Before discussing why the NBA preseason matters, I have to make a disclaimer: this article is not an endorsement of the NBA preseason. I, like many others, believe it may be in the league’s best interest to shorten the preseason, and certainly not lengthen it. However, the preseason isn’t completely meaningless. Every year, the preseason gives at least some indication of how the season is going to go for certain teams. The final results may be meaningless, but the experimentation with lineups and the way key lineups play at both ends of the floor – in terms of both style and quality – can definitely translate to the regular season.
NBA Preseason Means More Than You Think
The reasons for shortening the preseason are obvious – it doesn’t make much money for the teams, as fans have little interest in the games, and it only adds to the likelihood that players will get injured. Furthermore, the NBA season is long enough already, and players such as LeBron James have declared that more rest would help them. The grind of the NBA season causes too many injuries, so every day that the preseason goes on, teams become more inclined to rest players making the games even less entertaining. Another fair point made by most critics is that the majority of lineup experimentation is useless – at one point in the 2013 preseason, the eventual 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was coming off the bench. Obviously, these points are valid to some extent, but not everything about preseason is pointless.
One example is the much-hyped Los Angeles Lakers, who went 0-8 in the 2012-13 preseason. The Lakers started the regular season with four losses in their first five games before head coach Mike Brown was fired. Sure, the Lakers eventually got somewhat on track and finished the season with a record of 45-37, but they never quite clicked. That Lakers team boasted a great roster on paper, featuring future Hall-of-Famers Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, and potential Hall-of-Famers Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. However, they struggled throughout the regular season with both injuries and chemistry issues before being swept in the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. Both Steve Nash and Dwight Howard battled injuries throughout the preseason – a problem that recurred all year – and the Lakers never really fit together as a unit, another sign of their future issues. Although most people didn’t worry about the Lakers until they had difficulties in the regular season, preseason was the first real indication of their problems to come.
But it’s not just preseason struggles that can translate to the regular season; teams that gel in the preseason can build on their success later on. Look no further than last season’s NBA champion Golden State Warriors for an example of preseason success that continued into the games that matter. Some might say that the insertion of Draymond Green into the starting lineup during the preseason was a stroke of luck for the Warriors, which they stumbled upon because their starting power forward from 2013-14, David Lee, was injured. Whatever the case, starting Green at power forward along with Harrison Barnes at small forward was the key to Golden State’s success all year. The Warriors small ball attack was extremely successful in the preseason, as it allowed them to have terrific spacing on offense and a stingy defense, with almost every combination of players switching while defending the pick-and-roll. The lineup change also allowed small forward Andre Iguodala to lead dynamic bench units for Golden State, rather than being under-utilized in the starting lineup. This wasn’t the only clue that the Warriors were primed to be much better than the previous year. Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ starting shooting guard, showcased an improved off the dribble game and more aggression in all aspects of his offensive game during preseason. Golden State finished the preseason 6-2, and weren’t dominant by any means, but the improvements they showed and the way the team gelled foreshadowed the team’s success during the season. Nevertheless, it’s doubtful that anyone could predict that the Warriors would finish the regular season with a record of 67-15 and win the title. Preseason is just a small, yet useful, indication of the bigger picture.
While the win-loss records and statistics may not always back it up, preseason often shows something about the outlook of teams and the NBA overall. The results may not prove it, but it’s the process that counts. The eye test, what we actually see on the court, is usually the best way to judge what the preseason means for a team or player. Nobody can predict what’s going to happen in the NBA; that’s why the games are played, and that’s why the NBA is so entertaining and worth watching. But even if it’s too long, and it’s not worth putting the players at risk of getting injured, the NBA preseason is still worth having – for players, teams, and fans. We all need to get a feel for our teams just a little bit.
