Will the Thunder repeat? Who wins a depleted Eastern Conference? Is this LeBron’s last ride? Do the retirement homes in Los Angeles and Golden State stave off Father Time? Can the Rockets become a true contender with a dozen wings, three centers, and one guard on their roster? Did the Nuggets really just need a few bench players? Will the Raptors pay the luxury tax and somehow miss the playoffs in the East? Do Cade or Paolo take The Leap(tm)? Will the Lazarus Pit beneath TD Garden heal Jayson Tatum by February?
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Sports NBA Thread 2025-2026
- Thread starter Celticpride
- Start date
Yes, this'll be year two of what we'll look back on as a dynasty
Knicks seem like a good bet actually
He hasn't announced a farewell tour so no
No
I think so but they can't get over the Thunder
Couldn't hurt obviously, having the best player in the world only goes so far
lmao it's possible but I think they're a play-in team (does that count as playoffs?)
Both do
He's somehow already dunking so I think yes
---
Go Sixers, Trust the Process, etc.
The best I have at the moment is the previous year's drafts, which can be used to see who was kept and when:
- 2024: https://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/2024/nba/88084/draftresults
- 2023: https://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/2023/nba/53183/draftresults
Rules summary:
- 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.
With major injuries to Haliburton and Tatum, the East opens to a new conference champion and potential for teams under contender status to rise. There’s been some roster overhaul on this side and finally, the east’s basement ultimately will once again be decided by multiple what ifs.
New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers
The top two of the East to me clearly separate themselves from the rest.
I’m extremely bullish on New York which is rare for me. I’ve always been a fan of smart coaching hires with a roster mostly the same as the previous year. It can demonstrate the impact of a coaching change, and no team needed it more than New York.
There was a ton of offensive creativity Thibodeau left untouched before he was fired. He is primarily known as a defensive coach and not an offensive mastermind. Brunson was far too taxed throughout last season, and there weren’t enough sets with movement, KAT popping out for three, or creating more pace in transition.
Mike Brown is the perfect coach to install a new culture of offensive creativity. From his time at Golden State and Sacramento, one look at New York’s roster and he’s got to be excited. The best shooting big in history, the best clutch player, the best 3 and D wings who can also score with the best, and a bench that is now upgraded with the return of Robinson. Hart, McBride and Clark round out well. If Brogdon hadn’t retired, it would have been one of the most complete benches.
A healthy Robinson goes a long way in compensating for KAT’s defensive deficiencies. He didn’t get to play as many games last season, so New York has an even higher gear on the defensive end we’ve yet to fully see.
Cleveland deserves to be favored once again as #1 in the East. Atkinson coached a history-making offense, and Mobley still may have another gear in him. Garland’s injury history would be my only concern to why they wouldn’t get the top seed and even without him, they’re still an upper-echelon eastern conference playoff team with a chip on their shoulder. The foundation has been set.
Lonzo is a great pick-up to keep the bench afloat after Jerome departed. Hunter is a much better fit on this team than he was in Atlanta. Larry Nance Jr. returns. Low-key B+ offseason for the previous top seed. There really isn’t that much more to say except I don’t expect to see any significant drop.
Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks
Orlando Magic
The second east tier are mostly improving teams.
Milwaukee experimented with point Giannis post all-star break last season, and it was largely a success. Add in a full training camp, get younger at center, dump your point-of-attack defense liability, and this team should be fine. There is a scenario where this all blows up after going .500 for a few months due to all the pressure Giannis has for the organization to win. I just find it hard for Giannis not to maintain dominance being spaced around shooters and fully embracing playmaking. He’s also exploring other spots on the floor outside the paint to create more pressure points to opposing defenses.
I do not think Lillard’s departure makes this team worse. In fact, it’s the contrary. Lillard didn’t add as much value that now can’t be re-imagined with a point Giannis. You lose Lillard as a target and Giannis gets more touches. Lopez was an aging center, but he had to go. Turner is younger and should be an improvement in that spot.
Detroit I think can sneakily improve upon last year. I like Robinson signing replacing Hardaway Jr. and Levert to keep the bench afloat providing Cunningham more rest. Cunningham seems awfully determined to continue improving as leader, and he’s still young. Ivey can take this team to another level if he gets healthy and works himself in the rotation again.
Thompson, Duren, and Holand are a great youthful support core still growing and learning. Solid coaching, solid roster, and a great star. Should be in the running for a playoff spot.
Atlanta and Orlando, the teams who made the most changes and improvements in the offseason in the East, should both be better from last year. The question is to what degree?
I have Atlanta higher because I find their moves to have more impact. Young never had a pick-and-pop big, so now he’ll be able to bust switches and open lanes more than ever before. Alexander-Walker brings more defense to a roster already with length and the best perimeter defender in the league in Daniels. Kennard brings shooting and bench punch, and maybe Johnson will finally play more than half a season as he was about to have a breakout year before getting injured.
They have all the reasons to be a top seed. It’s very dependent on the health of Porzingis, but even with him gone, Okongwu has improved enough to warrant a starting spot.
If Porzingis can’t stay on the floor, Atlanta has a chance to be closer to play-in range, but if Young and Porzingis can get acclimated, you may see the next coming of Lebron/Ilgauskas.
Orlando traded for Desmond Bane to replace Caldwell-Pope and will have Jalen Suggs returning sometime soon. Banchero was also injured half the season last time. Presuming everyone is mostly healthy, Orlando should jump in seeding as much as Atlanta.
With Suggs, Bane, Banchero, and Wagner, they will have the strong core of guys who collectively will make a strong defense and if Suggs can knock down the three from a decent clip, this offense be good enough to catapult this team to a top seed. After already being one of the worst scoring teams with the best defense, a league average offense is more than enough to beat most opponents. Carter Jr. can potentially find his three-point shot too, and Banchero/Wagner get another year together. I’m still unsure of the long-term fit in Wagner/Banchero, but it’s still bringing this organization wins.
