NBA Preseason 2015: Projecting Most Intriguing Matchups on the Schedule
The 2015 NBA offseason will be a difficult act to follow for the actual season.
Between the DeAndre Jordan saga, banana boat emojis, New York Knicks fans mercilessly booing the selection of Kristaps Porzingis at the draft and the reloading of the San Antonio Spurs, there was never a shortage of storylines.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time for the Golden State Warriors to begin their title defense, LeBron James to prepare for a run at his sixth straight Eastern Conference crown and the host of challengers to steel their resolve. However, there is an entire slate of preseason contests before the games officially count in the standings.
The rookies will have a chance to get their feet wet at the NBA level, new coaches will familiarize themselves with their players and veterans will shake off the rust from a long summer. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the most intriguing matchups of the NBA preseason.
The complete preseason schedule can be found here, courtesy of NBA.com.
Intriguing Preseason Games to Watch
Wednesday, Oct. 7: Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
The NBA missed one of its transcendent superstars for much of last season when Kevin Durant underwent three surgeries on his right foot.
He is back this year and could take the court as soon as this preseason contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Considering he is a former MVP, Rookie of the Year, first-team All-NBA performer and Western Conference champion, this is music to the ears of basketball fans everywhere.
Russell Westbrook challenged for the MVP in Durant’s absence, so it will be intriguing to see how the teammates blend together under new coach Billy Donovan. It shouldn’t be much of a transition since the point guard and forward have been together with the Thunder since the 2008-09 campaign, but there is something to be said for learning a new system.
While Westbrook and Durant are already game-changers, NBA fans will also get their first chance to watch a potential future superstar on the other side in this contest.
The Timberwolves drafted Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 overall pick, and this will be his initial opportunity to prove he is worthy of that status. Towns has the skill set to be a defensive force on the blocks and glass and the athleticism to get out in transition, beat slower defenders off the dribble from a triple-threat position and hit mid-range jumpers with soft touch.
The Anthony Davis comparisons are natural because they both went to Kentucky, but they are also premature considering Towns has yet to play an NBA game. This will be his chance to make a lasting first impression.
Thursday, Oct. 15: Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Durant is not the only star returning to health this season.
Paul George came back for the stretch run of the 2014-15 campaign, but this will be his first fully healthy year since his gruesome leg injury he suffered with Team USA. His Indiana Pacers will look quite different without David West and Roy Hibbert down low.
If the Pacers plan on returning to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, they must go through the Cleveland Cavaliers. That means another potential hard-fought playoff series with James, although this time he won’t be on the Miami Heat. Indiana lost the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012-13 in seven games and in 2013-14 in six games to James’ Heat.
It is easy to forget after a disappointing 2014-15 that the Pacers were often the biggest obstacle standing in James’ way of the NBA Finals.
Indiana will try to establish itself as just that once again using Paul as a power forward in some small-ball lineups without West and Hibbert.
George didn’t seem thrilled about that notion given his comments, per Sam Amick of USA Today: “Um, you know it’s, uh, I was open for—to try it out. It’s definitely a change. It’s something new. We’ll see how it goes. As the season goes, it might be better for me to just be at my regular position. But I told them I was open to the situation and (we’ll) see where it goes.”
Even with that trepidation, George will get a chance to prove himself against someone who is familiar with switching positions during the course of a game in James.
This is just the preseason, so the starters will play limited minutes and the defense won’t exactly be playoff-caliber, but this game at least gives the Pacers an opportunity to see where they stand in the conference pecking order against the defending East champions.
Saturday, Oct. 17: Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers
This contest will take place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. There is a certain level of excitement playing in front of different fans who may not necessarily get the chance to see Stephen Curry and the defending champions or Kobe Bryant and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers during the regular season.
This game provides an early look at the Golden State Warriors to see if they are still the three-point shooting machine fans saw last year, but they are a known commodity. Other than the excitement level of watching Curry jack up 25-footers in the blink of an eye, there is not much intrigue surrounding Golden State in October.
That is not the case for the Lakers.
They are fresh off the worst year in franchise history at 21-61, and the face of the franchise is entering his 20th season at age 37. Yes, Bryant was instrumental in adding five championship titles to Los Angeles lore, but it is unfair to expect him to be the same player in 2015-16.
However, there are plenty of new faces for the Lakers, including D’Angelo Russell and Hibbert. Julius Randle is also healthy after he missed last season with a broken leg.
Russell is the silky smooth point guard whom the Lakers selected with the second pick of the draft. He dazzles with electrifying passes, impressive ball-handling and soft touch from beyond the three-point line. Ideally, he will take some of the offensive pressure off Bryant’s shoulders.
Zach Harper of CBS Sports is already prepared to jump on the bandwagon:
If Russell lives up to the hype, Hibbert returns to the shot-blocking force he was at his peak in Indiana and Bryant occasionally taps into his legendary skill set, the Lakers could quickly improve. However, they will have to deal with loaded opponents like the Warriors in the West all season.
