NBA Season Preview 2022-23: One reason to watch each and every team

Orlando Magic: No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero

His name is Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick and talk of the town at Summer League in Vegas.

Banchero has the goods to contribute from Day One. His size, strength, court vision, passing, unselfishness and soft touch should boost the Magic offense, exactly what they needed last season. Look out for the Magic to be one of this year’s most surprising teams. Paolo will be the biggest reason why.

Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball dimes and Eric Collins enthusiasm

Last season, LaMelo Ball became the fourth-youngest All-Star ever (passing Zion). He constantly pushes the pace, zipping here and zipping there, with pristine full-court passes aplenty. LaMelo dimes are always a good time.

However, LaMelo will miss the beginning of the regular season due to a sprained ankle in the preseason. But do not fear, because Eric Collins is here! Eric Collins is the most enthusiastic play-by-play man in the biz, always calling the game with an unmatched level of genuine and vivacious excitement.

Washington Wizards: Fabulous jerseys, old and new

Bradley Beal is a top-flight three-level scorer and he deserves a big shout-out. Last season was cut short due to a wrist injury that required surgery, but Beal averaged over 30 points a night the two years before that. You can’t score that many points without being a certified bucket.

But the Wizards are set to bring out some of the best-looking jerseys in the game. They are bringing back the Classic Edition jerseys from the early 2000s and they will be rocking the fabulous pink cherry blossom unis, which Zach Lowe stated, “is the best thing to happen to this franchise since the Charlotte Bobcats took Michael Kidd-Gilchrist No. 2 in 2012.”

Atlanta Hawks: Ice Trae, bombs away

Dejounte Murray’s arrival in Atlanta adds a nice layer of lure to the Hawks this season, but as we saw in the Abu Dhabi games, the Hawks are at their entertainment peak when Trae Young is taking over games with an array of 30-footers. Trae can pull it from the logo no problem. And when those long-range bombs are falling, defenses get stretched all the way out. That’s when he can really slice up opponents with his nifty handles, dangerous floater and slick lobs for oops.

Miami Heat: #HeatCulture

It might not always be the most aesthetically pleasing style of basketball, but there is something to be said for teams that emphasize a gritty and tough approach with a defense-first mindset. That’s what the Miami Heat bring to the court.

It starts with Jimmy Butler and his relentless pursuit of winning. He carried the Heat to the Bubble Finals two years ago and was just a 3-pointer away from the Finals last season. Bam Adebayo is the backbone of the defense, and a prime candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. And Tyler Herro provides some flash as the electric shooting spark, a notorious gunner.