Does Preseason Matter?

Why bother look at preseason numbers? The players don’t

By Doug Knopf

Many experts and basketball fans try to predict potential playoff brackets, fantasy sleepers, or the outcome of a team’s season based off of preseason numbers, but this is just absurd. The National Basketball Association, more than any other league, has the most insignificant preseason out of any the major sports.

           

The thirty teams in the league play just eight preseason games, which is less than one tenth of the season. Teams barely have enough time to establish an offensive and defensive rhythm that can be carried into the regular season. On top of that, starters only play about 25 minutes, which is about 10-15 minutes less than they do during the regular season if they even play at all.

Last Friday, four of the Pacers key players, Granger, Hibbert, Hill, and Hansbrough, did not even see one minute of playing time. How is anybody supposed to get a good read on teams and players when they are not in the lineup?

AP Photo/ Bahram Mark Sobhani

Basketball’s preseason is not for the fans or the star players; it is for the little guys trying to make it to the big dance. With only twelve men on a roster during the regular season, young players need to make a large impact early on in order to prove to the coaches that they can play.

Teams with the best depth usually dominate the preseason, but this rarely translates to the regular season.  All-stars are not pushed to their limits. Coaches are not put to the test. It is the unsigned guys, the second-round draft pick who must play well and play hard, or it is the end of the road for them.

This is exactly why some people watch the preseason to see the future of their franchise. People still need to remember that basketball is a team sport and that it takes more than a big name to win. Having a strong bench to keep a team in a game is crucial to making the playoffs.

In recent history, the team with the player who has won the sixth man award has been very successful in both the regular and post season: 2011 Harden with the Thunder, 2010 Lamar Odom with the Lakers. The preseason is where teams become family. The veterans mentor the new guys and the coaches establish their influence over their players.

The preseason is exactly what it should be: a nice light warm up for the regular season. Fans should wait until the start of the regular season to begin paying attention to their favorite teams. Star players make the NBA what it is. When they don’t play, there is not point in watching. Give the league a few weeks to do their thing. Fans should wait until they get back to alley-oops and Kobe Bryant. Then we shall start paying attention to Basketball.