NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 5 things to watch for on Opening Night

BOSTON - MAY 9: Boston Celtics' Terry Rozier III leaps to try and block a pass from the 76ers' Joel Embiid during the first half. The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Five of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi Final playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 9, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

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The 2017-18 NBA season makes its glorious return on Oct. 16. Here are the top five things to watch for on opening nights around the league.

After all the summer’s player movement and countless guys putting on their 15 pounds of muscle, opening night finally arrived. As anticipation palpitates, the league certainly didn’t slow-roll the start of the season.

The festivities kick off with a doubleheader featuring star-laden rosters and storylines of intrigue. The 76ers go to Boston for a rematch of last year’s second round and a foreshadowing of playoff battles to come. This game is a showcase of the top under-25 talent the NBA has to offer, including its resident hype-beast.

The second matchup of the night has the Thunder heading west to tip things off with Golden State. Of course, this spotlights Kevin Durant against his old running mate Russell Westbrook and all the related fireworks.

The 26 remaining teams all premiere on Oct.17 or 18. These are some of the best things to watch for from the first games around the Association:

5. Boston at full strength

In 2017, Gordon Hayward was the big fish free agent signing of the summer. He played all of five minutes in his Celtic debut before seeing his season end in grotesque fashion. While that was unfortunate, it allowed Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum to stretch their roles and develop faster than planned.

Because of Hayward’s injury and return, Boston enters this season as one of the best and deepest teams, complete with top-tier coaching. Watching how they all fit together and utilized in efficient fashion should be a lot of fun for NBA nerds and non-nerds alike.

The Eastern Conference is much weaker than the West, but — health willing — the Celtics are good enough to compete with anybody.