The optimal viewing plan for Thursday's packed slate of NBA games

The NBA is back!

The 2020-21 season tipped off on Wednesday with a pair of star-studded matchups that saw the Brooklyn Nets defeat the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers take down the Los Angeles Lakers on ring night.

The action continues on Thursday with 13 games.

Here's what's to look forward to.

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The schedule

All times listed are Australian Eastern Daylight Time

Biggest storylines

Rookie debuts

After James Wiseman (Warriors) made his NBA debut on Tuesday, Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), LaMelo Ball (Hornets), Obi Toppin (Knicks), Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers), Killian Hayes (Pistons), Onyeka Okongwu (Hawks) and Deni Avdija (Wizards) are among the rookies set to make their debuts on Wednesday.

Familiar faces in new places

This will be the first opportunity to see many of the stars who were traded in the offseason in their new digs.

The most notable: Russell Westbrook will make his Wizards debut against the 76ers, Jrue Holiday will make his Bucks debut against the Celtics, and Chris Paul will make his Suns debut against the Mavericks.

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The stars of the future

The league is in good hands.

Some of the NBA's rising stars will take the court on Wednesday, including Ben Simmons (76ers), Jayson Tatum (Celtics) Jaylen Brown (Celtics), Brandon Ingram (Pelicans), Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Trae Young (Hawks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), De'Aaron Fox (Kings), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Luka Doncic (Mavericks) and Devin Booker (Suns).

Each one of those players cracked our 23 under 23  and/or best players in the league list entering the 2020-21 season.

The optimal viewing plan

11:00-11:30 a.m.:  Kick off the night on rookie watch. The choice is yours: Charlotte's LaMelo Ball if you're a sucker for Jason Williams-esque passing or New York's Obi Toppin if you're all about high-flying dunks.

11:30-1:00 p.m.: Switch over to Bucks-Celtics to see two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference go head-to-head. No Kemba Walker takes some of the steam out of this matchup, but it'll still be fun watching Jrue Holiday in his Bucks debut. More importantly, you get Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.

If you have the luxury of a second screen, keep Pelicans-Raptors on in the background. Last season's opener between the two teams was a thriller, and Zion Williamson is appointment TV.

1:00-2:30 p.m.:  Now would probably be a good time to hop around League Pass. If Bucks-Celtics is all but decided at this point, Hawks-Bulls could be heading towards an entertaining second half, as could Spurs-Grizzlies. Each one of those teams will be hoping to make the playoffs this season and have something to fight for.

Otherwise, stick on Kings-Nuggets. Watching De'Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray do battle will be fun, and you should never pass up an opportunity to watch Nikola Jokic carve teams up with his passing.

2:30 onwards:  Last but not least, settle in to watch the new-look Suns take on the Mavericks. This will be Chris Paul's debut with the Suns and Luka Doncic will almost certainly flirt with a 30-point triple-double. Keep an eye on Jazz-Blazers, though. There's a good chance it'll be tightly contested going into the fourth quarter. If so, you might be able to catch the end of that game before returning to Suns-Mavericks with it starting at 2:30 p.m.

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