So, if they maintain a top three defense, they will be in the playoffs. I don’t expect Bane and Suggs to turn bring the team’s offense to top 10, but if they can manage to bring it out of the bottom 5, heck, league average, a top seed isn’t out of the question.
Miami Heat
Philadelphia Sixers
Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers
Boston Celtics
The next tier down are teams on the decline or have too many what ifs to feel confident about whether they have what it takes to escape the play-in.
I’m higher on Miami this year than in year’s past. For the first half of the season, Butler was a drain on the team. One should expect them to play a much better regular season flushing him out completely.
Powell had a spectacular shooting season with Los Angeles last year, and his game was built for Miami Heat culture. He should do more than replace Robinson; he’ll add off-the-dribble punch too. Jovic is a sleeper Most Improved Player pick. Ware has a large upside as well. Spoelstra is still one of best coaches in making the best out of what he has. The only true concern for Miami is Herro. He’s in his contract year. If it ends up anywhere close to the Butler situation, this team could be derailed again like they were last year. I also feel like they need a true point guard especially with Herro’s absence for the first few weeks. There’s an increasing number of teams full court pressuring and forcing turnovers to increase pace. Mitchell is great at defense but has a long way to go becoming a floor general.
Their new additions and full training camp will allow Spoelstra to create an interesting offense. Not an elite offense, but an interesting one. Miami’s offense has always been what kept their ceiling low. Powell brings movement and shooting, and hopefully, Ware and Jovic bring some kind of upside in passing/shooting to shore up the offense. Jaquez Jr. had a bit of a regression last season as well. Overall, there’s more optimism here than I would have expected after Butler’s departure.
George and Embiid will always have what ifs in their status at this point in their careers. When they are on the floor, Philadelphia is easily a tier above this. After last year, I’ll never assume these two will play more than 40-50 consecutive games ever again.
But their young guys are good enough to get them here with limited availability of their older stars. Maxie is still a great all-star player. Edgecomb looked promising in preseason, McCain should at least play by November. Philadelphia signed Grimes late in the offseason to add more shooting depth. Truly, I am stuck between tiers with this one but only have them here because of the what ifs in George/Embiid’s injury status long-term.
All this team truly needs is at least 30-40 games for all healthy players to get adjusted to each other. That would make them a top seed easily. The chance of that happening however…
Toronto is here because it’s the team I have the least minute data on and the most what ifs. Ingram, the hometown hero of mine, is their star addition. This should make them better than the last couple of years. Quickley has not been able to become the floor initiator Toronto envisioned since trading for him. I can give him the benefit of the doubt last year because he was injured, but there is enough minute data and my own eye test to see he may not have what it takes. He’s a great pull-up shooter but doesn’t create much rim pressure. The defense isn’t worried much else about Quickley besides his jump shooting which has come and gone.
The next if is about Barnes. Without a lead initiator point guard, Barnes struggles to find his way offensively. That’s essentially been his entire career in Toronto. He’s still a terrible floor spacer all the way to this most recent preseason, so in the halfcourt, he simply clogs up the lane along with Poeltl.
Add Ingram who has the potential to create more clunkiness. Ingram is tall enough to see over the defense and get his own shot. The only drawback is, he prefers the mid-range which is the exact opposite of generating rim pressure. The only player who consistently generates rim pressure is RJ Barrett who also struggles to hit jump shots at times.
The what ifs center around the fit of these four guys. A point guard who hasn’t shown to be a good floor manager yet, forwards with questionable jump shooting after 2-3 years, and Ingram who can pretty much do everything but attack the rim. The offense without pace is going to be abysmal.
What is the way for this team to climb out of the play-in? Defense. It hasn’t worked on that end with this core. Perhaps it is personnel. Perhaps it is coaching. Perhaps it is injuries. Whatever the case may be, it’s the only way to supercharge the offense without jump shooting. If Toronto can find a team identity in forcing turnovers, that will make them that much better
Rajakovic has his work cut out for him in his third year: Find an offensive scheme for sub-par jump shooters surrounding Ingram and find a defensive scheme that takes advantage of the roster’s length. We will see how it plays out.
Indiana will not be an east basement dweller. I refuse to believe it even with Turner/Haliburton gone. This squad still has the taste of a game 7 finals in their memory, and Siakam is a veteran all-star capable of leading an offense in the regular season. Carlisle is an underrated x’s and o’s coach.
They still have great defensive concepts and are great athletes. I do worry about the spacing that will be missed with Turner gone, and the playmaking from Haliburton. The offense will undoubtedly drop, but what are they able to manage with only one all-star in Sakiam?
I estimate league average in offense and defense, which is around or just below .500 play-in East range.
Boston is here because they unloaded their championship team for tax purposes. Gone are Holiday, Horford, Porzingis, and Tatum through injury. What is left in the debris is Brown/White/Simons taking on the burden of offense while their new frontcourt will attempt to play around them.
I don’t see this making them too much better than a .500. team at best. White and Brown are fantastic all-star caliber guys who can carry an offense; I only worry about the spacing and an injury to one of them. One injury to any of their main offensive key guys and it will crater.
They lost their shooting, rebounding, and #1 playmaker. I’d be a bit more confident in Boston’s ability to be a majorly competitive team if they had one good frontcourt player that made their opponents want to think twice about leaving them open
Simons/White/Brown are going to shoot over the top of defenses and either wear themselves out or shoot themselves to the playoffs.
New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers
The top two of the East to me clearly separate themselves from the rest.
I’m extremely bullish on New York which is rare for me. I’ve always been a fan of smart coaching hires with a roster mostly the same as the previous year. It can demonstrate the impact of a coaching change, and no team needed it more than New York.
There was a ton of offensive creativity Thibodeau left untouched before he was fired. He is primarily known as a defensive coach and not an offensive mastermind. Brunson was far too taxed throughout last season, and there weren’t enough sets with movement, KAT popping out for three, or creating more pace in transition.
