Kyle Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 Summer League, averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in six games heading into the San Antonio Spurs’ championship win Monday. Anderson, who grew up in North Bergen before heading off to Paterson Catholic and on to St. Anthony and UCLA, knows that these honors mean little.

Last summer, Glen Rice Jr. was the summer League MVP, averaging 25 points per game. Then in the regular season, he managed to get into just five NBA games, scoring a total of 11 points.

For Anderson, it was another lesson, another progression. He was selected with the last pick of the first round last year by the Spurs and got his accolades mostly in the NBA Development League, earning Performer of the Week and Month at times while appearing in 33 games with San Antonio, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds.

He played on the Spurs’ summer squad in Utah, then in Las Vegas, taking a month out of his summer vacation to show that he can fit in on a contending San Antonio team.

“Kyle wants to be a great player,” Becky Hammon, the Spurs’ summer coach, said last week. “A lot of people want to be great players, but they’re not willing to put in the work. He puts in the time and it shows up.”

With the Spurs’ moves this summer, signing LaMarcus Aldridge and freeing up some of their bench pieces to fit him in the salary cap, Anderson could have a greater role off the bench this season. Again, it’s summer league, not the regular season, but Anderson showed he could lead the team as a 6-foot-9 point guard, improving his scoring, floor awareness and defense.

“His role is going to be different on the Spurs,” Hammon said. “But we’re trying to grow him eventually to get that bigger role with the Spurs. It’s all part of the process with him.”

The summer league, like baseball’s spring training, can deceive with phenoms rising and disappearing. But there were some interesting things to see in Las Vegas besides the buffets.

The Porzingis debut: Kristaps Porzingis may have come into the summer league with more pressure on him than any first-round pick, a mystery man with size and skills, but questions, too.

He answered them with a solid performance, showing the expected athleticism and soft shooting touch, but also a toughness that might have been a surprise given his frail 7-foot-3 frame.

Playing professionally in Spain may have helped prepare Porzingis for the beating teams will try to inflict on him. He absorbed the hits, and even seemed to try to deliver them at times.

He still acknowledged he needs to add weight, and at just 19 years old, he needs time to grow. But there was no reason for a Knicks fan not to leave Las Vegas with high expectations for his future.

The other N.Y. rookie: Jerian Grant just might be ready before Porzingis — although both certainly will have a chance to be starters as rookies on the still underwhelming New York roster. Grant played the point with Langston Galloway moving over to shooting guard. Pairing Grant and Jose Calderon in the backcourt with Galloway backing up both spots might work. Grant showed an ability to attack, getting into the lane and dishing as well as anyone did for the Knicks last season.

The Big Three: While the NBA Draft was regarded as a three-man tier at the top, those players found the going tough at times in Las Vegas. Karl-Anthony Towns displayed the diverse skill set that made him the top pick and gave no reason for the Timberwolves to question their choice. And Jahlil Okafor performed as expected, showing great footwork and skill around the rim — and also a sluggishness on defense that he displayed at Duke.

But the alarming note came with D’Angelo Russell, who rose to the No. 2 spot in the draft where he was taken by the Lakers. While he averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, the 19-year-old point guard shot just 37.7 percent and was 2-for-17 from beyond the arc. The real trouble, though, was that scouts watched and wondered about his athleticism. Just keep repeating — it’s summer league. But he has a long way to go off this performance.

The lonely lottery pick: Emmanual Mudiay, selected No. 7 overall by the Nuggets, was the only lottery pick to be named to an all-league team, earning first-team honors. Mudiay, who spurned college to spend a year playing professionally in China, looked raw at times and needs to improve his shot, but he has an NBA-ready body and will get a chance for the Nuggets, who dealt away the incumbent starting point guard, Ty Lawson, on Sunday.

The Brooklyn beat: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson showed signs of athleticism that can make the draft-day gamble work out for the Nets. Also impressive and already with an invite to camp, UConn point guard Ryan Boatright had solid performances in Orlando and Las Vegas. His Vegas play was cut short by a neck injury.

Email: popper@northjersey.com