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A couple of days into the new NBA season, a lot went down from the promising rookies of the 2017 Draft to the crazy free agency, to the trades and finally the preseason.
Top teams reassembled their arsenal to cope and try to compete with the fire and desire that the Golden State Warriors bring to the court. How the moves play out is what promises to be a historic NBA season.
Besides the imminent Warriors’ and Cavs’ road to the finals (I say this with utter disgust), there are several other things and or players to look forward to.
Basketball's back. Time be over the moon!
#10 The Era of the Bigs is back
In a point guards league, big men are a dying breed considering they were overlooked for the All-Stars. They only came to play roles of enforcers, rim protectors, rebounders and setting screens for their shorter teammates.
We have post players with the skill and will to lead franchises like Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic, Marc Gasol, and Joel Embiid.
Others have stamped their necessity as role players such that their respective teams can’t survive without them. These are the likes of Clint Capela, DeAndre Jordan, and Steven Adams.
It’ll be interesting to see how they assert their dominance this season given that they’re older, more mature and have more responsibilities on their teams.
#9 Effects of the Blockbuster off-season moves
In a bid to create a legitimate threat to the growing Golden State Warriors’ dynasty, aspiring teams made big moves- the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves to name four teams in the Western Conference.
All prejudice aside, none of these will pose a big threat to the Warriors-Thunder must settle in their two-new ball-dominant superstars along with their already ball-dominant franchise player, Russell Westbrook, before embarking on the objective at hand.
In Houston, James Harden and Chris Paul will undertake a similar experiment.
I don’t expect the Nuggets and the Timberwolves to immediately contend, but only to make noise. this might buy them time to gel and cause problems in the near future. For the other movers, their homecoming games will definitely be as entertaining as everyone predicts.
#8 Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks
No other player ranked in the top 20 of every major statistical category last season. The ‘Greek Freak’ has developed into the most entertaining NBA star. The development of the Milwaukee Bucks and their standing in the Eastern Conference is directly tied to him. The most intriguing thing about him is that he can do a little bit of everything, and yet he could do a little bit of everything a little bit better. If he added the shooting stroke that he displayed in the preseason games, then we’re in for a treat.
It’ll be devastating for teams going against him, especially since his matchups give up the size advantage. He has steadily approached his athletic peak and is always a highlight reel. He is the best player to engage new fans of the league.
The Buck's franchise will be in safe with Giannis as the flag bearer. He is expected to be at his absolute best as Khris Middleton gets back to his best following last years hamstring injury. With assistance from Greg Monroe, they will have to be patient as they wait for the uber-athletic Jabari Parker to return deep into the season.
With their pace and space system, they have to hit the ground running while the East still provides the opportunity to secure one of the top seeds.
#7 Young Teams
The NBA is a man’s league, this means, the young teams will be keen to battle the more mature teams and let their intentions be known. The real battle will be for them to establish an identity.
I want to see the likes of Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid get impatient now and impose their will on their teammates. Frustration can breed mistakes, but it can also fuel energy. This might be bad for their teams, but good entertainment for the rest of us.
Coming off another monster season, Karl-Anthony Towns leads one of the best young cores in the NBA in Minnesota. With the addition of Jimmy Butler and Towns' wingman Andrew Wiggins already among the best scorers in the league, the sky is the limit for the Timberwolves.
Devin Booker will keep getting buckets in Phoenix. After a historic season where he scored 70 points against Boston, Booker will be looking to inspire his team to more wins. The high-flying Marquese Chris and rookie Josh Jackson will dazzle the crowd with highlight reels.
After false starts, the much-hyped duo of Embiid and Ben Simmons are finally poised to join forces in Philly.
#6 Mid-season Trades
We’ve seen so many unstable scenarios in the past that forced teams to make the unlikeliest of decisions (the Boogie trade). Teams that have positional logjams: the Kings and their big men; the Blazers and their wings, and teams with mediocrity like the Nets, the Pistons, and teams with GMs that have the tendency to decide to tank mid-season(Kings), keep setting themselves up for failure.
Trade talks are the NBA's best discussion point, and there has been a lot of them this season. With the elites pressing down on the league, that might only mean we get more unpredictable decisions.
#5 LaVar Ball
LaVar Ball became a personality with the statements he made regarding his son and how he stands in comparison to certain current superstars of the league. His early remarks included saying that his son Lonzo is better than Steph Curry and claiming that he himself could defeat Michael Jordan one-on-one. He was subject to both praise and criticism as he continued making similar comments, some of which involved his company, the Big Baller Brand.
Whether it's his son or his brand we are always looking forward to his next incredible claim and the media buzz it creates.
#4 Wear and Tear
With a more forgiving schedule, I’m keen on player longevity and health. No more rest days for LeBron James and Co. especially on road games. Teams should be in full gear all season and perform at a high level consistently.
A great degree of serious injuries that are tied to the highly taxing regular season schedule will be reduced. All there’ll be is situational injuries (God forbid like most recently - Gordon Hayward's horrific leg injury).
There’ll be no excuses for losses related to the absence of key players.
#3 LeBron James and the new Cleveland Cavaliers
As if he is in a league of his own, the King enters his 15th season feeling better than ever and in high spirits after reuniting with best friend Dwyane Wade. There’s no doubting his ability on the court. Lebron and the Cavs will coast through the regular season and dominate the playoffs while chasing his fourth crown.
How the new players fit in to replace the departed Kyrie Irving and Richard Jefferson will be out for the jury to judge. While they present the best squad on paper, it's time for the experiment on the court.
Also read: Boston Celtics 99-102 Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 talking points
Time to sit back and watch the season unfold. Whether James remains on edge with his teammates and their regular-season misfortunes, or enjoy the ride, with the knowledge that his team can overcome even the toughest of situations on the road to the Finals, will be tested through the season.
#2 San Antonio Spurs
Let me let you in on a secret, while the super teams and defending champions get most of the attention, there is a certain championship pedigree team taking the risk, with all the stakes and modesty involved. The Spurs have gone about their business quietly, and if you know Gregg Popovich well, something’s cooking. The addition of the underrated Rudy Gay provides a different outlet for the offense.
You should never sleep on the San Antonio Spurs. With arguably the best coach ever, they are always ready to surprise by contending year in year out. Before the media realizes what’s going on, they rightfully claim one of the top seeds in the Western Conference. The Spurs are the dark horse in this race. With Kahwi Leonard putting the team on his back, we could be in for a big surprise.
#1 The Finals
For the basketball purists, there’s no denying that another Warriors vs Cavs showdown is imminent. Wake me up when I’m wrong about this.
The Warriors will destroy everything in their path to the Finals where they’ll face their bitter rivals, the Cavaliers in a contest for the ages. Whoever wins the series will set the bar for greatness that all teams will aspire to reach in the future.
These two teams hope to capture the imagination of fans like nothing else. The game will demand perfection, the slightest mistake is the death of you. We have seen how ruthless teams can get. There is no telling what comes.
