NBA Preseason 2015: Schedule and Predictions for Under-the-Radar Rookies
We're less than two weeks away from basketball that counts. Luckily for all of us, we still have basketball that doesn't count hanging around to satiate our appetite in the meantime.
Watching preseason NBA is not like watching its regular-season counterpart. It's not even like an appetizer to the main course. It's like stopping off for some Wendy's fries a couple of hours before dinner at a nice restaurant. Yeah, sure, it's not all that good and you're not totally sure why you're doing it, but somehow it hits the spot just enough to keep you going.
What mostly keeps me going is getting the first opportunity to watch rookies take part in NBA action. Having spent months scouting them, grading them and then spewing that information out to the public, these first few preseason games feel like a referendum. Was I right to be worried about Willie Cauley-Stein? Wrong to be higher than most on Tyus Jones? And on and on.
With a couple of weeks of preseason action to go, though, here's a look at a few under-the-radar first-rounders who are impressing.
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | Away | Time (ET) | Home |
| Indiana | Cleveland | 7:00 p.m. | Indiana |
| Houston | Golden St. | 10:00 p.m. | Houston |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Away | Time (ET) | Home |
| Washington | Philadelphia | 7:00 p.m. | Washington |
| Boston | New York | 7:30 p.m. | Boston |
| Oklahoma City | Memphis | 8:00 p.m. | Oklahoma City |
| Atlanta | Dallas | 8:30 p.m. | Atlanta |
| Phoenix | Denver | 9:00 p.m. | Phoenix |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | Away | Home (ET) | Home |
| New York | Charlotte | 7:00 p.m. | New York |
| Sacramento | New Orleans | 7:00 p.m. | Sacramento |
| Miami | Houston | 8:00 p.m. | Miami |
| Washington | Milwaukee | 8:30 p.m. | Washington |
| Golden St. | L.A. Lakers | 10:00 p.m. | Golden St. |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Away | Time (ET) | Home |
| Philadelphia | Brooklyn | 1:00 p.m. | Philadelphia |
| Detroit | San Antonio | 4:00 p.m. | Detroit |
| Minnesota | Memphis | 6:00 p.m. | Minnesota |
| Cleveland | Toronto | 6:00 p.m. | Cleveland |
| Miami | Atlanta | 7:00 p.m. | Miami |
| Denver | Oklahoma City | 7:00 p.m. | Denver |
Jerian Grant, PG, New York Knicks
While all the focus has rightfully been on Kristaps Porzingis, it's actually Grant who may be the Knicks rookie who thrives in 2015-16. The Notre Dame product has been solid through his first three preseason games, averaging 7.7 points and 4.0 assists per game despite inconsistent shooting. A high-flying dunk Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers was the highlight, but teammates came away impressed with his veteran-like ability to control pacing.
Per Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal, Carmelo Anthony said:
"Me and Arron was talking about that on the bench, about how he's playing and controlling the game and the pace of the game. There were spurts out there where I was like "Damn, I wish I was out there with Jerian." But, I mean, it's gonna happen. He's earning a great job of earning his [regular-season] minutes right now, and hopefully he'll be out there.
"
Grant and Langston Galloway are competing for backup minutes behind Jose Calderon. If this were a normal, more patient organization, here is where one would wonder just why Calderon's getting the first crack at the starting job. The Spaniard is 34, missed 40 games last season and showed marked signs of regression even from his Dallas form—which all involved would admit wasn't great.
Grant isn't Porzingis. He's already 23, having been through four years of battles at Notre Dame. His athleticism and shot creation are the exact jolts the Knicks offense, stagnant for so much of last season, needs. That Grant and Galloway are competing for backup minutes rather than the opportunity to start says more about the Knicks' inconsistent way of thinking than anything else.
That said, if the season falls off the rails, don't be surprised if Grant's in the starting lineup by December.
Bobby Portis, PF, Chicago Bulls
Oh, hey, look: The Bulls found another under-the-radar big man.
Oh, hey, look: There are absolutely no free minutes for him to take.
You almost have to feel bad for Portis. He's been gobbling up rebounds like a madman, posting double-doubles and even stretching beyond the three-point line this preseason. On almost any other team, that would earn him guaranteed regular-season time. On a team that also features Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic, well, you're outta luck, bucko.
"Everything isn't peaches and cream. You can't come in and be LeBron (James) or (Kevin Durant)," Portis said, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "But I prepared myself to be a good NBA player someday. I always stayed composed, level-headed. It's being ready for your moment. When Coach puts me out there, only thing I try to do is play hard."
At issue here remains the Bulls' refusal to un-muck their frontcourt rotation. Gasol, Gibson, Noah and Mirotic are all usable NBA rotation players. Each of those players could be starting for a number of teams across the league. Chicago also has a disconcertingly weak backcourt and wing behind its starters, with the likes of Aaron Brooks, Kirk Hinrich and Tony Snell expected to pick up chunks of minutes.
This would seem like an easy fix. Trade one of the bigs for a wing or point guard and move on with your life. Give Portis 10 or so minutes a night, and allow the remaining minutes to trickle up to the three incumbent bigs who remain. As it stands, Portis is probably going to spend more time on a D-League court than an NBA one this season, and that's a shame.
Rashad Vaughn, SG, Milwaukee Bucks
I'm not sure Rashad Vaughn will ever do anything at the NBA level beyond score points. I'm also not sure he has to. The UNLV product opened his NBA preseason career with three consecutive games in double figures, scoring off the dribble, knocking down set three-pointers and doing basically everything Milwaukee hoped he would drafting him at No. 17.
"I think he can participate," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said, per Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel. "He's working extremely hard in preseason and we do play everybody. He'll have his opportunities throughout the season to show us he deserves more minutes and hopefully he gets more minutes, because that means he's doing the right thing."
Vaughn still has his faults. He still doesn't play defense, has exactly four rebounds and three assists in three games and generally looks to shoot every time he touches the ball. When the shots are going in, he's a joy to watch. When the shots aren't falling, he actively detracts from the team on both ends of the floor.
Basically: Vaughn is Nick Young without the swagginess. That's probably a good thing for Kidd, who'd prefer his 19-year-old rookie keeps to himself. That's definitely a bad thing for all of us, because, like, Nick Young's just entertaining, OK? Having two of them around sounds pretty fun. Throwing one of them in a more mundane city like Milwaukee sounds super awesome.
Vaughn is buried behind Khris Middleton, O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless on the depth chart. He'll need injuries or shaky play from one of those three—particularly Mayo—to get a shot. Once he does, don't be surprised if Vaughn has one or two big moments as a rookie.