Mike Brown is the perfect coach to install a new culture of offensive creativity. From his time at Golden State and Sacramento, one look at New York’s roster and he’s got to be excited. The best shooting big in history, the best clutch player, the best 3 and D wings who can also score with the best, and a bench that is now upgraded with the return of Robinson. Hart, McBride and Clark round out well. If Brogdon hadn’t retired, it would have been one of the most complete benches.
A healthy Robinson goes a long way in compensating for KAT’s defensive deficiencies. He didn’t get to play as many games last season, so New York has an even higher gear on the defensive end we’ve yet to fully see.
Cleveland deserves to be favored once again as #1 in the East. Atkinson coached a history-making offense, and Mobley still may have another gear in him. Garland’s injury history would be my only concern to why they wouldn’t get the top seed and even without him, they’re still an upper-echelon eastern conference playoff team with a chip on their shoulder. The foundation has been set.
Lonzo is a great pick-up to keep the bench afloat after Jerome departed. Hunter is a much better fit on this team than he was in Atlanta. Larry Nance Jr. returns. Low-key B+ offseason for the previous top seed. There really isn’t that much more to say except I don’t expect to see any significant drop.
Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks
Orlando Magic
The second east tier are mostly improving teams.
Milwaukee experimented with point Giannis post all-star break last season, and it was largely a success. Add in a full training camp, get younger at center, dump your point-of-attack defense liability, and this team should be fine. There is a scenario where this all blows up after going .500 for a few months due to all the pressure Giannis has for the organization to win. I just find it hard for Giannis not to maintain dominance being spaced around shooters and fully embracing playmaking. He’s also exploring other spots on the floor outside the paint to create more pressure points to opposing defenses.
I do not think Lillard’s departure makes this team worse. In fact, it’s the contrary. Lillard didn’t add as much value that now can’t be re-imagined with a point Giannis. You lose Lillard as a target and Giannis gets more touches. Lopez was an aging center, but he had to go. Turner is younger and should be an improvement in that spot.
Detroit I think can sneakily improve upon last year. I like Robinson signing replacing Hardaway Jr. and Levert to keep the bench afloat providing Cunningham more rest. Cunningham seems awfully determined to continue improving as leader, and he’s still young. Ivey can take this team to another level if he gets healthy and works himself in the rotation again.
Thompson, Duren, and Holand are a great youthful support core still growing and learning. Solid coaching, solid roster, and a great star. Should be in the running for a playoff spot.
Atlanta and Orlando, the teams who made the most changes and improvements in the offseason in the East, should both be better from last year. The question is to what degree?
I have Atlanta higher because I find their moves to have more impact. Young never had a pick-and-pop big, so now he’ll be able to bust switches and open lanes more than ever before. Alexander-Walker brings more defense to a roster already with length and the best perimeter defender in the league in Daniels. Kennard brings shooting and bench punch, and maybe Johnson will finally play more than half a season as he was about to have a breakout year before getting injured.
They have all the reasons to be a top seed. It’s very dependent on the health of Porzingis, but even with him gone, Okongwu has improved enough to warrant a starting spot.
If Porzingis can’t stay on the floor, Atlanta has a chance to be closer to play-in range, but if Young and Porzingis can get acclimated, you may see the next coming of Lebron/Ilgauskas.
Orlando traded for Desmond Bane to replace Caldwell-Pope and will have Jalen Suggs returning sometime soon. Banchero was also injured half the season last time. Presuming everyone is mostly healthy, Orlando should jump in seeding as much as Atlanta.
With Suggs, Bane, Banchero, and Wagner, they will have the strong core of guys who collectively will make a strong defense and if Suggs can knock down the three from a decent clip, this offense be good enough to catapult this team to a top seed. After already being one of the worst scoring teams with the best defense, a league average offense is more than enough to beat most opponents. Carter Jr. can potentially find his three-point shot too, and Banchero/Wagner get another year together. I’m still unsure of the long-term fit in Wagner/Banchero, but it’s still bringing this organization wins.
So, if they maintain a top three defense, they will be in the playoffs. I don’t expect Bane and Suggs to turn bring the team’s offense to top 10, but if they can manage to bring it out of the bottom 5, heck, league average, a top seed isn’t out of the question.
Miami Heat
Philadelphia Sixers
Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers
Boston Celtics
The next tier down are teams on the decline or have too many what ifs to feel confident about whether they have what it takes to escape the play-in.
I’m higher on Miami this year than in year’s past. For the first half of the season, Butler was a drain on the team. One should expect them to play a much better regular season flushing him out completely.
Powell had a spectacular shooting season with Los Angeles last year, and his game was built for Miami Heat culture. He should do more than replace Robinson; he’ll add off-the-dribble punch too. Jovic is a sleeper Most Improved Player pick. Ware has a large upside as well. Spoelstra is still one of best coaches in making the best out of what he has. The only true concern for Miami is Herro. He’s in his contract year. If it ends up anywhere close to the Butler situation, this team could be derailed again like they were last year. I also feel like they need a true point guard especially with Herro’s absence for the first few weeks. There’s an increasing number of teams full court pressuring and forcing turnovers to increase pace. Mitchell is great at defense but has a long way to go becoming a floor general.
Their new additions and full training camp will allow Spoelstra to create an interesting offense. Not an elite offense, but an interesting one. Miami’s offense has always been what kept their ceiling low. Powell brings movement and shooting, and hopefully, Ware and Jovic bring some kind of upside in passing/shooting to shore up the offense. Jaquez Jr. had a bit of a regression last season as well. Overall, there’s more optimism here than I would have expected after Butler’s departure.
George and Embiid will always have what ifs in their status at this point in their careers. When they are on the floor, Philadelphia is easily a tier above this. After last year, I’ll never assume these two will play more than 40-50 consecutive games ever again.
But their young guys are good enough to get them here with limited availability of their older stars. Maxie is still a great all-star player. Edgecomb looked promising in preseason, McCain should at least play by November. Philadelphia signed Grimes late in the offseason to add more shooting depth. Truly, I am stuck between tiers with this one but only have them here because of the what ifs in George/Embiid’s injury status long-term.
