TEAM-SPECIFIC STORIES
BKN: Like fine wine, Ben Simmons will get better with time
Kristian Winfield, Daily News
When Ben Simmons is pushing the ball in transition, one of three things can happen.
One: Simmons gets downhill and finishes at the rim, either with a dunk, a floater or a running hook shot.
Two: Simmons accelerates, forcing the defense to contract around the rim, before he beams a pass to a corner shooter.
Or three: Simmons either rockets a one-handed bounce pass or a two-handed lob over the defense to a streaking teammate for an easy fast-break finish.
And then, he’s getting back on defense to guard the opposing team’s best player.
BKN: Nets finally showing signs of cohesiveness
Brian Lewis, NY Post
BOS: 5 things to watch as C’s restart championship pursuit
Steve Hewitt, Boston Herald
DEN: Q&A: NUGGETS GM CALVIN BOOTH
Mark Medina, NBA.com
DET: Kevin Knox is a worthy reclamation project
Jack Kelly, Detroit Bad Boys
GSW: Film Breakdown: How the Kuminga-Wiseman pairing could prosper
Joe Viray, Golden State Of Mind
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HOU: Player Preview: Jabari Smith Jr
James Piercey, The Dream Shake
HOU: Rockets rundown: Expectations for 2022 roster
Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle
LAL: Major questions facing the Lakers this season
Dave McMenamin, ESPN
MIN: Anthony Edwards enters pivotal third season
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
NOP: Pelicans Season Preview
Gibson Pyper, Half Court Hoops
NYK: Preseason Takeaways
Zach Braziller, NY Post
OKC: Shooting coach Chip Engelland already impacting the Thunder
Joe Mussatto, The Okahoman
ORL: Q & A: Paolo Banchero
Marc Stein, The Stein Line
SAC: How Dellavedova, Moneke, Okpala survived final cuts with Kings
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee
SAC: KZ Okpala, Chima Moneke earn roster spots on Mike Brown's squad
James Ham, The Kings Beat
How did we get here? How did a player who was traded and then waived during last season start three of the four preseason games and be in line for an opening night starting job? How did an undrafted young man from UC Davis play overseas for years and then find his way back to Northern California where he was defending NBA legend LeBron James on Friday night?
The answer is simple. Mike Brown.
Brown helped develop both Okpala and Moneke during his time with the Nigerian National team. When he took the Kings job, two of his first calls went to this pair and both jumped at the opportunity.
“He’s hungry, he took this job for a reason,” Moneke said of Brown. “He believes in himself. He still has things to prove and he wants guys that feel like we have things to prove. The Kings haven’t made the playoffs in 16 years, everyone talks about it, even if most of the guys here haven’t been a part of that, we feel that. We hear that. And we want to change that and he’s the right coach for us.”
SAS: Season preview: Unabashedly rebuilding, Spurs aim to win for losing
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
SAS: Primo is primed for liftoff, coming off the bench
Jeff McDonald, Express-News
UTA: The Jazz went all-in with Danny Ainge. Will he deliver the goods?
Doug Robinson, Deseret News
LEAGUE-WIDE STORIES
Season Preview: Central Division
Adam Spinella, The Box And One
Season Preview: Southeast Division
Nekias Duncan, Basketball News
Checking In On Roster Situations Around The NBA
Luke Adams, Hoops Rumors
Sunday Notes
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe
Preseason winners and losers
Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
Wembanyama Has Always Done Things Differently
Tania Ganguli, NY Times
Which Teams Will Really Join the Vying for Victor Tankathon?
Eric Pincus, Bleacher Report
"Once teams get a real sense of how bad they are, they'll shut down their best players, trade or buy out their veterans, and games are going to get ugly," one agent said. "Right now, everyone is 0-0."
More than a handful of teams will certainly make that push, but not until a good 20 or 30 games into the season. By then, it may be too late for a bottom-four slot in the lottery and with that likely goes the chance to land what appears to be a foundational talent in Wembanyama.