Nobody has posted a number for this one yet, and that fits a preseason opener 3 days out with both coaches still deciding who plays. Mike Brown has already said his starters will carry a fairly light load for most of the preseason. Philadelphia is still working out how to manage Embiid's and LeBron's minutes through the exhibitions and on back-to-backs. Expect a short first half from the names you know and a long second half from the names you don't.
The Knicks have some business of their own to sort out. Karl-Anthony Towns wants an extension, and talks have reportedly stalled over a real gap in what each side thinks he's worth. That won't decide a preseason game, but it will follow Towns into every press scrum this month. Landry Shamet got paid this summer, 4 years and $24 million after 2 straight camps on non-guaranteed deals, and now he gets his first run with that security. New York also cut John Konchar and N'Daly Fante on day 2, so the roster is already getting smaller.
So what's worth watching on Monday? Mostly the shape of Philly's new rotation: who brings the ball up when Maxey, Brown, Simons and VJ Edgecombe share the floor, and how much LeBron actually plays in the first one. For New York, watch whether Brown's new offense looks as different as advertised and whether Drummond can hold up as a real backup 5. Tip is 7:00 PM ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Both teams start at 0-0 and plan to stay careful.