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Sports NBA Thread: 2024-2025 Season
- Thread starter awyp
- Start date
I have to be honest: The Lions won NFL playoff games, the Tigers are about to make the MLB playoffs barring a total catastrophe, and the Red Wings only narrowly missed the Stanley Cup playoffs last year. I'm not paying attention to my piece-of-shit basketball team unless one of two things happens:
- That shooting coach we hired works some serious magic and turns a ton of players around.
- Tom Gores sells the team
it took me about 10 seconds to remember your team not going to lie. grats on the tigers though!! hopefully!!
I'm sorry for making you remember that the Pistons exist.
Go Knicks (even though James Dolan still doesn't deserve it to feel justified even if we fans want it - thankfully I'm an Islanders fan too so I didn't double up on the Dolan) tbf ive really enjoyed whats been going on with the Knicks.
Only question, can Thibs be understanding with KAT? We all know Thibs known for pushing his players minutes up, can you pick KATs spots? KAT aint doing 48mins regulary lol.
Only question, can Thibs be understanding with KAT? We all know Thibs known for pushing his players minutes up, can you pick KATs spots? KAT aint doing 48mins regulary lol.
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It also helps he coached him before
Look out for the Charlotte Hornets this year. Tidjane looking like the missing piece. 4 threes as a rookie, a steal, and 13 plus minus?! Melo + Bridges + Miller is an unguardable scoring trio. A deep bench including Richards, Micic (who balled out with the Hornets in limited minutes last year), NSJ, Cody Martin (who is a good defensive piece but needs to clean up his game offensively), not to mention josh green who will start most likely. I almost forgot about Tre Mann and Batman. A championship winning coach who's respected by the players. A front office who actually know that draft picks are valuable (and doesn't have to deal with awful contracts). Once Marky Mark comes back we're cooking. C'MON MAN. Bet all the overs. Now.
Time for the yearly keeper league check-in. Keeper league is up and draft is set for next Saturday 7:30pm AST (UTC−04:00). Keeper players must be set before Friday (tomorrow!). If someone needs to set their keepers afterwards, just message me and I will set them (before the draft of course).
I know it might be a bit short notice. If there are any issues regarding availability, we can consider moving the date (even if we miss the first week of the season).
Tagging players from the past year to confirm: Scofield, Stallion, Del Rio, Ghost_Chill, cb aaron judge, Celticpride, trikx_insane, DiscoDucky, mimi, awyp, Paulluxx
If anyone else is interested in joining, after receiving confirmation for those that participated last year then we will see if a spot opens up.
As always, reminder of the rules:
For rules 4, 5 and 6, please refer to the previous years' draft to make sure if the player can be kept this year. If the player has a 'K' by their name, that means that players was a keeper that year. So for rule 5, you can't keep a player this year that has a 'K' by its name in both previous drafts. Here are the 2022 draft results and here are the 2023 draft results.
I know it might be a bit short notice. If there are any issues regarding availability, we can consider moving the date (even if we miss the first week of the season).
Tagging players from the past year to confirm: Scofield, Stallion, Del Rio, Ghost_Chill, cb aaron judge, Celticpride, trikx_insane, DiscoDucky, mimi, awyp, Paulluxx
If anyone else is interested in joining, after receiving confirmation for those that participated last year then we will see if a spot opens up.
As always, reminder of the rules:
- Up to three players can be kept
- Keeping a player means giving up a draft round equal to the round the players was drafted last year (in our league) + 1. Lets call this the Keeper Value.
Example: John Wall was drafted 6th last year. Team X can keep him by giving up the 5th round pick this year. (Keeper Value = 5) - If keeping two or more players and they make it so that the same draft round is forfeited, then the additional player can be kept by giving up an additional higher round (so +2 for two, +3 for three...)
Example: John Wall and Kyle Lowry were drafted in round 6 last year. Team X owns them both. They can be both kept by giving up the 5th round pick and 4th round pick this year. - However, if two or more players make it so that the first round is forfeited, only one of them can be kept.
Example: Team X has both Lebron James and Kevin Durant, which were drafted in the first round last year. Only one of them can be kept this year. - A player can be kept by the same team for up to 2 years (lets call this the Keeper Contract).
- If the player was a first round pick the year before, that player can only be kept 1 year (giving up the first round pick for the year being kept).
Example: Team X drafted Lebron James last year in the 1st round. He can be kept again by giving up the first round pick, but cannot be kept next year by Team X.
- If the player was a first round pick the year before, that player can only be kept 1 year (giving up the first round pick for the year being kept).
- Any player kept that was not drafted the year before counts as giving up the very last pick.
- The Keeper Contract (i.e. the amount of time a team can keep a player) will transfer when a trade is made and will remain even if a player is dropped.
Example: Team X has kept J.J. Barea for 1 year. Team X trades him to Team Y. Team Y can only keep him one more year.
Example: Team X has dropped Danilo Gallinari, who has been kept already 1 year using the 7th round pick. Team Y can pick him up and keep him one more year at the cost of the 6th round pick of the next draft.
For rules 4, 5 and 6, please refer to the previous years' draft to make sure if the player can be kept this year. If the player has a 'K' by their name, that means that players was a keeper that year. So for rule 5, you can't keep a player this year that has a 'K' by its name in both previous drafts. Here are the 2022 draft results and here are the 2023 draft results.
I am back
I'm in.
My keepers are: I'll keep Grayson Allen PHX and D'Angelo Russell LAL
My keepers are: I'll keep Grayson Allen PHX and D'Angelo Russell LAL
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I will be delaying the draft since there are still 5 people that have not confirmed and do not have any keepers set in the league (maybe they chose to not keep anyone, but rather not risk it without any confirmation). For now it will be set for next Saturday around the same time. It will mean we miss the first week of the season, but in part I think it should be ok since the first week is a short week and somewhat volatile. By then I should have everyone either confirmed or removed/replaced.
So, new draft date: Saturday, October 26th - 7:30pm AST
I apologize for the delay in getting this rolling earlier this year. I still expect this to be a great season. According to the league history, this is the league's 20th season!
Tagging everyone relevant for this message: Scofield, @Stallion, Del Rio, Ghost_Chill, cb aaron judge, Celticpride, trikx_insane, DiscoDucky, mimi, awyp, Paulluxx
So, new draft date: Saturday, October 26th - 7:30pm AST
I apologize for the delay in getting this rolling earlier this year. I still expect this to be a great season. According to the league history, this is the league's 20th season!