All this team truly needs is at least 30-40 games for all healthy players to get adjusted to each other. That would make them a top seed easily. The chance of that happening however…
Toronto is here because it’s the team I have the least minute data on and the most what ifs. Ingram, the hometown hero of mine, is their star addition. This should make them better than the last couple of years. Quickley has not been able to become the floor initiator Toronto envisioned since trading for him. I can give him the benefit of the doubt last year because he was injured, but there is enough minute data and my own eye test to see he may not have what it takes. He’s a great pull-up shooter but doesn’t create much rim pressure. The defense isn’t worried much else about Quickley besides his jump shooting which has come and gone.
The next if is about Barnes. Without a lead initiator point guard, Barnes struggles to find his way offensively. That’s essentially been his entire career in Toronto. He’s still a terrible floor spacer all the way to this most recent preseason, so in the halfcourt, he simply clogs up the lane along with Poeltl.
Add Ingram who has the potential to create more clunkiness. Ingram is tall enough to see over the defense and get his own shot. The only drawback is, he prefers the mid-range which is the exact opposite of generating rim pressure. The only player who consistently generates rim pressure is RJ Barrett who also struggles to hit jump shots at times.
The what ifs center around the fit of these four guys. A point guard who hasn’t shown to be a good floor manager yet, forwards with questionable jump shooting after 2-3 years, and Ingram who can pretty much do everything but attack the rim. The offense without pace is going to be abysmal.
What is the way for this team to climb out of the play-in? Defense. It hasn’t worked on that end with this core. Perhaps it is personnel. Perhaps it is coaching. Perhaps it is injuries. Whatever the case may be, it’s the only way to supercharge the offense without jump shooting. If Toronto can find a team identity in forcing turnovers, that will make them that much better
Rajakovic has his work cut out for him in his third year: Find an offensive scheme for sub-par jump shooters surrounding Ingram and find a defensive scheme that takes advantage of the roster’s length. We will see how it plays out.
Indiana will not be an east basement dweller. I refuse to believe it even with Turner/Haliburton gone. This squad still has the taste of a game 7 finals in their memory, and Siakam is a veteran all-star capable of leading an offense in the regular season. Carlisle is an underrated x’s and o’s coach.
They still have great defensive concepts and are great athletes. I do worry about the spacing that will be missed with Turner gone, and the playmaking from Haliburton. The offense will undoubtedly drop, but what are they able to manage with only one all-star in Sakiam?
I estimate league average in offense and defense, which is around or just below .500 play-in East range.
Boston is here because they unloaded their championship team for tax purposes. Gone are Holiday, Horford, Porzingis, and Tatum through injury. What is left in the debris is Brown/White/Simons taking on the burden of offense while their new frontcourt will attempt to play around them.
I don’t see this making them too much better than a .500. team at best. White and Brown are fantastic all-star caliber guys who can carry an offense; I only worry about the spacing and an injury to one of them. One injury to any of their main offensive key guys and it will crater.
They lost their shooting, rebounding, and #1 playmaker. I’d be a bit more confident in Boston’s ability to be a majorly competitive team if they had one good frontcourt player that made their opponents want to think twice about leaving them open
Simons/White/Brown are going to shoot over the top of defenses and either wear themselves out or shoot themselves to the playoffs.
The Western Conference remains stacked even around the basement. Previous recent champions at the top. Then, the next tier includes teams who essentially either shuffled their decks or banking on continuous internal development. Then every other tier below includes teams with injury history, inexperience, and some degree of uncertainty in their core identity.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Denver Nuggets
Returning champs Oklahoma City have a strong case to repeat as top seed. They never had a full season of both Holmgren or Hartenstein and managed a history making defense. JWill certainly will improve in his third year after a full finals run. This team didn’t lose a single key player, remains young, and only has more room to get better.
Denver is the only other team I would put in their league. Their problem had always been bench depth. Starters were overtaxed and it affects their stamina to play throughout the year. They added Bruce Brown, Hardaway Jr, Valanciunas, and most importantly, Cam Johnson. Shooting, backup minutes behind Jokic, and an improved replacement for Porter Jr. who couldn’t offer much on his rough shooting nights.
I see a reinvigorated Denver team after Malone and Westbrook departures. If the rumors are true about what happened in that locker room over Westbrook’s minutes, then like Miami, draining any negativity in the locker room should be a net gain. They’ve never managed a top seed, but this is their best chance in a while to secure one. Denver with amazing depth and an in-shape preseason Murray will be exciting.
Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves
San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers
This tier is the most crowded of both conferences. I can’t truly make heads or tails many of these teams’ additions and surrounding circumstances.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a bad PR situation hanging over the organization, but the roster and offseason moves were perfect. I nicknamed the squad Team Unc as most of the players are long in the tooth, but those same players seem comfortable in the roles they will be playing. This includes Paul and Lopez off the bench which sounds like overkill for the league.
Collins is going to add to their defensive and offensive versality, and Beal should ideally replace Powell’s production. Powell last year with the Clippers may be a stretch for Beal to fully emulate. My only real concern is if Beal can emulate that production. His career is more established, but it’s been many years since we could call Beal an all-star as he has not been healthy for some time.
I’m not all too worried about the likes of Kawhi. If he is for whatever reason unable to play, this team still has a high floor with Harden/Zubac alone. Too much depth and good coaching from Lue will prevent this team from bottoming out despite the Clipper curse.
Golden State will be such a fun team. So much basketball IQ, passing and versatility on both ends of the floor. Curry looks so much stronger and healthy in his preseason reps. The aging frontcourt along with the exit of Looney is worrisome. Rebounding throughout the regular season is going to have to be a strong collective effort. It could get taxing especially once guys like Horford, Butler, or Green need rest banging on the glass. Where Golden State lands is dependent on how well they can hold up defensively across a league on average faster and lengthier than them.
After the Butler trade, this team transformed into an easy western conference playoff team. Their ability to sustain that for 82 games as opposed to a third of the season will be the test. They also have surrounding role-players getting another year in Kerr’s system. I’m not too worried if Butler/Green/Horford can collectively play around 50+ games and bring it most nights.
