NBA preseason tips off Oct. 2 — what to watch, stars to track, key storylines

By Nick Ravenshade — NENC Media Group
October 2, 2025

Thursday marks the official start of the NBA’s 2025-26 preseason, a 16-day warm-up before the regular season opens on Oct. 21. Fans will get their first live looks at new lineups, rookie classes and several high-profile returnees as the league stages international exhibition games in Abu Dhabi and a domestic slate of tune-ups designed to sharpen rotations and test health management strategies heading into a campaign packed with an in-season tournament and broadcast changes. The marquee Abu Dhabi doubleheader — New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers — tips the global slate and offers a high-visibility opening to a preseason window many teams treat as a final technical rehearsal.

For many franchises, preseason is less about the win column and more about managing the two competing imperatives of readiness and preservation: coaches want to see meaningful minutes from youngsters and fringe roster candidates but must protect star players from overuse, especially after a summer of travel, international tours and intensive training camps. Expect conservative minute limits for veterans, experimental rotations late in games, and elevated emphasis on situational work — late-game sets, pick-and-roll defence and transition coverage — that will more accurately predict in-season performance than raw box-score totals.

Preseason’s marquee matchups and what to watch

The Abu Dhabi Games headline Thursday’s action, with the Knicks and 76ers playing Friday and Sunday as well, staged at Etihad Arena and designed to showcase two franchise cores in front of a global audience. Those exhibitions will be the first public test of Philadelphia’s additions and New York’s depth increases, and they’ll be watched closely by international broadcasters and the league’s new technology partners for early signs of chemistry. Beyond Abu Dhabi, the preseason schedule includes stops in Melbourne, Puerto Rico, China and Canada, giving teams different competitive and logistical tests ahead of the Oct. 21 opener.

Broadcasters and outlets have urged viewers to monitor specific tactical indicators that carry predictive value into the regular season. Those include: (1) how teams defend transition and 3-point rotation — a quick barometer of coaching cohesion; (2) usage splits for primary ball-handlers when facing heavy defenses; and (3) how readily bench pieces convert defensive minutes into consistent production. The NBA’s new partnerships and broadcast changes this season mean some preseason games will feature enhanced analytics packages and real-time metrics, valuable for analysts and bettors alike.

Coaches will also use preseason to finalize minute limits and load-management plans. After several seasons in which teams leaned heavily on managed workloads for aging stars, the balance this year tilts toward cautious ramp-ups: expect progressive minutes plans that prioritize late-season availability over October production. That approach makes preseason more a laboratory than a bellwether for standings — though a clean, trouble-free outing from a player returning from injury can instantly flip perceptions and lines.

Key players, injury watch and strategic storylines

Media day and training-camp reporting have already set the agenda for several teams and players to monitor. The Lakers and Warriors — long summer storylines given LeBron James’s recovery and roster tweaks around Steph Curry — headline U.S. interest, while franchises such as the Thunder and Celtics will use preseason minutes to hone rotations around their young cores. LeBron’s health is a focal point after a recent setback in the postseason last year, and teams with veteran stars are signalling conservative returns to avoid recurrence.

Injury news will drive much of the early narrative. ESPN’s preseason coverage and the league’s injury trackers highlight several items to watch: veteran bigs managing knee and shoulder maintenance, guards returning from offseason procedures, and the lingering absence of any player on long-term lists. The landscape has a few pronounced absences entering the preseason; some franchises confirm players on extended recovery timelines, which shifts more evaluative weight onto rookies and mid-season free-agent additions who might fill minutes early. Teams will often list players as “day-to-day” as they calibrate ramp-ups, so expect frequent updates across official channels.

Rookie and younger players are among the most watched for genuine, durable takeaways. The preseason is the clearest chance to judge draft picks against NBA competition rather than purely practice drills — how quickly a rookie absorbs defensive rotations, manages spacing, and sustains shooting mechanics under contact are reliable markers for potential rotation roles come opening night. Several young wings and second-round picks are in bubble roles this year; strong preseason showings can vault them into meaningful minutes portfolios.

Another storyline to track: bench depth and two-way conversions. With salary-cap complacency easing and teams eager to avoid midseason depth crises, front offices leaned into two-way and veteran-minimum signings this summer. Preseason minutes tell a story about which of those additions might actually stick in the rotation, which are being auditioned for G-League seasoning, and which could be leveraged in trade talks as deadline assets. Expect teams to use the exhibition window to create evaluative tape for asset managers and scouts as much as for coaches.

Big movers and betting implications

Traders and oddsmakers treat preseason moves cautiously, but the games can produce actionable intelligence for markets when they confirm or refute widely held narratives. For example, a surprisingly dominant performance by a third-tier bench player could nudge futures markets that price in rotation stability; conversely, a setback for a title contender’s key role player might prompt subtle recalibrations in betting markets. Sportsbooks and professional bettors pay particular attention to usage rates, turnover metrics and how teams close preseason games: those signals often persist into the first weeks of the season.

Finally, keep an eye on how teams integrate new analytics features into broadcasts and team workflows. The league’s recent AI and cloud partnerships aim to deliver richer in-game insights — on player positioning, shot quality and defensive assignments — and some preseason broadcasts will showcase those tools. For professionals and dedicated fans, that data can make preseason box scores far more informative than in years past.

Bottom line: expect controlled experiments, not conclusive judgments

On Oct. 2 fans should not expect definitive answers about championship favourites or season-long rotation pecking orders. Preseason is a window for risk management more than prediction: coaches are preserving stars while probing depth, teams are stress-testing systems under limited exposure, and media coverage emphasizes narratives more than standings. Still, the opening slate — especially the high-profile Abu Dhabi games — will offer the first public measurement of health, chemistry and coaching intent, and that intel will shape the first waves of analysis, odds and roster whispers ahead of the Oct. 21 season opener.

— Reporting by Nick Ravenshade, NENC Media Group. Sources: NBA Abu Dhabi Games schedule; NBA 2025-26 schedule release; ESPN preseason and injury reporting; AS preseason schedule; NBA press releases on broadcasting and technology partnerships.

Photo: Markus Spiske, via Unsplash (Unsplash License)