Knicks Summer League Team To Debut Against Zion Williamson And The New Orleans Pelicans

On the same day New York introduced their newest player, No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett, Knicks fans also found out when they would get their first glimpse of him in a Knickerbocker uniform.

Friday afternoon, just a few hours after Barrett's introductory press conference in Manhattan, the NBA announced the full schedule for the 2019 Las Vegas NBA Summer League. Interestingly enough, New York plays its first game against the New Orleans Pelicans and No. 1 overall selection Zion Williamson. Barrett and Williamson spent last season teammates, and roommates, at Duke and developed a solid friendship. Now they'll share the floor together in each other's pro debut.  The game will take place on Friday, July 5 at 9:30 p.m. EST and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

The Knicks have three other games scheduled before the summer league  "playoff tournament" begins the following Friday.

* Sunday, July 7th, 9:30 EST vs. Phoenix

* Tuesday, July 9th, 9:30 EST vs. Toronto

* Wednesday, July 10th, 9:30 EST vs. LA Lakers

Not only will New Yorkers get a chance to watch Barrett, fellow 2019 draftee, Ignas Brazdeikis will also join him. The Knicks traded up in the second round to draft Brazdeikis, a forward out of Michigan. Interestingly, he shares many similar traits with Barrett. Not only are both players lefties, but they are also competitive, crafty Canadians. The two hoopers have known each other since they were eight years old, and have played together for years. At the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, Barrett and Brazdeikis were the Canadian' National Team's leading scorers and led them to the country's first gold medal.

During the introductory press conference on Friday, GM Scott Perry mentioned that one of the reasons New York jumped up to secure his services was because the Knicks analytics staff were very high on Ignas Brazdeikis. And for good reason. As a freshman at Michigan, not only did he averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds, he also posted impressive advanced statistics. Per Synergy data, Brazdeikis scored 1.19 points per Spot Up possession, which placed him in the 92nd percentile of all NCAA players. He also scored .93 PPP in pick-and-roll action [84th percentile] and ranked in the 89th percentile as a cutter.

In addition, Brazdeikis graded out better defensively than I would have anticipated, especially on the perimeter. He allowed just 0.65 points per Isolation possession [69th percentile]. His tenacity and effort on the defensive end made up for some of his physical limitations, such as his relatively short 6'9" wingspan. Watching tape on him, the thing that jumps out is his aggressiveness. He has a high motor and plays hard whenever he's on the floor. "I don't fear anyone or anything," Brazdeikis said in his first sitdown with the New York media on Friday afternoon. "I don't back down from anyone either. I'm very confident in my abilities as well. I go as hard as I can every single game to help the team win. I'm aggressive."

His all-around ability and efficiency on the offensive end project well onto the next level. According to Basketball-Reference, Brazdeikis is the first freshman in Big Ten history to score more than 500 points, grab more than 200 rebounds and knock down more than 50 made 3-pointers. Here's an interesting statistical quirk: RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis were the only two freshmen in the nation in the 500/200/50 club in 2018-19.

Factoring in accuracy from downtown, the list gets even more impressive. Consider this: Brazdeikis is one of only five freshmen in NCAA Division 1 history to tally at least 500 points, 200 boards and 50 treys, while also shooting above 39% from downtown. Who are the other four frosh, you ask? Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Lauri Markkanen. All four were top-10 picks.

GM Scott Perry also confirmed on Friday that the Knicks have signed undrafted free agent Kris Wilkes out of UCLA. Wilkes, a former McDonald's All-American, averaged13.7 points per game as a freshman at UCLA and tested the draft waters in 2018, before returning to school. Last season as a sophomore, he put up 17.4 points and 4.8 boards. Measuring in at just a shade under 6'8" with a 6'11 wingspan, Wilkes has ideal size for an athletic wing, but his effort/intensity has been a question mark, and he didn't live up to expectations in college.

Also, Knicks fans will get a look at some familiar faces. A source close to center Mitchell Robinson confirmed on Friday evening that Robinson plans to join the team and suit up in Las Vegas next month. The source advised that he won't play in every contest, but "likely at least two games." Robinson, who went on to become the first rookie in NBA history to average over two blocks and shoot better than 65% from the field, had his coming out party last July in Vegas.

According to other league sources, Robinson is expected to be joined by both Kevin Knox and Allonzo Trier. It has apparently has not yet been determined exactly how many games Knox and Trier will play.