What I\u2019m most looking forward to \u2026<\/p>\n
Seeing all the fruits borne of an incredible summer of player movement. It feels like three years ago that Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Heat, because since then, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James went to the 76ers<\/a>, and a ton of other deck chairs were reshuffled. This is the most intriguing NBA opening week in eons. Claire de Lune<\/p>\n Washington and Utah clawing their way out of the doldrums. Both have been in perpetual poverty for almost half a decade. Both now surround young cores of switchy, two-way wings with playoff-tested veterans like Anthony Davis and Jaren Jackson Jr. Lee Escobedo<\/p>\n The NBA\u2019s great chemistry experiment. After a summer in which Antetokounmpo landed in Miami and LeBron and Brown somehow wound up together in Philadelphia, the league feels like someone hit the reset button. Whether any of these hastily assembled superteams can actually function together is another question entirely. I\u2019m particularly interested in how quickly the novelty wears off and the finger-pointing begins. Bryan Armen Graham<\/p>\n Can I be a homer and pick da Bulls? It appears they have their own generational Caleb \u2013 Caleb Wilson \u2013 to match the dynamic Bears quarterback, and the North Carolina prospect has looked like a draft steal since falling to fourth overall. Mix in the free-agent signing of Norman Powell (a veteran tough guy who expands his offensive range each year) and the addition of Tiago Splitter (a Gregg Popovich disciple who spurred Portland to a surprising playoff campaign last year), and these young Bulls sure look ready to run again. Andrew Lawrence<\/p>\n A healthy Indiana Pacers team. I watched a lot of Pacers games last season, convinced they\u2019d still be a playoff team as Tyrese Haliburton recovered from a torn Achilles \u2013 their magical run to the NBA finals in 2025 was very much a team effort \u2013 only to realize in dismay how Haliburton was not only the team\u2019s beating heart, but the engine of their offense. Now Hali is back, Myles Turner is out, Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre Jr are in, and I am glued to my couch with a big bucket of popcorn. Owen Lewis<\/p>\n LeBron\u2019s time with the 76ers will be \u2026<\/p>\n Irrelevant to his legacy. For all the hand-wringing and consternation about what will or won\u2019t happen for LeBron and the 76ers in his tenure there, it\u2019s ultimately a moot point. The (presumably) last stop of his storied career is a coda on what will likely go down as the greatest career in the history of the sport. Another ring would just be a cherry on top. CDL<\/p>\n Not how he imagined. Joel Embiid had the unmitigated gall to announce he\u2019s \u201cagainst the concept of sacrificing\u201d<\/a>. This leaves five starters with All-Star appetites fighting over one ball. Recent champions won with a legible hierarchy, a pecking order that settles crunch time and dictates the counter when defenses load up. Tyrese Maxey, coming off a career-high 28.3 points a game, belongs atop the pile. He and VJ Edgecombe will pay most for its absence. LE<\/p>\n A magnificent circus. Philadelphia have spent more than four decades searching for the combination that will deliver another NBA championship, and now they\u2019ve turned to a 41-year-old billionaire who would apparently rather be in New York<\/a>. There will be spectacular nights, inevitable injuries, endless debates about load management and probably a few helicopter-related controversies<\/a>. Whether any of it adds up to a championship is almost beside the point. The Sixers have become the most fascinating reality show in American sports. BAG<\/p>\n Eventful. It already has been with him choppering back and forth from New York and media and fans scrambling to trace leaks about Embiid\u2019s perceived commitment back to his camp, reportedly keen to arrange a reunion with Davis. If the Sixers\u2019 Monstar team don\u2019t jump out to an early lead in the East \u2013 or worse, falter in Eagles-like fashion \u2013 the King risks courting the most intense scrutiny of his basketball career from a fanbase that\u2019s already on his case before he\u2019s even played. AL<\/p>\n Counting on the health of a 41-year-old LeBron and Embiid\u2019s knees \u2013 to this point proven to have the durability of Cheez-Its \u2013 seems unwise. This team is bursting at the seams with star power, but it\u2019d be easy for injuries and a clunky fit to yank them off the rails before they ever find their rhythm. Still, in the name of delusional optimism and LeBron\u2019s career so far: thrilling and tumultuous. OL<\/p>\n Young player to make the superstar leap \u2026Dylan Harper is set to be a force for the Spurs this season. Photograph: Ross D Franklin\/AP<\/p>\n Dylan Harper was arguably San Antonio\u2019s most consistent player in their finals run last season \u2026 as a rookie. The sky is the limit for this insanely talented NBA nepo baby, and