NBA Preseason 2015: Highlighting Top Matchups on Exhibition Schedule
Buckle up, NBA fans. Training camps may have just started, but preseason action is ready to get going.
Friday, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers will hit the hardwood at Staples Center to satisfy the appetites of hoops fanatics everywhere, and two more games will be played Saturday before the preseason schedule kicks into high gear the following week.
The complete NBA preseason schedule can be viewed here, courtesy of RealGM.com, but we've decided to highlight a few of the exhibition slate's top matchups in advance of the regular season.
Oct. 5: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET
The defending NBA champions will make their preseason debut against the revamped Toronto Raptors, who are looking to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
Each of Toronto's last five postseason appearances has resulted in a first-round exit, and frankly, the team is too talented to bow out in the early going once again.
Amir Johnson walked in the offseason for an opportunity with the Boston Celtics, but the team brought in off-ball cutting master DeMarre Carroll to help supplement the offerings of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas.
With those four controlling the pace of the offense, Toronto should be able to impose its will on weaker Eastern Conference opponents.
"[I] came in here a couple of days ago," Carroll said, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "And [I] see how the ball moves. It’s a good thing, man. I think it’s going to be a different type of basketball. [It's] not going to be iso, iso, iso."
A preseason tilt against the high-powered Warriors won't tell us anything about the Raptors' prospects of contending with the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference, but it will be fascinating to watch their new-look core against the high-powered Warriors.
Oct. 12: Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET
One of the bigger questions in the Eastern Conference revolves around the Philadelphia 76ers' frontcourt.
Specifically, can Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel coexist?
Since Noel's a bouncy athletic freak with limited range and Okafor is a throwback low-post center, it remains to be seen if the two can share the floor without the team's spacing crumbling.
Last season, Noel hit just 30.9 percent of his shots between 10 and 16 feet. That's a range he'll need to live and thrive in if he's going to play off Okafor effectively.
"The way he plays defense, that's going to help me out a lot," Okafor said, according to CSNPhilly.com's John Finger. "I can learn a lot from him. Then on the offensive end, I demand a lot of attention. I think that will help him out a lot."
Oct. 12 will also represent a chance for No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis to flaunt his long-range stroke in the New York Knicks' triangle offense. And with Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez aboard alongside Carmelo Anthony, New York has plenty of new faces looking to make good first impressions as the Knicks seek a return to the playoffs.
Oct. 19: Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers both have new looks entering the 2015-16 season, but they're two franchises headed in different directions.
While the Lakers restocked their talent pool with No. 2 overall pick D'Angelo Russell, center Roy Hibbert, veteran forward Brandon Bass and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, the Blazers watched LaMarcus Aldridge bolt for the San Antonio Spurs after they traded Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets.
L.A. also has Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle returning from injuries. Combined with the continued emergence of Jordan Clarkson, the Purple and Gold could be a sneaky-fun watch this season.
But the focus in the preseason will be on the youngsters. And in this case, all eyes will be on 19-year-old Russell.
"He has looked more relaxed in recent scrimmages at the Lakers' training facility but that's not quite the barometer of NBA success," the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan wrote. "How will he do against Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, etc.? That's what matters."
Against the Blazers, Russell will have a chance to test his chops against offensive dynamo Damian Lillard. While we know Russell arrived in the Association with solid passing and scoring credentials, his defensive capabilities remain more of an unknown.
Matched up with Lillard, Russell is sure to undergo a crash course in pick-and-roll defending.
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480)
