Corban was joined by the great Joshua Balta of Hornets Lead and the Hive Hoops podcast to talk all things Charlotte Hornets offseason-from the fateful draft day decision to select Brandon Miller, to the summer league play of the Hornets prospects, to the indecision around PJ Washington, and everything in between!

Who will be the next big addition to the Charlotte Hornets at #2? Is it Scoot Henderson? Brandon Miller? Does Charlotte (gulp) *trade* the pick? Joining Corban to break that down and so much more is Steven Bagell, SportsEthos resident NBA General Manager and the host of the Birds Rights podcast! Lock in for a fun, information packed, insightful conversation!

Corban gives a brief update on the state of the Charlotte Hornets and some brief news notes surrounding this team as they go through a…..let’s just say a “rough patch”.

A new era in Charlotte Hornets coverage is here for SportsEthos as episode 1 of the SportsEthos Charlotte Hornets Podcast is in! Corban introduces himself and the plans for this show, followed by a super brief recap of the year to date (it hasn’t been super pretty) then an evaluation of some of the important names on this roster to look at as the trade deadline looms!

2018-2019 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

        39-43                                     25-16                            14-27

2019-2020 Record                 Home Record               Road Record

         23-42                                     10-21                            13-21

Fun Facts for the season

-The Hornets are due for some winning seasons as they have only made the playoffs three times since being re-established in Charlotte as an expansion team 16 years ago and went 3-12 in those series; in franchise history (1988-2002, 2004-2020) the team has never made it to the Conference Finals

-Although Miles Bridges had an average ADP of seventh round in most fantasy drafts, he disappointed by producing 13th/14th round value so far this season

-One of the biggest waiver wire pickups of the year came from the Hornets in Devonte’ Graham as he broke out in 2019-20 with 5th/7th round per-game value

-The Hornets decided to embrace the youth movement this year by waiving two of their most tenured players in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (26 years old and had been with the team since 2012) and Marvin Williams (33 years old and had been with the team since 2014) and currently have the fourth youngest average age (24.6) of any NBA roster with only one player over the age of 27: Nicolas Batum

-Although Caleb Martin wasn’t drafted like his brother Cody, he appears to have the better fantasy stat-set because of his ability as a 3-point shooter, and the evidence supports this theory as Caleb produced 11th/11th round per-game value after the All-Star break while Cody produced 18th/20th round per-game value in that same span despite getting more playing time (28.4 minutes per game for Cody vs. 21.7 minutes per game for Caleb)

-P.J. Washington had a much different story than most rookies as he performed much better from a fantasy perspective early on in the year (6th/5th round per-game value in his first 13 opportunities) and his value fell off as the season rolled along (15th/16th round per-game value over his last 45 appearances)

-The Hornets have 52.34 percent of their 2020-21 cap dedicated to three players and Terry Rozier (16.1%) was the only one of the three to provide standard league value in 2019-20: Nicolas Batum (23.1% of cap) and Cody Zeller (13.13% of cap) being the others

For a closer look at how the season has gone, be sure to check out our Season So Far series. The Hornets’ entry can be found right here.

Rosterable in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-Devonte’ Graham (5th round/7th round)

-Terry Rozier (6th round/7th round)

Showed flashes of fantasy value in 12-team 8/9-cat leagues (per-game value)

-P.J. Washington (6th/5th round until Nov 16)

-Miles Bridges (11th/11th round after Jan 30)

-Caleb Martin (11th/11th round after Feb 20)

-Malik Monk (11th/13th round after Jan 20)

Rosterable in standard points leagues

(This is Yahoo’s standard scoring system, we’ll be using them as a reference for the rankings but obviously things will be different in your league if you use a custom scoring format or play on ESPN/CBS/Fantrax)

-Devonte’ Graham (4th round)

-Lauri Markkanen (6th round)

-P.J. Washington  (10th round)

-Miles Bridges (11th round)

Flashes of value in standard points leagues:

-N/A

Predicting standard league relevant players for 2020-21 season

-Devonte’ Graham (all formats)

-Terry Rozier (all formats)

-P.J. Washington (points leagues)

-Malik Monk (points leagues)

Potential for standard league value for 2020-21 season

-P.J. Washington (8/9-cat)

