Welcome to the NBA Season

Edition #181

And we’re here. The first NBA Regular Season game is on Tuesday, October 22nd.

This year has many storylines. LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo. KAT got traded to the Knicks. The Warriors are now without Klay Thompson. Can the Celtics go back-to-back? It’s crazy.

Let’s talk about one fun fact/info for each NBA team this season! (Not much stats in this one, folks.)

NBA:

Celtics:

• This team has a chance of going back-to-back. That’s how good they are. They might be unstoppable with Jalen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday.

Nets:

• The Nets’ new head coach, Jordi Fernández, is their 5th head coach in 4 years. Mikal Bridges, their best player from last year, is also gone. This is a rebuilding team for real now.

Knicks:

• The Knicks now have a starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. This could be one of the most complete lineups in the league.

76ers:

• With the addition of Paul George, this 76ers team is looking like a stud. Actually… Update:

Raptors:

• The real question is whether Scottie Barnes can continue improving. Right now, the Raptors are in complete rebuilding mode, so they need to worry about this.

Bulls:

• The Bulls aren’t a playoff team right now, but there is a chance they could sneak in. Lonzo Ball is back and they’ve shifted to a younger core with players like Chris Duarte, Josh Giddey, and Jalen Smith, and the drafting of Matas Buzelis. Expect a leap very soon.

Cavaliers:

• With the loss of J.B. Bickerstaff, Kenny Atkinson is now the new head coach. The Cavs spent a lot of money in the offseason, resigning Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.

Pistons:

• Back to Bickerstaff, he’s the current head coach of the Pistons. He’s instilling a new type of energy in Detroit, with stuff like hoods on heads during warmups, coming to an end. Cade Cunningham could move on from Detroit if he doesn’t see any improvement, so Detroit needs to make sure they’re doing something.

Pacers:

• With a Tyrese Haliburton who has learned from some of the legends of the game (during Olympic time), the Pacers could expand on this NBA Season. They need more than the playoffs. They need the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Bucks:

• Do you want to hear about another team that needs the Larry O’Brien trophy? The Bucks. With a team that consists of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks can’t barely be getting the #3 seed. Worst of all, they can’t just lose in the first round. They need to make a run. Things need to be fixed fast for this team.

Hawks:

• They made a questionable decision with the first pick in the NBA Draft in 2024, but they also traded away Dejounte Murray. Their season might be okay, but not many are betting on the Hawks to win the NBA Finals.

Hornets:

• The Hornets now have the largest playoff drought in the NBA and have not won more than 30 games in the last 2 years. Charlotte has improved though. I would expect a playoff run in a couple more years.

Heat

• Bam Adebayo is an incredibly fun player to watch. In each of the last 5 seasons, Bam has been named to the all-defensive team. Jimmy Butler is still one of the team’s core members, even if he’s 35 now. The Heat are playoff contenders. They need to fight and get a championship to Miami.

Magic:

• The Magic have a very intense schedule to start the season off. Their first 7 out of 10 matchups are against playoff teams from last year. If the Magic want to make a huge run in the playoffs, they need to improve offensively. This is one of the youngest cores in the league, so mistakes will be found.

Wizards:

• They drafted Alex Sarr in the 2024 NBA Draft, which could be a revolutionary pick. They will also be playing an international game this year.

Nuggets:

• The Nuggets are always in the headlines. In the Top 100 player list released by ESPN, there were 4 Nuggets players on it. This Nuggets team is on pace to win another title.

Timberwolves:

• Lose KAT? So what! They now have Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and the traits these two players possess will improve the T-Wolves for sure. The T-Wolves will also be featured in 25 national TV games.

Thunder:

• Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, and Isaiah Hartenstein? Yes, please. This team is going to improve from their amazing 57-win season, last year. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to wait another year to see their first-round pick, Nikola Topic, play, as he tore his ACL.

