Wizards make their NBA Summer League debut
Tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Washington Wizards tip off their 2025 NBA Summer League campaign against the Phoenix Suns at 9:00 PM ET. Here’s everything you need to know:
Editor’s Note: “Everything you need to know…” is an example of fake news. It’s not possible to provide everything someone would need to know on this or any other topic. It would be much better to say “some of the things you need to know” or “most of the things you need to know to enjoy the game.” Except, truth is you don’t really need to know much of anything to enjoy an NBA Summer League other than it’s something approximating professional basketball, and that it’s weird and quirky and often fun. Plus, Kevin complains a lot when we change his precious words, so…
Wizards to Watch
The Rookies:
- Tre Johnson (#6 pick), Will Riley (#21) and Jamir Watkins (#43) will get their first taste of the NBA style.
Second‑Year Players:
- Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, A.J. Johnson and Dillon Jones will look to build on their rookie campaigns and make a case to be part of the opening night rotation. The competition for minutes starts now.
What to Watch
- Paint Patrol: Alex Sarr vs. Khaman Maluach should be a fun big man battle, in part because of the contrasting styles. Maluach profiles as an interior player who will make his presence felt in the paint. Sarr is a mobile big who shoots threes and (at least theoretically) can handle the ball and be a playmaker.
- Backcourt Battles: Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson get to take on Boogie Ellis and Koby Brea. Or someone. It’s anyone’s guess who’s starting for the Suns. Or the Wizards for that matter.
- YODA Favorite Alert: In the run-up to the draft, Ye Olde Draft Analyzer (YODA for short) took a liking to Rasheer Fleming, who I hoped the Wizards would pick at 18. They traded down from 18 to 21, and I hoped the Wizards would pick Fleming there. They chose Will Riley instead, which is not at all a mistake — I had Fleming slightly ahead, but they had “about the same” YODA score. The Suns landed Fleming with the 31st pick. This is the first chance to see the latest “one who got away” candidate.
What it all means
Pregame with this article from a few days ago. The TLDR is that some economists ran an analysis and found that better production in summer league predicted stronger performance in the following NBA regular season. Their actual analysis is much nerdier — they’re economists — but well worth your time.
I will immediately rejoin Team It’s Just Summer League if Tre Johnson shoots 3-17.
Where to watch
You could “enjoy” the action at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, but you’d at best be “enjoying” the action. If you want to actually enjoy the action, join me (Kevin Broom) on Playback for tonight’s event. We’ll talk draft, Wizards, basketball history, movies, trivia, and other stuff, including the game.
Wizards Summer League Roster
- 17 — Leaky Black, W, 6-6
- 7 — Bub Carrington, G, 6-4 **
- 47 — Akoldah Gak, F, 6-11
- 18 — Kyshawn George, W, 6-7 **
- 55 — Keshon Gilbert, G, 6-4
- 5 — AJ Johnson, G, 6-5
- 12 — Tre Johnson, G, 6-5 **
- 33 — Dillon Jones, W, 6-5
- 35 — Zeke Mayo, G, 6-4
- 59 — Jonathan Pierre, F, 6-9
- 19 — Kadary Richmond, W, 6-6
- 27 — Will Riley, F, 6-8 **
- 31 — Liam Robbins, C, 7-0
- 20 — Alex Sarr, C, 7-0 **
- 30 — Jamir Watkins, F, 6-7 **
** = Wizards draft selections
Suns Summer League Roster
- 0 — Ryan Dunn, F, 6-8
- 4 — Oso Ighodaro, F, 6-11
- 10 — Khaman Maluach, C, 7-1
- 14 — Koby Brea, W, 6-6
- 20 — Rasheer Fleming, F, 6-8
- 22 — CJ Huntley, F, 6-11
- 50 — Yuri Collins, G, 6-0
- 51 — Boogie Ellis, G, 6-2
- 52 — Alex Schumacher, G, 6-3
- 53 — Khalif Battle, G, 6-5
- 54 — Jordan Gainey, G, 6-4
- 55 — Mitch Mascari, G, 6-5
- 56 — Moses Wood, F, 6-8
- 57 — Brandon Angel, F, 6-9
- 58 — Solomon Young, F, 6-8