-Malik Monk (8/9-cat)

-Miles Bridges (all formats)

-Cody Zeller (9-cat)

Upcoming Notable Free Agents

-Devonte’ Graham (team option of $1.66M for 2020-21)

-Nicolas Batum (player option of $27.13M for 2020-21)

-Caleb Martin (team option of $1.52M for 2020-21)

-Jalen McDaniels (team option of $1.52M for 2020-21)

-Bismack Biyombo (unrestricted)

-Willy Hernangómez (unrestricted)

-Dwayne Bacon (restricted)

Key Additions

-N/A

Key Departures

-Marvin Williams (waived)

-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (waived)

Upcoming Draft Picks

-2020 first round pick

-2020 second round pick (via Cleveland)

-2020 second round pick (via Boston, protected top 53)

-2021 first round pick

-2021 second round pick (via Brooklyn)

-2021 second round pick (via Los Angeles Clippers)

-2022 first round pick

-2022 second round pick

a detriment to Kemba Walker’s value. With a roster filled with overpaid veterans and a complete lack of financial flexibility, Charlotte entered the year with many questions in place in regards to the direction the team was taking and to the personnel that was going to replace the team’s all-time leading scorer.

A weak Eastern Conference left the window of opportunity open in regards to making the playoffs, but it was clear from the beginning that the Hornets were turning the page and were entering a new chapter in their history.

What stood out during the off-season  was that owner Michael Jordan, GM Mitch Kupchak and coach James Borrego, were undoubtedly on the same page regarding the direction the team was taking, making it easier for the fanbase to accept a term that usually brings up unpleasant memories and low expectations for years to come: “rebuilding.”

Rebuilding Through the Draft

Charlotte has never been a top destination in free agency and the team had no problem whatsoever dealing with the hard reality and adjusting accordingly. The Hornets were smart enough to acquire disgruntled point guard Terry Rozier in a sign-and-trade with the Celtics that sent Kemba to Beantown, but they had to overpay for his services, agreeing to a three-year, $56,700,000 contract. Mitch Kupchak admitted that the Hornets had no chance of becoming major players in free agency and they would rather attempt to build a winning franchise through the draft and player development and that plan was already put in place.

James Borrego, the team’s coach, was assigned the task of communicating that message to his players but the strong endorsement from upper management made it easy and he really had no problem explaining to his veterans that their minutes were going to be reduced dramatically in favor of developing the youth. Nic Batum, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bismack Biyombo were not a consideration for the starting lineup and hopefully most of you saw the early signs and avoided drafting any of these guys to your fantasy team.

The Hornets started the season immediately giving major minutes to young players like Dwayne Bacon, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, Devonte’ Graham and even rookie PJ Washington, who had an impressive training camp and earned himself a place in the starting five. The coaching style of Borrego made sure that the ground rules were in place and discipline on both ends of the floor was enforced immediately, making the Hornets a somewhat fun team to watch in the early part of the year. Charlotte remained a competitive opponent on a nightly basis and finished the year with a respectable record (13-23), staying in play for a possible playoff berth.

Finding The Sideline Leader

After going through four different coaches in a span of of three years (2010-2012), the Hornets finally found some stability with Steve Clifford who posted a 238 – 254 record (.484) in five seasons, leading the team to a couple playoff appearances. Some serious health issues and the team’s inability to advance past the first round led to him leaving Charlotte as the team’s winningest coach in a move that surprised the NBA world and had many people question Jordan’s long-term vision for the franchise.

James Borrego, coming from the San Antonio Spurs coaching tree, took over an unbalanced roster with little upside and in his first season he simply tried to maximize his roster by establishing a defensive scheme where his players switched everything and tried to play a fast-paced offense. The personnel was obviously not ideal but the team ended up with a very respectable 39 – 43 record, finishing 9^th in the Eastern Conference, validating the team’s low upside with the current roster.

