Grading all 30 NBA schedule release videos

The content on an NBA team’s social media account isn’t as important as the draft or free agency when it comes to winning the offseason, but it does go a long way with fans.

Schedule release day has become a big deal, with teams sometimes going to elaborate lengths to produce elegant, funny or in any way memorable videos to draw attention to the upcoming season’s slate of games.

The best videos are original and playfully tweak opponents. And just like when training camp starts, you can tell who put in the work.

I scouted the productions from all 30 NBA teams, offering a few thoughts, a quick-judgment grade and — best of all — a chance for you to watch as well. Here’s how they graded out:

Phoenix: They upped the ante on the Blazers. Cute dogs chewing on dolls of other NBA teams, plus sponsoring pet adoptions is a win. Grade: A.

Brooklyn: The Nets are not going to be very good this year. But their video asking kids at their basketball camp to draw logos of other teams was top-notch. Grade: A.

San Antonio: Classy, gorgeous and extremely satisfying. Nicely done, probably the best of all the ones I watched. Grade: A.

Boston: Good effort, nice concept, a few subtle and not-so-subtle digs at rivals. I’d definitely eat some of those sandwiches. Grade: A-.

Washington: They used a mentalist to blow fans’ minds. It had the potential to be very bad, but it was very good. Grade: A-.

Milwaukee: It’s oddly mesmerizing watching someone chug themed beverages. There will be a tear in the Bucks’ beer whenever Giannis leaves. Grade: A-.

Oklahoma City: A straightforward basic promotional video wouldn’t work for everyone, but it does for the defending champs. Grade: B+

Portland: You can’t really go wrong with cute cats. Grade: B+.

Charlotte: The Hornets haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, so it might take the work of a superhero to change their fate. I did like the theme and execution. Grade: B+

Miami Heat: Felt like an inside joke, but mostly in a good way. And it doesn’t waste your time. Grade: B+.

Orlando: Minimalist, but again when you combine cute puppies (plus Minnesota’s own Jalen Suggs) and pet adoption you get at least a basic win. Grade: B.

Chicago: Top-notch graphics make up for a somewhat muddled script. Grade: B.

Philadelphia: Using old-school graphics and a bunch of Allen Iverson highlights isn’t a bad idea for a team that took a sudden nosedive last year. Grade: B.

Golden State: Lo-fi but oddly satisfying and more utility than a lot of other efforts. Grade: B.

Los Angeles Clippers: They might always play second-fiddle to the Lakers in LA, but they tried harder and won the schedule release battle. Grade: B.

Memphis: Solid, and the nostalgia made more sense when you realize it’s their 25th season in Memphis. Grade: B.

Indiana: Similar to OKC in that the Pacers have a lot to sell from last year, even after the Game 7 letdown and Tyrese Halliburton injury, so a straightforward highlight approach makes sense. Grade: B

Dallas: Kind of meh, but they are clearly taking Anthony Edwards seriously. Grade: B-.

Detroit: Not bad, necessarily, but it felt like they could have done more with the concept. Grade: C+.

Denver: I get what they were trying to do, I just didn’t really like it. Grade: C.

Los Angeles Lakers: This video had the same energy the Lakers had in Game 5 of their playoff series loss to the Wolves last season. Grade: C.

New York Knicks: The opposite of what the Celtics did. Grade: C.

Cleveland: This was accompanied by some more still images of specific teams, but none of it really popped. Grade: C.

Atlanta: The Hawks did some stuff on their Twitch stream but didn’t really post a schedule release video. Grade: Incomplete.