Tagging everyone relevant for this message: Scofield, @Stallion, Del Rio, Ghost_Chill, cb aaron judge, Celticpride, trikx_insane, DiscoDucky, mimi, awyp, Paulluxx
As a Warriors fan...
Before I begin, I’d like to take a few seconds to pay a tribute to the basketball player who permanently glued my eyes to the television in Derrick Rose. His first playoff series in 2009 was the first I ever completely watched through, and I analyzed basketball ever since. Rose’s retirement reminded me how long I’ve really been doing this, so I want to thank those wherever they may be who have read my analysis for over the last 15 years ranging from Tumblr, Smogon, Discord, and my social media. What originally started as simple note taking and debate, ended up being my personal ritual.
The theme of the Finals and the offseason felt like it’s been the year of versatile forwards. Boston wins 64 regular season games, a title, and shot a league record number of threes. Their star forwards Tatum & Brown switch and defend the entire court using speed and length. Dallas surrounds the best offensive duo Doncic & Irving (I hear you Denver fans, but this is what happened) with specialized forwards and an agile center. Post-Warriors dynasty, the league pushed toward high variance three-point shooting every year. Forwards and stretch centers have become star acquisitions. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Julius Randle, Paul George; the list goes on and on. Let’s not forget the young talented forwards we’ve seen this preseason and last season. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Amen Thompson, and Victor Wembanyama who has unlimited stretch center potential. Increased pace and threes bring more possessions than ever. Preseason isn’t always the best indicator, but three-point shooting is pushed to the limit every year. These conditions create a high variance environment where the most successful teams guard the three and/or make many threes.
The theme of the Finals and the offseason felt like it’s been the year of versatile forwards. Boston wins 64 regular season games, a title, and shot a league record number of threes. Their star forwards Tatum & Brown switch and defend the entire court using speed and length. Dallas surrounds the best offensive duo Doncic & Irving (I hear you Denver fans, but this is what happened) with specialized forwards and an agile center. Post-Warriors dynasty, the league pushed toward high variance three-point shooting every year. Forwards and stretch centers have become star acquisitions. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Julius Randle, Paul George; the list goes on and on. Let’s not forget the young talented forwards we’ve seen this preseason and last season. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Amen Thompson, and Victor Wembanyama who has unlimited stretch center potential. Increased pace and threes bring more possessions than ever. Preseason isn’t always the best indicator, but three-point shooting is pushed to the limit every year. These conditions create a high variance environment where the most successful teams guard the three and/or make many threes.
“I really don’t give a fuck.” – JJ Redick
“You good there? I hear people try to get out of there.” – Kawhi Leonard to recruiting Paul George in 2019.
“He’s so high in the air. When he talks trash, he sounds like he’s whispering.” – GG Jackson on Wemby’s trash talking
Oklahoma City Thunder
This team is the clear #1 seed favorite. They are the only #1 seed in a long while with multiple reasons for substantial improvement. It’s a bit of a drag that Hartenstein won’t have the opportunity to build chemistry early on due to his hand fracture. Once fully implemented, he will boost their defense. Hartenstein allows Holmgren to stay closer to the basket. That makes better use of his strengths as opposed to following his man screening on the perimeter.
Speaking of perimeter defense, Caruso is the best role player you could have for a young team. A veteran who can shoot, passes as soon as he touches it, has a strong body, and defensive chops. He replaces Giddey who couldn’t get starting minutes for the playoffs last year.
Oklahoma City managed to address their biggest weaknesses in shooting, rebounding, and youth with one offseason. SGA is still a strong MVP candidate, Jalen Williams has good potential for growth, and Sam Presti has a load of draft picks not including another potential pick if the LA Clippers miss the playoffs which is likely. They are ready to trade for a quick boost if need be.
They have a plus defender at nearly every position. They are currently the readiest dynasty.
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Minnesota Timberwolves
Denver has now had two disappointing offseasons in a row, but they’ve managed to bounce back in the regular season in the end. In 2023, they lost Bruce Brown. Last offseason, they lost KCP. Their overall depth has shrunk the last couple of years, and I get a sense that there’s a rift between the front office and coaching staff. Malone is a veteran coach who likes his trustworthy guys, and I can imagine the frustration of seeing them let go.
Preseason didn’t seem to lift too many spirits up. Murray is still struggling with injuries dating back to the last playoffs and Olympics. He is the most important guy to watch in order to see where this team is headed because without a healthy Murray, their shot at a playoff spot tanks. Normally, teams use their depth in matters like this, but it’s been depleting since 2023. Saric is a great versatile backup for Jokic. Braun may be able to live up to KCP's starter role. Westbrook can certainly work if he accepts a Reggie Jackson role. They managed to get by with a bad bench last year.
What do they do if Murray doesn’t play enough games? Porter Jr. has the talent to carry an offensive load for stretches, so maybe there is a world they get by. Murray’s mysterious health concerns and the division between coach and office could see this go downhill in the worst possible scenario. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Dallas fans aren’t going to like me this year, and it brings me back to the Nowitzki lol mavs days. Despite the steadying improvement of Luka and his teams over the years, the regular season has always been underwhelming. Their offseasons are usually huge sweeping changes. Thankfully, they hit a good draft pick in Lively who is certainly a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Luka has been missing a lob threat for some time now. Not only that, but Lively has passing and dribbling skills to be a future solid starting center.
Thompson is the star piece added. I’m struggling to get a read on how this swings Dallas. On one hand, maybe focusing on shooting resurrects his career in a major way. On the other hand, he’s a movement shooter who played under Kerr’s motion style offense his entire career. He’s only now playing in a different system after so many years, and heliocentric style of play is known to be a hard adjustment for shooters.
He’s also 35 and has a defensive rating of 118.2 which was the worst in his career. To put that in perspective, that is virtually tied with Trae Young. Remember, he had defensive value and scoring value in his prime. He’s currently guaranteed to be targeted on defense, so where is his net value if he’s giving up more points to the other team today than ever before? I don’t anticipate Thompson to get more than 30 minutes a night for this team. The number of athletic wingmen today is staggering.
This is primarily why he fell out of the rotation at Golden State. The younger players surpassed him in both offense and defense, and he’s more reserved as a role player now. This doesn’t mean he won’t benefit Dallas at all. I’m on a need-to-see-it basis.
Luka/Kyrie/Thompson are also not plus defenders, so for this line-up to work the best, Thompson likely will split time with Kyrie and Luka separately. That’s where Grimes/Marshall come in. Kidd always seems to have a roster where he must balance shooters who can’t defend and defenders who don’t space. Thompson/Marshall/Grimes/Dinwiddie/Exum are sort of that group. It’s not as impressive as other teams as far as versatility and depth goes, so that may explain why Dallas has these stretches of insanely good and insanely bad every year.
