Brayden Burries was far and away the Milwaukee Bucks’ best player in Summer League. Even as several of Milwaukee’s other young players struggled to find their footing, the Bucks’ top pick in this year’s draft consistently looked the part.
The 10th overall pick did a little bit of everything, averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block across four games in Las Vegas. His performance earned him a spot on the 2026 NBA Summer League First Team.
It was enough to give Bucks fans plenty to feel good about as the long wait for the 2026-27 season begins. Summer League comes with the usual caveats, of course, but Burries showed enough to make the optimism feel earned. Here are five things we learned about him during Milwaukee’s run in Las Vegas.
Burries’ shot creation was a positive development
What stood out the most about Burries’ game was his ability to create his own shot off the bounce.
Milwaukee put the rock in his hands and let him lead the offense. That mostly produced good results, as Burries was able to consistently get into the paint to create his own shot or shots for teammates.
He used a bevy of hesitations, change of pace and direction, side-steps, and other moves to keep his defender off balance. This allowed him to control the pace of the game and play on his own terms.
It was a great first step for Burries, who will have the next couple of months to build off this performance and continue developing his on-ball game.
Burries is grown-man strong
Burries will tell you himself that he was blessed with a strong body. His frame has allowed him to put on healthy muscle and take advantage of smaller players.
That was on full display in Summer League. Burries consistently bullied players on both ends of the court, using his strength to his advantage.
Offensively, he was able to create a slight advantage off the bounce and maintain or grow that advantage once contact occurred. This allowed him to get into advantageous positions on the court to create good shots for himself and others.
Defensively, he uses that strength against taller players. They aren’t able to get to their spots as easily, as Burries can get them off and wall off with his core and upper body strength.
The physicality is something a lot of rookies struggle with, but it looks like Burries is in a good spot heading into his first NBA season.
Burries has sticky hands
The most impressive part of Burries’ game was his ability to get his hands on the rock and cleanly rip it away from other grown men. It wasn’t just a once- or twice-a-game thing, either. He consistently took the ball away from opponents like he was taking candy from a baby.
His defensive chops even give off some Jrue Holiday vibes. The former Bucks guard was elite at moving his feet, crowding ball-handlers and using his hands to poke away dribbles or jump passing lanes. Burries showed flashes of that same disruptive ability in Vegas.
Burries proved he can impact the game on both ends of the floor. That will come in handy for a Bucks team that will need as many two-way players as it can find if it hopes to work its way back into the playoff picture.
The Bucks will have to find ways to get Burries the ball
Since Burries showed better-than-anticipated playmaking chops, Milwaukee will have to rethink their pecking order of ball-handling guards.
They currently have Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Burries as guards who can handle the rock. Burries is clearly ahead of Jakucionis, and Milwaukee will have to figure out where he falls in relation to Rollins and Porter Jr.
It’s a good problem to have for a Bucks squad that has to replace a ton of playmaking after Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded away. Hopefully, every player makes it a difficult decision for the Bucks thanks to continued on-ball growth.
Burries' ceiling is higher than initially projected
All of this is to say that Burries’ ceiling might be significantly higher than initially projected. Throughout the draft process, he was largely viewed as a high-floor, lower-ceiling prospect.
In other words, he was the “safe” pick — someone unlikely to develop into an All-NBA player, or perhaps even an All-Star, but someone who could become a quality starter relatively early in his career.
His Summer League performance has already started to challenge that projection. Burries was one of the biggest positive surprises in Las Vegas, flashing enough shot creation, playmaking and two-way ability to suggest he might have both a high floor and more upside than scouts initially gave him credit for.
Obviously, there’s a lot of basketball ahead of him. Summer League is still Summer League. But Burries is already beginning to reshape the conversation around what he might become before he’s even played his first NBA game.
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