The Washington Wizards kicked off a brand new season with their debut in the 2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and while they fell 86-77 to the Phoenix Suns, they got encouraging performances from their rookies in an entertaining summer opener.

First-round pick Kelly Oubre shook off a nervy start to lead the Wizards with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while second-rounder Aaron White had a pair of highlight dunks and showed off a high IQ and some nice all-around skill. Although the Wizards were outmatched by a Suns team fielding seven NBA veterans and first-rounder Devin Booker, they hung around until the end despite turnovers and a poor shooting performance.

It didn’t look like the game would be that close from the beginning, as the Wizards had almost as many turnovers (8) as they did points (9) in the first quarter. Although the Wizards went into the first intermission down 20-9, they went on to outscore Phoenix 68-66 the rest of the way.

From the second quarter on, the Wizards found an offensive groove behind point guard Scott Machado, who was able to break the Suns down in the pick-and-roll and open it up for everyone else. Machado also had a couple great finishes for himself, ending with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Starting center Jarrid Famous, a 26-year-old journeyman out of South Florida, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and former Washington Husky Scott Suggs contributed 10 points off the bench.

In the end, the talent difference was just a little too much for the Wizards. Third-year center Alex Len (why is he playing in the Summer League again?) was overpowering down low, finishing with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Archie Goodwin scored a game-high 22 points, and while Kelly Oubre impressed with his defense, forward T.J. Warren gave him everything he could handle on his way to 20 points.

But the main reason anyone was watching this game was to see the rookies, and they didn’t disappoint. Although Kelly Oubre undoubtedly lacks polish, he showed exactly why the Wizards thought highly enough of him to trade up for the former Kansas Jayhawk. Oubre flashed his athleticism, hustle and defensive potential, while showcasing an aggressive offensive mindset and an improved handle.

Oubre went all out on both ends every minute he was on the floor, and he seemed to get more and more comfortable as the game went on. He only shot 1-of-7 from beyond the arc (the Wizards shot just 3-22 as a team), but he showed great confidence attacking the basket in the halfcourt and in transition.

And the first #KO #dc3 comes with 6 min left in 4th

Once Oubre settled down from a shaky offensive start, he was DC’s go-to guy, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. He required no such acclimation period on defense, where he had an impact from the jump, disrupting possessions with his excellent length and positioning.

The shots will eventually fall for Oubre, as they will for second-rounder Aaron White, who scored four points and grabbed four rebounds on 2-5 shooting (0-2 from 3) in 19 minutes. White’s box score stats don’t jump out at you, but he was one of DC’s more impressive players.

White had two highlight putback dunks in the second quarter, he spaced the floor well from the stretch 4 position, and he made a few really nice passes. It was an encouraging start for White, who hopefully will get more touches and more looks at the basket in DC’s next few games.

DC was without veteran guard Toure’ Murry, who missed the game with a groin injury that he suffered in practice on Thursday, according to the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo. In addition, CSN Washington is reporting that Dez Wells, the former Maryland Terrapin who looked to have a great shot at making it to training camp, has been ruled out of Summer League competition with a sprained thumb.

The Wizards will next be in action tomorrow at 4 p.m., when they take on a D-League Select team that dropped its first game yesterday to the Houston Rockets.