Courtesy of Markus Spiske
October is one of the best months in professional American sports. The MLB playoffs are reaching their climax, the NFL season is in full swing, and the first pucks have dropped in the NHL. Additionally, the NBA is tipping off for another exciting campaign. Here are some of the key teams and storylines to watch this season.
Eastern Conference:
Milwaukee Bucks: Is Damian Lillard the missing piece?
The 2021 NBA Champions made waves this offseason by acquiring all-star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trailblazers, seeing their title odds jump to the favorites. After their 2021 title, the Bucks have crashed out of the playoffs in disappointing fashion the past two years, and last year most embarrassingly in the first round as the number one overall seed. Milwaukee is looking to capitalize on superstar Giannis Antetokounpo’s prime, and adding Lillard to the core of Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez gives Milwaukee one of the most formidable starting fives in the league. But there are significant questions about their lack of depth off of the bench, and about their perimeter defense, where Lillard has been atrocious throughout his entire career, despite his offensive prowess. These concerns could be Milwaukee’s undoing in the playoffs, but they should still be viewed as the favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals in June.
Boston Celtics: Is shaking up the old core the answer?
For much of the past decade the Celtics have always been the bridesmaid, and never the bride. They have consistently gone deep into the playoffs since 2015, but all they have to show for it is a series of disappointing losses in the Eastern Conference Finals and a loss in the NBA Finals in 2022. With concerns about the team growing stale, General Manager Brad Stevens shook up the roster around star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Longtime defensive ace and energy guy Marcus Smart was traded to Memphis, and then later replaced by Jrue Holiday via another trade. Robert Williams III has given way to Kristaps Porzingis, who has always shown flashes, but has historically disappointed at every stop he’s been at in the NBA. It was clear that Boston needed to shake something up after another playoff disappointment last season, but replacing Smart with Holiday feels redundant, even if it is a slight upgrade, and the Porzingis addition is uninspiring and risky.
Western Conference:
Denver Nuggets: Who can stop them?
The defending champs are coming off one of the more dominant playoff runs in recent memory. The Nuggets cruised to last year’s title, turning in the best playoff record (16-4) by a champion since the juggernaut 2016/17 Golden State Warriors. Led by Nikola Jokic, who firmly planted his flag as the league’s best player last season, they are an offensive juggernaut perfectly constructed around the Serbian big man. Jamal Murray is the perfect sidekick to Jokic, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr. fit in seamlessly. Losing key role player Bruce Brown hurts, but Denver should be able to fill that void. The only question they have left to answer is whether or not they are prepared to play this season with the target on their backs that comes with being the defending champion. Denver is the undisputed favorite, and as of now they are head and shoulders above not only everyone in the West, but above the entire league.
Phoenix Suns: Can this superteam of mercenaries translate their play style to postseason success?
It’s hard to deny that this team feels anything but organic, but also impossible to deny that Phoenix has one of the best collections of superstar talent in the league currently. Devin Booker has ascended to become the best shooting guard in the NBA. He is the face of this Suns team, and a potential MVP candidate. Last season’s trade for superstar forward Kevin Durant and this offseason’s trade for scoring machine Bradley Beal gave Phoenix a scary collection of talent, but a collection that is not without questions. Durant isn’t getting any younger, and has dealt with significant injury issues over the past four seasons of his career. While he is still an incredible scorer, he doesn’t get to the rim the way he used to. Beal’s numbers have always been gaudy, but it’s a fair question to ask whether or not he’s just a “good numbers on a bad team” kind of player, because that’s all he’s been for most of his career. And then there’s the question of defense. None of Phoenix’s three stars are particularly good defenders. Durant was, once upon a time, but age and injury have taken away his defensive prowess. There are also questions of depth. While the talent collection is impressive, teams constructed in this manner haven’t made any real deep runs in recent years.
Los Angeles Lakers: Can they carry over the momentum from last season?
After a disastrous year and a half, the Lakers finally hit their stride last spring, making it to the Western Conference Finals. They return largely the same core that got them there, highlighted of course by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Austin Reaves’ emergence as a legitimate third star last season was a massive reason for the Lakers’ run. Questions do remain, however. The Lakers had no answer for Jokic in the West Finals. Additionally, James and Davis are both very injury prone and James isn’t getting any younger (he’s currently the oldest player in the NBA). Equally concerning is Davis’ habit of disappearing in big moments. The Lakers have a championship ceiling, but their floor is also incredibly low, given all of the volatile variables on their roster.
Golden State Warriors: The twilight of a dynasty.
The Warriors have defined the past decade of basketball. After four titles and six Finals appearances, they have nothing left to prove, and are playing with house money. Their 2022 title win sealed the legacy and legendary status of Stephen Curry and his co-stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. However, the team is hungry for a fifth ring, to match the Lakers and Spurs title count for the highest total since Michael Jordan’s Bulls. Last season was the most drama filled campaign the Warriors had experienced. The animosity between Green and Jordan Poole (who was traded to the Wizards this offseason) hung over the team like a cloud, the defense struggled, injuries persisted, key swingman Andrew Wiggins missed half the season for a personal reason, and it culminated in an embarrassing loss to the Lakers in the second round. This year’s roster has returned to many of the principles that originally built this dynasty: solid veteran playmaking, prioritizing fit and defense, and with athleticism sprinkled in. The acquisition of longtime nemesis Chris Paul should stabilize the second unit, and the Warriors will count on improvements from Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, and the steady, vital presence of Wiggins and Kevon Looney. Ultimately, this team will go as far as Curry, Thompson and Green take them. There’s no concern about Curry. He’s still at the peak of his powers and showing no signs of slowing down. Thompson and Green, however, looked old and mortal for much of last season. If they can replicate the lightning in a bottle of the 2022 title run, the Warriors will be one of the most dangerous title contenders in the league, and can potentially capture an incredible fifth title since 2015. If not, they could flame out in disappointing fashion early in the playoffs again. Either way, with their core aging, every individual season has the potential to be the last dance all together for the legendary trio of Curry, Thompson and Green.
NBA Finals Prediction:
Nuggets over Bucks in 6
