Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe face off in team debuts in Salt Lake City | NBA Summer League Preview

Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe face off in team debuts in Salt Lake City | NBA Summer League Preview

Okay, so if you’re missing the NBA, good news. You can get a quick fix as the 2025 NBA Summer League officially begins Saturday with the California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer League. The NBA 2K26 Summer League, which will take place in Las Vegas from July 10th through the 20th, will feature all 30 teams and a first look at the highly coveted 2025 draft class, including that rookie phenom Cooper Flag. So July 5th slate begins with Dylan Harper and the Spurs taking on the Miami Heat at 4:30 p.m. Eastern from Chase Center. The Lakers are meeting up with the host team, the Golden State Warriors at 6:30. Those are in the California Classic Summer League. And over in the Salt Lake City, the Grizzlies set to face the defending champs at 7. And the day wraps up with BJ Edgecom and the Sixers taking on Ace Bailey Walter Clayton Jr. and the Jazz. That’s at 900 PM. We’re excited to bring in CBS Sports basketball writer Cameron Serno and a couple of top five picks making their debuts on Saturday. That also includes Ace Bailey and the Jazz facing the team who, if I recall, he had no desire to work out for in the pre-draft process, the Sixers. But Cameron, what will you be looking for in this one?
Yeah, I mean, I’ve written probably 20 stories about Ace Bailey in the last like two weeks. though, just his his pre-draft process was really just phenomenal. I mean, as far as, you know, really just he canceled the workout with the 76ers. He also said his agent apparently said, “Hey, we’re not going to be go to a certain team in the top five.” It wasn’t reported on what team that was. I mean, you could probably connect the dots and figure it out, but you know, Ace was just a polarizing prospect coming out of Ruckers. And you know, his shot diet is just, you know, one of the most polarizing and probably, you know, last few years I’ve been watching college basketball. Like, he has the ability to make so many contested mid-range jumpers. His upside is, you know, off the charts. He has all NBA potential if everything clicks and could be a 22, 25 point uh score in the NBA. So, I’m really looking forward to seeing him play. Um, obviously he was someone who I thought was a top three player potentially in this class, but obviously Utah gets him at number five. And you know, for Utah’s perspective, they’ve drafted a lot of really good young talent over the last few years, but they still need a true number one. And I think Ace can be that if everything goes right.
Absolutely. You talk about his upside. We’ll get to see a small glimpse of that this weekend. But as for the Sixers, who eventually selected with that third overall pick, VJ Edgecom, he’s already receiving rave reviews and has been viewed as one of the more athletic players in this class. It’s already a big pickup for a team that’s ready with playoff aspirations, but just how do you anticipate the Sixers using him this summer?
Yeah, I mean, I’ I’ve been on record with it. Like, I think VJ is probably the most athletic player in college basketball since Zion Williamson. like he has that upside to be a two-way player in the NBA and just you know I I think we saw on opening night of college basketball season like he had a poster dunk in the final few seconds against Gonzaga. Um it was something that kind of caught wind that you looked up and just his athleticism just pops off the charts. So I’m really looking forward to seeing how that fits next to Tyrese Maxi and Jared McCain. Obviously, Jared was someone who I thought was on pace to be a potential rookie of the year candidate until he got injured and missed the rest of the season. But BJ has just two-way upside. I think he’s going to be a perfect fit next to Tyrese Maxi and Jared McCain. And I’m looking forward to seeing him hopefully throw down a poster dunk or two in the summer league. Absolutely. Especially kind of like a fluky season for Philly. A big pickup for them right there at the third overall pick. Let’s go back to Utah cuz in additional to Bailey who we mentioned, we got a national champ, Walter Clayton Jr. getting set for his rookie season with the Jazz. Clayton much different than today’s maybe their size guards that we’re used to seeing that’s taken over the NBA. But what do you anticipate him bringing to Utah?
