There’s one clear player with tons of pressure on his shoulder(s).
The full team for the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League Atlanta Hawks was recently released, and with the first game quickly approaching on July 11, a few players have been put on notice to deliver.
A strong performance from players in the competition can boost them going forwards. Some are looking to break into the 2025-26 regular season rotation for the Hawks. Some are merely trying to stick with the College Park Skyhawks by way of an Exhibit 10 training camp contract and therefore guaranteed money to play the 2025-26 season for the Hawks’ G League affiliate.
Either way, it will be interesting to see if the Hawks can vastly improve on their 0-5 showing in 2024 and push for a top four finish in Las Vegas.
Which players have the most to prove? I’ve tiered each of the 15 members according to their immediate aspirations with the club:
Tier 1: It’s now or never
Kobe Bufkin
It’s been a rough ride since Bufkin was drafted 15th overall in 2023.
He encountered trevails manning point for the Hawks in Las Vegas that summer campaign in 2023 with some unsightly shooting and turnover numbers. Then, at the beginning of the regular season, Bufkin fractured his left (shooting hand) thumb.
He did manage to return and have a strong season with the Skyhawks upon returning from that injury, including dropping 43 points in one contest.
Then, after committing to last year’s Summer League team, he injured his right shoulder in a practice before the competition and was ruled out until the fall. That same shoulder ended his 2024-25 regular season after just 10 games played.
Now, with the Hawks pressing on the gas pedal to compete in the East and bringing in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard as backup guard options, Bufkin now more than ever has to prove he deserves rotation minutes.
It undoubtedly starts with strong performances this month when he’ll again operate with the ball in his hands for point guard reps. If he can’t break down defenses and play-make at a high level as a third-year guard in this competition — as well as stay healthy — the Hawks just may have to find a new home for him heading into the regular season.
This is a crucial crossroads for him. Teams further away from truly competing could afford to wait on his development into a productive rotation player, but the Hawks no long can do the same with their own expectations set rather high.
Tier 2: Aiming for rotation minutes by the end of 2025-26
Asa Newell
Newell’s roster spot isn’t in any jeopardy, of course, with him having signed a rookie four-year draft slot deal with the Hawks already. But his biggest battle as it stands now is with third-year big Mouhamed Gueye for reserve big minutes behind Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis.
How much will his motor and physical gifts translate to Summer League? It would go a long way for him to look like a man amongst boys as a high-ranking high school recruit and one-and-done player from a very difficult Southeastern Conference. He’ll surely see a fair bit of run in College Park, but come late in this upcoming season, he could eke out some minutes with the senior squad.
Nikola Djurisic
The young Serbian has had almost as treacherous a journey as Bufkin. This time last year in Las Vegas, Djurisic fractured his left foot in a play during the second Summer League game after being drafted 43rd overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He had surgery and returned to play with the College Park Skyhawks later in the season without even a two-way contract.
Now, Djurisic is likely playing for some amount of guaranteed money whether here or elsewhere. He had an unsteady rookie season in the G League last year, and so he’ll need to play a more efficient brand of ball to stick with the Hawks this summer and fall.
Tier 3: Seeking a guaranteed deal
Lamont Butler
Similar to Keaton Wallace, who has a qualifying offer for a two-way contract pending, the Hawks have recently targeted defensive-minded guards for the back of their rosters. This (unofficial but reportedly happening soon) signing seems to be no different.
Lamont Butler’s primary role is to be an on-ball defender, so any offensive contributions you get from him is a bonus. But if he can come in and consistently make it tough for opponents in Las Vegas to get downhill, his worth on a two-way will be evident.
Eli Ndiaye
Ndiaye spent this past year teamed up with Hawks of past, Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares, Bruno Fernando, and even the briefly acquired Usman Garuba who was later traded away in the same summer. He’s a young Senegalese and Spanish forward who has spent his last eight years in the youth system and senior team of Real Madrid Baloncesto.
Soon after the draft, the Hawks and Ndiaye agreed on a two-way contract for this season. While he was largely just a reserve/rotational player in Spain, his age, skill, frame, and all-around ability as an undersized forward may turn some heads once we get to see him in the summer showcase.
