The NBA season officially started on Tuesday evening with a doubleheader between New York Knicks-Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns debuted with the new-look Knicks, and Bronny James made history alongside his father, LeBron James. The night was full of three-point action and rookie debuts, and that was just the beginning. Several other teams kick off their seasons tonight, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Injuries have already taken a toll on several stars this season. The 76ers’ new duo of Paul George and Joel Embiid will have to wait for their debut as both are sidelined with injuries. George’s former teammate, Kawhi Leonard, will be out indefinitely as he continues to rehab a lingering knee injury. And the Bucks will open the season without Khris Middleton.

However, the Chicago Bulls will open the season with one star back after a long-term injury. How does Lonzo Ball fit into the Bulls offense after two years?

Can the Suns’ Mike Budenholzer become contenders? Has Steve Kerr found the Warriors’ starting five? Are the Sixers and Clippers in trouble without their stars?

ESPN’s NBA insiders analyze the biggest questions ahead of Wednesday’s series of games.

How have Giannis and Dame found ways to connect during the offseason?

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have one season under their belts playing alongside each other, and they expect this experience to benefit them in year 2 of this partnership. Bucks fans were disappointed to learn the two didn’t spend time together this offseason — Antetokounmpo was busy playing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, then rehabbing an injury and then getting married — but the two stars said that they were in constant communication about their goals for this season. Combine their increased exposure with a full season under Doc Rivers, who was brought in because of his coaching stardom, and the Bucks believe continuity will lead to a bounce-back season. –Jamal Collier

How will the injuries to Joel Embiid and Paul George impact Philadelphia’s start to the season?

The story of Philadelphia’s season was always going to revolve around the health of Embiid and George. But the team certainly hoped its stars would show up in uniform rather than in street clothes on the bench to start the season. Both players have said they don’t believe they can play for a long time, and this could be just a minor speed bump for the 76ers. At the same time, there is already a lot of skepticism in the league about these two making it to the play-offs healthy. Opening the season with both on the bench won’t do anything to calm the skeptics who think this will be just another disappointing season for the Sixers. — Tim Bontemps

What is Chicago’s plan for keeping Lonzo Ball healthy this season, and how will he fit into the team?

After more than 1,000 days, Ball is back on an NBA court. The Bulls and Ball have acknowledged that managing his health will be a work in progress throughout the season, especially considering Ball is the first NBA player to return to action after a cartilage transplant. Ball played without any problems in two preseason appearances and said he didn’t have to think about his knee during the game. He will start the season with a strict minutes restriction coming off the bench, and he will almost certainly avoid back-to-backs. But if his first two preseason games are any indication — 21 points, 4 assists and 5-for-11 from 3 — he can be a valuable contributor for the Bulls coming off the bench. — Collier

Do Ja Morant and the Grizzlies appear ready for a bounce-back season?

There is little doubt that Memphis will bounce back from its low point as a team with 27 wins last season, when the Grizzlies limped out of the gate during Morant’s 25-game suspension and any hopes of a rally were doomed by assorted medical woes.

Can the Grizzlies return to their 50-plus win standard from the previous two seasons? That will be difficult in a loaded Western Conference, where the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Timberwolves have emerged as contenders since the Grizzlies last made the playoffs (and bowed out in the first round).

If the Grizzlies get at least reasonable injury luck — and it’s not a good start that a hamstring injury is killing Jar Jackson Jr. sidelined to open the regular season – rookie center Zach Edey could be the determining factor in Memphis’ ceiling. If his 23-point, nine-rebound preseason performance against the Pacers is a sign of things to come, the Grizzlies could be as good as ever. –Tim MacMahon

Can the Suns’ Mike Budenholzer become contenders?

The biggest problem Budenholzer needs to solve is Phoenix’s offensive woes in the fourth quarter. With all that firepower, the Suns ranked last in offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter last season, allowing just 105.1 points per 100 possessions.

But Budenholzer isn’t the only newcomer in Phoenix who should play a big role in cleaning up that mess. He has a luxury that unique Suns coach Frank Vogel – who also brought championship status to the desert – did not enjoy: a legitimate, veteran NBA point guard. Tyus Jones, who leads the league in assists-to-turnover ratio, should immediately bring a sense of calm and structure to the stretch of games the Suns lacked last season.

Assuming Jones starts and closes next to the three stars, the Suns are missing a primary perimeter defender in the lineup. Budenholzer has built a reputation as an elite defensive coach, and he will have to live up to it for the Suns to emerge as contenders. — MacMahon

What should the Clippers expect from Kawhi Leonard this season?

It is difficult to set expectations for Leonard this season because of the inflammation he is dealing with in his right knee. Entering training camp, Lawrence Frank and Leonard said they felt like they had better control of the inflammation than they did during the postseason, when he was limited to two games in the six-game first-round loss to Dallas. They both said they wanted to take every precaution to get any inflammation out of the knee before returning to action.

With Leonard out indefinitely to start the season, the two-time Finals MVP won’t return until his knee is back to 100%. And once he’s back on the field, Leonard should be able to prevent the inflammation from returning in his surgically repaired right knee. — Ohm Youngmisuk

Has Steve Kerr found his bib number?

The lineup Kerr uses in the opener against Portland isn’t guaranteed to be the five players he starts every night. Kerr has been transparent about the tough choices he faces in naming starters and an 11-man rotation, saying he feels he can play any player on his roster.

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are guaranteed starting jobs, but the other three spots could be filled by some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, De’Anthony Melton, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney. Kerr has also said that there are some nights where the starting lineup is determined by the opponent, but his goal is to still find a group he can count on on any given night – a luxury the Warriors didn’t have last season. — Kendra Andrews