Author: Michael Grace

Dante Exum had a gnarly injury last season, but so far in the preseason has looked solid. That being said, the Cavs are bad and injury plagued and have the worst kind of position battles going on- the kind where guys are rotated out because they’re bad, not because the alternative is better. Exum has the potential to be a good offensive threat if he can stay healthy. While it’s likely he will come off the bench for Cleveland this season, he can do some damage in a pesky second unit that will cause trouble for some middling playoff hopefuls.

He was a touted prospect when he was drafted, but has never been able to live up to the hype due to his health. Sadly, with most of this Cavs team, health will be a major factor in determining if they get the most ping pong balls, the third most ping pong balls, or somewhere in between.

Otto Porter Jr. is probably the most important Chicago Bull this season. He’s not the best (Zach LaVine) or the flashiest (Z. LaVine) or biggest name (Zach L.) but he could be critical to Chicago’s future. He has potential to be a solid trade asset come the deadline for a contender looking to shore up their depth. I know, Bulls fans, you don’t want to hear that your team’s most interesting player this year is just a trade chip, but think of it this way- riding the roller coaster of paying attention to Otto Porter through a season will make suffering through yet another lost year easier. That, and seeing how Billy Donovan will use him in rotation with rookie Pat Williams will be interesting. I almost put Williams as my Guy To Watch but I just don’t think he’s going to get a ton of minutes for a good chunk of the season.

Look! Here’s some good thing’s Porter’s done!

LaMelo Ball is the only reason to watch the Hornets. Okay, I’ll admit that this is the easy choice and that Ball is arguably already in the “star” realm. BUT. He is a rookie, and the most exciting part of a really mediocre to awful roster. Gordon Hayward is getting paid and will probably put up solid numbers, but that’s about it. So what is so great about the baby Ball brother? Stuff like this.

and this…

and also this…

Yeah, I get it, you’re probably better off just watching his highlights on twitter after a game, but you could watch Charlotte play and then see him do a flashy pass LIVE and then tweet about it to look cool, I guess. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, the Hornets have the best uniform set in the game. @ me.

Caris LeVert is one of my favorite players. Last season was the best opportunity to watch him as the lead guy on a team, given Durant and Irving’s injuries. Now, as the third option for Brooklyn, the pressure is off and his basketball intellect will be on display. I don’t know what kind of offense Steve Nash is going to push out there every night, but given his pedigree of playing under Mike D’Antoni and as Steve Nash’s assistant, I’m going to assume a high-paced offense that will look to overwhelm the opposition quickly. If that is the case, LeVert will be given outside looks whenever a team makes the mistake and gambles on trying to stop Kevin Durant. Look for him to be open and moving around near the baseline this season, where his athleticism can take over and punish a team too preoccupied with the superstars. He will also be a BIG catch-and-shoot candidate, especially if Nash tries some “7 Seconds or Less” style offense.

Daniel Theis is going to take the lion share of minutes at the 5 this season, and the German national is going to be a heavy target inside for a team that loves to spread the floor. Last season, he made the jump from 13 minutes per game to 24, and responded with 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. On any given night, the Celtics are going to be fun to watch, but if you pay close attention to the big 27 in the middle, you’re going to notice just how well the Boston offense flows.

John Collins was suspended for 25 games on 11/5 last year for testing positive for a growth hormone. He returned and played 41 games in total, leading the Hawks in true shooting percentage as well as rebounds and blocks, again, despite missing a large amount of games. Collins is a certified stud, and is on the cusp of becoming an All-Star. The Hawks are bad, and will spend the season struggling to make the play-in tournament, but with the addition of Bogdan Bogdanovic (another guy you should watch), look for Collins to have more space inside to dominate and take the next step.

Collins has star potential, unlike many guys on my list, but being on a bad team and playing alongside Trae Young, he’s not given the proper attention by more casual fans. Just watch this and see what I’m talking about.