In his second year as the Hornets head coach, Borrego cleaned house and wasted no time establishing four pillars of success for his young team:

1. Competing: The roster itself wasn’t expected to win games on pure talent so the point was to make the most out of categories like charges drawn, deflections, loose balls recovered, box outs, screen assists and contested shots.
2. Player development: The team focused on the individual development of young guys since day one, a bold but necessary approach since there was no point of playing the veterans heavy minutes anymore.
3. Identity: Borrego emphasized defensive performance and he was straightforward about attempting to generate a culture with defense being a top priority. This is obviously something that takes time and the growing pains were visible at the beginning of the year when the team was the worst in the league at defensive rebounds per game, the worst in opponent field goal percentage and the worst in points allowed in the paint, while ranking 25^th in the league in opponent 3-point percentage. Here is a possession that shows the lack of defensive discipline by forward Miles Bridges who finds himself on the wrong end of a coverage, navigating between playing one-one-one defense and helping on the weak side.

https://twitter.com/barresifilippo4/status/1199372734511407109?s=21

4. Winning Habits. Establishing winning habits is equally crucial to any team and the point here was that a young, energetic, group that wants to get better, wants to learn and grow as much as possible as to compete at both ends of the floor.

After an expected slow beginning to the season, everything started to come together for the Hornets and the team was turning the corner on the defensive end of the floor before the unexpected pause of the season due to the coronavirus. From February 10^th until the suspension of the season and in a span of 13 games, the Hornets allowed 104.5 points per game, the fewest in the league, while owning a defensive rating of 109.2, 10^th best in the league.

Borrego handled the challenge of struggling through the growing pains of establishing his agenda with class and dignity. He never threw anyone under the bus or called anyone out and he kept his options open, adjusting his schemes and simply playing the guys who responded to his plan while emphasizing on player development and allowing his guys to learn though their mistakes. This seems to have been appreciated by everyone in the organization and there seems to be little to no doubt right now as to who is the right coach to lead this young Hornets team to the next level.

Devonte’ Graham: Fantasy Gold

Devonte’ Graham was a relative unknown coming into this season after a rookie year where he spent most of his time in Greensboro with the Swarm of the G League. The former Jayhawk stayed in college for four years and even though he averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 assists, forming one of the college basketball’s most dynamic backcourts with Frank Mason III, he was undersized and got overlooked during the 2018 draft 2018, slipping all the way to the second round.

Graham is a humble kid and he tried to absorb as much wisdom as possible from veterans like Kemba Walker and Tony Parker in his rookie season, while everything quickly came together when he was given the chance. Dwayne Bacon started for the team in the first few games, but Graham quickly forced himself into the starting lineup after multiple double-digit games where he showed he could be an explosive scorer next to Terry Rozier.

The fantasy community mostly fell asleep during his emergence, but Graham was able to sustain his production in a career year, becoming a fantasy asset that made the difference for everyone that was quick enough to pick him off the waiver wire early in the year.

Graham is making a strong case for the NBA’s Most Improved Player as one of the highest on/off efficiency differentials of any player in the league while establishing himself in the top ten on the list of pick and roll ball handler possessions in the 64th percentile of efficiency. Returning top-75 value for the season, his field goal percentage and 2.9 turnovers per game are the only barrier to him taking the next step in his development but the 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game have been rock solid all year long.

Bacon Frustration, Monk’s Rollercoaster, and the Martins

This year was supposed to be a breakout season for Dwayne Bacon after he finished last year strong, putting the ball in the basket and playing good defense. Bake was a 5-star, top-20 recruit coming out of Oak Hill Academy before two years at Florida State that earned him spots on the ACC All-Freshman and 2016-2017 All-ACC teams, so expectations were high and the team was confident that he was about to take the next step. Unfortunately, with just one 20-point scoring night since November and due to the emergence of Devonte’ Graham and Malik Monk, multiple DNP-CDs followed as Bacon fell out of favor in Charlotte.

He asked to be sent down to Greensboro to keep himself focused and passionate after not playing much but even that hasn’t been able to persuade Borrego to give him more opportunities and his future with the franchise is up in the air. His percentages have been the main difference this season as he is shooting just 34.8 percent from the field, 28.4 percent from 3-point territory and 66 percent from the foul line, a major drop from 48/44/74 last year.

The high expectations as a result of Malik Monk becoming the No. 11 pick in the 2017 never materialized in his first couple seasons, where the undersized guard struggled to shoot the ball efficiently and really didn’t do a lot to earn the trust of Steve Clifford and James Borrego. Monk entered this season with many questions about his future in the league but with the window of opportunity wide open for him due to the direction the team was taking.

