When Nicolo Melli decided to make the jump from the EuroLeague to the NBA this summer, it did not take long to see just how athletic the players in the world’s best basketball league were. The Pelicans had a pair of 19-year-old rookies in Jaxson Hayes and Zion Williamson who could both jump out of the gym.

“They’re different,” Melli said. “They’re different for sure. What they can do is just unbelievable.” Facing them every day in practice helped Melli get accustomed to NBA athleticism, a process that is still ongoing. “You get used to it,” Melli said. “But it’s one of the things I need to adapt to. Try to be quicker with the decision making because they’ll be quicker to the ball than I was used to in Europe.”