Houston adds to their abysmal offense with Durant and DFS. They remain big, long, and Udoka is starting a new era of tall ball we’ve never seen before. The only problem is… what is the point guard situation without VanVleet?
I’m not walking into the same trap involving a Durant lead team where the discussion of a floor general point guard is not necessary. We saw how that played out in Phoenix. Turnovers were all too common. Pace was far too slow. Shots were not optimal. With halfcourt pressure becoming more common, true point guards will become that much more important. I do not believe point guard by committee exists for this team. VanVleet is one of the best point guards suppressing turnovers, and Houston last year enjoyed a top 3 least turnovers committed adding to their possession advantage with offensive rebounding.
With all that said, Houston will still be a strong team. I do like Sheppard as a starting point guard in year 2. Holiday wouldn’t be too shabby to try out either. The only thing they need out of that position is average defense, average shooting, do not turn it over and get guys in their spots.
Sengun could operate from the high post and direct the offense that way. He could hit another level in playmaking, but you still need someone to initiate from the opposite end of the court.
So, with Durant’s injury history, the point guard situation being slightly dubious, but certainly an improved foundation of talent and coaching compared to Phoenix… this team should be somewhere in this range.
Minnesota for two years in a row limped into the playoffs, then has consecutive conference finals postseason runs. Their style of play with physicality fits the playoffs better. I suspect their struggles in the regular season has to with the number of turnovers and decision making this team tends to struggle with especially in clutch situations. Conley is getting older and older, so Dillingham has steadily had an increase in role. How ready he is for that role will improve Minnesota’s chances significantly of netting a home court for the first round.
Edward’s growth will be a bigger swing factor for this team, and I’d prefer to see growth in halfcourt efficiency. Like getting to the line, shooting more between the rim and the 3-point line, and cross-court passes on the weakside.
The foundation is there to be in this tier, but I’m monitoring this team’s turnovers and Edward’s continued growth.
I will do my very best to give an objective San Antonio prediction, but you know it will be impossible. I was extremely impressed with their preseason. Wemby looks stronger, smarter, faster, and taller. He’s turning the ball over quite a bit; it is to be expected with the amount of experimental passing he likes to do. He is taking significantly less threes and driving, dunking, and much improved footwork. If Wemby is a top 3 player this year, they have a decent argument for a top 6 seed.
Add Fox into the mix, and I expect this team to play fast. With Vic manning the rim, all four players on the court can defend aggressively on the ballhandler including Kornet who is a 7-footer. I do not expect them to have it together the first half of the season, but I envision a team that forces turnovers, shares the ball well, attacks the rim, and shoots the shit out of the three.
Kornet and Olynyk signings were huge because it puts less pressure on Vic to play heavy minutes after experiencing DVT. Even more so is that their defense doesn’t fall off a cliff once he sits. Kornet is one of the best defensive centers who was a major part of Boston’s best lineups without Horford or Porzingis. He can play with and without Wemby, and so far, they’re able to play a four-five screen-and-roll.
Overall, I believe strongly in this team’s ability to make the playoffs in some way or fashion.
Los Angeles Lakers are at the bottom of this group for me because I don’t trust their defense to hold up. Doncic/Ayton/Reaves/Hachimura is unsustainable no matter how you script it. I’m willing to believe an in-shape Doncic, a healthy season from Smart, and a fully engaged Ayton night-in and night-out could easily make the playoffs.
It’s just difficult for me to imagine Ayton with success defensively whilst getting along with a personality like Luka’s. Chris Paul and Devin Booker noted back in Phoenix about Ayton’s inconsistent hustle. His consistency is going to be even more important when there aren’t too many good point-of-attack defenders on this team as it is. If Ayton isn’t intimidating at the rim, the defense is simply cooked.
Smart will also have to return to Boston levels of defense to give them team a chance of a league average defense. So far, he hasn’t been at that level since being traded. He has now been traded three or two times in how many years? Can’t say I have much trust in his abilities right now.
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trailblazers
The next tier of teams has injury risks related to their most important players. They have an outside shot in my view, but it relies on trusting strong breakout seasons from their youngest guys along with a healthy season from their injury prone guys.
Take Memphis for example. Morant has missed key moments in seasons past and this has usually resulted in Memphis struggling in the outer edges of the play-in come March and April. I really like Wells, Caldwell-Pope, and Triple J. Their offense will be fine.
It’s their defense that is a concern. Triple J has proven repeatedly he cannot man the paint throughout a regular season defensively. That’s a lot of pressure on guys like Edey and Lockdale to hold up in the strong western conference. This team is going to require more than I’m willing to believe out of some of their younger guys as far as health, defense, and consistency.
New Orleans looks the healthiest they’ve looked since… last season. Zion looks great, Poole is great on paper, and Murphy is the real deal. Step 1 is for these three guys to stay healthy and on the floor together. Looney is already out to start the season, so it’s somewhat of a bad omen.
I won’t say New Orleans will necessarily pull the rug from up under us once again as they always do. I don’t know if it’s the team’s physicians or the food down in the Bayou; but this team healthy at least can make a play-in game. How it all comes together is through Zion. Honestly, I won’t spend too much time thinking on how this all could offensively be destructive with a point-Zion. Stay healthy enough to develop winning lineups. That’s it. That’s the preview.
Dallas has the best defensive frontcourt in the West. They remind me a lot of Orlando in that sense. Davis, Lively Jr, PJ Washington, and Gafford are as good as it gets on that end. Davis has always wanted to play the four more but does that allow enough spacing for this team to sustain a decent offense?
I don’t think so. Especially with Irving out for majority of the season. That leaves Thompson and Russell to make shots out on the perimeter. They can, but they’re also defensive liabilities at this point in their careers. Also, can we count on Davis to knock down more threes?
Flagg is not the difference between them and a playoff spot in his rookie year. The paint will simply be too cramped unless Davis hits another level of 2020 jumpshooting. This team needs a way to space opponents out before we can celebrate them having a potential top defense.
