Happy New Year NBA fans!
The 2022-23 campaign officially kicks off Tuesday evening and beyond the usual excitement that a new season brings, a new set of expectations also come as the next seven months of hoops get underway.
Coming into the new season, things feel more wide open, with more possible contenders than last season. At the same time, however, we could have on our hands one of the lowliest league-wide tank jobs in NBA history because of the prize to be had in the 2023 NBA Draft.
No NBA season is exactly normal, per se, but this one could be particularly bizarre with apparent wealth of opportunity on both ends of the win-loss spectrum to be had, making for a season that could end up being super competitive in two completely different fashions.
Here’s a look at a few storylines to watch for as the 2022-23 NBA season begins.
Big questions surrounding big contenders
As mentioned off the top, there are quite a few legitimate contenders to consider coming into the season. However, the kicker is they all have something to be desired, meaning we could be in for some actual parity among the NBA’s best teams — something that isn’t always there.
In our estimation there are 11 teams that should be considered serious threats to win it all this season, with potentially more given how the off-season unfolded.
If you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan, however, we hate to break the news to you but as things stand now, it’s tough to see them as much of anything right — even with the great LeBron James likely motivated and on the hunt this season to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record.
Here’s more on those actual 11 teams we identified.
Boston Celtics: The Celtics, on paper, look even better than they did a season ago when they went to the Finals, acquiring Malcolm Brogdon in a trade with the Indiana Pacers to backup Marcus Smart, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year.
However, this is a team that won’t be able to instantly recapture that old magic because of the season-long suspension to head coach Ime Udoka after an improper intimate relationship with a female staff member, forcing assistant Joe Mazzulla to step in as the interim bench boss.
This is a team that’s probably too talented to be impacted by this all season long, but there will be an adjustment period, and the question remains how long might it be and just how large an impact might it have on Boston’s fortunes this season?
Brooklyn Nets: The Nets could be world-beaters. With Kevin Durant still in the fold, what looks like a fully healthy Ben Simmons playing basketball again and Kyrie Irving’s on-court wizardry likely still in full effect, Brooklyn could have the best collection of star talent in basketball.
This isn’t franchise mode in a video game, however, and the fact remains that Durant did actually request a trade from the Nets in the off-season. So, is everything actually all good in Brooklyn? Or is this just a house of cards, waiting to collapse at any moment?
Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic might be the most talented player in the world right now. A singular force of nature capable of winning entire games and some playoff series on the strength of his immense offensive abilities alone. When you have a player like this, you always have a shot.
Having a shot and executing on that opportunity, however, are two different things, though, and while the Mavericks have The Guy, the issue still lies in the supporting cast around him.
The Mavs lost Jalen Brunson — their second-best player — and didn’t really do much to address their problems on the defensive end. Their acquisition of Christian Wood from the Rockets appears like a good move, but he’s only ever put up numbers on a bad Houston Rockets team and is entering a contract year where he’ll be asked to come off the bench.
Are these really the kind of moves that inspire confidence that this is the right situation to be in if you’re Doncic? Especially as you begin the first year of a big contract extension?
Denver Nuggets: With the two-time defending NBA MVP Nikola Jokic still going strong and the returns of two big guns in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., this could be the season the Nuggets finally breakthrough.
It’s nothing but good vibes around Denver as the season starts, but things could be rough to begin as Murray and Porter get re-acclimated to playing again after each, essentially, was sidelined all of last season with injury. How quickly will they both be back to their old selves? That’s the question of the season for the Nuggets.
Golden State Warriors: The defending champs look as good as ever coming in with their dynamic core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green still going strong, along with newcomers to their championship formula Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole locked up and, now, the potential breakout season of 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman.
What should be a strong Warriors team coming in to defend its title might actually be a fractured club, though, thanks to the ugly altercation between Green and Poole that blew up all over social media. It’s easy to say that these kinds of things happen all the time in practice, but, honestly, would you be able to just brush past getting punched in the face while at work?
Generally speaking, a united locker room will lead to better results. Can the Dubs actually move past this incident and come together once again?
Los Angeles Clippers: It’s hard to say what the Clippers might be during the regular season, especially with Kawhi Leonard returning from an ACL injury. If they get to the playoffs healthy, though, the theory still stands that Leonard can do the rest and take them to the Promised Land.
Of course, getting there with all their ducks in a row could be problematic. How the Clippers manage Leonard’s and Paul George’s minutes will be interesting to monitor. Obviously, Leonard is notorious for his load management days off, but George shouldn’t be overtaxed during the regular season, either, meaning there’s an expectation that players like Norman Powell, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and maybe even newcomer John Wall will shoulder more of a burden.
Memphis Grizzlies: The upstart Grizzlies boast one of the best, most exciting young cores in the NBA, led by ascending superstar guard Ja Morant. Memphis won 56 games last season and finished second in the Western Conference and there’s no reason to believe they can’t do the same or even better this season.
The Grizzlies look to have all the talent and ability needed to make a push into the Western Conference Finals and beyond, but now it’s just a matter of whether or not they can make that necessary push through and get over the hump. Perhaps they still need to mature as a group? Maybe it’s just something they need to overcome mentally as a group? But, the thing holding back Memphis doesn’t appear to be anything tangible, at least.
