John Wall was back on the floor for the first time in nearly two years. DeMarcus Cousins played for the first time since the 2019 NBA Finals.And the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were home, with nobody there to watch.The NBA preseason — a truncated 49-game, nine-day sprint — opened Friday with a five-game slate, action returning to NBA arenas for the first time in exactly nine months.
Coaches debuted with their new teams: Stephen Silas with Chicago, Tom Thibodeau with New York, Tyronn Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rookies, such as No. 4 pick Patrick Williams of the Bulls and No. 8 pick Obi Tobbin of the Knicks, got their first NBA minutes.As will be the case in most buildings, at least to start the season, almost nobody was at any of.