What can we really learn from NBA preseason? It’s a question open for debate without any concrete answers.
The easy answer is that everything in the preseason needs to be taken with a massive grain of salt, that any individual or coaching improvement hinted at in early October. must be proven in games that count for real. At the same time, history has plenty of examples of players or even entire teams that looked amazing in the preseason and saw it carry over all year. The 2014-2015 Warriors looking like an offensive juggernaut at times in the preseason before their first title run comes to mind.
With the NBA preseason coming to a close and the regular season around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to look at the positive trends that stuck out in the preseason. Check back before the playoffs to see if any of these held true in the games that really count.
The Knicks need more Obi Toppin
Obi Toppin was already considered an older rookie when the Knicks drafted him No. 8 overall out of Dayton in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Knicks became the surprise team of the NBA in his rookie season fueled by a shocking All-NBA run from Julius Randle, who plays the same position as Toppin. Both the Knicks and Randle fell off last season, but Toppin still struggled to carve out a meaningful for head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibs’ reluctance with Toppin and other young players must stop this season. Toppin was electric in the preseason, going 14-for-16 on two-point field goals, and plenty with a combination of energy and athleticism no one else in the Knicks’ front court can match:
Randle was actually pretty good for the Knicks in the preseason, too. Regardless, New York can’t afford to bury Toppin on the bench this season. Whether he’s getting minutes at center or playing next to another traditional big man like Randle, Mitchell Robinson, or new addition Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks have to finally find out what they have in their former lottery pick.
Tari Eason and Ben Mathurin are going to hit the ground running as rookies
Tari Eason felt like the steal of the 2022 NBA Draft when he fell to the Houston Rockets at pick No. 17, and his performance in both the summer league and the preseason has only backed up that notion. At 6’8, 220 pounds with a 7’2 wingspan, Eason is an athletic forward who plays with a non-stop motor for every second he’s on the floor. He’s able to rack up takeaways defensively, clean the glass on both ends, and score on straight-line drives and cuts to the basket. Eason simply has an incredible nose for the ball, and good enough scoring instincts to project as the type of forward who should fill the box score from day one.
Mathurin, the No. 6 overall pick out of Arizona, was also excellent in both summer league and preseason. The 6’6 wing is both one of the better run-and-jump athletes and one of the best three-point shooters in this year’s rookie class. His scoring should fit nicely around Tyrese Haliburton’s playmaking in the Pacers.
DeMar DeRozan’s career year was no fluke
The Bulls’ decision to sign DeMar DeRozan to a three-year contract last summer was hailed as the worst move of the offseason when it happened. All DeRozan did in response was turn in the best season of his career at age-32, earning second-team All-NBA honors while lifting Chicago into the playoffs for the first team since it traded Jimmy Butler in 2017. It’s easy to assume DeRozan’s game is set to fall off after playing at such a high level last year, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen based on the preseason. DeRozan will still be a mid-range assassin, masterful at drawing fouls, and a brilliant crunch-time performance who rarely turns the ball over and has an incredible knack for hitting tough shots.
He may not make an All-NBA team again, but DeRozan is primed for another excellent season in Chicago at age-33.
The Anthony Davis bounce-back season is coming
The last time Anthony Davis was fully healthy, he helped lead the Lakers to the championship inside the bubble and had some wondering if he was the best player in the league. Since then, Davis has missed a lot of games with injuries and the Lakers have played like a team that is mediocre at best. If the Lakers are ever going to get right again, it’s up to Davis to stay healthy and rediscover his prime. It feels like this could be the year it happens.
Davis is healthy to start this season after recovering from a wrist injury that allegedly hindered his jump shot since the bubble. Still only 29 years old, he remains one of the game’s better lob threats and a tremendous finisher around the rim. Davis’ defense will also come under the microscope as he’s expected to play more center this year, but at this best he’s an All-Defense caliber big. If the Lakers can just keep him upright, Davis should be a monster once again this season.
Zion Williamson looks poised for an All-NBA season
Zion Williamson was amazing in his second pro season, averaging 27 points on a ridiculous 65 percent true shooting while establishing himself as perhaps the most dominant interior scorer in the league this side of Giannis. Williamson then suffered a mysterious foot injury the following summer and missed all of last season. Now Zion is back, and he looks leaner than ever. His combination of power and speed going to the basket remains as unprecedented as ever, and his finishing touch around the rim is pretty great, too. The Pelicans were so impressive last year even without their franchise star, and his return to the lineup gives them a reason to think big going into the new season.
The Heat always find another guy
The Heat are one of the few contenders in the East that actually got worse over the offseason. Miami lost PJ Tucker to the rival 76ers, and did not make a major addition to the rotation. It might be tempting to predict that the Heat will be off, but please remember that this organization develops talent at the bottom of the roster as well as any team in the league. It’s already happening again in the preseason: undrafted free agent Jamal Cain has popped as a 6’7 wing, and rookie first rounder Nikola Jovic showed his tantalizing offensive skill set in the front court. Miami has proven again and again it’s great at identifying and developing talent on the margins, and Eric Spoelstra has a special touch with putting players in position to succeed. No matter who they lose, the Heat always find another guy.
Jamal Cain dribbled the ball twice and scored 15 POINTS.
Look at the way he moves without the ball, rim runs and just simply outworks guys.
Every coach in America should show this reel to young players who want to impact the game. pic.twitter.com/ZTa9vAiejB
— Stephen Strom (@SStrom_) October 7, 2022
Kawhi Leonard is huge
My preseason hot take is that the Clippers have the best roster, one of the best head coaches, and the best governor in basketball at the beginning of the season. Of course, that first part is only true if Kawhi Leonard can regain his form as one of the league’s very best players after missing all of last year with a torn ACL. Well, Kawhi is back in the preseason and he looks jacked as all hell.
Just ask Ty Lue, who said Kawhi is “big as hell.”
“I think with all the rehab and all the lifting, he’s gonna bulk up. He’s in shape, not a lot of body fat, you know what I’m saying, but he’s big. Big as hell, actually.”
Tyronn Lue on Clippers star Kawhi Leonard bulking up pic.twitter.com/Y6SeAJKf9v
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 28, 2022
Kawhi Leonard bully ball season is back. The Clippers are going to be really, really good.
The Magic are going to be the most fun bad team
The Magic aren’t going to be good just yet, but they are going to be fun. No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero is an awesome shot creator at 6’10, 250 pounds. The same can be said for Franz Wagner, another 6’10 forward who had an awesome rookie season for Orlando and looked even better in EuroBasket this season. Add in Wendell Carter, Markelle Fultz, Mo Bamba, and maybe even Bol Bol, and the Magic are going to produce a lot of cool highlights even if they don’t win a ton of games.