The NBA 2K25 Summer League officially kicked off Friday in Las Vegas with seven games.
Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers were in action, as was NCAA Tournament legend DJ Burns for the Cleveland Cavaliers. First-round NBA draft picks Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr also made their debuts against each other.
Here’s a look at their performances, some reactions to the performances, and a preview of the evening’s results.
Results of day 1
Orlando Magic 106, Cleveland Cavaliers 79
Minnesota Timberwolves 81, New Orleans Pelicans 74
Memphis Grizzlies 103, Sacramento Kings 83
Houston Rockets 99, Los Angeles Lakers 80
Brooklyn Nets 97, Indiana Pacers 95
Washington Wizards 94, Atlanta Hawks 88
Los Angeles Clippers 88, Denver Nuggets 78
Bronny James
Bronny James showed more offensive aggression out of the gate against the Houston Rockets after taking just 11 combined field goals in his first two summer league games.
It was a tough shooting night for James, however, who made just 3 of 14 shots (0 of 8 from three-point range) for eight points in a 99-80 loss.
James added five rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes.
He scored six points in the first quarter, including this basket following an assist from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht.
Fans reacted to his performance.
James’ Summer League start has been rough offensively (6 of 26 shooting, 0 of 12 from three-point range), but he’s only played three exhibition games with the Lakers. His next game is Monday against the Boston Celtics.
DJ Burns
Burns didn’t play much for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 106-79 loss to the Orlando Magic, scoring four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 12 minutes.
Burns got his first points in summer league on a putback and then added another basket in the paint for his second field goal.
Burns has certainly lost some weight since his days at NC State, but he remains a great player and difficult to handle.
Burns clearly still has his fans.
Hopefully we’ll see more of Burns running in the Cavs’ second game, which takes place against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Risacher vs Sarr
Sarr and the Washington Wizards beat Risacher and the Atlanta Hawks 94-86. Sarr scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, but he did his best work on defense with four blocks and a steal. Three of those blocks came in a span of 23 seconds.
Analysts were impressed with Sarr from the start.
Risacher scored 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. He did a good job from all over the court, including a left-handed duel from one end of the court with Sarr trailing and a couple of three-pointers.
Risacher received good reviews for night 1.
Washington will face the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The Hawks will also play the San Antonio Spurs that day.
Jordan Miller
Jordan Miller scored 36 points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 88-78 win over the Denver Nuggets. He shot 11 of 18 from the field and made six of his 10 three-point attempts in 30 minutes.
The 2023 second-round pick caught the attention of two key people in the Clippers organization after his standout performance.
Fans and analysts alike were quick to praise Miller after his exceptional Summer League debut:
While the Clippers are certainly not in a full-on rebuild, the loss of Paul George and rumor Talking to the Nuggets about trading Russell Westbrook could open up playing time for some of the younger players on the roster.
If Miller continues to display that type of shooting ability for the remainder of Summer League, he’ll at least give head coach Tyronn Lue a reason to consider giving him a spot in the rotation heading into training camp.
The Clippers will be back in action against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Nuggets will face the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