Dallas will always have potential for a top seed if they have Luka. I’m going to need to see some offensive game plan changes to believe it even after a Finals run.
Phoenix should have a better year assuming they stay healthy, and that’s a big if. Budenholzer and Tyus Jones are perfect stabilizing forces for regular season improvement. Phoenix was above average offensively and defensively last season. Also, part of that 9th ranked offense is their 25th rank in turnovers committed. For context, the only teams behind them in turnovers were young bad teams like Detroit and Portland.
Tyus Jones has the best assist/turnover ratio around, so that should add extra offensive possessions. They’re also shooting immensely more threes in preseason. I expect their offense to be one of the best as it should have been last season. Turns out they needed a point guard after all.
They didn’t upgrade much on the frontline. I would have preferred Nurkic be replaced as he’s injury prone and slow footed. Plumlee is serviceable and provides somewhat of the same skillset. I still don’t expect this team to be defensive beasts, but if their offense improves well enough, it shouldn’t matter.
Ryan Dunn also had an impressive preseason showing. The athletic defender who can knock down a shot would be invaluable for a team lacking size and athleticism. He’s their swing factor.
Budenholzer has made magic with Atlanta and Milwaukee during the regular season. One could say it’s an east thing, but he’s certainly good at establishing a system that can work for the regular season. They still lack athleticism and edge, but that’s only going to be a concern for the playoffs. My only regular season concern is health of the big three.
Minnesota traded away KAT for Julius Randle and so far, Randle seems okay-ish? KAT was an excellent floor spacer and attacked switches. He was a release valve for Edwards offensively, so how will Randle hold up?
How much of Randle’s efficiency in New York was a matter of environment? Chris Finch coached Randle in 2019, so the personality connection shouldn’t be too much of an issue. If anybody can get through to Randle in a contract year, it’s him. Randle carries the skillset of a Lamar Odom type and provides much of the same things KAT did other than length. Theoretically, Minnesota should be okay. DiVincenzo was a true sweetener to the deal. Minnesota lacked spacing, and he’s another plus defender to boot.
One thing that could hold this team back from rising in the standings is the overall playmaking. Their offense was ranked 19th, so defense is the hallmark of last year. We may not expect too much of a drop off defensively, but can Edwards and Randle decision-make together well enough to make this team offensively viable?
The good news is that Edwards has steadily improved his jumper since the playoffs this year which suggests improvement in that area. 36% last regular season, 43% last spring, and judging from the games I watched over the Olympics and preseason, he’s still hot in the mid-range. I think the organization is counting on Edwards making the next step offensively to be the main offensive cog who can net an average of 5+ assists a night. He’s trended up every year he’s been in the league, so I believe Minnesota should be fine.
Memphis Grizzlies
Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Clippers
Morant returning should put Memphis in playoff contention, but we haven’t seen a full season of Morant with last season’s main addition Marcus Smart. Smart didn’t play most of the season as well, so the ceiling for this team during the regular season is a bit of an unknown. I do know that healthy Memphis teams the last few years have had incredible regular seasons.
Last year was horrible, but the great thing about bad teams with injured stars is seeing what you’re made of. They emptied the bench and experimented with so many line-ups that everyone is that much more of a known quantity. Bane and Jackson Jr. showed growth as #1 options, Brandon Clarke returns as a reserve, and Vince Williams Jr. made great strides.
Truly, the player who puts it all together to me is rookie Zach Edey, who I think is a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Memphis has missed a strong rim presence since Adams, and he was injured a couple of long stretches of time. Zach Edey immediately comes in as a lob threat and strong rebounder. How Edey’s style adapts to today’s NBA could swing their season. Edey stabilizes the size and strength of the frontline returning Jackson Jr. to his natural power forward role. Edey may pose a challenge to some modern-day NBA teams, and equally be challenged in space.
The concern for Memphis is half-court offense. Most notably, shooting. Marcus Smart is not a prolific shooter, but he can take pressure defensively off Morant. Bane and Kennard are the only reliable floor spacers for this team. Perhaps with the addition of Edey and Smart returning, they may compensate with extra possessions through rebounds and turnovers. It’s imperative Morant/Smart/Bane find a way to score and defend together, because the spacing is not looking good once Edey is in the mix.
Los Angeles Lakers have plenty reasons to be better than last season. Last season was plagued with injuries, drama, and lack of consistent line-ups. One can say Redick removes all the bad vibes from before.
He’s certainly made an impact on the offense. Everyone moves side-to-side with more intention. Davis is the central passing hub and is shooting from distance more. I’ve listened to Redick’s podcast for years and heard his criticism of Los Angeles countless times. He’s molding this team in his image, and I think it can pan out if this team has capable shooters. The last half of last regular season had them at #3 in offense along with hot three-point shooting. So, I don’t think it’ll be too much of an issue.
If they can get Vanderbilt healthy and guarding along Davis, their defense is rock solid. If they can get comfortable shooting at the pace and speed they do in the preseason, their offense is rock solid.
Reaves has room for growth defensively, Russell is who he is, and Hachimura can’t do much else besides shoot. If Los Angeles had depth behind them, they’d be a contender. Just stay healthy, Los Angeles.
Golden State is yet another team with reasons to do better. This team has loads of talent, but the problem as usual is Kerr’s rotations.
He has given most of the roster decent minutes in the preseason. The only guaranteed starters are Curry, Green, and probably Looney if not Jackson-Davis. The conundrum are the 2 and 3 spots. Should that be Payton II/Wiggins/Melton/Moody/Podziemski/Wiggins/Kuminga/Hield?
In the words of Jadakiss, options a beautiful thing. It can also be a detriment. I have no earthly clue how Kerr decides to spin this. The front office could even consolidate and trade for better players.
Curry surrounded by athletic and long defenders is a great start, but I don’t think there’s a combination in here to take them to the promise land. I think if Curry can get Wiggins back to his 2022 Finals form and Moody/Kuminga/Podziemski making skill jumps, this team will be good. Hield will prove to be much more offensively efficient than Thompson; and Thompson wasn’t guarding anyone anyway, so that’s all he’s needed for.
Keep Green on the floor and accountable, stick to a rotation, and defend.
