“
The NBA is back! Bigger and better than ever. The stakes are bigger. The teams are bigger. Even the rookies are bigger.
The NBA is back! Bigger and better than ever. The stakes are bigger. The teams are bigger. Even the rookies are bigger.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) season is fast approaching, and there have been many changes during this past offseason. From major players switching teams to new coaches altering the game plan in a competitive Western Conference, here are 5 things we are looking forward to in the upcoming NBA season.
Offseason Moves
Some of the biggest news to come out of the NBA offseason is always the moves that are made. Some come from signings, others come from trades. One that none of us expected was the Minnesota Timberwolves trading their star centre, Karl-Anthony Towns, to the New York Knicks.
In return, the Wolves received Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick. Although Leon Rose, the New York Knicks President, is stoked with the move claiming Towns is “a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league,” many NBA fans are left scratching their head. What do you do with the always-injured Mitchell Robinson? Can you play these guys on the court together? Why not just leave it to the Mikal Bridges signing for your big offseason moves?
On one hand, the Timberwolves get off the KAT money (4 years, $220 million) and move onto a ball-dominant all-star. How does this look for them with the rise of Anthony Edwards?
In an already competitive Western Conference, the Wolves will look to sure up their offense by adding a shooter in DiVincenzo and a mid-post threat in Randle but the question of “How will the spacing look?” rises quickly.
At worst, this is a 2-year rental of Randle who is in a player-option year, and the addition of a 40% 3-point shooting guard who averages 1.2 SPG for his career. Yes, the spacing looks bad. Yes, it looks like a move for the money. Yes, Edwards will be the guy. But history tells us that Randle plays better in a contract year and when he isn’t the main guy, time will tell, but this is a win for both sides, even if it is lateral.
On the other hand, the Knicks are giving up DiVincenzo and Randle for Towns. The numbers don’t stack up across the board with Towns averaging 21.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3 APG on 50/42/87 splits in 62 games versus the Knicks duo of 39 PPG, 13 RPG, 9 APG. But, when you take a step back and add the Mikal Bridges element into it, this was a good move for the Knicks. Essentially, they moved Randle, an All Star, and DiVincenzo, a good two-way spot-up shooter, for Towns and Bridges, a proven All Star and a prolific 3 & D wing who can guard 1-4. Is all this to complete with the Philadelphia 76ers move into Paul George-Ville?
With the rise of Tyrese Maxey, the signing of Paul George is an interesting one. The ego-less guard was already playing second-fiddle to superstar Joel Embiid and saw a great uptick in numbers after the James Harden trade, making his first All Star appearance and bagging him the 2023-24 Most Improved Player (MIP) Award.
But, with George coming to town, one must argue that although the 76ers do get better, there is always only one ball on the court. Will this allow for Embiid to take extra games off, much like the LA Clippers wanted with the George/Leonard duo? Or, will we see pandemonium ensue due to the inability to get enough touches for the MVP, MIP, and future Hall-of-Famer? Only time will tell as Nick Nurse gears up for his 7th year as a Head Coach.
Coaching Changes
Speaking of coaches, the LA Lakers are taking a stab on NBA Analyst and former shooting guard, JJ Redick. Redick, who played in the NBA for 15 years, has tremendous knowledge on the basketball court, shown off-court in his podcast adventures on Old Man and the Three as well as Mind the Game with now “teammate” LeBron James.
But it does beg the question as to whose team this is. We have seen it in the past where coaches are the figureheads of LeBron’s masterclass, and the roster hasn’t moved all that much. With the West growing ever stronger, was it the right move to get a new Head Coach in to brunt the load for this dynastic franchise? Do we really think this is the needle-pushing move to take the Lakers to the promised land?
Now, as said, Redick has proven his knowledge of the game repeatedly and might be the best person for the job, but will we see a Tyronne Lue/Steve Kerr/Pat Riley-esque arc for the former Duke Blue Devil? Only time will tell.
