Biggest question for each NBA team before training camp begins

It's cool guard Dennis Smith Jr. can figuratively leap out of arenas and go viral with dunks. But the New York Knicks need more from him if they're going to be watchable in 2019-20. Injuries have plagued the 21-year-old since he entered the league via the 2017 NBA Draft, and he shot only 28.9 percent from beyond the arc after the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Big Apple last January. In July, Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote about how a "shot doctor" was working to fix Smith's form and technique. 

As Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic explained, a consensus opinion following the NBA Draft was that the Phoenix Suns reached when trading up for the rights to forward Cameron Johnson. Johnson enters the league as somewhat of an underrated shooter, as he was seventh in the country in attempts converted from distance last season. During the 2018-19 campaign, he buried over 45 percent of his threes while launching 5.8 attempts per night. With Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio and Deandre Ayton on the floor, Johnson should see plenty of open looks during his debut year. 

It appears new Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein is serious about playing score-first guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland together in the lineup. As The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks wrote, that makes for one crowded backcourt. Sexton's defensive deficiencies are alarming, and Garland has the higher upside heading into training camp. The Cavs aren't saying so, but this fall could largely be about the franchise showcasing Sexton to would-be buyers ahead of the winter's trade deadline. 

The Chicago Bulls drafted Coby White, traded for Tomas Satoransky and still have Ryan Arcidiacono on the roster. This likely leaves 25-year-old Kris Dunn as the odd man out. Dunn appeared in only 46 games last season, and he's underwhelmed since Chicago traded for him in June 2017. The Bulls shouldn't waste time playing Dunn ahead of Satoransky or White, and the fact that his situation is obvious to everybody in the locker room suggests trading him before training camp ends is what's best for all involved. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently mentioned the Orlando Magic as a possible destination for Dunn. 

While ranking Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young the 62nd best player in the Association,  Sports Illustrated  offered the following regarding the soon-to-be 21-year-old: "Young committed more turnovers per minute than every player in the league save for James Harden and Russell Westbrook." Much was made about Young  averaging over 23 PPG from February through the end of the campaign, but remember that he did so at a time when plenty of opponents were already checked out and counting down the days to their summer vacations or playoff games. As Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report wrote, Young was, statistically speaking, one of the biggest defensive liabilities in the league. 

In August, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald  wrote Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal could be on the Miami Heat's radar in the summer of 2021. The Wizards had to offer Beal a contract extension this offseason if only to save face, but the franchise is stuck in quicksand with John Wall out indefinitely as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Losing Beal for nothing is an unacceptable outcome for the scenario, and Washington keeping him on the roster past training camp only makes sense if there are no buyers. A team such as the Heat or the Brooklyn Nets should help Washington cope with losing its only ticket seller, as the club transitions into a painful yet necessary rebuild. 

Losing Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers is a bummer, but the New Orleans Pelicans have a promising roster that includes Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Derrick Favors and JJ Redick. Of course, all eyes will be on rookie Zion Williamson, potentially the most-hyped first-year pro to enter the Association this decade. The favorite to win Rookie of the Year is advertised as a defensive force and somebody who can easily average a double-double out of the gates.  Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated speculated the 19-year-old could already be one of the top 60 players in the league. 

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant could challenge the previously mentioned Williamson for Rookie of the Year honors, but the 20-year-old will likely receive nightly lessons about making smart decisions with the basketball. As Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic explained, Morant averaged 5.1 turnovers per game his last collegiate season, a number that would've been good for the highest in the NBA for 2018-19. Learning to resist the urge to serve as a one-man show and becoming an efficient offensive weapon should be atop Morant's list of goals at the start of training camp. 

