The NBA is again. Effectively, type of. Preseason basketball is right here, and whereas the video games might not technically rely, they do give us our first have a look at how all of the offseason strikes made across the league will play out. It was a protracted summer season that included several stars switching teams and stunning free company offers and trades, so the preseason is our first alternative to overreact to plenty of eventualities that may actually change a couple of months from now.
The Celtics and Nuggets kick off preseason motion in Abu Dhabi on Friday. However earlier than then, listed below are 5 causes to look at as all 30 NBA groups inch nearer to the beginning of the 2024-25 common season.
1. Acquainted faces in new locations
There are dozens of gamers who switched groups this offseason, however we’ll be holding an extra-sharp eye on those whose free-agency signings or trades induced ripple results throughout the league. We have Paul George in Philadelphia, Klay Thompson in Dallas, Karl-Anthony Towns in New York and Julius Randle in Minnesota. And people are simply the large names. There is not a ton you may gleam from preseason motion, because the regulars are principally going at half-speed to tune up for the true factor, however we’ll get our first have a look at how these guys match into their new surroundings.
One recreation to circle is when the Knicks host the Timberwolves on Oct. 13. It’s going to be the primary time Cities and Randle face off towards their former groups after a surprising blockbuster trade that despatched the 2 All-Stars to totally different groups. It might solely be a preseason recreation, however Randle will certainly get a heat welcome as he returns to Madison Sq. Backyard just some weeks after being traded.
2. The rookies
This yr’s rookie class is probably not practically as intriguing as final yr’s, once we acquired Victor Wembanyama and our first glimpse of Chet Holmgren. However that does not imply this incoming group will not shock us, and the preseason is a good place to start out. Final June’s prime two NBA Draft picks, Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr, will get loads of alternative out of the gate for the Hawks and Wizards, respectively. Nonetheless, all eyes could also be tuned to Reed Sheppard, who was chosen third general by the Rockets and will make an instantaneous affect on a group that figures to take developmental strides. If Sheppard can carry over his sharpshooting from Kentucky and strong efficiency on the Las Vegas Summer season League (20 factors and 5 assists per recreation), he ought to have a major position in Houston’s rotation.
One other prospect who might be profitable on a profitable group is 7-foot-4, 305-pound middle Zach Edey. The previous Purdue star landed on a Memphis squad in want of some frontcourt depth, and that first pick-and-roll between him an Ja Morant will certainly make the rounds on social media.
3. LeBron and Bronny
Except the Lakers make an impactful commerce to place them within the championship dialog, essentially the most intriguing factor about their season figures to be the father-son duo in purple and gold. We have already gotten our fair share of wholesome stories from Lakers coaching camp that might function a plot in a basic sitcom, and that ought to solely multiply as extra eyes tune in to the Lakers. Anthony Davis has already spoken concerning the degree of competitiveness between LeBron and Bronny, and there is additionally been some trash speaking as the duo has guarded each other at instances throughout practices.
Past all of the tales, although, the preseason will give us a strong benchmark of the best way to measure Bronny’s abilities and the place he stands within the Lakers’ pecking order. He was a late second-round draft decide, which often means he’ll spend most, if not all, of his time within the G League. However the Lakers drafted Bronny partially due to LeBron, so you may guess the four-time champion could have some say in his son’s journey by means of the NBA. Preseason will present us if Bronny does certainly must go the G League route, if he is adequate to be an end-of-the-bench man, or perhaps even an precise rotational participant.
It has been two-and-a-half years since Lonzo Ball has performed NBA basketball. Throughout his absence he underwent three knee surgical procedures and, after setbacks in his restoration course of alongside the way in which, he is lastly able to get again on the courtroom. Ball mentioned at Bulls media day that he hopes he may be ready to play in Chicago’s regular-season opener, and Bulls president Arturas Karnisovas echoed that sentiment whereas additionally pushing the pause button a bit by saying they will must see how Ball responds throughout coaching camp and preseason. Up to now, Ball’s gone by means of the primary couple days of coaching camp with no limitations.
How that interprets to recreation motion shall be essential to regulate. Ball already appears to just accept that he will not be as athletic as he was previous to the surgical procedures, but when he can return to even 85% of the participant he was virtually three years in the past, he’ll be a worthwhile, defensive-minded guard the Bulls can deliver off the bench. And within the off likelihood that Ball recovers all of his abilities, together with being a constant 3-point risk, elite facilitator and lockdown defender, then Billy Donovan goes to have a troublesome time holding him out of the beginning lineup.
5. The brand new-look Knicks
The Knicks are indisputably the league’s most intriguing group getting into the preseason thanks to 2 blockbuster trades that introduced in Karl-Anthony Cities and Mikal Bridges. I wrote a couple weeks ago about how one of many largest questions dealing with the Knicks getting into the season was their lack of frontcourt depth after dropping Isaiah Hartenstein in free company. That query was solely magnified after it was introduced that middle Mitchell Robinson can be out till not less than December or January as he continues to recuperate from an ankle harm. Effectively, the Knicks should have been studying my work as a result of they addressed that want tenfold by buying and selling Randle for Cities — giving them measurement up entrance along with an offensive piece that fits the group’s wants higher than Randle did.
On paper, Cities ought to match seamlessly right into a Knicks offense that wants capturing and flooring spacing. The 2-man recreation with him and Jalen Brunson ought to be amongst one of the best within the league, and we’ll get our first style of that pairing within the preseason. It is not simply the addition of Cities that makes the Knicks essentially the most attention-grabbing group within the league. There’s additionally Bridges, whom the group acquired earlier within the offseason, giving them a premier 3-and-D wing who has expertise becoming into no matter position you want him to fill. The Knicks addressed their weaknesses this summer season, and after they open the preseason on Oct. 6, we’ll get to see the early returns of these strikes.