At the end of January Monk finally found his rhythm and looked the most comfortable as ever, scoring in double-digits in 11 of his 13 games before receiving an indefinite suspension after testing positive for an undisclosed substance in violation of the NBA’s Anti-Drug Policy.

His performance was not an accident as Monk embraced a combo guard role that allowed him to be the credible playmaker that he is instead of playing the traditional shooting guard position and developing comfortable as the sixth man. His suspension was a rough blow to an organization that was looking for more “success stories” and hopefully it will operate as another step in the long learning curve of Monk, who recently admitted to the press that he was not ready for the NBA when he was drafted.

On a positive note, the Martin brothers have been a pleasant surprise in Charlotte with the team allowing them to flourish and both of them earning more minutes as the season progressed. Caleb, an offensive-minded guy who can score in a variety of ways, came to the Hornets as an undrafted rookie and just before the coronavirus pause, he had completed back-to-back double-digit scoring games while playing almost 20 minutes per night in the last 13 games.

Cody on the other hand, a defensive force that has shown the ability to play tough defense, was a second-round choice in the 2019 NBA draft and has been a part of the rotation almost for the entire season, especially due to his ability to impact the game on the defensive side of the ball.

The Hornets also recently unleashed their other second round pick from 2019, Jalen McDaniels, who, even though he is still a work in progress, he has shown quick improvement in his decision making, his shot selection and his rebounding.

Completing the Rebuild

The Hornets are one of the few NBA teams that really don’t have a lot to play for in the event that the season is continued in the upcoming weeks or months. The goals set forth by the management and coaching staff have been mostly accomplished and the franchise can continue to rebuild while shaping its on-court identity and finding its leaders.

Charlotte currently employs six players that have remained from the old regime (Bismack Biyombo, Cody Zeller, Nicolas Batum, Willy Hernangomez, Malik Monk, and Dwayne Bacon) and it’s likely that they try to move on from them and manufacture more financial flexibility. Mitch Kupchak wasn’t the sexiest pick as a GM and he undoubtedly got the job due to his personal relationship with Michael Jordan but he has nailed most of his draft picks so far (PJ Washington, Miles Bridges, Devonte’ Graham, Cody and Caleb Martin, and Jalen McDaniels), which gives him more leverage to continue with the rebuild.

It’s obvious that the Hornets will be looking at acquiring a rim protector in the upcoming draft and guys like James Wiseman, Onyeka Okongwu and Daniel Oturu will be on their radar. Charlotte is crystal clear on following this path through the draft and even though no major moves should be expected, their fanbase should be excited as a really nice project is currently being built and the fruits of the team’s labor don’t seem to be that far away.

Fun times are ahead, and this exhibition season gives folks a glimpse at drawing meaningful conclusions – the UDFA who scores 25 points might not end up playing outside of garbage time but fans will be able to sink their teeth into rotations, lineups and find out who was lying about reworking their jump shot in the summer.

The Eastern Conference especially finds itself in a state of flux. LeBron James’ departure swung the door wide open, with Masai Ujiri’s Raptors taking some bold steps to be the first team through. Now that Kawhi Leonard is gone, the Celtics’ presumed title core has been rejiggered and the Sixers’ Big 4 approach has been altered, it’s shaping up like a free-for-all with a widening group of potential contenders.

We’ll run through the West later in the week, but for now here are some Eastern Conference stories to watch out for in the preseason.

Atlanta Hawks

How NBA-ready is Bruno Fernando?

The Hawks look to have some long-term answers at four of the five spots on the floor, with the lone exception coming at center. Alex Len showed up as a vastly improved shooter last season and will enter this year as the starter, but that’s a stopgap solution for a team hoping to ride its young core to contention in the near-ish future.

Enter Bruno Fernando, who should immediately fit in as a rim-runner and rebounder. His pivotal role in Maryland’s offense should serve him well even if he won’t be tasked with much playmaking this season, and the question is whether Fernando’s limited offensive game can hold up in extended minutes. Defensively he’ll be able to provide rim protection, but lateral quickness could be an issue and teams will surely target him in space.

