Bryce Hopkins looked confident with Nuggets in NBA Summer League
Bryce Hopkins has taken the long road to the NBA, and if his Summer League debut was any indication, every stop along the way helped prepare him for this moment.
The Denver Nuggets rookie looked right at home in Las Vegas, putting together one of the strongest opening performances of the day. Hopkins added 24 points in just 26 minutes, never looking overwhelmed by the speed or physicality of the NBA that can catch first-year players by surprise.
Instead, he looked like he belonged. He looked ready.
At 6-foot-7, Hopkins brought a little bit of everything to the floor. He wasn’t simply making shots. He stayed active defensively, got four rebounds, came away with three steals and rejected two shots, making his presence felt on both ends. That’s the kind of stat line coaches appreciate because it usually means a player is doing more than just padding the scoreboard.
His path to this stage has been anything but ordinary.
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Hopkins spent his senior season at St. John’s after earlier stops at Providence and Kentucky before hearing his name called with the 49th pick in the NBA draft. Because of his multiple stops, he knows how to adjust to different situations. Hopkins played with that kind of confidence in his debut. Nothing seemed too fast, and nothing seemed too big.
The 2026 NBA Summer League, running from July 9 through July 19 in Las Vegas, features all 30 NBA teams competing across 76 games at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. It’s designed to showcase young talent, and Hopkins made the most of his opportunity.
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One game won’t define his rookie season, but it was a reminder that draft position doesn’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes the player taken 49th walks onto the floor looking like he should have been a first-round pick.