We're all excited to see reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic team with unicorn Kristaps Porzingis during meaningful games. Don't forget, though, that Porzingis last played in February 2018 when he suffered a torn ACL. Even if he's fully healthy and able to reclaim the form he held during his best days with the New York Knicks, it's going to take some time for him to return to regular-season shape. That wasn't Porzingis' first  physical setback , and Dallas isn't competing for a championship next June. Instead, the Mavs will be trying to sell to-be free agents on what the team is building, so easing the 24-year-old All-Star back into nightly rotations is what's best. Dallas should protect Porzingis, as the Toronto Raptors safeguarded Kawhi Leonard last season. 

In late August Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders told reporters  that forward Andrew Wiggins must "take a big leap" for the team to have a successful campaign. The questions are can Wiggins make such a leap, and is he interested in doing so? A  disappointing and inconsistent player who often looks annoyed with his chosen vocation during games, the 24-year-old shot a career-worst 41.2 percent from the field last season. Medium's Brandon Anderson  called Wiggins "the king of empty points" in April. Minnesota's best-case scenario may be rookie Jarrett Culver playing so well that the team can trade Wiggins to a club willing to accept his  massive contract. 

Basketball fans just take it for granted that LeBron James is going to be there whenever the Los Angeles Lakers need him to step up and play the role of NBA king. As Matthew Demeke of KLAC out of Los Angeles wrote, a physical therapist who worked with James explained that the groin injury that sidelined him last season should've kept him a spectator for "six months." James is a generational athlete, no doubt, but he's also got 16 seasons under his belt. Even with Anthony Davis, the Lakers aren't winning much of note if James isn't 100 percent come April. Managing his minutes will be key for Los Angeles beginning in October. 

The Sacramento Kings didn't even wait a week to hire Luke Walton as their next head coach after the Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with the 39-year-old. Unfortunately for the franchise, the luster of that hire disappeared once he was accused of sexual assault by reporter Kelli Tennant. Walton denied any wrongdoing, and the NBA and Kings collectively decided the matter would go away before September. The lawsuit wasn't dismissed, however, and the situation remains a black cloud hovering over a young and promising club that doesn't need any distractions. 

The Miami Heat replaced the retired Dwyane Wade with Jimmy Butler via a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, but that's likely only the beginning of a roster overhaul. In July, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Heat could absorb John Wall's contract to land Bradley Beal. In early September, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinal wrote the Heat "will try to trade their way below the luxury tax." Goran Dragic's contract expires after the season, and both James Johnson and Kelly Olynyk have player options for the following campaigns. 

Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb both escaped the Titanic that is the 2019 Charlotte Hornets, and the franchise responded by giving Terry Rozier a contract listed as the offseason's worst by the Sporting News. The hope for Charlotte is that Miles Bridges and Malik Monk flourish and show they can be potential cornerstones to a future playoff team and also that Charlotte will be able to move pieces such as Marvin Williams. Even NBA 2K thinks the Hornets will be lousy. Charlotte's pursuit for multiple lottery picks begins on Night 1 of the season. 

The Detroit Pistons are in an awkward situation where they want to win with Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond but don't have the horses to hang with the top-tier teams.  Detroit trading Drummond  before he bolts for greener pastures makes sense and is what's best for the club's future. Before that day arrives (if it comes), Detroit will cross fingers and hope Derrick Rose proves to be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. In  51 appearances with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Rose averaged 18 PPG and he shot a career-best 37 percent from beyond the arc. An elbow injury cut his campaign short in March, though, and there's always the concern he's one wrong step or unfortunate occurrence from his career coming to a halt. 

The Orlando Magic rewarded center Nikola Vucevic with a shiny new four-year  contract following the best season of his pro career. Vucevic earned every penny, but his status leaves 2018 first-round pick Mo Bamba in limbo. The 21-year-old appeared in 47 games until a left tibia fracture ended his campaign in early February, and his trade value only diminishes with each night that he starts on the bench. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley named the Toronto Raptors as a team that should target the big man before training camp concludes. Greg Swartz  from that same site believes the Golden State Warriors could call about Bamba's availability. 

