NBA teams are departing Las Vegas after spending roughly 10 days in that sleepy little town in the desert. The Summer League has come and gone, giving way to the over two-month break of nothingness in the NBA’s calendar before teams report to training camp at the end of September.
Statistically, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a successful 2025 Summer League campaign. They went 4-1, but missed the playoffs because of how the tiebreakers played out. However, the Summer League is never truly about wins, losses, or statistics in the box score. The Summer League is the proving ground for young players to make a case for themselves to stick in the NBA or receive more minutes with their current big league team.
The Wolves had players on both ends of that spectrum. Some proved they are ready to be rotational pieces on a team coming off its second consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance. Other players showed they have a ways to go before making an NBA team full-time.
I have compiled my takeaways from each player who played at least 35 total minutes for the Timberwolves in Las Vegas this year.
Rob Dillingham (117.3 minutes in 4 games)
Dillingham struggled with turnovers. He committed the most turnovers (17) of those who played four or fewer games in the Summer League. However, he made some wickedly impressive passes, counterbalancing the egregious number of turnovers, which is a commonality for most players in Las Vegas.
(I’m still not entirely sure how Dillingham completed this pass.)
Dillingham didn’t score efficiently — shooting 39.4% from the floor and 33.3% from deep — but the role he had in the Summer League will not be the role he has in the regular season. Dillingham won’t receive the same level of defensive attention as he did in Las Vegas when he plays next to players like Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
The Wolves will need more point guard minutes this season. With an open roster spot, they may consider signing a traditional guard. If not, then Dillingham could have a more consistent role this season, under which he must limit turnovers and keep the offense flowing.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (87.9 minutes in 3 games)
Shannon showed us that this will be his last Summer League appearance. He was the best player on the court in the three games he played in and will almost certainly be a consistent fixture in Chris Finch’s rotation this season.
As always, Shannon’s speed and downhill scoring popped. But his passing was even more impressive and complemented his play style perfectly. For a Wolves team that needs all the passing they can get with an aging Mike Conley, it will be imperative that Shannon doesn’t lose sight of his teammates this season.
Jaylen Clark (112.3 minutes in 4 games)
Clark’s defense is the constant, but his offense is still an unknown. He shot 30.6% from the floor and 30.4% from deep in Las Vegas and still appears to be missing an off-the-bounce package on offense.
“It’s been good,” Clark said on NBA TV regarding his Summer League, “not exactly how I wanted.”
His offensive woes, particularly his shooting, don’t concern me whatsoever. Clark is a player built to be around great players. He shot 43% from deep last season for the Wolves and was an unproblematic offensive player, which is a very good thing. We will see how Finch’s rotation shakes out, but Clark did enough last season to prove he is ready to step up in the absence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Joan Beringer (92.5 minutes in 4 games)
Like Zikarsky, Beringer is an 18-year-old foreign rookie center, but he looked far older than his age. Beringer recorded 11 points, eight rebounds, and six blocks in his first Summer League game. In the three games that followed, Beringer did not fill up the box score like that, but his impact never wavered.
Beringer is fascinatingly mobile for his size, thanks to his soccer background. While he is still learning the nuances of the NBA game and will need more time before he is ready for rotational minutes in the regular season, Joan is naturally equipped with the instincts that are necessary for a big man at this level.
He didn’t resemble the advertised raw teenage rookie, which should give fans hope that Beringer will be ready to play alongside Anthony Edwards and the rest of the team in the not-so-distant future, and for a long time.
Rocco Zikarsky (39.6 minutes in 5 games)
The 18-year-old, 7-foot-3 late second-round pick in this year’s draft looked like such in his first taste of close-to-NBA-level basketball. It was evident in Zikarsky’s limited minutes that he needs time to learn the nuances of the NBA, which is expected.
Smaller players consistently outrebounded Zikarsky, and he was a step behind where he needed to be defensively. The most positive takeaway from Rocco’s Summer League action, however, was his passing instincts.
The Wolves signed Zikarsky to a two-way contract, so he will spend plenty of time in the G League this year with the Iowa Wolves, which will be perfect for his early development.
Leonard Miller (102.4 minutes in 4 games)
Miller was effortlessly productive in Las Vegas, proving once again that he is too good for this lower-level competition (Summer League and the G-League). He averaged 17 points and 8.8 rebounds on 50% from the floor in Vegas.
Miller is entering his third season in the NBA and has yet to secure meaningful minutes with Minnesota. He has been buried in a depth chart loaded with forwards and centers. Not only that, but Miller’s defense remains a hole in his game.
Our Phil Ford wonders if Miller’s time with the Wolves is running out. I am wondering the same.
Tristen Newton (105 minutes in 5 games)
The 6’5” guard had an up-and-down Summer League, which he finished off on a positive note on Saturday by dropping a game-high 24 points and ten assists on 8 of 12 from the floor and 6 of 9 from deep.
Minnesota brought Newton in on a 2-way deal last season and could do the same this year to provide the team with an emergency point guard. However, I don’t think he did enough in Las Vegas to prove to the Wolves that they can trust him with big-league minutes, especially given the critical nature of the point guard position for Minnesota.
Jamal Cain (100.5 minutes in 5 games)
Cain is a 6’7” wing who has three years of NBA experience under his belt. The 26-year-old didn’t have as good of a Summer League as he would have liked, but Wolves Summer League head coach Kevin Hanson called him an “NBA player.” Cain averaged 5.8 points on 35% shooting in Las Vegas. Look for him to potentially sign with the Iowa Wolves, returning to the G-League, where he has dropped a slew of high-scoring performances.
Amari Bailey (91.1 minutes in 5 games)
Bailey is a score-first guard who struggled to score efficiently. He dropped 17 points on 53.3% shooting on Saturday, but overall, Bailey did not move the needle and prove to an NBA team that he is ready for big-league minutes. Bailey finished last year with the Iowa Wolves. Perhaps the Wolves sign him to their final two-way spot, but I would expect Bailey will be on a standard G-League contract somewhere to start the season.
Jesse Edwards (77.8 minutes in 5 games)
Edwards entered Summer League noticeably stronger than he was last year and showed signs of improvement heading into his second season in the NBA.
He averaged 8.2 points on 64% shooting. However, Edwards only pulled 3.6 rebounds per game as a 6’11” center and struggled to convert contested shots around the rim. Still, he’s a reliable lob threat, solid rim protector, and the Wolves still have some level of confidence in him. They re-signed him to a two-way contract this summer.