Three preseason snapshots have stood out before the regular season: Memphis is spreading the minutes while bringing Zach Edey back into the fold, Brooklyn has opened 3-0 with a lineup that is clicking early, and Minnesota’s remodeled backcourt is producing more offense with LaMelo Ball beside Anthony Edwards.
Memphis uses a crowded rotation to prepare for the road
- Memphis opened its preseason slate with three games in five days, each involving travel: a 132-123 victory in Atlanta, a 122-118 home defeat against Orlando, and a 104-100 win in Chicago.
- The Grizzlies carry a 2-1 record into Friday’s preseason closer against Charlotte. The demanding early itinerary was built to ready the club for the four-game road swing that begins immediately after its home regular-season opener.
- With Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. no longer on the roster, Memphis has leaned hard into evaluation. Fifteen players are averaging between 11.7 and 17.6 minutes per game, giving the staff a broad look at a young group.
- No. 3 overall pick Cam Boozer has been the most productive rookie in that limited run. His 17.6 minutes per game rank 16th among first-round rookies, but he is posting 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field. Among first-round picks, he ranks eighth in scoring, third in field-goal percentage, fifth in rebounding and 10th in assists.
- Zach Edey is also working his way back after ankle and elbow injuries restricted the 2024 first-round pick to 11 games last season. In his first appearance since Dec. 7, 2025, he had two points and four rebounds in 10 minutes. He followed with 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting, five rebounds, two steals and a block in 16 minutes at Chicago.
Brooklyn’s starting group is finding its shape
Brooklyn’s unbeaten preseason start does not settle the larger questions around a transitioning roster, particularly after one win came against a Charlotte group missing three starters. Still, the Nets have shown more offensive structure than last season, and they have handled meaningful stretches against stronger competition.
The Nets competed effectively against Philadelphia’s regular starting five and outscored Washington by 16 points during Trae Young’s 28 minutes on the floor Monday. Their 3-0 mark will not guarantee anything over an 82-game season, but it has offered encouraging early evidence that the team can be difficult on a given night.
The key four-man combination has been Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and Egor Dëmin. Through Monday, Brooklyn had scored 79 points on 54 offensive possessions with that unit on the court. Randle and Porter have provided complementary scoring options, Sharpe has contributed at both ends, and Dëmin has begun to show the value that made him the No. 8 selection in last year’s draft.
Dëmin appears positioned for a possible leap in his second season. Randle’s arrival also takes some scoring burden off Porter. Brooklyn still faces real concerns over its depth and defense, and a top-10 spot in the Eastern Conference remains an uphill target. But the Nets look improved from a year ago, when their offensive rating finished 1.5 points per 100 possessions below every other NBA team.
Minnesota’s new backcourt is fueling the offense
Minnesota’s preseason has come with the standard warning label: starters are not carrying regular-season workloads, coaches are testing combinations, and roster decisions remain in play. Even so, the Timberwolves’ offensive numbers point toward a more potent setup with Ball joining Edwards in the backcourt.
The Wolves finished 13th in offensive efficiency last season at 115.6 points per 100 possessions. Across four preseason games, they have scored 119.4 per 100. Edwards, Ball and Jaden McDaniels have each logged roughly 20 minutes per game, but their per-36-minute production has been loud:
- Edwards: 33.9 points per 36 minutes.
- McDaniels: 28.3 points per 36 minutes.
- Ball: 21.2 points and 10.3 assists per 36 minutes.
Minnesota is shooting 48.1% overall and 43.8% from 3-point range. Bones Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., Antonio Reeves and Zyon Pullin have added offense in the preseason rotation, while Joan Beringer has made an impact on the offensive glass.
Ball and Rudy Gobert are still building their pick-and-roll timing, but Ball’s playmaking could create cleaner scoring chances for Edwards. Coach Chris Finch has liked what he has seen so far, with the preseason offense giving Minnesota an early indication that its new guard pairing may raise the ceiling.
