Tracking Wednesday's NBA debuts, long-awaited returns

Familiar faces in new places and highly anticipated returns were the themes of the second night of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Here's a look at some of the biggest names who debuted for new teams Wednesday or were back with their sides following long-term injuries or spells with other organizations:

Star-studded introductions

A quartet of esteemed offseason acquisitions and an injury-plagued All-Star making his first outing with his new digs highlighted Wednesday's jam-packed slate.

Antentokounmpo stormed out of the gates with 21 first-half points en route to a team-high 35 in a losing effort against the T-Wolves. The Greek Freak joined LeBron James as the only two players to score 35 or more in a season opener for Miami. The Heat's next-highest scorer was Bam Adebayo with 15 points, so Antentokounmpo was hardly to blame for Miami's tough start.

Ball and season-opening victories are becoming one in the same. The T-Wolves newcomer has now won five straight season openers following a 131-106 road victory over the Heat. Ball and Anthony Edwards, who had 45 points and 10 rebounds on 16-of-29 shooting, employed a shifty two-man game that Miami could do little to contain.

Davis' tenure with the Wizards got off to an ominous start when he was ruled out for the remainder of 2025-26 following a midseason trade from the Mavericks. However, the 10-time All-Star was shockingly good in a 128-116 victory over the Bucks, leading all players in points and rebounds while forming a top-tier tandem with Trae Young, who had 20 points and 13 dimes.

Morant was dealt to the Trail Blazers in June, capping an up-and-down seven-year spell with the Grizzlies. Hopes in Portland were that a change of scenery would do wonders for the former Rookie of the Year. The 27-year-old was efficient in a 124-84 drubbing of the Suns, and his plus-33 was the third-highest single-game plus-minus of his career.

Kessler signed a whopping four-year, $130-million contract with the Lakers in the offseason as the first major move of the post-LeBron era. In Wednesday's blowout win over the Warriors, Kessler went 12-of-12 from the field for the second-best shooting performance in franchise history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 14-of-14 clip from 1969. Not a bad start to his Lakers career.

Welcomed returns for marquee names

Two icons returned to their former employers and three All-Stars were back in action after missing the entirety of last season with significant injuries.

Leonard received a rousing welcome at Scotiabank Arena in his first appearance for the Raptors since the 2019 NBA Finals before the hosts steamrolled the rebuilding Chicago Bulls, 135-92. Leonard also recorded a game-high four steals and a block as the Raptors' defense held the Bulls to 32% shooting from the field.

When Lillard drained a catch-and-shoot triple for his first bucket in his second stint with the Blazers, it was like he never left. Following a two-year stay with the Bucks and a spell on the sidelines for the 2025-26 season due to a torn Achilles, Lillard dropped 25 points in just 24 minutes against the Suns and formed a lethal backcourt pairing with Morant. It's Dame Time, again.

The last time Haliburton played for the Pacers was Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals when he ruptured his Achilles. The two-time All-Star showed few signs of rust in a 123-120 victory against the Pelicans, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter. Haliburton now has the sixth-most games of 20 or more points and 10 or more assists in the league across the last six seasons.

Irving's first appearance for the Mavericks in 597 days and his first alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg displayed glimpses of the nine-time All-Star's best in a 128-110 defeat to the Rockets. The Mavs showed plenty of room for improvement under first-time NBA head coach Dusty May, and Irving sat for the entire fourth quarter, playing just 24 minutes on the night.

VanVleet reassumed the primary facilitating role for the Rockets after tearing the ACL in his right knee in an offseason workout in September 2025. The undrafted 32-year-point guard had a game-high 11 assists and zero turnovers, showing Houston exactly what it missed in being forced to deploy a playmaking-by-committee approach last season.

Prized rookies make first impressions

Three of the first four picks in the 2026 draft made their professional debuts. We'll have to wait for AJ Dybantsa's maiden appearance for the Wizards after the first overall pick missed out vs. the Bucks with an ankle injury.

Peterson, whom the Jazz took with the second pick out of Kansas, got a crash course on going from the main man in Lawrence to one of many in Utah in a 123-103 defeat to the Grizzlies. Seven field-goal attempts isn't going to cut it for a volume scorer with a diverse bag of offensive weapons, but these are still early days for the 19-year-old guard.

Boozer was arguably the draft's most polished player. Against the Jazz, the former Duke big man struggled from the field while showing pro-level positioning on the boards and some deft playmaking chops. Ty Jerome's absurd career-best 45 points overshadowed Boozer's mercurial debut.

The fourth overall selection's debut did not go to plan. The Bulls were dealt a lopsided 43-point defeat by the Raptors, while Wilson showed both glimpses of his ceiling and signs of inexperience. His ugly minus-45 was tied for the second-worst by a Bulls player in the franchise's storied history. He also had nine turnovers. On to the next one.