Time for my Tuesday rankings, and with the NBA season getting cranked up tonight there are so many delicious storylines to sink our teeth into this season. The league has as much star quality and parity as we’ve seen in years. We’ve got older stars like KD and LeBron still crushing it. New guys like Ja, Luka, and Tatum hitting the next level. The NBA is full of intrigue this year…and so…today’s top 5:
MOST INTERESTING STORYLINES TO FOLLOW IN THE NBA SEASON
5- Rebuilds- There are 4 levels of teams this year in the NBA, as there are most years…there’s the Contenders, the tough but not there-yets, the rebuilds, and the tankers…we can throw the Spurs, Jazz, and Thunder out immediately. That’s the tank group. But the rebuilding teams are fascinating. The Magic, Pistons, Kings, Rockets, Pacers…all have young talent that could be really fun to watch night to night.
4- The LA teams- Kawhi comes back for the Clippers and if he hasn’t lost a step or anything, you have to take them seriously in the West. And who knows what you’re getting from the Lakers. AD is back, Westbrook has been relegated to bench duty, and LeBron is chasing Kareem. They’ll be a saga all year.
3- Return of Zion- Let’s not forget, this Pelicans team was tough last year. They pushed the Suns in round 1 of the playoffs and really looked like they had something brewing. Now, they add a reportedly in-shape version of Zion who is ready to go night 1. The team could be exciting and just seeing him out on the floor. 2020 he averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
2- How the East and West Champs back it up- Its really hard to repeat in the NBA but the Warriors have made it look easy over the years…well, their core isn’t getting any younger. But what’s interesting about them is that they actually do have all of this young talent. Kuminga, Poole, and Wiseman…it could be a passing of the torch year or it could be a year where everything gels and they run through the league. And in Boston, my favorite team to watch last year, but with a new head coach and all sorts of drama, no idea what that will look like.
Number 1!- Old faces/New places- What does a guy like Donovan Mitchell do for the Cavs? Does the Rudy Gobert trade pay off for the T-Wolves? Dejounte Murray in Atlanta, is that enough? Always interesting to see how big name players impact new teams and all 3 of those squads could be contenders if things go right for them.
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