strategy of defending the pick-and-roll.
Rodney Hood: In the Utah Summer League, Hood looked a little out of place -- but in a good way! Hood was polished and always under control, and he's starting to show that his smooth stroke and efficient drives can be a big part of an effective offense, especially if Dante Exum and Gordon Hayward continue to develop as playmakers.
Dante Exum: Exum spent his rookie season walking on eggshells, which was a little discouraging given his talent. Increased strength should do wonders for his game, as he often looked downright afraid to drive to the rim and draw contact last year (32 FTA in 1,817 MP). The key thing to watch here will be his aggressiveness on the floor, as he's one of the few prospects you'd actually like to see play selfish basketball.
D-League Select Team
Hasheem Thabeet: The former No. 2 pick of the 2009 draft is by far the biggest body and the biggest name on the D-League select team. Last season was the first time Thabeet didn't register playing time for an NBA team, as he was never called up from the Grand Rapids Drive. Now 28-years-old, the former UConn star is quickly running out of chances to latch on somewhere as an emergency center.
Taylor Griffin: It's been interesting to track the development of Blake Griffin's older brother, Taylor, as he too has started to expand his game and shoot a little more from the perimeter. While Taylor, 29, hasn't logged a minute in the NBA since his rookie year in 2009, he is coming off a pretty successful season with the D-League champion Santa Cruz Warriors. He's playing for a training camp invite.
Scotty Hopson: There are some familiar names on this year's select team, but Hopson is probably the closest to finding his way to the bigs. Hopson has been impressive in previous Vegas showcases before, as his length and versatility allow him to play and defend a few positions. If the former Tennessee swingman displays a more reliable 3-point stroke, he'll be worth monitoring closely.