The NBA summer league in Las Vegas tips off Friday and spans 11 days leading up to a championship game on July 15.
All 30 teams will showcase rosters of rookies and developing players and are joined by national teams from China and Croatia.
USA TODAY Sports highlights what you need to know to take in the action from Las Vegas:
Must-see game — New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks. Former Duke teammates Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett will square off in Friday's summer league game (9:35 p.m. ET, ESPN). Barrett was overshadowed by Williamson when the two were both Blue Devils, but his game — which is grounded with international experience playing for Canada's national team — is arguably more polished. In the same token, coach Mike Krzyzewski always put the ball in Barrett's hands, not Williamson's, with the game on the line in 2018-19. Friday is Williamson's first opportunity to show Coach K that was wrong.
The pair were roommates in Durham but expect their friendship to take a break for their competitiveness; both are hardwired to do whatever it takes to win, even in the summer exhibition.
Must-see player — Zion Williamson. Williamson's rim-rattling dunks are an instant draw and made him the most talked-about No. 1 pick in the NBA draft since LeBron James. How well he adjusts to the pro level will be for Pelicans coaches and scouts to examine, but the 18-year-old's raw talent is sure to provide highlights that will draw eyeballs.
The favorite team — Knicks. While New York fans are still reeling from the organization missing out on big free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, their future nucleus will be on display in Vegas, starting with Barrett. Kevin Knox, a young star who underwhelmed last year and has much to prove, will also be suiting up. As a whole, the Knicks are favored to win the Vegas summer league because most of their young, up-and-coming core is on the roster.
The underrated guys. While the headliners for summer league hail from the rookie class, sophomore former lottery picks are also players to watch. That includes the Magic's Mohamed Bamba, a bouncy 7-footer who missed 35 games last season with a fractured tibia and hasn't come into his own yet. Another player to keep an eye on is Philadelphia's Zhaire Smith, the No. 16 pick in '18 who showed promise in last year's summer league but had an August injury that kept him out until March. The Sixers' roster could use another impact player to improve their chances of winning the East, and Smith will have a platform to grow here.
Then there's also the intriguing factor of lesser-known guys who weren't expected to make rosters that could emerge as talented team pieces. A great example of that would be Allonzo Trier (who's back this summer) last year with the Knicks. Trier went undrafted yet established himself in the summer league to become a rotational player with New York last season.
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