Hoos making their preseason debuts for 2021-22 tonight and tomorrow:
Tonight, Oct 4
PHI @ TOR: none
ATL @ MIA: none (De’Andre Hunter is on ATL but expected to sit out some preseason games due to his knee injury; should be good to go for the regular season).
CHA @ OKC: Ty Jerome and Mamadi Diakite should both see some pretty significant run for OKC in this game. It’ll be interesting to see if Diakite can cement a spot on the team’s final roster this preseason.
ORL @ BOS: Sam Hauser for the Celtics should get some playing time, especially if Boston is smart and rests Tatum/Brown.
NOP @ MIN: Trey Murphy’s NBA debut (kinda)! Lots of buzz around New Orleans about “point Zion” ultra-big lineups, many of which would feature Trey guarding 2s/3s. HC Willie Green said Trey is in contention for a starting spot.
UTA @ SAS: none
PHX @ SAC: none
GS @ POR: none
DEN @ LAC: none
Tomorrow, Oct 5
IND @ NYK: Brogdon will probably play at least a few minutes for IND, though it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they rest him at times throughout the preseason.
CLE @ CHI: Kyle Guy could see the floor for the Cavaliers (not our Cavaliers), though his PT may be limited since CLE has lots of other young guys at his position (Sexton, Garland, Windler) that they might want a look at as well.
WAS @ HOU: Jay Huff and Anthony Gill are both on the back end of the Wizards big man rotation. Huff should see some PT, because he’s contending for a two-way spot and the Wiz will want to see what they have in him. Gill should also get a shot, especially if the team doesn’t need to see much from starting PF Davis Bertans (they’re already thin at PF with Rui Hachimura away from the team for a personal matter).
MIL @ MEM: none (Milwaukee’s still in the doghouse for waiving Diakite & trading Brogdon)
My viewing recommendation from a UVA perspective would be to tune into the Hornets-Thunder, Pelicans-Timberwolves and Wizards-Rockets matchups (I’ll miss some of the games tonight because I’m covering the Sixers-Raptors game). If you have a chance to watch, preseason is always fun because young players get extended run; if you don’t, it’s NBA preseason, who cares.