It has been a celebration for Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks, Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs, and all of the players drafted in the 2025 NBA Draft for over a week now, but with Summer League set to open on Saturday, July 5, the party is (somewhat) over.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll get to look at the rookies, some other younger players, and those fighting for roster spots. This new crop of rookies is obviously talented, but we’ll be able to see them compete against players who are a little closer to their level and often have actual professional experience.
Of course, we won’t know what to think of the new group of rookies until we see them take on some of the elite players in the NBA. Summer League gives us the first real glimpse of how these top picks handle the speed and physicality of professional basketball, even if it’s not quite the same intensity they’ll face in October.
Top NBA Rookies Reveal Their Biggest Fears: From Jokic to Kyrie Irving
Before the draft, several stars, including Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke, and Harper, the No. 2 overall pick out of Rutgers, offered up their thoughts on who would be the toughest matchup now that they are in the league.
The Portland Trail Blazers selected Washington State wing Cedric Coward with the 11th overall selection. Coward, who the Memphis Grizzlies acquired in a draft day trade, the Memphis Grizzlies acquired the last two NBA MVPs: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
“Probably Jokic,” Coward said. “Either Jokic or Shai, one of those two.”
That’s a wise choice by Coward. Entering the 2024-25 season, Jokic had won two of the previous three MVP awards and remains the most versatile big man in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, just capped off his MVP season by leading the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference.
Who’s the toughest matchup for these NBA rookies?
“Giannis? Oh for sure. He won’t be my matchup. We good.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/lH8yIEhNRz
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 5, 2025
Flagg, however, believes the Thunder in general are more difficult to deal with than the reigning MVP.
“You know I say just the Thunder in general,” Flagg explained. “They’re young, they’ve got a lot of good pieces so that’s going to be a tough team to beat.”
The Duke product makes a solid point. Oklahoma City has built one of the deepest rosters in the league around Gilgeous-Alexander, with players like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Josh Giddey still under 25. That young core proved they can compete with anyone after their playoff run last season.
Why NBA Rookies Say Kyrie Irving Is Impossible to Guard
A lot of the answers would depend on what players you’re going to have to defend. The more wings and guards you have, the more likely they’ll be matched up with, and one popular answer was Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.
“Anthony Edwards, Curry, Kyrie and LeBron James,” former Oklahoma Sooners and current New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears rattled off.
Fears was the seventh overall selection and will likely see plenty of minutes backing up CJ McCollum in New Orleans. Those are four of the trickiest players to guard in the league, so the rookie clearly knows what he’s getting into.
“Kyrie,” Harper said. “Jersey. Quick. Shifty. Just knows how to get to his spots.”
Of course, Harper admitted he has a soft spot for Irving being from the same state. Harper not only played at Rutgers, where he is from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, but was born in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Irving, who spent one year at Duke before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, but grew up in New Jersey, attending Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, New Jersey, and the St. Patrick School in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Irving’s handle and ability to create shots from anywhere on the court made him one of the most difficult covers in the league throughout his career. At 33, he’s still putting up nearly 25 points per game and shooting over 40% from three-point range.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was another popular answer among the rookies. However, one player in the video joked he wouldn’t have to worry about guarding the 6’11” forward.
It will be exciting to see how these rookies handle themselves on the big stage when the season begins in October, but it will be a nice preview to see what they can do over the next few weeks in the Summer League. The real test comes when they face these elite players they’ve been talking about, but for now, they get to ease into professional basketball against other young players trying to make their mark.