Let's agree to work under the assumption Kevin Durant won't play meaningful basketball for the Brooklyn Nets until October 2020. The two-time NBA Finals MVP isn't the only player on the roster with an injury history that makes one feel nervous. Guard Caris LeVert became a revelation in the fall of 2018 until he suffered a dislocated foot that kept him out of action for nearly two months. The 25-year-old returned to form once back on the court, particularly during the playoffs, when he  averaged 21 PPG against the Philadelphia 76ers. As Tom Lorenzo of SB Nation explained in June 2016, LeVert underwent three different foot operations during his time at Michigan. 

As Mac Pena of News 4 San Antonio  wrote, Oct. 21 is the deadline for a player such as San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray to sign a rookie contract extension. Murray became the youngest player ever named NBA All-Defense for his work during the 2017-18 campaign, but a torn ACL he suffered last October cost him the subsequent season. Potentially losing Murray to restricted free agency is a risk not worth taking at a time when the Spurs are more so building for the future than trying to immediately return to the Finals. San Antonio locking Murray down could ease the blow of trading DeMar DeRozan before his  player option comes due next summer.

The Los Angeles Clippers added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George while keeping Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams on the roster. Center Ivica Zubac could be the one liability in the lineup, especially when tasked with facing opponents he and the Clippers will see during the postseason. All of the positive strides Zubac made after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Clippers vanished from memories when he averaged fewer than 10 minutes a night and notched a pair of DNPs in the playoff series vs. the Golden State Warriors. The win-now Clippers could look elsewhere if the 22-year-old is noticeably the weakest link in the starting lineup. 

The Indiana Pacers added Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb and are expecting Victor Oladipo will be as good as new coming off the ruptured quad that's sidelined him since last January. As  Matthew VanTryon of the Indianapolis Star  explained, the Pacers already know Oladipo may not play until the new year, which makes Indiana's biggest pretraining camp question what to do with the duo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. In June,  ESPN's Zach Lowe reported teams called the Pacers about Turner's availability and that "those calls will continue." In September, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz suggested Indiana trading Sabonis "for a high-upside wing" may be the better decision. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder desired to do more than plan for the 2020s after hitting the reset button and trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Adding Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, along with future assets, should keep the Thunder competitive in the fall of 2019, but the elephant in the room remains  Paul's albatross of a contract. In July, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Paul is likely to remain with the Thunder through mid-December when players who signed offseason free agency contracts can be dealt. Both Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman and Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz mentioned Minnesota as a potential destination for Paul. 

The horrific leg injury Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward suffered on the opening night of the 2017-18 season stalled an All-Star career right as Hayward should have been entering his prime. Hayward hasn't been the same player, minus a handful of flashes, since that fateful evening, and the 29-year-old's  contract includes a player option for 2020-21 worth over $34 million.   Boston faces a no-win situation. The Celtics either risk losing Hayward if he turns the clock back or face being saddled with an undesirable contract attached to somebody who, unfortunately, is damaged goods. Could Boston talk the Cleveland Cavaliers into trading Kevin Love, a one-time NBA champion who's winning nothing else with the Cavs through the remainder of his  deal, for Hayward? We'd make that call today.  

The Utah Jazz adding Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic removes and adds pressure to guard Donovan Mitchell. The 23-year-old won't be asked to carry Utah's offense on any given night, but expectations for him to expand his skills on both ends of the court are at an all-time high. What's a career year for Mitchell look like? "To elevate my defense, to get back to what got me drafted," Mitchell told  Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune in late August. A career 35.1 percent three-point shooter, Mitchell buried over 42 percent of his long-distance attempts from Jan. 1 through his last regular-season appearance. He should see even more open opportunities to fire from deep and also drive open lanes in the Jazz's revamped offense. 

Last March, ESPN's Tim Bontemps shared the following about Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons: "'Simmons doesn't shoot,' one West executive said. 'If you're a championship-caliber team, non-shooters can't be on the floor.'" We know the Sixers can make the playoffs and take the to-be champions to the last seconds of a closeout game even when Simmons fails to make a single three-pointer. But the 23-year-old must improve his overall shooting and shed what The Ringer's Zach Kram once called "3-Pointphobia." In July, ESPN's Jalen Rose seemed encouraged by Simmons' supposed improved jump shot. Summer workouts aren't live games, something Rose quickly pointed out while evaluating the young man entering his third pro season.

Seth Curry, Meyers Leonard, Al-Farouq Aminu, Evan Turner and Maurice Harkless all departed the Portland Trail Blazers during the offseason, and center Jusuf Nurkic may not be able to return from the compound leg fracture he suffered in March until next spring. Depth is a major concern, and the Trail Blazers need 20-year-old guard Anfernee Simons to offer more than seven minutes a night moving forward. As  Joe Freeman of The Oregonian explained, Simons averaged 22 PPG, shot 56 percent from the field and converted 65 percent of his three-point attempts during Summer League play, which earned him a spot on the All-Summer League Second Team. Portland may not wait to sell Simons, though, if he struggles as part of the regular-season rotation before Christmastime. 

In June, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on the "friction" between Houston Rockets stars James Harden and Chris Paul. Harden's popularity among teammates and opposing players coming into question was nothing new, and Russell Westbrook, who is replacing Paul in the Houston lineup, isn't known as a reserved personality or as a guard with a reliable shot. There are legitimate reasons why so many joked about the idea of Harden and Westbrook sharing one basketball during games. What happens the first time Harden feels annoyed when Westbrook can't buy a jumper in a December or January contest? How far can and will Westbrook go to show he can fit into Harden's team? How likely is it this experiment blows up and destroys the Rockets from within during the postseason?

Load management is a must for the Denver Nuggets to keep Gary Harris healthy. Assuming Denver realizes that, we shift our focus to forward Michael Porter Jr., who was red-shirted for what should have been his rookie season as he recovered from back surgery. In July,  ESPN's Laura Rutledge voiced concerns over Porter's durability after a knee strain sidelined him for the summer, and Scout.com expects the 21-year-old will sit through the end of October, at least. The positive is Denver possesses enough talent and depth to continue to show patience with Porter's development. Porter also must get through training camp before anybody can begin to estimate what he'll be in the team's rotation. 

On July 1 Marc Stein of The New York Times didn't dance around the issue when speaking about new Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell on an episode of "The Dan Patrick Show." "Russell does not fit there whatsoever. They just did not want to see Kevin Durant walk out the door with no compensation," Stein said. "They will trade him. It's just a matter of when."  Russell isn't a catch-and-shoot threat like Klay Thompson, who suffered a torn ACL during the NBA Finals, but the 23-year-old, who made his first All-Star appearance with the Brooklyn Nets, remains a tasty trade piece due to his scoring and upside.  Perhaps the real question is: How long will Stephen Curry tolerate Russell as a teammate before he demands The Warriors make a move? 

The Toronto Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers, and the reigning NBA champions failed to replace arguably the best two-way player in the league with any comparable star. Barring a handful of unforeseen and shocking occurrences, Toronto's chances of repeating as champs left with the two-time NBA Finals MVP. The Raptors not wanting to follow in the footsteps of the Cleveland Cavaliers and plummet down the standings following a trip to the Finals is equal parts admirable and silly. Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are all on expiring contracts. Break up the band, Toronto, and prepare for the 2021 free agency class. 

Milwaukee Bucks superstar and reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't eligible to sign a "supermax" contract extension with the club until the summer of 2020. Why, then, is his future a talking point this fall? Per Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, the Milwaukee front office is already courting the "Greek Freak" by trying to build upon a roster that lost to the Toronto Raptors in the conference finals. ESPN predicts the Bucks will finish the regular season atop the conference standings despite Milwaukee losing Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers. General manager Jon Horst may need to pull the trigger on a pretrade deadline transaction to lift the Bucks past the favorites from the West when it matters most.