What’s going on at Sacramento? You have the best offense in the league 2022-2023 with a net rating 2.6. Then, one year later get worse offensively but better defensively with a net rating of 1.7. It’s safe to say this team isn’t going to be a hot defensive team; especially if you swap Barnes for DeRozan. They have decent perimeter guards and even Fox may find some mileage on that end if DeRozan takes some offensive load off.
This team only became a top seed when it was offensively magical. There were many teams ahead of them last year offensively that weren’t a year prior. It suggests to me they’re still falling behind other teams as they improve. They didn’t do much to improve this year offensively too. DeRozan is not a player who paces and spaces.
Barring Fox making another jump, I still see this team fighting for their lives.
New Orleans lost their frontline depth for Dejounte Murray. The only big behind Zion now is Theis, and they’ve been playing Herb Jones at the center in preseason. Welcome to the new small New Orleans Pelicans!
Jones was in much of their best 3-man line-ups last season. They seem to be going in the direction of playing small with Zion which makes their offense catastrophic for opposing defenses. Zion being in the best shape of his life preparing to play point center in a fast league… Fantasy players ought to be drooling. What happens to their defense in the process? Their team stats from last year indicate that they were ranked 8th on that side, but below average in both rebounding and blocks. The strength of their defense last season involved utilizing length and athleticism to guard the three-point line and paint. I don’t think their defense will go in the opposite direction on the perimeter, but the paint defense and rebounding must be considered with the loss of Larry Nance Jr. and Valanciunas.
If that wasn’t enough, Ingram can’t be traded but is at least a part of their defense. Do they get a center with him? Can you get a center? Do you lose him for nothing?
And that’s exactly why this team is always high variance and can land anywhere in the conference. Inconsistent health, little continuity, and trade drama. I’m mixed about their young guys maintaining a top ten defense, but with an improved offense that may not be necessary. I don’t know what change in their team stats comes from playing small with Zion more minutes, but if the 3-man line-up data from last season is any indication, this might be what the organization preferred all along. They’re pretty much in the same boat as Sacramento. The question is, can Zion play a full, fast-paced season healthy?
LA Clippers start the season off with Kawhi out indefinitely. I can’t count how many times we’ve seen that headline, but it’s officially been four years since Kawhi played through a healthy post season.
Lose Paul George and that’s all she wrote. He was the single most stabilizing force for this team in the last four years. No offense to Harden, but this isn’t 2018 Houston. They may try to see what they can do with Harden, Zubac, and some wings. I’ve been done caring for years though.
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
Houston still has a shot. Their defense was great last season and Udoka created a culture of continuity. They have a ton of young talent surrounded by savvy vets. I just wonder how the ideal rotation looks for them. VanVleet/Brooks aren’t going to sacrifice time on those contracts. Don’t sleep on this team, though.
San Antonio has a shot as well. I think it’s entirely dependent on Wembanyama’s next step. Paul is injury prone, and I think the young guys around Wemby still need some time. This is another culture setting year.
“You good there? I hear people try to get out of there.” – Kawhi Leonard to recruiting Paul George in 2019.
“He’s so high in the air. When he talks trash, he sounds like he’s whispering.” – GG Jackson on Wemby’s trash talking
Oklahoma City Thunder
This team is the clear #1 seed favorite. They are the only #1 seed in a long while with multiple reasons for substantial improvement. It’s a bit of a drag that Hartenstein won’t have the opportunity to build chemistry early on due to his hand fracture. Once fully implemented, he will boost their defense. Hartenstein allows Holmgren to stay closer to the basket. That makes better use of his strengths as opposed to following his man screening on the perimeter.
Speaking of perimeter defense, Caruso is the best role player you could have for a young team. A veteran who can shoot, passes as soon as he touches it, has a strong body, and defensive chops. He replaces Giddey who couldn’t get starting minutes for the playoffs last year.
Oklahoma City managed to address their biggest weaknesses in shooting, rebounding, and youth with one offseason. SGA is still a strong MVP candidate, Jalen Williams has good potential for growth, and Sam Presti has a load of draft picks not including another potential pick if the LA Clippers miss the playoffs which is likely. They are ready to trade for a quick boost if need be.
They have a plus defender at nearly every position. They are currently the readiest dynasty.
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Minnesota Timberwolves
Denver has now had two disappointing offseasons in a row, but they’ve managed to bounce back in the regular season in the end. In 2023, they lost Bruce Brown. Last offseason, they lost KCP. Their overall depth has shrunk the last couple of years, and I get a sense that there’s a rift between the front office and coaching staff. Malone is a veteran coach who likes his trustworthy guys, and I can imagine the frustration of seeing them let go.
Preseason didn’t seem to lift too many spirits up. Murray is still struggling with injuries dating back to the last playoffs and Olympics. He is the most important guy to watch in order to see where this team is headed because without a healthy Murray, their shot at a playoff spot tanks. Normally, teams use their depth in matters like this, but it’s been depleting since 2023. Saric is a great versatile backup for Jokic. Braun may be able to live up to KCP's starter role. Westbrook can certainly work if he accepts a Reggie Jackson role. They managed to get by with a bad bench last year.
What do they do if Murray doesn’t play enough games? Porter Jr. has the talent to carry an offensive load for stretches, so maybe there is a world they get by. Murray’s mysterious health concerns and the division between coach and office could see this go downhill in the worst possible scenario. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Dallas fans aren’t going to like me this year, and it brings me back to the Nowitzki lol mavs days. Despite the steadying improvement of Luka and his teams over the years, the regular season has always been underwhelming. Their offseasons are usually huge sweeping changes. Thankfully, they hit a good draft pick in Lively who is certainly a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Luka has been missing a lob threat for some time now. Not only that, but Lively has passing and dribbling skills to be a future solid starting center.
Thompson is the star piece added. I’m struggling to get a read on how this swings Dallas. On one hand, maybe focusing on shooting resurrects his career in a major way. On the other hand, he’s a movement shooter who played under Kerr’s motion style offense his entire career. He’s only now playing in a different system after so many years, and heliocentric style of play is known to be a hard adjustment for shooters.
He’s also 35 and has a defensive rating of 118.2 which was the worst in his career. To put that in perspective, that is virtually tied with Trae Young. Remember, he had defensive value and scoring value in his prime. He’s currently guaranteed to be targeted on defense, so where is his net value if he’s giving up more points to the other team today than ever before? I don’t anticipate Thompson to get more than 30 minutes a night for this team. The number of athletic wingmen today is staggering.
This is primarily why he fell out of the rotation at Golden State. The younger players surpassed him in both offense and defense, and he’s more reserved as a role player now. This doesn’t mean he won’t benefit Dallas at all. I’m on a need-to-see-it basis.