I think we see him as an All-Star and maybe even a fringe All-NBA player this year. CDL<\/p>\n Alex Sarr\u2019s field-goal percentage jumped from 39.4% as a rookie to 48.2% last season<\/a>. He reads the short roll like a guard and attacks closeouts off the dribble. Trae Young should make him a premier lob threat for the Wizards. Remember Clint Capela shooting 64.6% off Young\u2019s passes in 2020-21<\/a>? The next frontier is individual defense beyond his two blocks a night, and he now apprentices himself to Davis, a five-time All-Defensive selection. LE<\/p>\n Amen Thompson. The athletic gifts have never been in question. What makes the Rockets star so tantalizing is the possibility that his offensive game catches up with the havoc he already wreaks defensively. Houston have enough talent around him that he won\u2019t have to manufacture everything himself, but there\u2019s a version of Thompson who becomes the Rockets\u2019 most important player on both ends of the floor. That version may arrive sooner than anyone expects. BAG<\/p>\n One could argue that Cade Cunningham is already there after leading Detroit to the east\u2019s top seed and otherwise filling out the box score like he did last year. This year, though, I think is when more fans recognize that the Oklahoma State product belongs in the same conversation with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Joki\u0107 et al. And if all the work Cunningham put in during the offseason to improve his three-point accuracy bears fruit, the Pistons could have a serious MVP contender on their roster. AL<\/p>\n Cooper Flagg. The 19-year-old spent last season playing the point on an undermanned Mavericks squad, but nonetheless put up 51-, 49-, 45-, and 42-point nights. With Kyrie Irving back from a long layoff with a torn ACL, Flagg stands to excel even further with a talented second option beside him in his sophomore season. OL<\/p>\n This season\u2019s villain arc will be supplied by\u2026<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama seems quite content to take on the role as villain. It was a cumbersome fit, at first: it\u2019s hard to seem like the bad guy when you\u2019re playing chess with fans in the park and bemoaning the trappings of sports betting<\/a>. But fresh off a finals drubbing, Wembanyama enters this season on a mission: destroy everything in his path. CDL<\/p>\n The owners, an American oligarchy in miniature. Miriam Adelson bankrolled Donald Trump<\/a>, who credited her family, from the Knesset rostrum, with shaping his Israel policy<\/a>. Steve Ballmer is serving a yearlong suspension for cap circumvention<\/a>. I traced Robert Pera\u2019s Ubiquiti radios<\/a> to Russia\u2019s drone war on Ukraine. Josh Kushner, brother of Trump\u2019s son-in-law, agreed to buy the Lakers<\/a>. My own team\u2019s owner<\/a> built a petty panopticon. LE<\/p>\n The NBA\u2019s gambling partners. Forget Draymond Green. The league\u2019s real villains are turning every possession into a speculative asset. With gambling scandals mounting, the NBA is already restricting certain bets<\/a> while its partners flood broadcasts with advertising. The actual basketball seems to be becoming a sideshow. BAG<\/p>\n LeBron, see above. AL<\/p>\n Doesn\u2019t James Dolan already have this title locked up? The Knicks got to enjoy their championship for all of five minutes before Dolan announced that they would not go into the second apron. Mitchell Robinson is now a Celtic. Karl-Anthony Towns is unhappy with extension talks<\/a>. Dolan is renting out Madison Square Garden to raise money for a GOP candidate<\/a>. Somebody find this man a competent PR manager, or a moral compass. OL<\/p>\n Most Valuable Player<\/p>\n Speaking of Victor Wembanyama, the MVP is his to lose. Barring a significant injury, I don\u2019t see anyone swiping either this award or defensive player of the year from him. He\u2019s fresh off a surprise finals berth, finished high in the MVP voting last year, and is rapidly making his case for the best player in the association. CDL<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama is inevitable. I raised the alarm<\/a> last year. The defensive player of the year adds MVP this season, a double nobody has managed since Giannis in 2020. No athlete since prime LeBron has bent physics like this. A man who thinks in myths and epics watched his own late turnover decide Game 2 of the finals, then watched the Knicks celebrate on his floor. He\u2019ll spend 82 games proving he never chokes again. LE<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama. This one feels overdue before it\u2019s even happened. Joki\u0107 remains the best offensive player alive, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 can bend entire defenses to his will and Gilgeous-Alexander has made ruthless efficiency his brand. But Wemby is becoming something none of them can match: a one-man defensive system who can also score 30 a night. Voter fatigue should take care of the