NBA players played basketball with their NBA teams this week, most doing so for the first time since their previous seasons ended. While training camp comes with hope for every organization—except for apparently the Spurs, whom Gregg Popovich does not believe would be a good title bet—some preseason happenings are more important than others. Here are five takeaways from the first week of training camp …
Anthony Davis’s Shooting
An early revelation from Lakers camp is that Anthony Davis said he played much of last season with a wrist injury.
"A lot of people don't know this, but since January I was battling a wrist injury the whole year," Davis told reporters. "So it was affecting my shot and everything. That's not an excuse but it was tough for me to shoot how I wanted to shoot. I couldn't really follow through."
In a weird way, this could be good news for the Lakers, because it would at least offer some explanation for Davis’s shooting drop off in 2022. AD shot only 18.6% from three last season, the worst mark in his career for a season he attempted at least one a game. He connected on a dispiriting 17.5% of his catch-and-shoot threes, and for good measure, he also struggled on midrange Js, converting 36.9% of his shots from that range.
The Lakers certainly need the better shooting version of AD to have any hope of being a serious contender this season. Even if Davis can’t reach the heights he did during the team’s Bubble championship run, shooting as poorly as he did last year would be a death knell for a Los Angeles team with a chaotic roster construction. As long as the Lakers’ spacing is cramped, AD will need to open up the floor for himself. If the wrist injury was truly the source of his struggles, it’s welcome news that Davis says he feels 100% healthy ahead of this year.
Ben Simmons at the Five
For those hoping to see Ben Simmons take on a Draymond Green-esque role for the Nets, good news: Simmons and the coaching staff both seem up to the idea. When asked about Simmons playing center for Brooklyn when he finally gets on the floor, both Steve Nash and the man himself responded affirmatively.
“If he’s the lone big, that’s a role we would definitely play him at,” Nash said about putting Simmons at the five. “But he’s also our playmaker and point guard.”
“I love playing the five,” Simmons said this week. “I don’t mind.”
Simmons at center is both a smart use of his talents and a necessity for the Nets. Brooklyn’s only returning big is Nic Claxton, who while talented, can be a liability at times because of his free-throw shooting. Day’Ron Sharpe could get some run, but he’s unproven. And Markieff Morris will likely get some minutes too, but he’s undersized.
Simmons has had success before when flanked with shooters. And in Brooklyn, he could be flanked by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry and Joe Harris all at once. Theoretically, a lineup like that finally opens up Simmons to pass, cut, screen, run the floor and defend while not having to worry about clogging the floor because of all the space his teammates can provide. It’s a Simmons hypothetical that has always sounded tantalizing, and one that wasn’t quite realistic in Philadelphia because of the awkward fit with Joel Embiid. While a new version of Simmons is still a ways from reality, at least everyone is acknowledging an interest in trying it out. Whether Brooklyn has the guts to go that small against a team like, say the Sixers, will be fascinating to watch.
Jimmy Butler Not at the Four
While we’re on position watch, what are the Heat doing to replace the loss of P.J. Tucker? Apparently, Jimmy Butler isn’t keen on picking up all of the slack.
“I don’t care about those speculations, I don’t play the four," Butler said on Media Day when asked if he would slide up to Tucker’s old position. “I could play the four, yes. If they absolutely need me to play the four I could yes. If they absolutely wanted to have a conversation about playing the four, I could yes. But I’m not playing the four.”
While Butler’s comments were partially tongue-in-cheek—he did play some four for Miami in the postseason—he has a point. Playing him at power forward in the regular season would be a risk for the Heat, who can’t burden their star to that level before the playoffs.
So who has been taking the reps? Caleb Martin is the clubhouse leader to play the position, unless Miami can go out and get someone like Jae Crowder. Like Tucker, Martin is undersized, though the similarities end there. The pros are Martin is athletic, can defend wings, make plays in transition and has a promising jump shot. The concerns are if he can guard bigger players the way Tucker was frequently called upon to do, and if he can make up for the communication and intangibles Tucker brought to the team.
The Heat largely brought back the same roster from the squad that nearly made the 2022 Finals. It feels like a dicey proposition with the improvements made elsewhere in the conference. Counting on internal improvement from Martin is a gamble.
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James Wiseman’s Preseason Debut
O.K., it’s not technically training camp, fine. Still, in his first NBA-sanctioned game since 2021, Wiseman had a promising comeback for the Warriors in their preseason exhibition against the Wizards in Japan. Playing in 24 minutes, Wiseman scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding eight rebounds, a block and an assist. The former No. 2 pick rather surprisingly sat out all of last season, missing out on the Warriors’ championship run after knee surgery also cut his rookie campaign short.
After losing a couple vets from the title rotation, it’s clear Golden State’s front office is hoping for some contributions from the young players to mount its title defense. Wiseman, if healthy, can bring the team a new dimension with his skillset. At this point, it’s not worth haggling over whether Wiseman can live up to the pedigree of being a No. 2 overall pick. All that matters is if he can be a valuable part of a contending team, and at least on paper, he’s an exciting fit next to the Warriors’ core.
Wiseman’s soft touch could allow him to add a shooting component lacked by the Dubs’ other bigs. He’s also more athletic than Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, which means he could be a kind of vertical pick-and-roll threat Stephen Curry has not really played with during this dynastic era.
A well-rounded Wiseman really could extend the Warriors’ championship window. Though it’s a lot of pressure on a young player to be counted on to help keep a dynasty rolling, Wiseman at least took the literal first step by getting on the floor in Tokyo.
Zion Williamson Dominates
How good was Zion Williamson during the Pelicans’ first five-on-five scrimmage of camp? Larry Nance Jr. told reporters Zion didn’t even know he hadn’t missed a shot.
“He looks like Z," Nance Jr. said after the practice. "Dude hasn't played basketball for 500-something days. It's not like none of us are expecting that right away but shoot, I got to be honest with you, dude looks good. It's going to take time for everybody to adjust to him. It's going to take him time to adjust to everybody, but it's hard not to be impressed."
Head coach Willie Green added Williamson played alongside C.J. McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas in the scrimmage, the quintet expected to be the Pels’ starting five. It’s hard not to be encouraged that Williamson not only took part, but excelled playing alongside a group that had its own success down the stretch of last season. Green will have to find a delicate balance this year, deploying the massive talent of Williamson while also continuing to harness the effectiveness of the players who led the Pels to the playoffs.
Of course, Williamson will need to prove he can thrive against actual opponents. And there are certainly question marks defensively about that projected starting group. But considering it was only a few months ago Zion was allegedly an injured flight risk, him being healthy and gelling with the starters is a good place to be.
