Five reasons to watch the NBA preseason: Possible LeBron Bronny debut, first look at the new-look Knicks and more

The NBA is back. Well, sort of. Preseason basketball is here, and while the games may not technically count, they give us our first look at the impact of all the offseason measures around the league. It's been a long summer, inclusive Several stars change teams and surprise free agency deals and trades, so the preseason is our first opportunity to respond to a number of scenarios that are sure to change in a few months.

The Celtics and Nuggets begin preseason training on Friday in Abu Dhabi. But until then, here are five reasons to watch as all 30 NBA teams inch ever closer to the start of the 2024-25 regular season.

1. Familiar faces in new places

There are dozens of players who have changed teams this offseason, but we'll be keeping a particularly keen eye on those whose signings or trades in free agency have had a ripple effect across the league. We have Paul George in Philadelphia, Klay Thompson in Dallas, Karl-Anthony Towns in New York and Julius Randle in Minnesota. And those are just the big names. You can't catch much of the preseason action since the starters are mostly prepared for the real action at half speed, but we'll get our first look at how these guys fit into their new surroundings.

One game to circle around is when the Knicks host the Timberwolves on October 13th. It will be the first time in a week that Towns and Randle face their former teams surprising blockbuster trade that sent the two All-Stars to different teams. It may only be a preseason game, but Randle is sure to receive a warm welcome when he returns to Madison Square Garden just weeks after his move.

2. The newbies

This year's rookie class may not be nearly as intriguing as last year's, when we got Victor Wembanyama and our first look at Chet Holmgren. But that doesn't mean this new group won't surprise us, and preseason is a great place to start. The top two NBA draft picks from last June, Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr, will get plenty of opportunities for the Hawks and Wizards, respectively. However, all eyes will likely be on Reed Sheppard, who was selected third overall by the Rockets and could make an immediate impact on a team looking to make developmental strides. If Sheppard can carry over his sharp shooting from Kentucky and his solid performance in the Las Vegas Summer League (20 points and five assists per game), he should play an important role in Houston's rotation.

Another candidate who could be successful on a winning team is the 1.75 meter tall, 140 kilogram center Zach Edey. The former Purdue star landed on a Memphis squad that needed some depth up front, and this first pick-and-roll between him and Ja Morant is sure to make the rounds on social media.

3. LeBron and Bronny

Unless the Lakers make an impactful trade to put them in the championship conversation, the most intriguing thing about their season numbers is the father-son duo in purple and gold. We already got ours a whole series of wholesome stories from Lakers training camp that could serve as the plot of a classic sitcom, and that should only multiply as more eyes turn to the Lakers. Anthony Davis has already spoken about the level of competition between LeBron and Bronny, and there has been some nonsense too The duo protected each other sometimes during training.

All the stories aside, however, the preseason will give us a solid benchmark for how to measure Bronny's talents and where he stands in the Lakers' pecking order. He wasn't selected until the second round of the draft, which typically means he'll spend most, if not all, of his time in the G League. But the Lakers drafted Bronny in part because of LeBron, so you can bet the four-time champion will have a say in his son's journey through the NBA. The preseason will tell us if Bronny actually needs to go the G League route, if he's good enough to be a backup player, or maybe even a true rotation player.

It's been two and a half years since Lonzo Ball played NBA basketball. He underwent three knee surgeries during his absence and is finally ready to get back on the pitch after setbacks in his recovery process. Ball said at Bulls media day that he hopes he can do it ready to play in Chicago's regular season openerand Bulls president Arturas Karnisovas echoed that sentiment, but also hit the pause button a bit, saying they would have to wait and see how Ball responds during training camp and preseason. So far, Ball has gotten through the first few days of training camp without any problems.

It's important to keep an eye on how this affects gameplay. Ball already seems to accept that he won't be as athletic as he was before the surgeries, but if he can be even 85% of the player he was almost three years ago, he will be a valuable, defensive-minded player Guard the Bulls can bring off the bench. And in the event that Ball regains all of his talents, including the ability to be a consistent 3-point threat and elite facilitator And As a lockdown defender, Billy Donovan will have a hard time keeping him out of the starting lineup.

5. The new look Knicks

The Knicks are without a doubt the league's most intriguing team heading into the preseason thanks to a pair of blockbuster transactions that brought in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. I wrote a few weeks ago about how one of the biggest questions the Knicks faced entering the season was their lack of frontcourt depth after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. That question was only heightened when it was announced that center Mitchell Robinson would be out until at least December or January as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. Well, the Knicks must have read my work, because they addressed that need tenfold by trading Randle for Towns – giving them size on offense and an offensive piece that fits the team's needs better than Randle.

On paper: cities should Fit seamlessly into a Knicks offense that requires shooting and floor spacing. The two-man game between him and Jalen Brunson should be one of the best in the league, and we'll get our first look at this pairing in the preseason. It's not just the addition of Towns that makes the Knicks the most interesting team in the league. There's also Bridges, who the team acquired at the start of the offseason, giving them a premier 3-and-D winger who has experience playing whatever role you want him to play. The Knicks have addressed their weaknesses this summer, and when they open the preseason on October 6, we will see the first results of those moves.