rest. BAG<\/p>\n Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not only is he healthy, but he\u2019s got a squad around him that fits his lunch-pail personality and an organization that is seriously committed to winning championships. With shooters around him and Bam Adebayo on the floor for shutdown defense and an offensive spark, there\u2019s no telling how far Giannis can take the Heat \u2013 but any sort of rebound for this perennial play-in contender is likely to come down to his vintage brilliance. AL<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama. It\u2019s less that Joki\u0107 can\u2019t win his fourth MVP or Don\u010di\u0107 his first with especially potent offensive wizardry (voters are notoriously unlikely to give out three MVPs in a row, which rules out Gilgeous-Alexander) than that I think Wemby\u2019s unparalleled and ever-improving two-way superpowers will prove impossible to ignore. OL<\/p>\n Eastern Conference playoff teams<\/p>\n Knicks, 76ers, Celtics, Heat, Pacers, Raptors, Pistons, Cavaliers. CDL<\/p>\n Knicks, Pacers, Hawks, Heat, 76ers, Pistons, Cavaliers, Raptors. LE<\/p>\n Knicks, Celtics, Cavaliers, 76ers, Pacers, Pistons, Hawks, Heat. BAG<\/p>\n Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks, 76ers, Heat, Hawks. AL<\/p>\n Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, Pacers, Cavaliers, 76ers, Raptors, Hawks (sorry, Heat fans, I don\u2019t trust Giannis\u2019s health). OL<\/p>\n Western Conference playoff teams<\/p>\n Spurs, Thunder, Lakers, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Warriors. CDL<\/p>\n Spurs, Thunder, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Trail Blazers, Jazz (!). LE<\/p>\n Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Warriors, Mavericks. BAG<\/p>\n Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Rockets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Warriors, Mavericks. AL<\/p>\n Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Mavericks. OL<\/p>\n Eastern Conference finals<\/p>\n Knicks over 76ers. CDL<\/p>\n Knicks over Pacers LE<\/p>\n Celtics over Knicks. BAG<\/p>\n Knicks over 76ers. AL<\/p>\n Pacers over Knicks. OL<\/p>\n Western Conference finals<\/p>\n Spurs over Thunder. CDL<\/p>\n Timberwolves over Spurs LE<\/p>\n Thunder over Spurs. BAG<\/p>\n Spurs over Thunder. AL<\/p>\n Thunder over Spurs. OL<\/p>\n NBA finalsAre we heading for another Knicks title? Photograph: Ronald Cortes\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Spurs 4-3 Knicks. It\u2019s been the better part of a decade since we got an NBA finals rematch, and we\u2019re due. While the path out of the East will be tremendously more difficult this year, and the Spurs\u2019 path out of the West won\u2019t exactly be a picnic, either, the safe bet feels like a rematch of last year\u2019s finals. However, I do suspect a different outcome: with a deep playoff run of experience under San Antonio\u2019s belt, and Wemby fully embracing his villain arc (and the weightroom), I think this is the year he adds the first of several finals MVPs to his ever-expanding trophy cabinet. JF<\/p>\n Knicks 4-2 Timberwolves. New York had the best offensive rating<\/a> and the best defensive rating<\/a> of last postseason. The Knicks swept the conference semifinals and finals on the way to 13 straight wins, the second-longest run in a single postseason. Then they handed Wembanyama\u2019s Spurs a gentleman\u2019s sweep. Wipe away those tears and accept the defending champions. Minnesota spent the offseason building a deep, polymorphous roster around Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, and I respect it. All five Knicks starters return<\/a>, though, and in this league, continuity is king. Remember, with Jalen Brunson, anything is possible. LE<\/p>\n Thunder 4-2 Celtics. The NBA\u2019s fixation on parity has made picking a champion feel like throwing darts blindfolded, but Oklahoma City remain the closest thing the league has to a sustainable dynasty. Gilgeous-Alexander is still in his prime, the supporting cast is absurdly deep and last season\u2019s disappointment should provide ample motivation. Boston\u2019s experience carries them through the East, but the Thunder\u2019s athleticism and defensive versatility ultimately prove too much. The league gets another champion from a small market \u2013 ending an unprecedented run of eight different champions in eight seasons \u2013 and the rest of the NBA gets another reminder that continuity might actually matter. BAG<\/p>\n Spurs 4-1 Knicks. The Spurs get revenge and beat the Knicks, kicking off a new championship rivalry for the era. But this time, instead of riding Wemby till he runs out of gas or deferring to De\u2019Aaron Fox in the clutch, Mitch Johnson puts the onus on Harper \u2013 who makes the leap from supersub to superstar to finals MVP. He and Wemby emerge as the Shaq and Kobe of their day, with San Antonio fans holding their breath in hopes that their egos remain modest and keep this dynasty in the making from blowing up in Kawhi-like fashion. AL<\/p>\n