Parsing meaning from preseason action can oftentimes be akin to peering through a dense fog while driving. No matter how much you squint your eyes, your vision is still going to be obscured, preventing you from seeing what lies within. The same goes for under-baked chemistry, irregular playing rotations, and the varying levels of intensity that come along with gearing up for when the games count; as those factors also hang in the air, creating a cloudy atmosphere for evaluating the meaning of what’s happening on the basketball court.
Still, despite the visual illusions of the final score and the extremes of leading the Charlotte Hornets by 27 points in one game and trailing the New York Knicks by as many as 25 points in the next, there are still shapes and features that can be distinguished from the turbid conditions.