Portland is another team with serious defensive chops. I really like Camara, Clingan, Avdija, and the best defensive veteran Jrue Holiday to round them all out. I don’t anticipate this team in the play-in, but there’s an outside shot. It wouldn’t be the first time we saw a veteran point guard lead a young team to the first round.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Denver Nuggets
Returning champs Oklahoma City have a strong case to repeat as top seed. They never had a full season of both Holmgren or Hartenstein and managed a history making defense. JWill certainly will improve in his third year after a full finals run. This team didn’t lose a single key player, remains young, and only has more room to get better.
Denver is the only other team I would put in their league. Their problem had always been bench depth. Starters were overtaxed and it affects their stamina to play throughout the year. They added Bruce Brown, Hardaway Jr, Valanciunas, and most importantly, Cam Johnson. Shooting, backup minutes behind Jokic, and an improved replacement for Porter Jr. who couldn’t offer much on his rough shooting nights.
I see a reinvigorated Denver team after Malone and Westbrook departures. If the rumors are true about what happened in that locker room over Westbrook’s minutes, then like Miami, draining any negativity in the locker room should be a net gain. They’ve never managed a top seed, but this is their best chance in a while to secure one. Denver with amazing depth and an in-shape preseason Murray will be exciting.
Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves
San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers
This tier is the most crowded of both conferences. I can’t truly make heads or tails many of these teams’ additions and surrounding circumstances.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a bad PR situation hanging over the organization, but the roster and offseason moves were perfect. I nicknamed the squad Team Unc as most of the players are long in the tooth, but those same players seem comfortable in the roles they will be playing. This includes Paul and Lopez off the bench which sounds like overkill for the league.
Collins is going to add to their defensive and offensive versality, and Beal should ideally replace Powell’s production. Powell last year with the Clippers may be a stretch for Beal to fully emulate. My only real concern is if Beal can emulate that production. His career is more established, but it’s been many years since we could call Beal an all-star as he has not been healthy for some time.
I’m not all too worried about the likes of Kawhi. If he is for whatever reason unable to play, this team still has a high floor with Harden/Zubac alone. Too much depth and good coaching from Lue will prevent this team from bottoming out despite the Clipper curse.
Golden State will be such a fun team. So much basketball IQ, passing and versatility on both ends of the floor. Curry looks so much stronger and healthy in his preseason reps. The aging frontcourt along with the exit of Looney is worrisome. Rebounding throughout the regular season is going to have to be a strong collective effort. It could get taxing especially once guys like Horford, Butler, or Green need rest banging on the glass. Where Golden State lands is dependent on how well they can hold up defensively across a league on average faster and lengthier than them.
After the Butler trade, this team transformed into an easy western conference playoff team. Their ability to sustain that for 82 games as opposed to a third of the season will be the test. They also have surrounding role-players getting another year in Kerr’s system. I’m not too worried if Butler/Green/Horford can collectively play around 50+ games and bring it most nights.
Houston adds to their abysmal offense with Durant and DFS. They remain big, long, and Udoka is starting a new era of tall ball we’ve never seen before. The only problem is… what is the point guard situation without VanVleet?
I’m not walking into the same trap involving a Durant lead team where the discussion of a floor general point guard is not necessary. We saw how that played out in Phoenix. Turnovers were all too common. Pace was far too slow. Shots were not optimal. With halfcourt pressure becoming more common, true point guards will become that much more important. I do not believe point guard by committee exists for this team. VanVleet is one of the best point guards suppressing turnovers, and Houston last year enjoyed a top 3 least turnovers committed adding to their possession advantage with offensive rebounding.
With all that said, Houston will still be a strong team. I do like Sheppard as a starting point guard in year 2. Holiday wouldn’t be too shabby to try out either. The only thing they need out of that position is average defense, average shooting, do not turn it over and get guys in their spots.
Sengun could operate from the high post and direct the offense that way. He could hit another level in playmaking, but you still need someone to initiate from the opposite end of the court.
So, with Durant’s injury history, the point guard situation being slightly dubious, but certainly an improved foundation of talent and coaching compared to Phoenix… this team should be somewhere in this range.
Minnesota for two years in a row limped into the playoffs, then has consecutive conference finals postseason runs. Their style of play with physicality fits the playoffs better. I suspect their struggles in the regular season has to with the number of turnovers and decision making this team tends to struggle with especially in clutch situations. Conley is getting older and older, so Dillingham has steadily had an increase in role. How ready he is for that role will improve Minnesota’s chances significantly of netting a home court for the first round.
Edward’s growth will be a bigger swing factor for this team, and I’d prefer to see growth in halfcourt efficiency. Like getting to the line, shooting more between the rim and the 3-point line, and cross-court passes on the weakside.
The foundation is there to be in this tier, but I’m monitoring this team’s turnovers and Edward’s continued growth.
I will do my very best to give an objective San Antonio prediction, but you know it will be impossible. I was extremely impressed with their preseason. Wemby looks stronger, smarter, faster, and taller. He’s turning the ball over quite a bit; it is to be expected with the amount of experimental passing he likes to do. He is taking significantly less threes and driving, dunking, and much improved footwork. If Wemby is a top 3 player this year, they have a decent argument for a top 6 seed.
Add Fox into the mix, and I expect this team to play fast. With Vic manning the rim, all four players on the court can defend aggressively on the ballhandler including Kornet who is a 7-footer. I do not expect them to have it together the first half of the season, but I envision a team that forces turnovers, shares the ball well, attacks the rim, and shoots the shit out of the three.
Kornet and Olynyk signings were huge because it puts less pressure on Vic to play heavy minutes after experiencing DVT. Even more so is that their defense doesn’t fall off a cliff once he sits. Kornet is one of the best defensive centers who was a major part of Boston’s best lineups without Horford or Porzingis. He can play with and without Wemby, and so far, they’re able to play a four-five screen-and-roll.
Overall, I believe strongly in this team’s ability to make the playoffs in some way or fashion.
