2024 NBA summer league - First impressions on the rookie class - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — The 2024 NBA draft class debuted over the weekend at Las Vegas Summer League, with the vast majority of this year's 58 draftees taking the floor in front of packed crowds at UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. The NBA's annual July summit draws visitors from all corners of the basketball world, with 30 teams actively evaluating not only the top rookies, but undrafted players and younger veterans who are fighting to make the fringes of NBA rosters.

Top picks Zaccharie Risacher (No. 1, Atlanta Hawks), Alex Sarr (No. 2, Washington Wizards) and Reed Sheppard (No. 3, Houston Rockets) were among the headliners, with Risacher and Sarr going head-to-head on Friday's opening night and Sarr and Sheppard facing off Sunday.

Here's who caught the eyes of ESPN analysts Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo and Kevin Pelton so far.

Sarr had an eye-opening debut, with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in a win against the Hawks and Risacher. There were a handful of jaw-dropping moments from Sarr on both ends of the floor, showing his ability to cover ground with incredible agility, contest shots all over the floor, rotate for blocks instinctually and bring impressive offensive versatility you don't often see at 7-foot-1.

He pushed the ball in transition, hit a skillful turnaround jumper out of a fake dribble-handoff, attacked closeouts looking to find teammates and made two impressive pull-up 3-pointers, which showed off his tantalizing offensive upside.

As is often the case, there were some sped-up moments, issues handling contact and lapses in awareness and decision-making on both ends of the floor, as he's very much a work in progress in many ways as 19-year-old big men in his mold often are. But the highs