Luka/Kyrie/Thompson are also not plus defenders, so for this line-up to work the best, Thompson likely will split time with Kyrie and Luka separately. That’s where Grimes/Marshall come in. Kidd always seems to have a roster where he must balance shooters who can’t defend and defenders who don’t space. Thompson/Marshall/Grimes/Dinwiddie/Exum are sort of that group. It’s not as impressive as other teams as far as versatility and depth goes, so that may explain why Dallas has these stretches of insanely good and insanely bad every year.
Dallas will always have potential for a top seed if they have Luka. I’m going to need to see some offensive game plan changes to believe it even after a Finals run.
Phoenix should have a better year assuming they stay healthy, and that’s a big if. Budenholzer and Tyus Jones are perfect stabilizing forces for regular season improvement. Phoenix was above average offensively and defensively last season. Also, part of that 9th ranked offense is their 25th rank in turnovers committed. For context, the only teams behind them in turnovers were young bad teams like Detroit and Portland.
Tyus Jones has the best assist/turnover ratio around, so that should add extra offensive possessions. They’re also shooting immensely more threes in preseason. I expect their offense to be one of the best as it should have been last season. Turns out they needed a point guard after all.
They didn’t upgrade much on the frontline. I would have preferred Nurkic be replaced as he’s injury prone and slow footed. Plumlee is serviceable and provides somewhat of the same skillset. I still don’t expect this team to be defensive beasts, but if their offense improves well enough, it shouldn’t matter.
Ryan Dunn also had an impressive preseason showing. The athletic defender who can knock down a shot would be invaluable for a team lacking size and athleticism. He’s their swing factor.
Budenholzer has made magic with Atlanta and Milwaukee during the regular season. One could say it’s an east thing, but he’s certainly good at establishing a system that can work for the regular season. They still lack athleticism and edge, but that’s only going to be a concern for the playoffs. My only regular season concern is health of the big three.
Minnesota traded away KAT for Julius Randle and so far, Randle seems okay-ish? KAT was an excellent floor spacer and attacked switches. He was a release valve for Edwards offensively, so how will Randle hold up?
How much of Randle’s efficiency in New York was a matter of environment? Chris Finch coached Randle in 2019, so the personality connection shouldn’t be too much of an issue. If anybody can get through to Randle in a contract year, it’s him. Randle carries the skillset of a Lamar Odom type and provides much of the same things KAT did other than length. Theoretically, Minnesota should be okay. DiVincenzo was a true sweetener to the deal. Minnesota lacked spacing, and he’s another plus defender to boot.
One thing that could hold this team back from rising in the standings is the overall playmaking. Their offense was ranked 19th, so defense is the hallmark of last year. We may not expect too much of a drop off defensively, but can Edwards and Randle decision-make together well enough to make this team offensively viable?
The good news is that Edwards has steadily improved his jumper since the playoffs this year which suggests improvement in that area. 36% last regular season, 43% last spring, and judging from the games I watched over the Olympics and preseason, he’s still hot in the mid-range. I think the organization is counting on Edwards making the next step offensively to be the main offensive cog who can net an average of 5+ assists a night. He’s trended up every year he’s been in the league, so I believe Minnesota should be fine.
Memphis Grizzlies
Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Clippers
Morant returning should put Memphis in playoff contention, but we haven’t seen a full season of Morant with last season’s main addition Marcus Smart. Smart didn’t play most of the season as well, so the ceiling for this team during the regular season is a bit of an unknown. I do know that healthy Memphis teams the last few years have had incredible regular seasons.
Last year was horrible, but the great thing about bad teams with injured stars is seeing what you’re made of. They emptied the bench and experimented with so many line-ups that everyone is that much more of a known quantity. Bane and Jackson Jr. showed growth as #1 options, Brandon Clarke returns as a reserve, and Vince Williams Jr. made great strides.
Truly, the player who puts it all together to me is rookie Zach Edey, who I think is a favorite for Rookie of the Year. Memphis has missed a strong rim presence since Adams, and he was injured a couple of long stretches of time. Zach Edey immediately comes in as a lob threat and strong rebounder. How Edey’s style adapts to today’s NBA could swing their season. Edey stabilizes the size and strength of the frontline returning Jackson Jr. to his natural power forward role. Edey may pose a challenge to some modern-day NBA teams, and equally be challenged in space.
The concern for Memphis is half-court offense. Most notably, shooting. Marcus Smart is not a prolific shooter, but he can take pressure defensively off Morant. Bane and Kennard are the only reliable floor spacers for this team. Perhaps with the addition of Edey and Smart returning, they may compensate with extra possessions through rebounds and turnovers. It’s imperative Morant/Smart/Bane find a way to score and defend together, because the spacing is not looking good once Edey is in the mix.
Los Angeles Lakers have plenty reasons to be better than last season. Last season was plagued with injuries, drama, and lack of consistent line-ups. One can say Redick removes all the bad vibes from before.
He’s certainly made an impact on the offense. Everyone moves side-to-side with more intention. Davis is the central passing hub and is shooting from distance more. I’ve listened to Redick’s podcast for years and heard his criticism of Los Angeles countless times. He’s molding this team in his image, and I think it can pan out if this team has capable shooters. The last half of last regular season had them at #3 in offense along with hot three-point shooting. So, I don’t think it’ll be too much of an issue.
If they can get Vanderbilt healthy and guarding along Davis, their defense is rock solid. If they can get comfortable shooting at the pace and speed they do in the preseason, their offense is rock solid.
Reaves has room for growth defensively, Russell is who he is, and Hachimura can’t do much else besides shoot. If Los Angeles had depth behind them, they’d be a contender. Just stay healthy, Los Angeles.
Golden State is yet another team with reasons to do better. This team has loads of talent, but the problem as usual is Kerr’s rotations.
He has given most of the roster decent minutes in the preseason. The only guaranteed starters are Curry, Green, and probably Looney if not Jackson-Davis. The conundrum are the 2 and 3 spots. Should that be Payton II/Wiggins/Melton/Moody/Podziemski/Wiggins/Kuminga/Hield?
In the words of Jadakiss, options a beautiful thing. It can also be a detriment. I have no earthly clue how Kerr decides to spin this. The front office could even consolidate and trade for better players.
