The Las Vegas stretch of this year's Summer League enjoyed its third day of play on Monday, but it was the first for RealGM's Andrew Perna, who has been dispatched for a week of basketball.

The games in Vegas are quick and oftentimes sloppy, but the star-power is unprecedented and the access for the media (and fans) is far less formal than any other league-sanctioned event.

Andrew will take in a majority of the games throughout the remainder of the week and provide a nightly synopsis on what he saw (and didn't) see in some of the league's hot rookies and vagabonds looking for a long-term home.

New York 71, L.A. Lakers 63

I'm only including the score in the interest of being thorough, because it's obvious that no matter what each team's summer league coach says -- the outcome means little.

After traveling from Boston to Las Vegas (through Newark) and checking into my hotel, I made it in time for the second half of the Knicks-Lakers game.

Patrick Ewing Sr., John Thompson II and Herb Williams watched Patrick Ewing Jr. play for the Knicks. Their presence appeared to help the younger Ewing, who was a game-best +16 and had a stat line of eight points, five rebounds and four blocks in a little over 20 minutes of action.

After the game, father and son discussed the game together at length. I'd imagine that Ewing Jr. is in contention, but still on the outside of New York's projected roster.

Jaycee Carroll has a good stroke for the Knicks. He only took four shots, but his stroke looked true. However, his playmaking appears to come-and-go.

Derrick Caracter, playing for the Lakers, needs to refine his post moves. He travels often and it wasn't always called. It's early, but his play has been good enough to earn a contract. His 16 points and 10 rebounds were among the best performances of the day.

Gerald Green was aggressive, but doesn't look long for the NBA. Athleticism alone isn't always enough and he doesn't display much confidence off the court. He isn't going to make the roster of the two-time defending champions, but if he steps up his game he could get a series of 10-day deals with a struggling club.

Sacramento 97, Detroit 68

Lottery picks DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe went at it early. Cousins showed no shortage of aggression and emotion, which can be taken two ways. I'll side with positive. He showed off a nice midrange game with a sweet touch even if his shot looks a little unorthodox.

Monroe displayed a soft touch around the rim despite having to deal with Hassan Whiteside and Cousins in the paint. He's soft-spoken, but was no saint when dealing with referees. Perhaps his draft-mate was getting under his skin.

His highlight play of the game came following a pass from Elijah Millsap. Before the ball had time to touch the palm of his hand, Monroe used the tips of his fingers to redirect the pass to a cutting Millsap, who finished at the rim. It's impressive to have that kind of vision at his size. It's also worth noting that he's had little time to gel with Millsap, which is a credit to his instincts.

Cousins put one back after the whistle with his right hand while holding a defender with the left at one point, an impressive show of strength. He also threw down a thunderous dunk on multiple defenders, then traveled on the next position. He'll contend for Rookie of the Year honors, but I envision stretches when he'll struggle.

It was apparent on paper immediately following last month's NBA Draft, but seeing Cousins and Whiteside up close, the Kings have added a scary amount of size when you consider the acquisition of Samuel Dalembert as well.

Whiteside is going to be a great shot-blocker both because of his length and tremendous anticipation. Detroit's Austin Daye drove at him and Whiteside absolutely gobbled up the ball, practically blocking it with his elbow.

He also has a fire under his gut.

?I couldn't do anything, they ran everything through Cousins,? he declared to no one in particular after Sacramento's win. He had five points, five rebounds and five blocks and took, you guessed it, five shots.

As captivated as I was by Cousins, Whiteside and Monroe, one player stole the show in my mind.

I'm fairly confident that Ryan Thompson will be a teammate of older brother Jason in Sacramento this fall. Ryan has a strong jumper and could play a heart-warming two-man game with Jason, who belongs in the post. After the game, Kings Summer League coach Mario Elie gushed about the younger Thompson.

?Ryan Thompson is terrific," said Elie. "He went out there; he's a good glue player out there. He doesn't demand the ball.

?You don't notice him out there, but true basketball fans notice what he does out there. He guarded the best player [on Detroit]. Ryan shut down Austin Daye, who is averaging 20 [points] in the Summer League. He can also run the offense; he made some plays for us when we got a little stagnant.?

Thompson finished with 12 points (4-for-5 shooting), three assists and zero turnovers in 18 minutes of action.

Here are some additional nuggets from Elie:

?He's still learning the game, he's still a little wet behind the ears, but I thought him and DeMarcus [Cousins] did a great job.? - on Whiteside.

?He tends to want to dribble it up the court. `Give it to your point guard, DeMarcus and get your big butt on the block.'? - on Cousins.

Dallas 73, Milwaukee 72 (OT)

The Mavericks' Moussa Seck drew quite a few cheers in the first half, but he's a hit-or-miss player. His two blocks in less than two minutes of action in the first quarter, though, were impressive.

Of the reclamation projects, J.R. Giddens (Dallas) has the edge over Darnell Jackson (Milwaukee), Sean Williams (Milwaukee) and Gerald Green (L.A. Lakers) thus far.

Giddens made a big-time play with almost no time left on the clock in regulation, catching an inbound pass and redirecting it to the basket for a game-tying bucket as time expired.

That came after Milwaukee's Deron Washington scooped up a loose ball and put it in to give the Bucks a two-point edge with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. There may not have been any big-time performances, but the game certainly had the most drama.

Milwaukee's first-round pick, Larry Sanders, was just 4-for-15 from the field, but he grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots. He did, however, have six turnovers. Regardless, you can see what the Bucks like in him.

In an effort to steal more of Jason Kidd's minutes this coming season, Rodrigue Beaubois hit the game-winner on an isolation play for Dallas. It'll be interesting to see him against stronger competition later in the week.

Washington 97, L.A. Clippers 68

It's very clear the John Wall isn't going to have a problem adjusting to the speed of the professional game. That's often the first difference noted between the NCAA and NBA, but Wall has nitrous in his shoes.

Not far behind, however, is Clippers rookie Eric Bledsoe, who seemed to be looking to match Wall play-for-play early on. Bledsoe raced down the left side of the lane and finished on a pretty reverse, but he lost some of his luster with a brick of a jumper a few possessions later.

The more-talented Wizards, complete with Wall, Nick Young and JaVale McGee, jumped all over the Clippers from the early going as Wall tallied 18 points and 10 assists -- through the first three quarters.

I was very impressed with Bledsoe as well, despite his struggles taking care of the ball. He turned the ball over 10 times (Wall committed eight, to be fair). Still, his 17 points, six rebounds and four assists showcased both his high ceiling and athleticism.

Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: [email protected]. You can also follow Andrew on Twitter: APerna7.