If Fernando looks the part of a ready-made NBA center, he could quickly flip the split of playing time so the Hawks can get a better look at how their long-term pieces fit together. Don’t expect the Hawks to force the issue, but they would undoubtedly be happy if Fernando developed quickly.

Boston Celtics

Offense or defense at center?

When the Celtics signed Enes Kanter, it was assumed that he would slot right in as the team’s starter, replacing Aron Baynes and Al Horford. While Kanter is coming off a solid playoff run after rotting away on the bench in New York, his game does come with extensive defensive deficiencies. Depending on how Brad Stevens wants his team to look, it’s possible that we see one of the other candidates assert themselves as a viable option.

Robert Williams, who started the team’s first preseason contest, is the likely frontrunner of the non-Kanter field. While he fills an extremely narrow lane on offense, he would give the Celtics a potentially elite rim protector and offers the most upside of anyone in the group. Should Stevens opt for a more intimidating defensive group, Williams is the easy call.

There’s also the notion that Kanter can be used as more of a matchup type, drawing the starts against burly centers while coming off the bench to dominate weaker opponents in other games. It’s not dissimilar to how the Raptors used Jonas Valanciunas or how the Bucks used to use Greg Monroe.

Perhaps Daniel Theis, whose versatile game can serve as a happy medium, will stand out. He’ll require fewer offensive touches than Kanter and offers the best spacing of all the options. Newcomer Vincent Poirier will also be competing for time. The Celtics lost a ton of production at the center spot this summer and Stevens now has the chance to remold the team with a distinct new identity. Which player he chooses, assuming nobody asserts themselves entirely as a result of their play, should be revealing.

Brooklyn Nets

Kenny Atkinson’s ‘good problem’ in the backcourt

The Nets have reached the mountaintop, or at least gone as high as you can without having played any games yet. They bottomed out but rebuilt the team in such a way that they could attract two superstar talents. Brooklyn has collected a number of quality players to complement its big pieces, and Kenny Atkinson’s deep rotations have helped develop a lot of players in meaningful situations.

The Nets have received quality play from D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Caris LeVert, among others, over the last few seasons. While the team gets credit for helping these players blossom, they’ve all been aided by some lucky breaks. Dinwiddie first broke onto the scene when Jeremy Lin got hurt and became a mainstay when Russell went down in 2017-18. Russell really broke out last season after LeVert went down, and LeVert returned to the lineup while Dinwiddie was sidelined.

While injuries will inevitably strike, Atkinson’s juggling task will only get tougher as each player continues to grow. With four starting-caliber guards, and the presence of Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs (and eventually Kevin Durant) soaking up minutes at small forward, the Nets will need to strike a careful balance to make sure everyone gets fed. Brooklyn’s rotation is always busy but we’ll be keeping a close eye on the playing time throughout the preseason.

Charlotte Hornets

Can Willy Hernangomez get it together?

The offensively gifted 25-year-old seems to be running out of chances. The Knicks punted him from the rotation despite a solid rookie campaign, and Hernangomez couldn’t gain any traction after being traded to Charlotte. The team couldn’t afford to deal with his shortcomings last season while they were trying to make the playoffs and convince Kemba Walker to stick around, but there’s really no excuse for Hernangomez to be an occasional DNP-CD this season.

The defense will always be problematic, but the setup is perfect for the Hornets to just grin and bear it. If Hernangomez can’t establish himself as the clear backup to the oft-injured Cody Zeller by beating out the oft-injured Bismack Biyombo, it might just be the final straw. There’s enough offensive skill to keep a rebuilding team interested, but eventually the rubber has to hit the road.

Chicago Bulls

The Kris Dunn dilemma

Dunn was given the starting nod for Chicago’s preseason opener but the team’s actions point to a different long-term vision. They can pump up Tomas Satoransky and Shaq Harrison as guys who can play 1-3 as much as they’d like, but to play them anywhere other than point guard is a major disservice to both them and the team.

