It is almost that time of year; the NBA Season starts on October 21st with an NBA on NBC (First time since 2002!) doubleheader. First, the Houston Rockets take on the defending champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then, the Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Lakers. Some other games to watch on opening days are the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers vs the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs vs the Dallas Mavericks.
Some key players to watch this year include the 1st overall draft pick, Cooper Flagg, who has been planted into a great situation with a competitive Mavericks team; they look like a serious threat in the West. Victor Wembanyama, who was injured midway through the season last year, looks to permanently establish himself as a top player in the league. Kevin Durant, who was traded to the Rockets in the offseason, is a name to watch. But perhaps the biggest of them all is Giannis Antetokounmpo, due to the constant trade rumors that surround him.
Some of the same old teams in the league look like huge threats again, like the new-look Knicks or Rockets, or the defending-champion Thunder squad. The Nuggets should once again be a dangerous squad, as will the Cavaliers, and the Lakers will be interesting to see with LeBron James out for an extended period of time. Some teams look ready to take the next big step, like the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, or Dallas Mavericks. And don’t count out my dark horse teams this year, The San Antonio Spurs in the West and the Miami Heat in the East.
Look out for some new head coaches, too. Former Kings head coach Mike Brown leads the Knicks, and former Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott became head coach of the Phoenix Suns. The Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs promoted assistant coaches to fill their head coaching vacancies. These new faces include Brian Keefe, David Adelman, Doug Christie, Tuomas Iisalo, and Mitch Johnson, respectively. Tom Thibodeau (NYK), Mike Budenholzer (PHX), Wes Unseld Jr. (WAS, midseason firing), Michael Malone (DEN, midseason), Taylor Jenkins (MEM, midseason), and Gregg Popovich (SAS, promotion to team president) will not serve as head coaches this season.
Whatever the case may be with the best teams and best players, the NBA looks primed for a great season with many intriguing storylines. Last year the NBA saw a slight decrease in viewership during the regular season, but a massive increase in playoff viewership. Look for a slight increase in the popularity of the NBA this year in what should be another great year for the sport of Basketball.
