NBA 2018/19: Storylines you need to follow this upcoming season

The new NBA season is set to get underway early next week and while many are excited, others are not so much. Despite the imbalance in talent, as some might say, basketball is a sport loved by millions of people and regardless, the NBA season is always full of storylines which keep the audience interested and hooked to their seats. Here are a few to keep an eye out for, which may spark your interest once more.

#10 Who is going to be ROTY?

Will Luka Doncic bring his Euro League MVP form to the NBA?

Last season, we saw talented rookies stepping on the big stage with the big boys. The 2017 Draft class gave us some bonafide stars in Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Kyle Kuzma, alongside other promising names who'll eventually lead the NBA. This year the rookies are also exciting, so the ROTY award should be a tough prize to grab.

Will the number one pick Deandre Ayton pick up the trophy, or perhaps it'll be Mo Bamba. Luka Doncic was already the MVP in the Euro League and he will surely bring his bag of tricks to the NBA, or maybe Trae Young, who is being dubbed the new Steph Curry by the media?

Perhaps we might be in for a surprise, as the accolade could go to a dark horse. The race for Rookie of the Year is surely a storyline to be followed.

#9 Which player is most likely to have a breakout season?

Oladipo enjoyed a breakout season last year with the Pacers

This might be the most unpredictable storyline of this segment. Last year we saw Victor Oladipo, Lou Williams and others enjoying breakout seasons, dropping jaws with their respective performances. This upcoming campaign should be no different - so you should expect greatness from unexpected places with everyone looking to make their mark.

Rookies are no exception to the rule either - those who dropped low in the draft or not much was expected from them, have proven their critics wrong before. The prime example is Lakers' power forward Kyle Kuzma, who was the 27th pick last year and has asserted himself as a welcome revelation in Los Angeles.

#8 Kawhi Leonard

How good will Kawhi be in a Raptors jersey?

The man does not speak much, but he still gets plenty of attention. Throughout last season with the San Antonio Spurs was more like a drama series than professional basketball. Now with the Toronto Raptors, can he revive himself again? We all know that Kawhi is a superstar-calibre player, but returning to full action after a whole season off will be a serious task in hand for the 27-year-old.

Hopefully, he can brush off the rust and form some sort of chemistry with the Raptors - or we'll see a similar type of situation once again. We can only hope that a man of his skill level can keep us fans entertained with his various abilities alone.

#7 Will the Spurs make it?

Gregg Popovich is a legendary coach, no arguments there. But having finally lost his Big 3 - Tony Parker leaving for the Charlotte Hornets, Manu Ginóbili, Kawhi being traded for Demar DeRozan, Pop has some work to do.

The Spurs have reached the Playoffs for 21 consecutive years, but can they continue this impressive achievement once more? They managed to squeeze through last season through Pop's coaching and LaMarcus Aldridge's influence - but will the story be any different this time around? With the Western Conference stronger than ever, it'll be interesting to see.

#6 The underdog story

Are the Nuggets an underdog story in the making?

We always love the underdogs. It gives us a certain type of joy when someone weaker beats the superior adversary - it's true in all situations and basketball is no exception, of course when we look at it from a completely neutral perspective.

Last year, both the Jazz and Celtics gave us a pleasant surprise by showing that they can challenge the big boys. In the end, the heavily-favoured sides won but it provided us with some entertaining playoff series to watch. The big boys have improved in the West, while the East are powered by the Celtics and 76ers. A dark horse? The Denver Nuggets.

#5 Overrated or justified superstars?

After frustration last term, will Russell be able to push the Thunder to glory this time around?

This season the spotlight will again be on these superstars, on who would have to fight in the packed Western Conference to justify not being regular-season wonders. There is always a saying in the NBA, that the real stars shine during Playoffs. LeBron, Durant, Curry, Kyrie, Kawhi and many others have displayed how superstars play when it really matters.

However, a few superstars in the current association have regularly performed below their high standards when they're needed most. People might debate that the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Anthony Davis have not lived up to their billing during playoff time in recent seasons.

Harden may have won the season's MVP accolade and reached the Conference Finals last season, but he wasn't even the best player on his team when Chris Paul was running the show during their seven-game series against the Warriors. It also seemed as though he was ready to give up when the Spurs beat them during the previous year.

After Durant's acrimonious departure, Westbrook has won MVP and recorded consecutive triple-double seasons. But in the playoffs, it seems as though he always runs out of steam. Meanwhile in Davis' case, the Pelicans roster is the weakest among the accused, but his playoff runs are pale in comparison to his excellent standard of play during the regular campaign.

#4 Are the Celtics really that good?

Last season, the Boston Celtics showed us they can put up a real fight even without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in their team. Brad Stevens is an excellent coach, who brought the best out of his roster and exceeded expectations in doing so.

This year with two key stars returning, their expectations have since sky-rocketed. With LeBron going to the West, the East is for their taking. You cannot ignore the spotlight they are getting and brush it off as just hype, as the team are one of the league's deepest and promising. With their starting five being one of the league's best already, it'll be interesting to see how they fare this time around.

#3 The MVP race

Harden with his mum and NBA MVP accolade at the league's awards event in June

Every season, this is one thing everyone keeps an eye on. Winning the MVP is a dream that every basketball player has and is certainly a worthwhile trophy given to the league's best player throughout the regular 82-game season.

With it comes recognition, fame, money and added respect, as well as added pressure to perform at the highest level. NBA fans always keep a close watch on the MVP race as that player is regularly also the most entertaining to watch across the league.

Harden narrowly missed out in the previous two seasons, but the real question remains: Who wins this year? Will he secure back-to-back wins? What about LeBron? Anthony Davis finished third, could he surpass expectations even further? You can never count out Giannis Antetokoumpo either, who persists in yearly improvements. We'll just have to wait and watch.

#2 How far will LeBron's Lakers go?

LeBron James has been to the Finals eight consecutive years running. However, he has done so in the Eastern Conference - the West is a completely different ball game. We have seen the inhuman feats LeBron has done in the past few years, having carried a broken Cavaliers to the finals and winning the 2016 NBA Championship while being 3-1 down to the Warriors.

We can be certain that he won't relinquish his streak that easily. The Lakers, for all the hype over their talented youngsters, have useful pieces - Rondo, McGee and Stephenson all examples - that can help LeBron in his quest to reach the Finals. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled and wait.

#1 Warriors and the rest of NBA

The defending champions - Golden State Warriors

We all know what the narrative of this NBA season is: the Warriors running away with the trophy, yet again. Or will they? We can never be certain of the concluding outcome but one thing is for certain - the Golden State Warriors are the league's team to beat.

Each moment will be scrutinised because Steve Kerr's men are the benchmark. If they win the Championship, no-one will bat an eyelid. If they fail, it will be the ultimate surprise. Regardless of whether you support the franchise or not, you'll be keeping tabs on their progress.