Curry surrounded by athletic and long defenders is a great start, but I don’t think there’s a combination in here to take them to the promise land. I think if Curry can get Wiggins back to his 2022 Finals form and Moody/Kuminga/Podziemski making skill jumps, this team will be good. Hield will prove to be much more offensively efficient than Thompson; and Thompson wasn’t guarding anyone anyway, so that’s all he’s needed for.
Keep Green on the floor and accountable, stick to a rotation, and defend.
What’s going on at Sacramento? You have the best offense in the league 2022-2023 with a net rating 2.6. Then, one year later get worse offensively but better defensively with a net rating of 1.7. It’s safe to say this team isn’t going to be a hot defensive team; especially if you swap Barnes for DeRozan. They have decent perimeter guards and even Fox may find some mileage on that end if DeRozan takes some offensive load off.
This team only became a top seed when it was offensively magical. There were many teams ahead of them last year offensively that weren’t a year prior. It suggests to me they’re still falling behind other teams as they improve. They didn’t do much to improve this year offensively too. DeRozan is not a player who paces and spaces.
Barring Fox making another jump, I still see this team fighting for their lives.
New Orleans lost their frontline depth for Dejounte Murray. The only big behind Zion now is Theis, and they’ve been playing Herb Jones at the center in preseason. Welcome to the new small New Orleans Pelicans!
Jones was in much of their best 3-man line-ups last season. They seem to be going in the direction of playing small with Zion which makes their offense catastrophic for opposing defenses. Zion being in the best shape of his life preparing to play point center in a fast league… Fantasy players ought to be drooling. What happens to their defense in the process? Their team stats from last year indicate that they were ranked 8th on that side, but below average in both rebounding and blocks. The strength of their defense last season involved utilizing length and athleticism to guard the three-point line and paint. I don’t think their defense will go in the opposite direction on the perimeter, but the paint defense and rebounding must be considered with the loss of Larry Nance Jr. and Valanciunas.
If that wasn’t enough, Ingram can’t be traded but is at least a part of their defense. Do they get a center with him? Can you get a center? Do you lose him for nothing?
And that’s exactly why this team is always high variance and can land anywhere in the conference. Inconsistent health, little continuity, and trade drama. I’m mixed about their young guys maintaining a top ten defense, but with an improved offense that may not be necessary. I don’t know what change in their team stats comes from playing small with Zion more minutes, but if the 3-man line-up data from last season is any indication, this might be what the organization preferred all along. They’re pretty much in the same boat as Sacramento. The question is, can Zion play a full, fast-paced season healthy?
LA Clippers start the season off with Kawhi out indefinitely. I can’t count how many times we’ve seen that headline, but it’s officially been four years since Kawhi played through a healthy post season.
Lose Paul George and that’s all she wrote. He was the single most stabilizing force for this team in the last four years. No offense to Harden, but this isn’t 2018 Houston. They may try to see what they can do with Harden, Zubac, and some wings. I’ve been done caring for years though.
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
Houston still has a shot. Their defense was great last season and Udoka created a culture of continuity. They have a ton of young talent surrounded by savvy vets. I just wonder how the ideal rotation looks for them. VanVleet/Brooks aren’t going to sacrifice time on those contracts. Don’t sleep on this team, though.
San Antonio has a shot as well. I think it’s entirely dependent on Wembanyama’s next step. Paul is injury prone, and I think the young guys around Wemby still need some time. This is another culture setting year.
“If I go 5-20, we get blown out.” – Joel Embiid
“I’ve never come up short, in my opinion. Come up short? What does that mean? Like, we didn’t win a title?” – Doc Rivers
“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most.” – Joe Mazzulla
Milwaukee Bucks
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Whenever I see a #1 seed dominate a conference so bad after failing to win it almost half a decade, I think they relax for a decent stretch the following season unless they're a true dynasty. Boston will relax, and New York's bench is a wasteland.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee gets to start the season with continuity and keep the same coaching staff from training camp this time. Last season involved ups and downs, but they still earned a top seed. The Lillard/Holiday swap didn’t play too well in Milwaukee’s favor. They climbed in offense but fell even further in defense. The average footspeed couldn’t allow them to adequately guard in transition and close-outs. It also didn’t help Lillard was going through a divorce, so his offensive potential was nothing like it was in Portland.
They add some speed and length with Trent Jr., Wright, and Prince. This may not ultimately solve their footspeed issue, but it doesn’t make it worse. Lillard’s second year after leaving Portland should be better this time around. The chemistry between Giannis and Dame was not always there. Dame must establish his pull-up shooting numbers from Portland to really add serious offense to this team. I don't believe he’s finished in what his potential could be playing next to Giannis. I'll give Dame one more year to dominate a regular season, and this conference should be far easier to do it than in past western conferences even in his prime.
Boston will have to start the first half of the season without Porzingis. He was a key cog to their regular season record last year with his three-point shooting and size. Their frontline depth takes a hit, so Boston will spend more time this season against the size around the league. That’s against the likes of those like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT. This isn’t to suggest Boston still isn’t a contender without Porzingis, but their 2024 playoff run didn’t have them run against true size. Knowing Porzingis’ injury history, he isn’t a guarantee for them at any point in his career.
So, we can expect their team efficiency and defense to drop a tad. They also may have Final’s hangover and take their foot off the gas. This team has nothing more to prove and can exhale after finally crossing the finish line. The threes will keep flying, but there are more switchable forwards out there this year.
New York has a shot at the top seed of the conference if KAT and Bridges seamlessly fit. Thibodeau runs his guys into the ground all the way to the final game if it meant getting this seed for New York.
Brunson now has plenty of offensive help which should save his body much better over the course of the season. Bridges gives them another elite point-of-attack defender alongside OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Their defense will center around this trio of switchable forwards funneling everything to KAT. This is very similar to how Porzingis was used in Boston, and KAT plays more games than him. New York gave themselves a puncher’s chance with the trade. It’s up to KAT getting used to playing as a center with great perimeter defenders. That should be a task he can handle at this point of his career.
The only potential concern is the bench depth. McBride had a great playoff run. Can he play like a sixth man of the year? Warren and Shamet were waived, so that leaves... Payne? They absolutely need to find some bench depth. If the starters sustain more injuries, Thibodeau will do what Thibodeau does and slowly deplete the depth of the team again. Worst case scenario, but only if bad injury luck occurs.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia Sixers
Cleveland made an amazing discovery the last conference semifinal. Mobley plays like a modern-day Duncan at center. Imagine that.
Atkinson wants Mobley to be a central offensive hub. He may stagger Allen/Mobley, and suddenly, Cleveland unlocks what should have been unlocked a long time ago. Their version of a death line-up could be in the making depending on Mobley’s offensive growth this year at center.