That said, Dunn could very well play his way back into the mix with a strong preseason. He’ll have limited opportunities with the Bulls mixing and matching their lineups to get a good look at all four PGs on the roster but it’s not out of the question that he outplays his counterparts. A trade still seems likely at some point but stranger things have happened and we’re likely to see a highly motivated version of Dunn, who went from potential franchise guard to potential DNP-CD in a hurry.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Garland & Sexton

The Cavs took a bit of a risk in drafting Darius Garland fifth overall after he was felled for the season by a torn meniscus in November. Doubly so considering they just took a point guard in the lottery, grabbing Collin Sexton last summer. How these two coexist will determine a lot about Cleveland’s future, and with both more inclined to be scorers we’ll be watching closely to see how things shake out.

Sexton struggled mightily with efficiency last season before a strong burst at the finish, and he still needs some work in terms of shot selection. Garland offers better range and is more of a dynamic scorer in general, but neither really fits a traditional playmaking mold. It can certainly work with the two splitting that load, but how they find a groove playing side by side is going to be the story of the preseason for the Cavs. Keep a close eye on how both players manage without the ball in their hands.

Detroit Pistons

Christian Wood’s big break?

It’s been two seasons of Christian Wood throttling inferior competition, and even a big finish with the Pelicans couldn’t get him a guaranteed spot. It looks as though he’ll be competing with Joe Johnson for the final spot on Detroit’s roster. It’s an interesting battle in that the two competitors provide entirely different things, so Dwane Casey may already have a good idea of who the frontrunner is even if there’s nothing being said publicly.

There’s some dynamic talent at play, and Wood would seem to offer a bit more all-around upside than Thon Maker or Markieff Morris. If the Pistons, who are hoping to actually make noise in the playoffs, and Casey, who has historically had a hard time deviating from plans until his hand is forced, want the safe route, then Wood is going to be facing an uphill battle.

Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner’s shooting

The Pacers are going a little old school with their frontcourt combo of Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. Most teams are riding with better shooting out of the power forward slots, but Turner and Sabonis are clearly Indiana’s two most talented big men and it’s well worth it to figure out how the pairing functions, and how they can thrive together long-term. There’s pretty clear evidence that Sabonis works best in the paint, so most of the adjusting figures to fall to Turner.

He’ll need to spend more time outside the arc, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him cutting in and out of the paint quickly to give Sabonis room to operate on offense. Turner is a .363 career deep shooter with notable progress in each year of his career, culminating in last season’s .388 mark. Expect him to easily eclipse last year’s career-high 2.6 3-point attempts per game and look out for where those attempts are coming – Turner shot .625 from the corners last season but only took 16 attempts. He took 179 of his threes above the break, hitting at a .369 clip.

Miami Heat

Justise Winslow’s versatility, or lack thereof

Winslow entered the league as a do-it-all prospect who could switch across multiple positions, which sort of left him in no man’s land on a Miami roster that had a few similar players. Eventually, the question has to be asked: if you play multiple positions but never truly excel at any of them, are you really versatile after all?

Luckily, Winslow seemed to find his calling as the fill-in point guard when Goran Dragic was injured last season. It’s a position that he’s been vocal about playing going forward, except the Heat have been committed to Dragic as their PG for as long as he’s on the roster. That might be a little bit of lip service considering they tried to trade him this summer, but it’s unlikely that The Dragon would be shuttled aside right away. How those two split the role is going to have a big say in Miami’s results this year, and with expectations cranked up as a result of the Jimmy Butler acquisition, the Heat may face a tough decision.

Winslow has more of a future in Miami than the 33-year-old Dragic. How much are the Heat willing to sacrifice his development at a position where he finally looks comfortable?

Milwaukee Bucks

Who fills the void in Malcolm Brogdon’s absence?

The Bucks predictably found success by stuffing the roster with shooters that can play off of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s elite penetration game. Though they’re still clearly one of the top teams in the East, Milwaukee may struggle to replace Malcolm Brogdon – the team’s fourth-leading assist man and a .408 career 3-point shooter.

Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver have been brought in but neither can fill the playmaking shoes, and the Bucks’ second units could have trouble with scoring without a clear leader and efficient perimeter scorer who can create his own shot. Perhaps Khris Middleton, who was frustrated by his new role at times last season, is asked to handle a lot of that load.

New York Knicks

Frank Ntilikina

The Knicks’ brass likes to talk a lot. It’s David Fizdale who said that Lance Thomas could be New York’s version of Draymond Green, after all, so you can excuse anyone who chooses to take any audio from MSG with a big grain of salt. Allegedly, the Knicks will have a competition for the point guard spot this season. Allegedly, Frank Ntilikina is part of it.

