How NC State’s Quadir Copeland, other NBA hopefuls fared at 2026 Summer League

Quadir Copeland didn’t need to hear his name called on draft night. While it would have been a welcomed accolade to add to his resume, the former NC State point guard loves to be the one with a chip on his shoulder. After all, his one season with the Wolfpack felt like he played with something to prove each night he set foot on the floor. The former Syracuse and McNeese transfer was unafraid to play at 100 mph, using his unabashed confidence to make things happen on his own. That is what allowed a player that was expected to be a key reserve to blossom into NC State’s most-consistent player throughout the 2025-26 campaign. So even though no NBA team used any of the 60 draft picks in last month’s event, Copeland appeared determined to prove why he should have been. Copeland, a 6-foot-6 dynamo with the ball in his hand, looked to turn heads in each of his five appearances with the Houston Rockets in NBA Summer League over the past 10 days in Las Vegas. He already signed a two-way contract with the franchise, but he seemed to want to show why that wasn’t a mistake — and to put himself in the mix for a full-time NBA deal. The Philadelphia native capped his time in Sin City with his most-memorable performance. He exploded for 24 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals on 9-of-13 shooting in his final Summer League start, a 101-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday evening. Copeland’s efficient shooting night, which included a 2-for-4 showing from beyond the 3-point line, helped vault his Summer League body of work to 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his five appearances as a key player for Houston. And, well, that wasn’t a coincidence, either. Copeland’s professional introduction kept pace with his high-level play that he put on the floor in his lone season with Will Wade’s only Wolfpack squad, a campaign in which he averaged a career-best 13.9 points and 6.5 assists. In addition to his all-around impactful play on the offensive end, which featured making 56.4 percent of his attempts, Copeland was integral in helping the Rockets set the tone with an aggressive defensive mindset. He logged 13 steals as he flew around to help Houston earn several extra possessions throughout the week-and-a-half stint in Las Vegas. While Copeland impressed with his full body of work, he wasn’t the only former NC State player in action at Summer League with three others on rosters — forwards Ben Middlebrooks and Jack Clark, and guard Tre Holloman — around the NBA. Middlebrooks, who was a key player in the Wolfpack’s run to the 2024 Final Four, suited up as Copeland’s teammate for the first time with Houston. The lightly-used reserve posted 2 total points on an 0-of-5 shooting mark (0-of-4 from beyond the 3-point line), while he also logged a block, two steals and four rebounds in three appearances across the Rockets’ five games. Clark, who played at NC State in the 2022-23 campaign before finishing his career at Clemson and VCU, averaged 3.0 points with 2.4 rebounds in 11.2 minutes across five games played with the Golden State Warriors. He was 5-of-11 shooting from the field, while he also logged three assists, three steals and three blocks as he looked to impress the Warriors’ front office between the Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer League sessions. Holloman, meanwhile, made one appearance in the Orlando Magic’s five games at Summer League. He recorded 2 points and two assists in five minutes of action in the team’s 103-97 win over the Boston Celtics to cap its stay in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.