Brooklyn Nets rookie forward Joshua Jefferson had an interesting start to his NBA career as he initially wasn't able to play with the Nets due to the Julius Randle trade taking longer than usual to be finalized. However, once Jefferson was able to play, Brooklyn was able to see him play against NBA competition and there were some ups and downs along the way.
"He did an outstanding job adapting quickly to what we were trying to trying to do. He's got such a high IQ," Nets summer league head coach Dutch Gaitley said of Jefferson following Brooklyn's 100-83 loss to the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas Summer League. Jefferson finished the contest with just four points and three rebounds as the rest of the team struggled against Houston's physicality
on the defensive end of the floor.
"He was trying to run a play. Egor just made a three, he trying to run an action that we don't even have in our offense, but I can see what he's trying to accomplish. So, his IQ is great," Gaitley continued on Jefferson. Now, it's just getting him in the situation... We have a lot of guys that can handle. Now, he's going to be more in closeout situations, which I don't think is his strong suit right now. We're going to help him with those reads, getting him more comfortable with his three."
Jefferson, 22, finished his time in the Las Vegas Summer League with averages of 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 33.3% from the field and 12.5% from behind the three-point line. Coming into the 2026 NBA Draft, Jefferson was regarded as a player that could do multiple things on the floor with his ball-handling and scoring while sporting a 6-foot-9, 240-pound frame.
Jefferson, the No. 28 pick in the 2026 draft, did not showcase much of his offense away from the rim as he struggled to make his three-pointers and he averaged 1.3 turnovers per game, showing that he has some work to do with his ball security. However, Jefferson showed enough in Las Vegas for Gaitley to recognize his intelligence on the basketball court and the hope is that his IQ will allow him to strengthen the weaker parts of his game before the season starts.
Joshua Jefferson goes coast-to-coast for his first @NBASummerLeague bucket! @Joshua_LV0 | @CycloneMBB pic.twitter.com/e2p3m3VwdZ
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 12, 2026
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: What to make of Nets' Joshua Jefferson in Las Vegas Summer League?