I believe that in combination with Atkinson having a history of great offense could stabilize Cleveland as a more well-rounded team. This may not get them higher in the standings, but they can still improve from the previous year.
Philadelphia announced they don’t care about the regular season. Embiid may end up only playing half the games, and Paul George isn’t any better with his history. A healthy Philadelphia is an amazing team, but they’re not pushing against injuries at this stage.
Drummond is the best center to play behind Embiid, so at least they can afford to rest him more this time around. Maxie is a star in his own right, but the offense outside of him appears a little shaky if Embiid or George aren’t out there. So much of their place in the conference depends on the health of the veteran stars.
Indiana Pacers
Orlando Magic
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana will maintain a top league offense. Their defense may take some time to develop itself with Siakam, but there were flashes last season. The faster Carlisle gets buy-in and the team comes together defensively, the better they end up in the standings.
Orlando is the polar opposite rising young team from Indiana. The defensive depth is the best in the league. They play like LA Lakers in the sense that their two forwards are bruisers who can’t quite shoot threes at the pace of the league. The guards can defend but are still growing offensively. KCP adds a little more spacing and defense. They may or may not jump depending on how they come together offensively.
Jimmy Butler is in contract year, but he’s also struggled to stay on the court the last couple years. The 3-man line-up of Butler/Herro/Bam had a net rating of 3.2 last regular season. Miami would need to see Butler exert himself to a great degree to stay relevant. I don’t know what kind of potential contract drama that can arise from this but play-in East during the regular season is the only safe floor for this team. Rozier, Jovic, and Jaquez Jr. are guys who didn’t get a full season’s shake together. Adebayo wants to add distance to his repertoire, so Miami may want to embrace more space on the floor as a concept. This could be the team’s most solid year if everyone’s healthy.
Atlanta has a great youth movement going on and playoff potential. Young is now surrounded by an interesting athletic and lengthy cast. #1 pick Risacher already has a good feel for the game. Jalen Johnson has made consecutive leaps. I say let Trae Young run and gun with the athletes and see what happens. Trade Capela and/or Hunter for more shooting and to round out things. They’re not that far from at least making noise.
Lonzo finally returns to Chicago after over 2 and a half years. They have many solid pieces but need to consolidate a trade at the guard. LaVine especially must be moved. I don’t know what they quite got here, but the East is so bad that you’re guaranteed a play-in just having their talent.
Charlotte saw positive stuff from Brandon Miller last year. They are also quietly pick-up Josh Green, Grant Williams from last season, Taj Gibson, Seth Curry, and LaMelo returns. They may also get Mark Williams sometime this season. If LaMelo plays a good number of games this season, Charlotte should make interesting waves as he’s surrounded by more firepower than in year’s past.
“I’ve never come up short, in my opinion. Come up short? What does that mean? Like, we didn’t win a title?” – Doc Rivers
“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most.” – Joe Mazzulla
Milwaukee Bucks
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Whenever I see a #1 seed dominate a conference so bad after failing to win it almost half a decade, I think they relax for a decent stretch the following season unless they're a true dynasty. Boston will relax, and New York's bench is a wasteland.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee gets to start the season with continuity and keep the same coaching staff from training camp this time. Last season involved ups and downs, but they still earned a top seed. The Lillard/Holiday swap didn’t play too well in Milwaukee’s favor. They climbed in offense but fell even further in defense. The average footspeed couldn’t allow them to adequately guard in transition and close-outs. It also didn’t help Lillard was going through a divorce, so his offensive potential was nothing like it was in Portland.
They add some speed and length with Trent Jr., Wright, and Prince. This may not ultimately solve their footspeed issue, but it doesn’t make it worse. Lillard’s second year after leaving Portland should be better this time around. The chemistry between Giannis and Dame was not always there. Dame must establish his pull-up shooting numbers from Portland to really add serious offense to this team. I don't believe he’s finished in what his potential could be playing next to Giannis. I'll give Dame one more year to dominate a regular season, and this conference should be far easier to do it than in past western conferences even in his prime.
Boston will have to start the first half of the season without Porzingis. He was a key cog to their regular season record last year with his three-point shooting and size. Their frontline depth takes a hit, so Boston will spend more time this season against the size around the league. That’s against the likes of those like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT. This isn’t to suggest Boston still isn’t a contender without Porzingis, but their 2024 playoff run didn’t have them run against true size. Knowing Porzingis’ injury history, he isn’t a guarantee for them at any point in his career.
So, we can expect their team efficiency and defense to drop a tad. They also may have Final’s hangover and take their foot off the gas. This team has nothing more to prove and can exhale after finally crossing the finish line. The threes will keep flying, but there are more switchable forwards out there this year.
New York has a shot at the top seed of the conference if KAT and Bridges seamlessly fit. Thibodeau runs his guys into the ground all the way to the final game if it meant getting this seed for New York.
Brunson now has plenty of offensive help which should save his body much better over the course of the season. Bridges gives them another elite point-of-attack defender alongside OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. Their defense will center around this trio of switchable forwards funneling everything to KAT. This is very similar to how Porzingis was used in Boston, and KAT plays more games than him. New York gave themselves a puncher’s chance with the trade. It’s up to KAT getting used to playing as a center with great perimeter defenders. That should be a task he can handle at this point of his career.
The only potential concern is the bench depth. McBride had a great playoff run. Can he play like a sixth man of the year? Warren and Shamet were waived, so that leaves... Payne? They absolutely need to find some bench depth. If the starters sustain more injuries, Thibodeau will do what Thibodeau does and slowly deplete the depth of the team again. Worst case scenario, but only if bad injury luck occurs.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia Sixers
Cleveland made an amazing discovery the last conference semifinal. Mobley plays like a modern-day Duncan at center. Imagine that.
Atkinson wants Mobley to be a central offensive hub. He may stagger Allen/Mobley, and suddenly, Cleveland unlocks what should have been unlocked a long time ago. Their version of a death line-up could be in the making depending on Mobley’s offensive growth this year at center.
I believe that in combination with Atkinson having a history of great offense could stabilize Cleveland as a more well-rounded team. This may not get them higher in the standings, but they can still improve from the previous year.
Philadelphia announced they don’t care about the regular season. Embiid may end up only playing half the games, and Paul George isn’t any better with his history. A healthy Philadelphia is an amazing team, but they’re not pushing against injuries at this stage.
