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This year’s Summer League was one for the ages. Some of the best rookies in the world stepped up and showcased their skills for the world to see. Names like AJ Dybansta, Cameron Boozer, Yaxel Lendenberg and Meleek Thomas all showed out and got people talking. Guys like Lendenberg and Thomas played so well that their respective team’s fanbases are now imagining large roles for the two.

Yet, it’s important to remember that Summer League isn’t really a proving ground; it’s an unproving ground. It’s not hard to find success during this time. So when someone plays well, people are quick to start thinking the sky’s the limit, but that’s not the case. This is a time when the NBA-caliber players should be playing well.

Most of the guys in this league aren’t long for the NBA. So big performances are expected. Not only that, but fans should, in fact, be very wary about guys who look great, as we’ve seen time and time again guys showing out at Summer League only to never be heard from again. Here are five names that prove Summer League excellence isn’t a sign of things to come.

5 players who excelled in Summer League but not the NBA

2014 – Donatas Motiejunas (Houston Rockets)

16.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, (62.5% FG, 28.6% 3PT, 53.8% FT)

It’s wild to see a player in a Summer League play eight actual games, but that’s what Donatas Motiejunas and the Houston Rockets did in 2014. They played more games than anyone, and Motiejunas looked stellar. Many people thought he was on the verge of being the next great stretch-four in the NBA, but despite good shooting numbers and stellar per-game averages, the Lithuanian found very little success in the NBA. The only season he really saw any real production was the 2014-2015 Rockets season, where the team went 56-26.

2017 – Josh Jackson (Phoenix Suns)

17.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg (42.5% FG, 18.8% 3PT, 64% FT)

Remember former Phoenix Suns’ bust, Josh Jackson? The do-it-all forward, capable of playing defense, hitting threes, and just being an absolute menace? With his length and athleticism, the fact that he never became the do-it-all forward many thought he could be is still shocking, but the potential was there in Summer League. Granted, he couldn’t hit a three to save his life, but he still put up a near double-double every night and played stellar defense. It was good enough to earn him a place as a first-teamear on the 2017 All Summer League Team.

2018 – Kevin Knox (New York Knicks)

21.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.3 apg (35.1% FG, 35.7 3PT, 80.8% FT)

If you only saw Kevin Knox play in Summer League, you may be wondering why he didn’t pan out, because the forward looked good as a rookie. Sure, his field goal percentage wasn’t great, but considering he was hitting threes, it seemed like only a matter of time before everything clicked into place. Unfortunately, his lackluster field goal percentage from anywhere inside the three-point line would come back to bite him in the butt as his career with the New York Knicks progressed. All the preseason hype quickly left through the window.

2022 – Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)

15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, (57.7% FG, 30.0% 3PT, 76.5 FT)

When people hear the name “Ken Lofton,” many will think about the long-time  Cleveland outfielder who should be in the baseball Hall of Fame, not the  6’6, rotund center who once suited up for the Memphis Grizzlies. Modern fans will remember Lofton as the man who dominated Chet Holmgren during their Summer League matchup. It was an outing so dominant many thought  Lofton was the second coming of Zach Randolph. Unfortunately, Lofton wouldn’t stick around in the NBA and would eventually end up in China playing for the Shanghai Sharks as of 2026.

2023 – Hunter Tyson (Denver Nuggets)

20.8 ppg,  6.0 rpg,  1.8 apg, (54.1%FG, 50% 3PT, 87% FT)

It really looked like the Denver Nuggets had something special in Hunter Tyson. A second-round pick, the Clemson product looked every bit the potential star, especially when Summer League hit. He hit 50% of his threes, and it wasn’t some low-volume effort either. He was taking seven threes per game. It looked like the Nuggets had found another second-round big that could be an All-NBA caliber player. Sadly, this is why the Summer League doesn’t count for player evaluation, because despite his stellar outing and his first-team selection, Tyson never made an impact for the Nuggets or any other NBA team for that matter.