On the eve of Wednesday’s scrimmage vs. Brooklyn, Alvin Gentry noted that none of his players “will play 40 minutes” in the dress rehearsal against the Nets. As it turns out, 40 minutes would actually represent the entirety of the scrimmage, because the NBA opted to shorten each quarter of scrimmage openers to just 10 minutes (instead of the normal 12-minute periods of a 48-minute game). The conventional game-time format will return for Saturday’s matchup vs. Denver.
It’s uncertain how the Pelicans will replace Zion Williamson in the starting lineup at power forward – or even if Wednesday’s first string will match how they’ll proceed in Zion-less situations – but Gentry reiterated that some experimentation will be part of the plan.