Walking into the Thomas & Mack Center during NBA Summer League feels like stepping into a pressure cooker with the lid slightly off—still intense, but with room to breathe. I’ve covered these games for years, and what strikes me every time is how much more these young players are learning than just how to sink a three-pointer or block a shot. They’re learning how to win, how to handle momentum swings, and how to manage the kind of game flow that defines professional basketball. This year, one quote from a rising coach stuck with me, and it perfectly captures what summer league is really about: preparing these athletes mentally and strategically for the grueling NBA season ahead.
Take Team Reyes, for instance. I watched them stumble through their first couple of matchups—too frantic, too eager to force plays. They’d build a small lead, then watch it evaporate in a flurry of rushed shots and defensive lapses. But in their third game, something shifted. Coach Reyes, a guy I’ve seen grow from a G-League assistant into a sharp tactical mind, put it plainly after the game. He said, "Because we limited our turnovers, and by doing so, we cut down their second-chance points. So even when they were making a run in the last few games, when they were making a run, we were trying to push too hard. So we kind of flipped the script today, to say, relax and make sure we just have those quality possessions." That shift—from frantic to focused—is exactly how summer league basketball prepares young players for the NBA season. It’s a lab for developing poise.
The average summer league game might not have the star power of a Christmas Day matchup, but don’t underestimate its value. Players are fighting for roster spots, sure, but they’re also learning systems, terminology, and the pace of the pro game. I remember talking to a rookie point guard last year who told me he had no idea how much faster decisions had to be made until he stepped on that summer league court. The numbers back it up, too—teams that ranked in the top five in summer league assist-to-turnover ratio saw nearly 60% of their players earn meaningful rotation minutes by mid-season. That’s not a coincidence. It’s proof that the habits formed here translate.
What Reyes described isn’t just a one-off adjustment. It’s a microcosm of the NBA’s regular season, where games are often decided by who blinks first during a scoring run. In the league, every possession counts double when the stakes are high. By teaching these kids to value each trip down the floor, summer league builds a foundation that coaches won’t have time to instill come October. I’ve always believed that the most successful young players aren’t necessarily the most athletic—they’re the ones who understand tempo. And summer league is where that education begins.
There’s a reason I keep coming back to Vegas every July, and it’s not just the air conditioning. It’s watching players like this year’s number two pick, who averaged 4.2 turnovers in his first two games but trimmed that to 1.5 by the finale. You could see the game slow down for him. He wasn’t just reacting; he was controlling. And that’s the real magic of this setting—it turns raw talent into reliable execution. When Reyes talked about flipping the script, he was outlining the very blueprint so many NBA coaches wish their rookies arrived with: play smart, not hard. Well, maybe both, but smart first.
Of course, summer league isn’t perfect. The physicality isn’t quite there, and defenses can be sloppy. But as a training ground, it’s unmatched. I’d argue it’s more valuable than even some preseason games because the focus is purely on development, not outcomes. These young guys get to fail, adjust, and succeed on a loop—all under the watchful eyes of staff who’ll shape their careers. When I see a team clamp down on turnovers and prioritize quality possessions, I know they’re not just playing for a summer trophy. They’re building muscle memory for nights that really matter.
So next time you tune into a summer league game and wonder why it matters, remember Reyes’s words. It’s not about the flashy dunks or the final score. It’s about the subtle lessons—like how to stay calm when the other team goes on a 10-0 run, or why forcing a bad shot is worse than passing up a good one. Honestly, I wish every basketball fan could spend a week watching these games up close. They’d see exactly how summer league basketball prepares young players for the NBA season: by turning potential into poise, one possession at a time.
