After a year away, NBA Summer League is back in Las Vegas. The league has descended on the desert for the next 10 days where we will get to see rookies play basketball for the first time since the Draft, as well as players young and old trying to prove they belong on rosters and in rotations for next season.
The first day of Summer League always provides some marquee matchups, as the league stacks the schedule to get fans immediately invested in the action. This year is no different, as all of the top 4 picks will be in action, including two going head to head in three consecutive games in the afternoon/evening in Vegas.
First up on the main court at Thomas & Mack will be the one who was a surprising member of that group, as Scottie Barnes will make his Raptors debut against the Knicks (who have all of their recent draft picks from the past few years playing at least to start) at 4:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2. Barnes will get a chance to matchup with Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, and the rest of the Summer Knicks as he looks to make a quality first impression. Following Barnes is Rockets-Cavs (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2), where Houston’s quartet of first round picks headlined by Jalen Green, will take on Evan Mobley and the Cavaliers in a game where tons of rookie talent will be on display. The third game will feature the headlining name of Summer League, as Cade Cunningham and the Summer Pistons play No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey and the OKC Thunder (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at Thomas & Mack.
For those looking to see the top rookies, Sunday will be your best opportunity (and really your only guarantee to), as the top 4 will all be on the court. From here, we will begin the clock as these teams will look to balance getting these guys some reps while also looking to get them out of Vegas and to training camp fully healthy, which often means shutting them down after 1-3 games, depending on the player.
Those aren’t the only three games but they are the headliners for Sunday, with the full schedule (and TV info) for Day 1 in the desert below:
Sunday, August 8
Hawks vs. Celtics, Cox Pavilion (4:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Raptors vs. Knicks, Thomas & Mack (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Blazers vs. Hornets, Cox Pavilion (6:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Rockets vs. Cavaliers, Thomas & Mack (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Wizards vs. Pacers, Cox Pavilion (8:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV) POSTPONED
Thunder vs. Pistons, Thomas & Mack (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Nuggets vs. Heat, Cox Pavilion (10:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Lakers vs. Suns, Thomas & Mack (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