Jacob Toppin
Toppin, the brother of Pacer Obi, signed a two-year two-way contract with the Hawks towards the end of last season and only played the final game for the Hawks. He’s a rangy 6-foot-9 forward who stretches the floor well, but he has a chance to showcase his all-around game this summer as a relative veteran of the competition.
Tier 4: Seeking a two-way deal
Kobe Johnson
Let’s get this out of the way: if you hadn’t heard, yes, he’s the brother of Jalen Johnson. But Kobe can really play in his own right. He was a priority Exhibit 10 signing for the Hawks soon after the draft, indicating he’ll likely join the Hawks for training camp this fall.
Johnson is a solid athlete like his brother who played at both the University of Southern California (USC) and UCLA. He is more wing-sized (6’6”) than Jalen, and the athleticism never materialized into tons of production during his four-year college career, but he can use this summer league to demonstrate he can shoot off the catch and defend his position at an NBA level.
Adam Flagler
Here we have our first of many local connections. Duluth, GA is home to Flagler, and the now 25-year-old was a three-sport star at Duluth High School. Since going undrafted in 2023, Flagler has spent his professional basketball career split between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma City Blue with one of the past two seasons on a two-way contract.
On the court, he’s an explosive 6-foot-3 guard who can score at all three levels — but one still trying to learn how to operate as a steady point guard at the NBA level.
Jack White
The first of two Australians named Jack profiled here, White is a 6-foot-6 swing forward who had the honor of being the number one overall draft pick in the 2023 NBA G League draft. He has had just two cups of coffee with NBA teams (21 games with the Nuggets and Grizzlies combined) and has mixed that professional experience with play in Australia and Germany.
This may be his final shot to catch on with an NBA team at the ripe age of 27, and his strong shooting and rebounding profile may just catch the eye of the Hawks in Las Vegas.
Jack McVeigh
McVeigh similarly has split his time between the NBA, G League, and Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He fits the bill as a stretch-4 who fired up 8.6 attempted threes (hitting 36% of them) per game with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers while on a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets. The defense and rebounding are worries (not to mention he’s pushing 30 years of age), but his modern archetype could find him an NBA role somewhere.
Tier 5: Could be College Park-bound with a strong performance
Dwight Murray Jr.
Murray is familiar with the Hawks’ program under Quin Snyder. He is one of three members of last year’s G League team to find his way onto this roster along with Djurisic and Toppin. The small guard from Austell, GA can fill it up from deep when given the chance — although he’ll need to improve on a rough 39/32/76 shooting splits performance with the Skyhawks last season to have a chance to return for 2025-26.
Jake Stephens
Stephens is a 6-foot-11 center who went undrafted in 2023 after a career across Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). In the years since, he’s played for G League teams the Capitol City Go-Go and the Stockton Kings in 2023-24 and for Monbus Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and KK FMP in Belgrade, Serbia in 2024-25.
Although he has some passing chops, he profiles as little more than a big body to grab rebounds and play drop defense near the rim.
Javan Johnson
No, he’s not Jalen Johnson — although the pronunciation of his name does rhyme. After an extensive college career spanning 2017 to 2023, Javan Johnson spent the last two seasons with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. The 6-foot-6 forward is an eagle-eyed shooter (39% on 7.4 three-point attempts per game in those two seasons), but can he defend well enough to be a 3-and-D wing at the NBA level?
Deivon Smith
We have another player with extensive Atlanta-area connections, as Smith played high school ball at sports powerhouse Grayson High School in nearby Lawrenceville, GA. He also played a Georgia Tech for two seasons in college between his multiple transfer stints at the Division I level.
The 2025 undrafted rookie Deivon Smith averaged 11.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists across his final two seasons at Utah and St. John’s in New York. He’s a shifty, slightly-build point guard who gets downhill with ease. The outside shot is inconsistent —, and his 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame is hardly NBA-ready — but his agility allows him to create advantages almost on command, and that agility gives him capable on-ball deterrence on defense.
Nelly Junior Joseph
A native of Benin City, Nigeria, Nelly Junior Joseph came through the NBA Academy Africa and earned a scholarship to Iona after being discovered. He worked hard on his game and was named to the All-Conference first-team in both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) after transferring to the University of New Mexico.
At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, he averaged a double-double his senior year with the Lobos, and he looks to prove himself at the professional level after going undrafted in the most recent draft.