Blazers:

• The Blazers are another team in the midst of a rebuild. The Blazers are about to come out of it though. With players like Scoot Henderson and Shannon Sharpe, and the pick of Donovan Clingan, the Blazers could make a run, maybe even next year with a few good moves.

Jazz:

• This team is not that bad. Lauri Markannen, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler are talented young players. As long as they play well, and none of them get injured, I do see them making at-least, the play-in.

Warriors:

• During the offseason, the Warriors lost Klay Thompson to the Mavericks. It’s probably a good decision (he had a -18 +/- the other day, with 0 points). The Warriors can make the play-in, as long as their starters stay healthy. I don’t think the Warriors can go farther than that, but if the Hawks can advance through the playoffs, the Warriors can too. The defense is looking pretty good for GSW.

Clippers:

• The Clippers are getting the Intuit Dome this season, giving up Staples Center to the Lakers. Do you want to know what else they lost? Paul George. They retained James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, added Derrick Jones Jr., Mo Bamba, and Kevin Porter Jr., and reunited with Nicolas Batum. This looks to be a pretty good season for the Clippers.

Lakers:

• The first father-son duo is intact. LeBron James is now playing with Bronny James. The Lakers are doing everything to keep LeBron from going elsewhere. The Lakers also picked Dalton Knecht with their 1st round pick, and this could be fruitful for them. I have a feeling, though, that the Lakers are still going to be a play-in team. Nonetheless, this will be a fun season for Los Angeles fans to watch.

Suns:

• As long as Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker stay healthy, there shouldn’t be a problem for the Suns making the playoffs. Do you want to know when the problems start? In the playoffs. In 2023, they got swept by the Timberwolves. In 2022, they made it past the Clippers in the first round but then got rocked by the Nuggets 4-2. A new head coach in Budenholzer could be the first step to instigating a change, and maybe the addition of Tyus Jones has a huge impact.

Kings:

• The Kings added Demar Derozan in the offseason but lost Harrison Barnes. The Kings also signed Malik Monk to a huge extension this offseason. If they want to retain De’Aaron Fox, they gotta save up money, because this guy is not Jalen Brunson.

Mavericks:

• When the Mavs signed Klay Thompson in the offseason, while he wasn’t supposed to play a big role, he was expected to contribute a little bit. That didn’t happen. Instead, Klay Thompson signed and has done nothing for the Mavericks in the preseason. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are pretty sad right now.

Rockets:

• The Rockets have one of the youngest rosters in the league, with 7 players under 24 years old. The Rockets coach, Ime Udoka, has proven to be one of the best young coaches in the NBA. They also picked Reed Sheppard with the 3rd pick in the NBA draft this year. The tiny problem for the Rockets is that they need to pay their young stars soon. I expect the Rockets to make the playoffs this year as the 6,7, or 8th seed. This team is too good to be missing the playoffs, regardless of how young they are.

Grizzlies:

• The Grizzlies picked Zach Edey with the 9th pick of the NBA draft and Jaylen Wells with the 39th pick. The Grizzlies also have a few veterans, such as Marcus Smart. Memphis picked up Scotty Pippen Jr. as well. This team is taking it’s time rebuilding, and even with good players like Ja Morant, I don’t expect them to make a run soon.

Pelicans:

• C.J. McCollum, Zion Williamson, and Dejounte Murray, in all honesty, this Pelicans team is stacked. This team is in direct competition with the Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder. If they don’t make the NBA Championship, then I’m dead sure the Pelicans are going to be the ones doing it.

Spurs:

• Victor Wembanyama is entering his 2nd season as a starter and is coming off a season where he won Rookie of the Year. This is a team that added a bit more on the leadership side this offseason, getting Harrison Barnes, Chris Paul, and Stephon Castle. As long as Wemby does good this season, it should be a plus for all Spurs fans. The Spurs don’t have to show that they’re a playoff team this year. Next year, it should be playoff or bust. Next to next year, it should be championship or bust.