TUALATIN -- There were a couple new faces, a couple potential rotation players and a couple holdovers fighting for regular season roster spots.

The Portland Trail Blazers opened a four-day summer league minicamp on Tuesday sporting an array of intriguing subplots that often come with this annual exhibition event.

On the one hand, it was the first chance for rookie guards Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. to participate in an NBA practice. On the other, it was another chance for Wade Baldwin and Jake Layman to show they are ready to assume a larger role -- perhaps even in the rotation -- next season. And in the middle of all that, Baldwin and Georgios Papagiannis, whose NBA contracts are not yet guaranteed, are fighting for their NBA lives.

So there was a mix of curiosity and uncertainty that came with the beginning of summer league practices.

"I think there's always uncertainty in July," Baldwin said. "My situation last year; I thought I was good and then things happen. It's important to keep your foot on the gas pedal, full throttle, at all times."

The contracts of Baldwin and Papagiannis will only become guaranteed for the 2018-19 season if they are not waived on or before July 18. That gives the former first-round draft picks at least five games and roughly two weeks to prove they deserve roster spots.

Baldwin, who showed promise late last year during the Blazers' playoff chase, said he has had heard nothing but "positivity" from the Blazers' front office about his contract status. But, much like Pat Connaughton about this time last year, Baldwin said he wants to earn a spot with his play.

"I have to be full throttle -- full throttle," he said. "I'm still on watch, it ain't guaranteed for me. Nobody in this league is safe at all. Things happen so quickly. A phone call can change everything."

Phone calls changed everything for Simons and Trent Jr. on June 21, when they learned the Blazers had selected them in the NBA draft. Simons has been in Portland for a couple weeks with his parents, learning about his new city and hunting for houses. His life has been a whirlwind since the Blazers drafted him with the No. 24 overall pick of the first round, solidifying his jump from high school to the NBA, and it didn't slow down Tuesday during his first NBA practice.

After that first whistle blew at the start of practice, Simons said, the pace of play and speed of the players was hard to catch up to. Eventually, though, things started to slow down, he knocked down a few shots and was able to adjust. Simons played both point guard and shooting guard in his first practice with the Blazers -- surprisingly seeing more run at point -- and fared well, teammates said, after everything slowed down.

Things went pretty fast for Trent, too, but only because he didn't arrive into Portland until Monday. He played mostly at shooting guard and small forward Tuesday, but also saw time at point guard.

"They definitely had a great feel," Baldwin said of the Blazers' rookies. "Gary did a good job coming off different screens ... so now it's about making shots. With Anfernee, his pace is good, switching up speeds."

Added Layman: "I thought Gary looked great today. He shot it well. He was being aggressive."

Layman wasn't entirely sure he'd be at the Blazers' practice facility at all on Tuesday. His contract for next season did not become guaranteed until June 30, when the Blazers elected not to waive him. But now that he knows he will be back for a third season in Portland, he said he can focus on trying to lock up an elusive rotation spot on a Blazers' bench in the middle of an offseason overhaul. He's spent the bulk of the summer shoring up his ball-handling and passing, and he hopes to showcase his improvement in those areas over the next two weeks.

"For me, I just think my mindset needs to be, just to do everything I can to get myself the best opportunity to get minutes out there on the court," Layman said. "If I do that, I'll be satisfied."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman