NBA preseason trends: Ben Simmons, international tours, and new rules

Ben Simmons recorded seven points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals in 28 minutes during the Brooklyn Nets’ 107-97 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks. This performance followed a 127-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers where Simmons tallied six points and five assists in 19 minutes. He ended a $28.5 million grievance with the 76ers before returning to the court after a 472-day hiatus. He is 26 and plays in a system designed to use his passing alongside scorers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets hope his defensive versatility helps the team contend after the recent instability involving Durant and Irving. During his four seasons with the 76ers, Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He won Rookie of the Year and earned three All-Star appearances during that time. He was also a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection, and he played only 57 games over the last two seasons. The Nets have shooters like Patty Mills, Joe Harris, and Seth Curry, while Simmons plays as a pseudo centre in smaller line-ups. Will the addition of Simmons truly stabilize a roster that has faced significant internal friction?

International Tours

The Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards travel to Saitama, Japan, for preseason matchups on September 30 and October 2. Steph Curry leads the league in 2025-26 jersey sales despite playing only 43 games last season. The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets meet in Macao, China, at The Venetian Arena on October 9 and 11. The Adelson family owns the Mavericks and operates Sands China, the company that owns and operates the Venetian hotel and casino. The Rockets roster includes international star Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant. The NBA sends the next generation of stars, including Cooper Flagg and Amen Thompson, to win over fans in China. The Mavericks roster includes Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, and the team expects significant changes before the season starts. The Warriors recently fell two victories short of capturing their third consecutive NBA championship. The Rockets maintain strong ties to China dating back to the Yao Ming era. Curry has visited Tokyo twice before for promotional tours, making this his third trip to the city.

Rule Enforcement

The NBA implements a Player Participation Policy that requires healthy stars to play 65 games to qualify for end-of-season awards. The league fines teams at least $100,000 for resting healthy players during high-profile, nationally televised games. The Utah Jazz paid $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers paid $100,000 for violating player participation rules earlier this month after sitting their two best players for the entire fourth quarter of winnable games. Commissioner Adam Silver told general managers that the league will change rules to combat tanking starting next season. The league considers freezing lottery odds at the trade deadline or preventing a franchise from picking in the top four in consecutive years. The league also discussed extending the lottery to include teams in the play-in spots from numbers 7 to 10. You should pay attention to the fact that five teams have winning percentages below .290 as the season begins. The NBA also modified injury-reporting rules, requiring teams to resubmit reports between 8-10 a.m. on game days for games that do not involve back-to-back schedules. This follows investigations into Terry Rozier and Damon Jones regarding betting scandals. The NBA’s top 100 players missed 22.4% of regular-season games in 2023-24, which prompted discussions about the effectiveness of player management. The league also considers basing lottery odds on two-year records.