{"id":411669,"date":"2014-10-27T15:38:43","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T20:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=411669"},"modified":"2022-09-17T12:42:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T17:42:54","slug":"kicks-on-court-team-team-preview-2014-2015-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/kicks-on-court-team-team-preview-2014-2015-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Kicks On Court: A Team-By-Team Preview of the 2014-2015 NBA Season"},"content":{"rendered":"
In continuation of our last installment of Kicks On Court Diaries<\/em><\/a>, which highlighted the five teams to closely follow this season, we take a close look at the entire NBA from a Kicks On Court<\/em><\/a><\/strong> standpoint. On the eve of opening night of the 2014-2015 NBA season, check out our team-by-team preview.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Jeremy Lin<\/p>\n What to Look for<\/strong>: The return of The Black Mamba from injury means more Nike Kobe exclusives on the feet of Bryant this basketball season, which might not work out too well for Nick Young, the 2013 Kicks On Court Champion. Young, an avid fan of Kobe’s signature line, sported a healthy diet of Kobe player exclusives, iDs and general releases – all of which will be worn by Bryant this season. Nevertheless, Young will find a way to dominate our Kicks On Court<\/em> headlines as usual. Keep Jeremy Lin on your radar too, as adidas has let the Harvard grad debut a couple of their new low-cut silhouettes over the past couple of seasons.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Dwyane Wade will continue to lace up vibrant and gaudy colorways of his Li-Ning signature line, while Chris Bosh, one of the most consistent wearers of the beloved Nike Hyperposite, will switch to alluring colorways of the Nike Hyperposite 2014. Over the summer, Mario Chalmers shifted from Spalding to Nike and has been wearing the Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier VIII this preseason. Also, keep an eye on Norris Cole, as he has a history of turning a few heads every once in a while with past wears of the Nike Air Zoom Generation, the “Thermal Map” Foamposites and more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Dion Waiters<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>:\u00a0After sparingly wearing his signature shoe, the\u00a0Nike LeBron 11<\/a>, last year, all eyes will undoubtedly be on King James\u2019 footwear this season. All signs point to him spending a lot of time in the LeBron 12<\/a> this season, as he has worn the shoe consistently during exhibitions. Whispers of an upcoming Kyrie Irving signature get louder with each passing month, and Kevin Love\u2019s \u201ccomfort\u201d clause within his 361 Degrees deal has resulted in him wearing some nice Nike player exclusives so far this preseason.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard did an amazing job of keeping Derrick Rose’s signature adidas line relevant during Rose’s absence due to injury over the past couple of years, but it’s looking like we might get to see Rose himself represent his own line. Jimmy Butler, a former adidas athlete who wore an all-red, python-textured custom Crazy 8 on opening night last season, has now switched to Jordan Brand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, Pablo Prigioni<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: You know what to expect from J.R. Smith, or do you? Each season, the New Jersey native consistently sports a healthy diet of KDs, Kobes, LeBrons and Jordans. A debut of the Jordan Melo M11 should be near for Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire always laces up nice player exclusives, Iman Shumpert is the wild card on the team in regards to sneakers and Pablo Prigioni keeps his feet exclusively in the latest Kobes and NIKEiDs.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Matt Bonner<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: With Kawhi Leonard steadily growing into a big-time star in the league, we’re sure Jordan Brand will beef up on the perks and player exclusive for the small forward starting this season. Also, be on the lookout for a “Christmas Day” custom for Matt Bonner this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Jared Sullinger, Phil Pressey, Marcus Smart<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: The Boston Celtics are far removed from the days of Rondo’s Hyperposite PEs and Ray Allen’s green and white Jordans gracing the hardwood, but all is not lost here. Jared Sullinger, a Jordan Brand athlete, was responsible for debuting a couple of Jordan last year, like the “Bamboo” Air Jordan XX8, and Phil Pressey is a devoted wearer of LeBrons.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, Jared Cunningham, Chris Douglas-Roberts<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Chris Paul will naturally break out new colorway after new colorway of his new Jordan CP3.VIII, while Blake Griffin will continue to serve as the poster child for the Jordan Super.Fly line. Soon, Jamal Crawford will debut his brand new BRANDBLACK J.Crossover 2 on court and if given playing time, both Jared Cunningham and Chris Douglas-Roberts should be in the hunt for the Kicks On Court Champion race.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson, Terrence Ross, Jordan Hamilton<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>:\u00a0In addition to the sneaker-loving trio of DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Terrence Ross, the Raptors added Louis Williams and Jordan Hamilton this past offseason. The former rocked some of the better LeBron PEs we\u2019ve seen in our Kicks On Court<\/em> coverage before his injury, and the latter brought out a number of Prelude Kobes during his days in Denver. Kyle Lowry switched to adidas, and journeyman James Johnson will be one to look out for should he receive ample playing time.