NBA Preseason 2021: Projecting Most Intriguing Matchups on the Schedule
Every NBA team bar the Los Angeles Lakers held their media day on Monday. They'll host theirs on Tuesday. Then, it will be full steam ahead toward the 2021-22 season, with teams now preparing for the start of the new campaign in training camps.
It won't be long before we get to see the league's 30 teams in a competitive setting, either. The NBA preseason begins Sunday, with exhibition games then taking place over the following two weeks before the regular season tips off on Oct. 19.
While the results of preseason contests don't matter, it's still fun to see players back on the court, especially after an offseason in which some free-agent signings and trades impacted the landscape of the NBA.
Here's a look at several intriguing matchups to keep an eye on during the preseason slate.
Nets at Lakers, Oct. 3
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The first game of this year's NBA preseason is the sole contest on the Sunday schedule. And it's a matchup between two teams that many will likely be picking to be championship contenders this season. It's possible they could even be playing against each other in the NBA Finals in June.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets both have star-studded rosters. The Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook to add to a core that already featured LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Nets return their big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
However, the success of both teams could depend on the production of the role players that each brought in to complement its stars. Los Angeles signed a bunch of veterans such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan and more, while Brooklyn's notable additions included Patty Mills, Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge, who came out of retirement to sign with the team.
It's possible the Lakers and Nets won't give a ton of minutes to their stars in the preseason opener. Still, this will be the first time we get to see these teams in action, and it could give an indication of how the depth of these two rosters stack up.
Bucks at Jazz, Oct. 13
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Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA title since 1971. Now, they enter the 2021-22 campaign with high expectations once again as they look to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors (2017 and 2018) to repeat as champions.
Milwaukee will play five preseason games, beginning with an Oct. 5 matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. It will also take on Brooklyn in a battle of top Eastern Conference teams on Oct. 8. However, it's the Oct. 13 matchup against the Utah Jazz that could be the most intriguing contest on its preseason slate.
The Jazz went an NBA-best 52-20 during the 2020-21 season, but they got knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. But Utah improved its depth in the offseason, bringing in Rudy Gay, Hassan Whiteside and Eric Paschall as role players who should play solid minutes.
With the Bucks and Jazz likely to both be among the top teams in the NBA, it will be fun to watch them go head-to-head late in the preseason. It should be a good tune-up game for both to see how they look against strong competition.
76ers at Pistons, Oct. 15
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This will be the Philadelphia 76ers' fourth and final game of the preseason. Will the Ben Simmons situation be resolved by then? Maybe, but if he hasn't reported to the team by this point, the 76ers will be preparing to begin the 2021-22 season without him.
Things seem to be trending toward the 25-year-old not playing for Philadelphia moving forward, so it will be interesting to see how its lineup looks without its All-Star point guard.
The 76ers didn't make a ton of offseason moves, bringing in just Andre Drummond and Georges Niang for bench roles, so they could have some early struggles as they try to figure out how to operate without Simmons.
On the other side, this will also be the final preseason tune-up for the Detroit Pistons. They'll be an intriguing team to watch this year after picking up Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He played well in the Summer League, but the competition will be a bit tougher during the preseason.
Philadelphia and Detroit will each play its regular-season opener five days after this meeting, so this will be the final chance for the teams to get ready for the new campaign.