Los Angeles Lakers are at the bottom of this group for me because I don’t trust their defense to hold up. Doncic/Ayton/Reaves/Hachimura is unsustainable no matter how you script it. I’m willing to believe an in-shape Doncic, a healthy season from Smart, and a fully engaged Ayton night-in and night-out could easily make the playoffs.
It’s just difficult for me to imagine Ayton with success defensively whilst getting along with a personality like Luka’s. Chris Paul and Devin Booker noted back in Phoenix about Ayton’s inconsistent hustle. His consistency is going to be even more important when there aren’t too many good point-of-attack defenders on this team as it is. If Ayton isn’t intimidating at the rim, the defense is simply cooked.
Smart will also have to return to Boston levels of defense to give them team a chance of a league average defense. So far, he hasn’t been at that level since being traded. He has now been traded three or two times in how many years? Can’t say I have much trust in his abilities right now.
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trailblazers
The next tier of teams has injury risks related to their most important players. They have an outside shot in my view, but it relies on trusting strong breakout seasons from their youngest guys along with a healthy season from their injury prone guys.
Take Memphis for example. Morant has missed key moments in seasons past and this has usually resulted in Memphis struggling in the outer edges of the play-in come March and April. I really like Wells, Caldwell-Pope, and Triple J. Their offense will be fine.
It’s their defense that is a concern. Triple J has proven repeatedly he cannot man the paint throughout a regular season defensively. That’s a lot of pressure on guys like Edey and Lockdale to hold up in the strong western conference. This team is going to require more than I’m willing to believe out of some of their younger guys as far as health, defense, and consistency.
New Orleans looks the healthiest they’ve looked since… last season. Zion looks great, Poole is great on paper, and Murphy is the real deal. Step 1 is for these three guys to stay healthy and on the floor together. Looney is already out to start the season, so it’s somewhat of a bad omen.
I won’t say New Orleans will necessarily pull the rug from up under us once again as they always do. I don’t know if it’s the team’s physicians or the food down in the Bayou; but this team healthy at least can make a play-in game. How it all comes together is through Zion. Honestly, I won’t spend too much time thinking on how this all could offensively be destructive with a point-Zion. Stay healthy enough to develop winning lineups. That’s it. That’s the preview.
Dallas has the best defensive frontcourt in the West. They remind me a lot of Orlando in that sense. Davis, Lively Jr, PJ Washington, and Gafford are as good as it gets on that end. Davis has always wanted to play the four more but does that allow enough spacing for this team to sustain a decent offense?
I don’t think so. Especially with Irving out for majority of the season. That leaves Thompson and Russell to make shots out on the perimeter. They can, but they’re also defensive liabilities at this point in their careers. Also, can we count on Davis to knock down more threes?
Flagg is not the difference between them and a playoff spot in his rookie year. The paint will simply be too cramped unless Davis hits another level of 2020 jumpshooting. This team needs a way to space opponents out before we can celebrate them having a potential top defense.
Portland is another team with serious defensive chops. I really like Camara, Clingan, Avdija, and the best defensive veteran Jrue Holiday to round them all out. I don’t anticipate this team in the play-in, but there’s an outside shot. It wouldn’t be the first time we saw a veteran point guard lead a young team to the first round.
MVP: I think Shai will hit a new level of efficiency. I don’t think Lakers win enough games for Luka. Same for Wembanyama. Brunson could be a sneaky dark horse if he’s healthy and New York embraces a 2000s Phoenix Suns style of offense.
RoY: Flagg is the deserving favorite. Edgecombe may get the most opportunity.
DoPY: Wembanyama and it’s not even close.
MiP: Depends on which “role too big for his britches” type of guy you believe the most in. I could see be Nembhard, Amen Thompson, Giddey, and Sheppard.
CotY: Which team will make the best jump? Mosley and Snyder are deserving favorites. Mike Brown and Mitch Johnson are interesting picks as well. Bickerstaff was one vote short last year. It’s hard to imagine Detroit making a similar-sized jump twice in a row.
steph ain't done winning chips yet
The Pistons will have exactly the same season they had last year. That's my prediction.
East
Cleveland Cavs
Orlando Magic
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks
Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers
Chicago Bulls
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Charlotte Hornets
Washington Wizards
Brooklyn Nets
West
Oklahoma City Thunder
Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Lakers
Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns
Memphis Grizzlies
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers
New Orleans Pelicans
Utah Jazz
Awards
MVP: Luka Doncic
ROY: Cooper Flagg
DPOY: Evan Mobley
MIP: Michael Porter Jr
6MOY: Naz Reid
Cleveland Cavs
Orlando Magic
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks
Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat
Boston Celtics
Indiana Pacers
Chicago Bulls
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Charlotte Hornets
Washington Wizards
Brooklyn Nets
West
Oklahoma City Thunder
Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Lakers
Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns
Memphis Grizzlies
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers
New Orleans Pelicans
Utah Jazz
Awards
MVP: Luka Doncic
ROY: Cooper Flagg
DPOY: Evan Mobley
MIP: Michael Porter Jr
6MOY: Naz Reid
bland picks
ngl these are pretty bland and expected except the fact that luca wins MVP jokic obv wins that
the pistons are stuck in draft purgatory methinks
Jokic is not an obvious MVP. In fact, I think it’s very unlikely that he wins another one ever.
The NBA awards are very narrative-driven. Larry Bird was the last player to win three in a row. You really think Michael Jordan or LeBron didn’t deserve three in a row at some point in their careers? In fact, Jordan has five MVPs. LeBron only has four. There was maaaaaybe a chance that LeBron could’ve gotten a fifth but the chance of that happening was gone by the time he went to LA, because that would mean the voters would be putting him on Jordan’s level. Jokic already has three. So in my opinion there’s no way he gets a fourth because that would place him on the same level of LeBron in NBA history, which I don’t think the voters are willing to do.
