What’s in Store for the NBA?
The 2023-24 NBA season is underway, and there are already a lot of surprises and many takeaways to be made.
In the East, a lot has stayed the same. Although, the Pacers did move up a lot; record-wise, they are the third-best team in the East. This is mostly because of a massive step up by Tyrese Haliburton, who will probably lead the NBA in assists with no problem at the end of this season. Speaking of the top three teams, the Celtics are looking extremely dangerous. They won their first five games of the year, proving to everyone that a top-heavy NBA team without a strong bench can actually win games. The Magic being as high as the team is right now is interesting to me, especially considering how young they are. Are they legitimately going to make the playoffs this year? I think it really matters how they square up against the good teams. The two Star Players in New York on opposing teams, Julius Randle and Cam Thomas, have taken different paths. Julius Randle has started to pick it up after a very rough first week of the season (even though he’s still shooting 31.6%), and I see that he’s been rebounding the ball like a center, and not touching it in scoring opportunities as he’s done in years past. Meanwhile, Cam Thomas of the Nets is having an amazing stretch so far in the season, proving to everyone that he still doesn’t need to pass the ball. Even though his team is 4-5 and not poised to have a great season, some are wondering if he can take the scoring title. Two young centers in the East are also playing better than anyone expected them to. Mark Williams of the Hornets and Jalen Duren of the Pistons are both rebounding out of their minds and can become two of the most dominant big men in the NBA soon. Finally, what is going on with the Cavaliers? They have easily one of the best starting lineups in the NBA and they have been producing way below expectations. Although, I see them picking it back up.
Contrary to the East – in the West, a lot has changed. Which Slavic Superstar will win the MVP at the end of the year? One week into the season and I see the race being narrowed down to Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic. The offense in Golden State has become more Steph Curry-centric than ever before. He’s averaging 30 points (almost twice as much as the next guy) and his team is 6-4. Klay Thompson probably will never have another 40+ point game in his career, and Chris Paul is just passing at this point. The only question now is how sustainable is giving the ball to Curry and praying? The Houston Rockets rebuild will be studied in a lab a decade from now. At 5-3 right now, they have the perfect mix of veterans and young players. They seem to have no problem without Kevin Porter Jr. and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. What’s wrong with the Suns? They have such a star-studded, win-now lineup that has been losing so far. They must have a successful season, or else the next few years will be tough sledding. There’s a similar situation with the Clippers. With three aging superstars in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden, it’s tough to ignore the fact that they have the oldest roster in the NBA, and to make matters worse – they’re 3-5. It may be time for the super teams in the Western Conference of my childhood to slip below stardom and start anew. A team that’s just now on the rise is the San Antonio Spurs with Victor Wembanyama, who I have no clue what to make of right now. Sure, he scored 38 points against Kevin Durant a week ago, but he hasn’t exploded like everyone expected the 19-year-old to. Give him a month or two and he’ll be scoring 25 every night. So far, we’re seeing how pivotal Ja Morant was for the Grizzlies, who are 1-8 without him and still won’t have him for an additional 16 games.
There are so many ongoing
storylines in the NBA that we can’t wait to see play out, and there will
definitely be many more to come.