Another interesting signing for the Western Conference is the Phoenix Suns taking on Mike Budenholzer for the foreseeable future. Coach Bud famously helped the Milwaukee Bucks become a household name. Coaching the all-time talent in Giannis Antetokounmpo, a middleman in Khris Middleton, and a former all-star at the end of his career in Brook Lopez, to an NBA championship.
James Jones, Suns GM, is looking for a similar outcome in Phoenix this year behind his all-time talent Kevin Durant, a middleman in Devin Booker, and former All Star Bradley Beal who proved in the playoffs that not everyone was on the same page.
In the 2023/24 Playoffs, the trio was a staggering minus-51 against the Minnesota Timberwolves during their meteoric rise. Was this a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come? Nevertheless, Coach Bud has proven that he can coach some excellent teams, and being a product of Gregg Popovich, we are all excited to see what he brings to the table.
Rookie Draft Class
This rookie draft class leaves a lot to be desired with the number 3 pick, Reed Sheppard to the Houston Rockets, already being considered the steal of the draft.
Sheppard lit the world on fire with his Summer League stats posting 20 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 2.7 SPG on 57% True Shooting. The question begs, where can you find a spot for him on this vibrant and young Rockets team? The 6’2” Shooting Guard won’t start ahead of phenom Jalen Green. He is too small to shift to the Small Forward ahead of Dillon Brooks. The money paid to Fred Van Vleet (3 years, $129 million) makes no sense to come off the bench. The Rockets have a gluttony of young talent there, not to mention Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, and Tari Eason. It is a happy problem to have, but one that needs to have an eye kept on.
The Father-Son Duo of James’ Squared is another one to keep close. Bronny James, son of LeBron James Senior, has been guaranteed a 4-year, $7.9 million deal to be with the LA Lakers. Does this mean coach Redick plans to play him? Or will the media get their field day, and he will make his way to South Bay in the G League to mature? Time will tell this story, but another one to keep an eye out for... purely for nostalgic reasons.
2nd-Year Bumps
If you didn’t think that, Victor Wembanyama could get any bigger or any better, think again.
The offseason signing of Chris Paul might be the best thing for his career. Paul, now in the twilight of his career, seems to be doing a different kind of chase than for rings. He wants to educate and who better to educate than the game-changer himself, Wembanyama, “the Alien”. Moving from the Thunder to train SGA, to the Suns to help Booker, to the Warriors to play back-up behind the greatest shooter of all time Stephen Curry, Paul looks to his next target.
Wemby, the Rookie of the Year phenom, averaged 21.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.6 BPG on 47/33/80 shooting, narrowly missed out on Defensive Player of the Year accolades, looks to take the next step next season.
Battle of the West
Finally, we turn to the question that is always raised: Who is going to miss out in the West? There are so many good teams in the West and you can make an argument for most of them to come through. Will it be the rise of Anthony Edwards taking the Timberwolves to the next level? What about the 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic & the Denver Nuggets? Could we see the young-gun Thunder led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Chet Holmgren accelerate the future dominance of Oklahoma City in the West?
It is probably easier to look at the other end of the scale. The LA Clippers have lost one of the most dynamic scorers in recent years, Paul George, and you wonder where they are going to find the two-way ability with the injury-prone Kawhi Leonard having to step up. They’re likely out of the playoffs.
The Memphis Grizzlies get back Ja Morant after a year of turmoil, but you wonder how he will impact without a consistent centre like he has had in the past in Steven Adams. They're likely to miss out.
The Portland Trailblazers no longer have “Dame Time” to bail them out of holes they dig for themselves, and it is hard to win with no real superstar. The Utah Jazz, although signing Australia’s son Patty Mills, made next to no moves outside of keeping Lauri Markkenan away from the Warriors – they're probably out, too.
The West is stronger than ever, and the battle is going to be fierce. Grab your popcorn, rep your NBA fangear and enjoy the show.