Drummond is the best center to play behind Embiid, so at least they can afford to rest him more this time around. Maxie is a star in his own right, but the offense outside of him appears a little shaky if Embiid or George aren’t out there. So much of their place in the conference depends on the health of the veteran stars.
Indiana Pacers
Orlando Magic
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana will maintain a top league offense. Their defense may take some time to develop itself with Siakam, but there were flashes last season. The faster Carlisle gets buy-in and the team comes together defensively, the better they end up in the standings.
Orlando is the polar opposite rising young team from Indiana. The defensive depth is the best in the league. They play like LA Lakers in the sense that their two forwards are bruisers who can’t quite shoot threes at the pace of the league. The guards can defend but are still growing offensively. KCP adds a little more spacing and defense. They may or may not jump depending on how they come together offensively.
Jimmy Butler is in contract year, but he’s also struggled to stay on the court the last couple years. The 3-man line-up of Butler/Herro/Bam had a net rating of 3.2 last regular season. Miami would need to see Butler exert himself to a great degree to stay relevant. I don’t know what kind of potential contract drama that can arise from this but play-in East during the regular season is the only safe floor for this team. Rozier, Jovic, and Jaquez Jr. are guys who didn’t get a full season’s shake together. Adebayo wants to add distance to his repertoire, so Miami may want to embrace more space on the floor as a concept. This could be the team’s most solid year if everyone’s healthy.
Atlanta has a great youth movement going on and playoff potential. Young is now surrounded by an interesting athletic and lengthy cast. #1 pick Risacher already has a good feel for the game. Jalen Johnson has made consecutive leaps. I say let Trae Young run and gun with the athletes and see what happens. Trade Capela and/or Hunter for more shooting and to round out things. They’re not that far from at least making noise.
Lonzo finally returns to Chicago after over 2 and a half years. They have many solid pieces but need to consolidate a trade at the guard. LaVine especially must be moved. I don’t know what they quite got here, but the East is so bad that you’re guaranteed a play-in just having their talent.
Charlotte saw positive stuff from Brandon Miller last year. They are also quietly pick-up Josh Green, Grant Williams from last season, Taj Gibson, Seth Curry, and LaMelo returns. They may also get Mark Williams sometime this season. If LaMelo plays a good number of games this season, Charlotte should make interesting waves as he’s surrounded by more firepower than in year’s past.
Rookie of the Year: Zach Edey. Simplified roles and playing time matter a lot. Reed Sheppard is impressive, but Houston has a long guard depth chart. Risacher would be another good pick, too.
Defensive Player of the Year: Wemby’s gonna win this every year now. It’s over. Seriously though, I could see Lively Jr. or Holmgren here as well. Gobert has voter fatigue.
Sixth Man of the Year: Miles McBride is my pick. That’s all New York pretty much has on that bench, and he had a great playoff series as a starter. Bogdanovic is a great pick too if we anticipate increased pace with the youth movement.
Most Improved Player: Wemby is the odds-on favorite, but I struggle to see him win it considering he was not only Rookie of the Year last season, but he had one of the best rookie seasons ever. Mobley under Atkinson is my pick since he is considered a priority by his new coach. Kuminga, Jalen Williams, and Scottie Barnes are solid choices to me.
Coach of the Year: Wide open more than usual. We have plenty coaches with youth movements and makeshift rosters. Willie Green in New Orleans, Ime Udoka at Houston, and I’ll even throw in media darling JJ Redick. I’m going to go with one of my favorite podcasters.
Most Valuable Player: I’ve chosen Luka for many years, and while this feels like this is finally the year for him, I’ve been burned by his regular season campaigns too many times. Jokic feels like he has voter fatigue. His team having less depth makes for a better narrative if he has a superior record again. Gilgeous-Alexander’s team is the favorite to be a top seed and was already top 2 last year. If I had to choose between SGA and Luka, I choose SGA. If it’s close, Luka probably gets the edge in voting since I’m certain there will be some sympathy voters if it is close.
Defensive Player of the Year: Wemby’s gonna win this every year now. It’s over. Seriously though, I could see Lively Jr. or Holmgren here as well. Gobert has voter fatigue.
Sixth Man of the Year: Miles McBride is my pick. That’s all New York pretty much has on that bench, and he had a great playoff series as a starter. Bogdanovic is a great pick too if we anticipate increased pace with the youth movement.
Most Improved Player: Wemby is the odds-on favorite, but I struggle to see him win it considering he was not only Rookie of the Year last season, but he had one of the best rookie seasons ever. Mobley under Atkinson is my pick since he is considered a priority by his new coach. Kuminga, Jalen Williams, and Scottie Barnes are solid choices to me.
Coach of the Year: Wide open more than usual. We have plenty coaches with youth movements and makeshift rosters. Willie Green in New Orleans, Ime Udoka at Houston, and I’ll even throw in media darling JJ Redick. I’m going to go with one of my favorite podcasters.
Most Valuable Player: I’ve chosen Luka for many years, and while this feels like this is finally the year for him, I’ve been burned by his regular season campaigns too many times. Jokic feels like he has voter fatigue. His team having less depth makes for a better narrative if he has a superior record again. Gilgeous-Alexander’s team is the favorite to be a top seed and was already top 2 last year. If I had to choose between SGA and Luka, I choose SGA. If it’s close, Luka probably gets the edge in voting since I’m certain there will be some sympathy voters if it is close.
I don’t want to pick the Celtics to repeat because that feels like bad karma, and we haven’t had a repeat champ in 6 years. Hard to say who I would pick… Should be a fun season! For the hell of it, standings prediction:
East
MVP - Luka Doncic
DPOY - It’s going to be Wemby but that feels boring so… Bam Adebayo
ROTY - Donovan Clingan
Coach of the Year - Kenny Atkinson
MIP - Jalen Johnson
East
- Celtics
- Knicks
- Cavs
- Sixers
- Bucks
- Magic
- Pacers
- Raptors
- Heat
- Hornets
- Hawks
- Bulls
- Pistons
- Wizards
- Nets
- Mavericks
- Thunder
- Wolves
- Grizzlies
- Nuggets
- Kings
- Suns
- Pelicans
- Warriors
- Rockets
- Lakers
- Clippers
- Spurs
- Jazz
- Trail Blazers
MVP - Luka Doncic
DPOY - It’s going to be Wemby but that feels boring so… Bam Adebayo
ROTY - Donovan Clingan
Coach of the Year - Kenny Atkinson
MIP - Jalen Johnson
The Pistons aren't in last place? I'll take it!
The Nets are about to be very, very, very bad, imo.