Of course, passionate NBA fans feel that way every year in early October … and then the enthusiasm fades almost immediately as we are all reminded what preseason basketball actually is. They are nothing more than glorified practices with the appearance of an actual game painted on. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s still the first dose of NBA basketball we\u2019re getting since Jalen Brunson dropped 45 to win the Knicks a championship<\/a>. And there will be plenty of things to watch out for. <\/p>\n Here are five things we\u2019re watching as NBA preseason gets underway. <\/p>\n Familiar faces in new places LeBron James will don a 76ers uniform in a game for the first time on October 5. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Thanks to an unusually active offseason over the summer, a number of big-name stars changed jerseys. This preseason will feature the debuts of: <\/p>\n Kawhi Leonard for the Raptors* (Oct. 3) Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Heat (Oct. 3) LeBron James and Jaylen Brown for the 76ers (Oct. 5) LaMelo Ball for the Timberwolves (Oct. 5) Ja Morant for the Trail Blazers (Oct. 7) Paul George for the Celtics (Oct. 8) Anthony Davis for the Wizards (Oct. 8)<\/p>\n *It\u2019s not Kawhi\u2019s first time in a Raptors uniform but it\u2019ll be his debut alongside Scottie Barnes and Co. so it counts!<\/p>\n NEXT: The LeBron Era in Philadelphia Has Officially Begun. There Isn\u2019t Hope\u2014Only Expectations<\/a><\/p>\n Quite a list, right? And that\u2019s without even mentioning less-famous but still notable names like Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Bucks, Oct. 5), Julius Randle (Nets, Oct. 6) and Norman Powell (Bulls, Oct. 7). There\u2019s also Nic Claxton (Bulls), Walker Kessler (Lakers, Oct. 5), Mitchell Robinson (Celtics) and Miles Bridges (Suns, Oct. 5). <\/p>\n The preseason will serve as an early dose of what these guys will look like in their new threads, as well as give us a very broad view of how their new teams will play with them in the lineup compared to last season. Moreover it\u2019s a stark reminder of just how wild this summer was in the NBA world. <\/p>\n Stars returning from injury Tyrese Haliburton will hit an NBA floor for the first time since June 2025 in preseason. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n They probably aren\u2019t going to get a ton of run, but three star players will be back on the court this month after missing all of last season with injuries. It will be great to see them return to action. <\/p>\n The most notable name, naturally, is Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers\u2019 star tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals in one of the most heartbreaking moments NBA fans have borne witness to this century. He was sidelined throughout last year\u2019s campaign, during which Indiana completely bottomed out but added Ivica Zubac to replace the departed Myles Turner as Haliburton\u2019s new pick-and-roll partner. Assuming he suits up for the preseason opener, Haliburton will take the floor for the first time in 16 months on Oct. 7. <\/p>\n Similarly, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs and signed with the Trail Blazers that offseason to spend last year in recovery (with a brief but victorious cameo in the 2026 three-point contest). Portland\u2019s roster as he returns is an odd assortment of talent with Morant in the mix. It will be overseen by a rookie head coach on an unprecedented one-year deal in Micah Nori and the franchise remains deadlocked in contentious arena negotiations<\/a> with the city with owner Tom Dundon\u2019s reputation looming over everything … but Dame\u2019s back, baby! <\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Kyrie Irving. The electrifying scorer tore his ACL in March 2025 and took all of last season to recover. He returns to a very different Mavericks team<\/a> that offloaded his veteran running mate, Anthony Davis, but added budding superstar Cooper Flagg. Irving\u2019s fit alongside his talented young teammate will be fun to watch, but all that matters is we\u2019ll be seeing Irving find impossible ways to score yet again. <\/p>\n Guys coming off serious injuries usually take it pretty light in the preseason, but these three have been on the mend for a long time. They\u2019ll probably be raring to go. <\/p>\n The first (real) look at the heralded 2026 rookie class No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa\u2019s preseason debut with the Wizards will be one to watch. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n The 2026 draft class was proclaimed one of the best we\u2019ve ever seen heading into June\u2019s selection process, and we finally get to see them in action. Properly! For the semantics out there, we did see them take the court as professionals in Summer League<\/a>, that is true. But preseason will give us the first real look at how their rookie seasons might play out. <\/p>\n No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa will take the floor in Washington alongside Anthony Davis and Trae Young instead of names from Summer League like Felix Okpara, which will prove informative on how the Wizards want touches distributed between the vets and their prized young prospect. The Jazz will trot out a fascinating and talented lineup of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George and No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson; where will the rookie slot in coach Will Hardy\u2019s priority order as a scorer? No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson will be playing alongside the best passer of his life in Chicago when he hits the parquet alongside Josh Giddey\u2014how does that change his game for the better? And then there\u2019s Cam Boozer, the most pro-ready of the top five who is simultaneously in the worst position to succeed. He\u2019ll probably shine anyway and we\u2019ll see how hard that\u2019ll be starting in preseason. <\/p>\n NEXT: One Reason to Be Excited About Each NBA Team This Season<\/a><\/p>\n All throughout the first round there are intriguing talents whose NBA careers will begin to take shape in October. Even though the stats don\u2019t count and the minutes will be low, preseason does count in this regard. <\/p>\n Kawhi Leonard\u2019s first game against the Clippers Kawhi Leonard left the Clippers earlier this month for the Raptors but will see them again very soon. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n In the more granular sense there\u2019s exactly one matchup that will bring a little more juice to the viewing situation than a normal preseason game: When the Raptors take on the Clippers in Vancouver, pitting Kawhi Leonard against the Clips for the first time since a rather ugly divorce. <\/p>\n As you may have heard, Los Angeles was punished severely for circumventing the salary cap<\/a> to pay Leonard more than his max salary allowed. But the superstar himself got off pretty light; the NBA asked him to pay a fine of $700,00 but otherwise he was able to walk away from the Clippers and the flaming wreckage he left in his wake after seven seasons and zero championships. Even better for him, the NBA\u2019s discipline cleared the way for Leonard to be traded to a much better team in the East<\/a> and sign a $115 million extension mere weeks afterwards. <\/p>\n 2027 NBA Championship Predictions: Which Team Will Hoist the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy?<\/a><\/p>\n The contrast in outcomes for player and team means there\u2019s probably some bad feelings between the two sides entering this season! We won\u2019t see proof until the Raptors travel to Intuit Dome to play the Clippers in the regular season, but this will be a nice table-setter for that contest. <\/p>\n Sophomore leaps Dylan Harper is poised for a big season in San Antonio as he enters his second season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s rookie class was a very strong one, headlined by former Duke teammates Kon Knueppel and Flagg. While Kneuppel is sidelined with a hamstring injury, the preseason offers the first opportunity for Flagg and his fellow sophomores to show what they worked on after their first dose of NBA basketball. <\/p>\n NEXT: Predicting the 2026\u201327 NBA Award Winners: MVP, Rookie of the Year and More<\/a><\/p>\n The Mavericks\u2019 star won Rookie of the Year honors and figures to take a big step forward with a season\u2019s worth of experience under him after averaging 21 points per game in Dallas. Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe will play key roles for contending teams after strong rookie seasons for the Spurs and 76ers, respectively. Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen showed flashes of interesting play in New Orleans and figure to play a big role in the Pelicans\u2019 future. Egor D\u00ebmin was the best of five Nets rookies, entering the season with a much better supporting cast and a more comfortable role. <\/p>\n It will be a big year for the class of 2025. They\u2019ll be giving us a hint of what\u2019s in store during preseason. <\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"LeBron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3snw73m64t20za5p7.jpg\" "\\"LeBron")
<\/p>\n![\"Tyrese](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3syx52wbs9mk45vg1.jpg\" "\\"Tyrese")
<\/p>\n![\"AJ](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3syys5w5z0wz50aq2.jpg\" "\\"AJ")
<\/p>\n![\"Kawhi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3sz2qg24s0rq90w8s.jpg\" "\\"Kawhi")
<\/p>\n![\"Dylan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3sz3yfgm30x7bs4gf.jpg\" "\\"Dylan")
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