I don’t think the Lakers will be good enough this year for a Luka MVP. The voters seem to have no problem with guys going back-to-back so I think SGA is probably the favorite this year if the Thunder end up with the best overall record. Maybe someone from the East takes it if the narrative is there (if like Brunson leads the Knicks to the number one seed) but my money would be on SGA.
nah the east has great teams the best in the east would probably still be top 3 in the west
wemby is a monster damn
is he top 5?
is he top 5?
not yet
Embiid looked really rough and I kinda feel sad if he's lost a step.
The young Philly squad tho may still be something cool! Edgecombe is incredible.
The young Philly squad tho may still be something cool! Edgecombe is incredible.
Well, this has certainly been an interesting start to the season so far. Three 1-10 teams in the East, the Thunder starting 11-1, and a four way tie for third in the East at 7-4 a piece all as of the time of me writing this post. I have to ask simply because this league’s deceptively hard for me to keep track of. Which teams if any should I be looking at on so-called Fraud Watch? I haven’t really followed anything NBA related since the draft, but hearing what’s going on with Dallas and learning of Wemby’s early-season linsanity run (that is how you spell that, right?) both caught my interest enough to start paying attention again.
I also want to briefly give my apologies to the entire city of New Orleans while I’m here on behalf of your Pelicans as well as the Saints in the NFL because this poor city just cannot seem to catch a break right now as far as professional sports are concerned. These Pelicans… like, what exactly are they doing as a franchise right now? They’re cancelling events left and right, they’re arguably the worst team in the West at this early point in the season, and to my knowledge their future draft capital and player prospects are both in the dumps on top of that. I thought maybe the New York Giants were the most dysfunctional sports franchise right now but I can see a world where the Pelicans easily take that spot in the next season or two.
I also want to briefly give my apologies to the entire city of New Orleans while I’m here on behalf of your Pelicans as well as the Saints in the NFL because this poor city just cannot seem to catch a break right now as far as professional sports are concerned. These Pelicans… like, what exactly are they doing as a franchise right now? They’re cancelling events left and right, they’re arguably the worst team in the West at this early point in the season, and to my knowledge their future draft capital and player prospects are both in the dumps on top of that. I thought maybe the New York Giants were the most dysfunctional sports franchise right now but I can see a world where the Pelicans easily take that spot in the next season or two.
Besides the Dallas Mavericks for obvious reasons, I think the Grizzlies are the closest thing. Ja Morant is averaging the lowest amount of PPG since his rookie season and his shooting splits are at a career low. He's also called out his own coaching staff resulting in a 1 game suspension and making people think he'll be out of Memphis soon. Most other teams that have disappointed so far is due to injuries, the Grizzlies though just had their star player regress to Rashaad McCants
I am still hesitant to believe the Thunder are going to repeat this season, and let me tell you why. For starters, the 2020s has seen the most parity in any decade since the 1970s. The changes to the “NBA meta”, I guess you could call it, and the changes to the salary cap system haven’t faltered the Thunder so far, but there’s still a lot of season to go and the West looks like it could give OKC some genuine competition this year from what I’m seeing. The Nuggets and the Spurs would be my biggest threats to watch out for if I’m a Thunder fan at this immediate moment in time, but being taken to Game 7 by last year’s Pacers team still worries me if I’m asking myself if this team can sustainably win multiple titles with their net efficiency. The playoffs are a very different environment than the regular season, and while a second title absolutely is not out of the question, I remember when people were saying the same things we’re seeing now about the Thunder- teams like the Bucks, the Celtics, and the aforementioned Nuggets to name a few were all briefly hyped up as the NBA’s next big thing only to fall flat in the postseason following their respective title runs. Even the 2022 Warriors team felt somewhat disconnected from the other teams of their dynasty due to the 2020 and 2021 seasons getting in the way of things (though to be fair, the state of California got absolutely smashed by the pandemic).
If any NBA team right now is going to repeat, it’s them, and the 2020s in general has seen multiple repeats in the other North American major sports leagues. That being said, recent history is not kind to teams in the Thunder’s situation and that’s not accounting for the fact that should the Thunder make it back to the finals they could very possibly get a harder matchup than the Pacers last season.
If any NBA team right now is going to repeat, it’s them, and the 2020s in general has seen multiple repeats in the other North American major sports leagues. That being said, recent history is not kind to teams in the Thunder’s situation and that’s not accounting for the fact that should the Thunder make it back to the finals they could very possibly get a harder matchup than the Pacers last season.
My response to this is that the Thunder were 18-1 through 19 games with the highest point differential in NBA history (through 19 games) at a 16.5ppg victory margin. This was without Jalen Williams, who was third team All-NBA last year and a key piece of the championship team. The Thunder are now 20-1, the last two games being close ones, but as they reintegrate Williams into the lineup they’re going to be a better team than the one that set the record for ppg differential through 19 games. That’s scary. I wouldn’t put money on them to hit 73 wins quite yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they matched or exceeded last year’s total of 68.
Their biggest competition is in the West for sure. It’s not a cakewalk by any means and you’re right, the playoffs are a different animal. But this team now has playoff experience in addition to their regular season success. They know what it takes to grind out wins and achieve the ultimate goal. I think once they get over the hump in the WCF it should be a given that they’re beating anyone coming out of a relatively weak East.
The Thunder have the reigning MVP and while he’s not the best player in the league (still think it’s Jokic), Shai is a superstar that can and will lead the way. I said don’t put your money on them breaking the win record, but I would take them over the field when it comes to a championship. Like I said preseason, we have a dynasty in the making here and I don’t think that’s an overreaction.
Their biggest competition is in the West for sure. It’s not a cakewalk by any means and you’re right, the playoffs are a different animal. But this team now has playoff experience in addition to their regular season success. They know what it takes to grind out wins and achieve the ultimate goal. I think once they get over the hump in the WCF it should be a given that they’re beating anyone coming out of a relatively weak East.
The Thunder have the reigning MVP and while he’s not the best player in the league (still think it’s Jokic), Shai is a superstar that can and will lead the way. I said don’t put your money on them breaking the win record, but I would take them over the field when it comes to a championship. Like I said preseason, we have a dynasty in the making here and I don’t think that’s an overreaction.