That’s pretty inconsistent with all the rumors surrounding Ntilikina’s future with the organization, but perhaps New York will bank on a strong World Cup performance creating enough confidence to get Frankie Smokes rolling out of the gates. Odds are that Ntilikina’s NBA career will be best-served by a move to another organization – the Knicks haven’t exercised their option on him yet, after all – but he just might be able to salvage things. New York was very quick to give up on a raw player with obvious defensive merit, and while that’s on brand for the Knicks, some quick proof of improvement could change their tune.

Orlando Magic

Al-Farouq Aminu’s role

It was a bit curious that the Magic signed Al-Farouq Aminu this summer when they have Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac already in the fold, but it’s a move that made more sense after some marinating.

The Magic became a stifling defensive team last season, and Aminu has experience taking on the tough matchups in Portland. Aminu will also provide a little bit of a boost to a team that shot .321 from deep last year and can also chip in on the glass. He’ll help bolster a bench unit that wavered in terms of impact (aside from Terrence Ross) last season and can be elevated into a larger role if need be. Simply put, he’s the sort of defender and complementary contributor that Steve Clifford is likely to love.

His signing is a win-now move from a team that’s really buying into last year’s big step forward, and it’s going to be interesting to see if his steady play can take minutes from either Gordon or Isaac.

Philadelphia 76ers

Josh Richardson’s offensive fit

Richardson is a nice get for Philadelphia, who acquired an ascendant two-way guard in exchange for sending Jimmy Butler to Miami. Over the course of his first four seasons with the Heat, Richardson rose through the pecking order and set a career-high in usage in each campaign. That figures to change in Philly, where he could be look at as the low man on the totem pole.

Although Richardson’s game and flighty efficiency might actually shine with a more limited set of responsibilities, it will be an adjustment for a player who has been on a linear progression as a primary offensive weapon. He’ll be counted on to stretch the floor and will be a major part of the elite defense that the Sixers have assembled (on paper), but we may be able to learn a bit about the team’s offensive plans for Richardson in the preseason. Teams with lots of overhaul tend to deploy their real rotation guys the most in the exhibition season so the Sixers might provide some insightful games.

Toronto Raptors

The big lineup

The Raptors have a ton of changes to work through given their high-profile departures, but despite the huge vacancies at the two and three spots it’ll be how they deploy their three best forwards that merits watching. The combination of Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam played 37 minutes together in the playoffs – after playing zero minutes in the regular season – to a 97.1 ORTG and a 101.5 DRTG, though the added size was crucial in keeping the Sixers off the glass in the postseason.

It would be wise for the Raptors to give Siakam as many minutes as possible at different positions to find the limits of his versatility and although Ibaka found great success as a full-time center, the Raptors are likely short on the shooting that can allow him to really shine as a dump-off or mid-range option on offense. Gasol’s game is malleable enough to fit with most players, especially if a climb in the pecking order eliminates the passivity that defined his worst playoff performances.

This is a team that will lean heavily on its defense this season. Getting their smartest defender, their best rim protector and most athletic player on the court at the same time is going to fit that vibe. At the very least it’s a lineup worth exploring further.

Washington Wizards

Davis Bertans, besides the shooting

It’s already established that Bertans is one of the league’s elite sharpshooters among big men. The Marcus Morris free agency flip-flop took Bertans from a great basketball program in San Antonio, but it sent him to a fantastic opportunity in Washington. It looks as though he’ll enter the season as a starter, and the big question is how well the rest of his game can hold up.

Although Bertans has developed nicely, it’s fair to say that there was a limit on his ceiling with the Spurs. The team was too good to tolerate potential growing pains, and they’ve had capable forwards in place for as long as he was on the roster. Washington isn’t expected to make much noise this season and it’s an environment where Bertans should be tested. The team will be able to let him play through mistakes and carry a heavier burden than he would’ve with the Spurs.

Though his bread-and-butter skill will keep Bertans in the league for a while, he’ll be afforded the chance to shed his reputation as a one-dimensional player. If he looks like a capable defender in the preseason, expect the expectations and excitement to quietly rachet up.