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Once Kevin Durant returns to the court, we will see a number of KD7 in the Thunder color scheme, but don’t think for a second that you won’t see KD7s all over the league before then. Russell Westbrook gave us plenty of looks at the Air Jordan XX9 on court during the NBA Playoffs, but expect to see new color schemes of the XX9 on his feet this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: James Harden, Terrence Jones Players to Watch<\/strong>: Monta Ellis, Jae Crowder<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Every season, we prepare ourselves to see Monta Ellis in at least 30 different Jordans. Last year, his first with the Dallas Mavericks, saw Ellis in the “College Blue” Air Jordan XVII, the “Neutral Grey” Air Jordan 13, the Air Jordan XVIII White\/Royal and others. Jae Crowder is a dark horse on the Mavericks roster, as he is known to rock a few Nike Basketball retros as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Joe Johnson, Jarrett Jack<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Joe Johnson, one of the longest tenured Jordan Brand athletes in the game today, tends to receive at least one special player exclusive each year, such as the Air Jordan XVI PE he wore last season. You can also anticipate a NIKEiD KD and\/or KD general release on the feet of Jarrett Jack as with every other season.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Under Armour’s latest and greatest will be attached to Stephen Curry’s feet moving forward, and whispers of him getting his own signature shoe at the start of 2015\u00a0should be something to look forward to. As far as player exclusives, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes have, in the past, received some extremely nice ones in blue and yellow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Tyreke Evans, Russ Smith<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Much like Chris Bosh, expect to see Anthony Davis wearing a number of intriguing colorways of the Nike Hyperposite 2014. Austin Rivers raised a few eyebrows last year by rocking a couple of custom-designed adidas, Tyreke Evans is still given some of the nicest Nike player exclusives and should Russ Smith received just a little bit of playing time, the “Remix” Nike Zoom LeBron IV wearer could be one to watch for.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: P.J. Tucker, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>:\u00a0Last year, the Phoenix Suns were stacked with guys that passionately switch their kicks from game to game, such as \u00a0P.J. Tucker<\/a> \u2013 a 2014 Kicks On Court<\/em> Champion finalist \u2013 the Morris twins and Eric Bledsoe, occasionally. All four players are back, and they\u2019ve added former Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas who laced up the best Reebok PEs of anyone last season (though that might not be the case for long, as we recently spotted him in a pair of adidas during a preseason game). From top to bottom, you can expect to see\u00a0a nice mixture of retro footwear and new silhouettes on the feet of these Suns.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: With the exception of Al Jefferson’s move to Jordan Brand, not much has changed on the Charlotte Hornets front, shoe-wise. Yet, we should always keep an eye on their Jordan Brand-dominated roster.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Donald Sloan, Solomon Hill<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Losing Paul George affects their Kicks On Court<\/em> appeal in a tremendous way seeing that Nike blessed “PG” with a number of awesome player exclusives. Donald Sloan and Solomon Hill tend to lace up some solid NIKEiDs, and we’re sure the latter would make a bigger impression with increased playing time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, Derrick Williams, Ben Mclemore<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>:\u00a0Sacramento Kings<\/a> center DeMarcus Cousins became the first big man to compete in the Kicks On Court<\/em> race last season, as he wore an abundance of NIKEiDs, player exclusives and retros last season. Judging by his LeBron PEs this preseason, he shows no signs of slowing down. The Kings also return Rudy Gay, a constant in the Kicks On Court<\/em> headlines for years, and you can\u2019t ignore the entertaining footwear choices of 2013 Kicks On Court Champion Derrick Williams. Jason Thompson is still one of the biggest NIKEiD supporters in the NBA, and Ben Mclemore will continue to lace up great adidas PEs in purple, black, silver and white.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: DeMarre Carroll, Shelvin Mack<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: When talking iDs, only a few had better 1-of-1 creations that was as attractive as DeMarre Carroll and Shelvin Mack. The former’s speckle print LeBron X Elites were simply amazing, and Mack opted to wear multiple ‘Shedding Skin’ Kobe 8 iDs throughout the regular season and in the playoffs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Tony Wroten<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Tony Wroten is the lone Kicks On Court<\/em> regular on this team, but that’s more than enough. The Renton, Washington native was an early-season Kicks On Court Champion shoe-in last year and judging by his footwear choices this preseason, he’ll be one to pay close attention to again this year.