Each year, a handful of top prospects head to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League to hone their skills in a tune-up to a full season with the big dogs. But far more low-round and undrafted under-the-radar hopefuls show up with little more than a tiny per diem for meals, a never-say-die attitude and a dream of making the NBA.

The new two-hour documentary “Summer Dreams,” which airs Saturday night at 8 p.m. on CBS, explores both sides of that fence. The film, from Raquel Productions in association with Mandalay Sports Media, follows first-round draft pick Michael Carter-Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers, as well as veritable unknowns such as Dwayne Davis, a kid from Philadelphia who lived on the streets for a time as a teenager after the death of his mother, and bounced around to four different colleges in five years before thriving at Southern Miss and earning an invite to Summer League. When you see Davis meeting with young children at a shelter in Las Vegas, it’s impossible not to root for him to catch on with a pro team (spoiler alert: he does; Davis signed a one-year deal with Murcia in Spain last fall).

“This was a labor of love for Mandalay,” says executive producer Mike Tollin on a conference call earlier this week. “We felt NBA Summer League in Vegas is a somewhat underexposed property,” adding that the content was attractive since it “hits that very desirable young male audience.”

Tollin and his crew cast a wide net, exploring about 15 different characters before settling on six stories for the film itself. In addition to Carter-Williams and Davis, the film looks at the trials of Mavericks guard Shane Larkin, who broke his ankle during a summer league practice and had to sit out for three months, as well as Orlando Magic prospect Romero Osby.

It’s not just players that the film focuses on either. Coaches and even referees are in Vegas for the same reason: to get a shot at the next level. Joel Ableson, coach of the D-League Sioux Falls Sky Force openly trolls camp for coaching opportunities and, as Tollin says is “literally willing to travel the globe to get one.” There’s also Lauren Holtkamp, trying to become just the third full-time female referee in NBA history.

As for Carter-Williams, “Summer Dreams” focuses his relationship with his mom Mandy Carter-Zegarowski, a former high school basketball coach in Massachusetts. “She thinks she knows more than me,” Carter-Williams joked. “But it’s always good to have her input. She’s been a coach for a long time.”

“Summer Dreams” got the green light after Tollin called NBA President and Executive Producer of Content Daniel Meiseles and Adam Silver, who was not yet the NBA’s commissioner. Silver reportedly loved the idea of raising the Summer League’s profile and the film was given considerable resources and clearance from the NBA.

Tollin makes no bones about his interest in growing Summer Dreams beyond just a one-off special. “We’re really excited about the potential of creating a franchise with the show,” he says.

Carter-Williams hasn’t seen the film yet, but says it will be a fascinating glimpse for viewers into the not-so-glamorous summer lives of NBA hopefuls…even those who, like him, are getting seven figure salaries.

“It’s not all good times, fun times,” he says. “It’s a lot of nerves. There’s a lot of stuff that we go through.” Chasing a dream is always harder than just having one, first-round pick or per-diem do-or-dier.

Photo caption: Warriors Summer League prospect Dwayne Davis meets with parents and kids at a homeless shelter in Las Vegas. Their stories hit close to home.

Image courtesty of CBS.

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