Miami Heat: Even after losing P.J. Tucker in the off-season, the Heat should still be a solid team in the East again this season, but with Jimmy Butler at 33 years old and Kyle Lowry turning 37 just before the post-season gets going, you have to wonder if this team might not be too old heading into this season?
Milwaukee Bucks: Given Giannis Antetokounmpo’s competitive spirit and all-world ability, not to mention the depth and all-around talent the Bucks boast, Milwaukee looks like a pretty good bet for most wins in the Eastern Conference — if not, the entire league — this season.
There’s not much weakness to point to with this roster other than the injury bug. During the playoffs, an injury to Khris Middleton ultimately doomed the Bucks’ post-season chances. However, if the core of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday can all remain healthy for a long post-season run this go around, don’t be surprised if you see Milwaukee back in the Finals again.
Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers could end up as the most talented team in the NBA with MVP candidate Joel Embiid, former MVP James Harden, exceptional combo forward Tobias Harris and the star turn that explosive young guard Tyrese Maxey took last season.
The question with Philly coming into this season is how will a full year with Harden pan out? He came into training camp in tremendous shape as a sign that he’s looking to be a lot more serious than in seasons past but the Harden that shows up in the fall and winter is often different than the one that has played in the spring. Will this time be any different?
Phoenix Suns: The Suns are a talented team that can compete for tops in the Western Conference again, but enter the season with a major shadow looming over them.
After the NBA’s investigation into Robert Sarver unearthed abhorrent workplace conduct, the Suns owner was banned for a year along with a $10-million fine, leading to Sarver reluctantly announcing he was exploring a sale of the team.
Now, the Suns will have to deal with this fallout as the very foundation of the organization has been rocked and is about to be upheaved, all the while also dealing with an unhappy Deandre Ayton, who returns after the off-sheet he signed with the Pacers was matched by the Suns. Plus the absence of Jae Crowder who has refused to come off the bench and is now waiting to be traded, and the fact that Chris Paul is now 37.
How the Suns look to get past all this drama and compete like they believe they can is a mystery.
Familiar faces in new places
It was a wild and crazy NBA off-season — even wilder and crazier than most — with a number of significant names changing teams via trade.
All-star guard Dejounte Murray is now an Atlanta Hawk after the Spurs swapped him for a massive package centred around future picks and Danilo Gallinari. Rudy Gobert is forming a Twin Towers frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota as the Timberwolves unloaded a boatload of players and the kitchen sink in first-rounders to the Utah Jazz. And the Cleveland Cavaliers took advantage of the fire sale happening in Utah by trading a bunch of its own future picks, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and 2022 first-round pick Ochai Agbaji for Donovan Mitchell.
The moves were all stunners, especially with the amount of draft capital that was being moved, but there’s no denying that they made the Hawks, Timberwolves and Cavaliers all better than before.
Atlanta now has a dangerous-looking Core Four with Trae Young, John Collins, Deandre Hunter and Murray, the addition of Gobert should free up some of the defensive responsibilities given to Towns and allow him to play with more freedom on the offensive end, and by adding Mitchell, the Cavaliers have made a clear statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference that they’re looking to take the next step, confident in what Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen all showed before.
These big moves don’t necessarily mean these three teams are title contenders yet, but they’re trending in that direction.
Are the Durant sweepstakes really over?
And on the topic of those three big trades that occurred in the off-season, there could’ve been another one that would’ve trumped them.
Durant reportedly requested out of Brooklyn, and when that didn’t happen the team issued a statement saying everything is A-OK now and that everyone is on board and one of mind trying to win a championship.
That all might be true. But it also might not be.
Players of Durant’s stature don’t just request trades and not get their way — not in this era’s NBA, at least.
So then, is the Durant sweepstakes really over? He’s still under contract for this season and three more after it, meaning there’s an opportunity to trade for him if he is still unhappy with his situation.
Given the hauls San Antonio and Utah got for Murray and Gobert, it’s unsurprising that the asking price Brooklyn supposedly was putting out for Durant during the off-season was astronomical and unfeasible. But things can change at the trade deadline this season or even in the 2023 off-season.
The Nets, as talented as they could be, appear to be one of the most volatile situations in the NBA and could just as easily blow up as they could win the East. And if the former happens, why not look to trade Durant and bottom out in the hopes of a big prize that could jump-start a rebuild.
The great Wembanyama race to the bottom
That prize, of course, being seven-foot-three, five-position French phenom Victor Wembanyama, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
You know when people use hyperbolic terms like “alien,” “unicorn,” or “freak” to describe a draft prospect? Well, Wembanyama actually fits those billings to a tee.
There’s a fair bit of parity among the top teams in the NBA coming into the season. That’s great. We’ll get a lot of good, competitive basketball being played when they play against each other. For everyone else, however, including the teams that might only be fighting to make the playoffs or the play-in games, expect to see an intense race to the bottom for a chance to draft Wembanyama.
So, while we’ll certainly get some good games, there could be some real ugly ones, especially after the trade deadline.