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Thomas Robinson, Dorrell Wright<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: An abundance of sneaker-related news has already surrounded the Trail Blazers’ two main stars this month. Damian Lillard revealed a photo of his upcoming signature on social media, and longtime Nike athlete LaMarcus Aldridge is now Jordan Brand’s latest form of representation on the hardwood. Those two, along with Thomas Robison’s unpredictable shoe choices, Dorrell Wright’s Li-Ning PEs and Robin Lopez’s artistic behavior, should make the Blazers a fun team to follow this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Thaddeus Young, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Martin<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Thaddeus Young has stated that he gets his Nike Penny shipments from Penny himself, so that alone gives reason as to why you should pay attention to his footwear on a nightly basis. As for the #1 draft pick, adidas will more than likely supply Andrew Wiggins with some shoes exclusive to him throughout the season.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: John Wall, Bradley Beal, DeJuan Blair<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: \u00a0The big news here is former Kentucky Wildcat John Wall embarking on his first NBA season as a signature athlete. Wall has been wearing the adidas J Wall 1 throughout, and you can expect new colorways of this shoe as the season unfolds. Bradley Beal’s star will continue to rise, therefore you will see more player exclusives on his feet this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Andre Drummond, Brandon Jennings, Jodie Meeks<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Andre Drummond, one of Jordan Brand’s latest signees, wore a plethora of Jordan retros last year, but now that the deal is official, those might get swapped for some of Jordan Brand’s newest product like the Super.Fly series. Brandon Jennings receives exclusive low-tops from Under Armour year in and year out, and Jodie Meeks could carry over his on-court footwear unpredictability from last season to this year with the Pistons.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Jabari Parker, Kendall Marshall, O.J. Mayo<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: It didn’t take long for Jabari Parker to get a PE that everyone wanted. More than likely, he won’t be wearing those type of exclusives on court just yet, but you never know. Kendall Marshall won’t change up his footwear every game, but he’ll lace up some interesting pairs every once in a while and you can count on O.J. Mayo to mix in a few of Nike’s latest silhouettes in PE form.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Nate Robinson, Ty Lawson, Quincy Miller, Wilson Chandler<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: The return of Nate Robinson from injury is welcomed, as he is one of the players you must pay attention to on a nightly basis. Ty Lawson easily has some of the better LeBron PEs and iDs,\u00a0Wilson Chandler, not known to be a consistent Kicks On Court<\/em> guy, will still surprise you from time to time (think University Blue\u00a0Foamposite Pro<\/a> and Air Jordan 3 Retro \u201988) and don\u2019t forget about Quincy Miller, who brought out the \u201cTokyo\u201d Air Jordan 5<\/a>, a Nike Hyperposite \u201cArea 72″ Rudy Gay PE and the \u201cSilver Anniversary\u201d Air Jordan 2<\/a> plus more just a year ago.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Victor Oladipo, Maurice Harkless<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: The blue, black and white color scheme looked great on Victor Oladipo’s Jordans last year, and we look forward to seeing more of his exclusives on court. Mo Harkless, a consistent Nike Kobe wearer, will pull out some nice, blue-accented, general release Mambas from time to time as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Gordon Hayward<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: Last season, Gordon Hayward laced up some of, if not the best Nike KD VI iDs last season. Hopefully, he creates – or is sent – a few KD7s in the same form.<\/p>\n Players to Watch<\/strong>: Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Jr.<\/p>\n Notable changes from last year<\/strong>: adidas always provides Mike Conley, Jr. with\u00a0the opportunity to debut a few of adidas’ newest colorways in their most popular models, and we expect the same this year. Tony Allen will more than likely turn to miadidas for his on-court footwear, and Courtney Lee will usually break out a beloved Foamposite or NIKEiD every now and then.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In continuation of our last installment of Kicks On Court Diaries, which highlighted the five teams to closely follow this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":411719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[835,2,1219126],"tags":[1225551],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLos Angeles Lakers<\/h1>\n
Miami Heat<\/h1>\n
Cleveland Cavaliers<\/h1>\n
Chicago Bulls<\/h1>\n
New York Knicks<\/h1>\n
San Antonio Spurs<\/h1>\n
Boston Celtics<\/h1>\n
Los Angeles Clippers<\/h1>\n
Toronto Raptors<\/h1>\n
Oklahoma City Thunder<\/h1>\n
Houston Rockets<\/h1>\n
\nNotable changes from last year<\/strong>: The Nike Zoom Run The One has already been one of the most consistently worn shoes on court this preseason, and James Harden will, over the course of this season, receive some of the best colorways of that shoe from Nike.<\/p>\nDallas Mavericks<\/h1>\n
Brooklyn Nets<\/h1>\n
Golden State Warriors<\/h1>\n
New Orleans Pelicans<\/h1>\n
Phoenix Suns<\/h1>\n
Charlotte Hornets<\/h1>\n
Indiana Pacers<\/h1>\n
Sacramento Kings<\/h1>\n
Atlanta Hawks<\/h1>\n
Philadelphia 76ers<\/h1>\n
Portland Trail Blazers<\/h1>\n
Minnesota Timberwolves<\/h1>\n
Washington Wizards<\/h1>\n
Detroit Pistons<\/h1>\n
Milwaukee Bucks<\/h1>\n
Denver Nuggets<\/h1>\n
Orlando Magic<\/h1>\n
Utah Jazz<\/h1>\n
Memphis Grizzlies<\/h1>\n