Yeah, Walter Clayton just is a phenomenal guard. I mean, he was the best guard in college basketball this past season. I got to watch him up close and personal when they played in Sweet 16 in the Elite Eight this past or this earlier this spring and he’s just a clutch basketball player. I mean, uh, it just the the reviews he got from his teammates at Florida were just unbelievable. Like, I just think he’s a special player. He was someone who was number 14 on my big board, so I thought he was a lottery talent. And so, for Utah to get him at 18 is just phenomenal value. And it’s funny like when we were doing mock drafts leading up to the actual NBA draft. I think I had Walter Clayton going to Utah at 21 which you know obviously Utah traded up to get him. But I think in my first three mock drafts I had Walter Clayton Jr. going to the Jazz cuz I just thought it’d be a great fit. Utah you know has a lot of young pieces like I said but none of them really kind of you know separated themselves. I mean Walker Kesler is someone who is I think phenomenal talent but he’s been mentioned in trade rumors for the last you know ever since he got to Utah. So, I think Walter Clayton is going to be really fun to watch. And also too, it kind of shows how much they believe in him because they, you know, obviously traded Colin Saxon to the Utah Jazz and Jordan Clarkson got bought out. So, there’s going to be plenty of point guard minutes available for Wal Clayton. So, really looking forward to seeing him in summer league. Like, I know a lot of people have, you know, drawn comparisons to Steph Curry, which I I I don’t think, you know, all that there. That’s a lot of pressure on, you know, a a college basketball player coming out, but I mean, you see it like his shot making just unbelievable. I’m really like looking forward to watching him play. I’m excited to see maybe some of those comparisons maybe start to show themselves. And I know summer league, you know, we’re not seeing the real deal. They’re not going full force. But I mean, maybe we could see a little glimpse of it. I’m just saying I would be excited.
The summer league overreactions are so funny because either,
you know, we label people as the greatest basketball player of all time after they dropped 25 points in the summer league or, you know, a rookie struggles in the summer league and, you know, has a, you know, a rough showing and everyone’s saying he’s a bust already. So, uh, yeah, the summer league overreactions are always interesting. So, I I’m really looking forward to walting watching Walter. I mean, if you look at Utah’s summer league team, like they just have a really really interesting roster. Like, a lot of those guys are going to be playing serious minutes for Utah’s main NBA team this year.
Absolutely. And actually piggybacking on that just a bit because, you know, all eyes, you know, there’s overreactions galore, but a lot of eyes are going to be on that top one through 10 picks in this year’s class. But now I want to ask you maybe who’s an under under the radar guy that we should keep our eyes on in the Salt Lake City summer league.
So last year I was on kind of the same segment and we talked about Jaylen Wells who ended up being someone who really broke out as a rookie. Like he’s someone I covered actually when I worked in Sacramento. Um he was a star for the Memphis Grizzlies this year. So uh it’s not going to be a rookie, but it’s going to be Justin Edwards with the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s someone who had went undrafted and it was pretty shocking to me because I had a first round grade on Justin Edwards coming out of the draft and he was a former number one overall recruit coming out of Kentucky. So for him to go undrafted was really quite shocking. And I thought he had a really good rookie year. Like he had some games in March where he dropped 20 plus points in multiple games. Uh he was a key part of Philadelphia’s rotation, started multiple games. So I think this is opportunity for him to kind of shine in second year of summer league. I think we see a lot of players who were rookies who have a kind of, you know, a pretty good rookie year, but then they come to the summer league and they really show out and they can use it as a springboard for their second year. So, really looking forward to watching Justin Edwards. I think he’s someone who can has breakout potential, not only in the summer league, but this season as well.
Springboard, reps, whatever it might be. It’s going to be exciting to see a lot of this young talent take the court. As always, Cameron, we appreciate you stopping by with the insight. Thank you.
Thank you. And let’s take a look at the early 2025 2026 Rookie of the Year odds. I mean, let’s be honest, not too much of a surprise here. Cooper Flag, the runaway favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He’s followed by Washington’s number six overall pick. Trey Johnson at plus 900. Ace Bailey with the Jazz following up at plus 10 1,000. And Philly’s BJ Edge and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper. They’re rounding out the top five plus,300.

Cameron Salerno joins CBS Sports HQ to preview the beginning of the 2025 NBA Summer League.

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