The New Orleans Pelicans tip off their Las Vegas NBA Summer League schedule July 5 against the New York Knicks. The ESPN ads all bill the game as a showdown event between Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett.
Those two are used to playing against each other during Duke University practices. The rest of the summer competition will be mostly unfamiliar and un-scouted competition. It will be the toughest two weeks Williamson has ever experienced on a basketball court until he joins Team USA in August.
Most teams at NBA Summer League are unfamiliar with their teammates, much less the competition.