Second-year players — especially if they were in a NBA rotation their rookie years — face a lot of pressure when it comes to Summer League. They are supposed to dominate. At least that is the expectation.
The mix of experience and a few months of offseason to improve their games is supposed to show a measurable leap. That first NBA offseason is supposed to be when players take their biggest leaps in their games. Just from experience alone.
So while many people will fawn over the arrival of a new batch of rookies donning NBA uniforms for the first time, it is actually the second-year players who tend to shine the most.