NBA Preseason watching guide

The preseason is well underway, and we are getting more news and story lines to finally digest. There are more and more games to watch, and it would be smart to invest in League Pass sooner rather than later. Don’t know what’s on? Never fear, Fansided is here:

New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors; 7 PM ET, League Pass:

Mike Woodson continues to tinker with the lineups for New York, so it will be interesting to see how he will change who they play. They won their first preseason game with a Tim Hardaway Jr. game winner, so that puts them at 1-0 in the exhibition period of the NBA season. As for the Raptors, they are still trying to find a way for Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan to mesh, and find out if they can improve defensively. I say give Amir Johnson the ball more.

Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers; 7 PM ET, League Pass-

The Tank Bowl, Tankapalooza, Tank City, and The Tank-Off could be used to describe this game between two “rebuilding” teams. The Celtics are still trying out the Avery Bradley point guard experiment, so you could see some bad basketball on that account. As for the Sixers, the preseason is all about getting their young players some reps, and instilling confidence into rookie Michael Carter-Williams, who has underwhelmed thus far. If you like missed shots and turnovers, then tune in tonight. Oh yeah, and #FreeThadYoung should be a thing.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic; 7 PM, NBA TV:

It makes sense for the NBA to put this on national television–it features two young teams who will be fun to watch. Victor Oladipo is my pick for the Rookie of the Year, and Tobias Harris is a player you should familiarize yourself with. The Magic have some young talent, and they’ll be fun to watch. Cleveland has a lot of talent as well, but they also be contending for a playoff spot. If Andrew Bynum and the gang can stay healthy, watch out. Any game that features Kyrie Irving is a lot of fun, and their first preseason game proved it. The Cavs alone are worth the price of League Pass.

Charlotte Bobcats at Miami Heat; 8:30 PM ET, League Pass-

The Bobcats and Heat are pretty much on the opposite ends of the competitive spectrum. The Heat will be trying to defend their 2nd straight title, and the Bobcats will be trying to prove that they can win more than 21 games in a season. The goal for the Heat is to see what they can get from Michael Beasley, and to stay healthy. That is, as long as he isn’t punching himself. For the Bobcats, the more reps for rookie Cody Zeller and young guys Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist the better.

Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers; 9 PM ET, League Pass-

The Jazz are a young team that is trying to find out what they have in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. They are also trying to see what type of player that Trey Burke is. Burke has underwhelmed since the Summer League, and it isn’t looking good so far. They can get up and down the floor though, so they can be entertaining. As for Portland, they are trying to make the playoffs this season, so health is important. Damian Lillard can always steal the show.

If you call yourself an NBA fan, I recommend saving some money and buying League Pass. You can see some real quality match ups, and it can really teach you about the players around the league. With only 5 games tonight, it is relatively quiet for the NBA, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fun teams out there playing. Preseason comes to an end when the regular season tips off in 19 days.