The Top 10 Most Exciting Things to Look For in the 2017-18 Season
Today is the opening day of the 2017-18 season! Just about two hours and the first game will be underway, and I am so excited. Here are the top 10 things that I am excited for this season.
1. Minnesota's Return to the Playoffs
The T-Wolves have not played a postseason game since their 6 game conference finals against the Lakers in 2004. From Kevin Love to Ricky Rubio, to Andrew Wiggins, to KAT, the Timberwolves have always seemed to have so much potential but fell short. This year, after their brilliant, franchise-altering off-season, it looks like they will return. Adding key pieces Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and, most notably, two-way star Jimmy Butler, Minnesota seems like a sure bet to make it to the playoffs, despite their competitive conference.
2. The All-Star Game
If you were unaware, the NBA is completely changing the All-Star game format this season! I don't know if it was because of the completely uncompetitive prediction of East vs. West, but if not, this was good timing. We would have been watching LeBron and Giannes against Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, KD, KAT, Paul George, James Harden, and more. This year, 12 all stars will still be chosen from each conference, BUT the catch is that the two players with the most all star votes will be chosen as team captains where they will then select their guards and forwards to match up. This will make for a competitive game once again. Never will it be as good as 2001, but maybe closer ;)
3. New-look teams
I understand Minnesota is one of the big new-look teams, and I dedicated a whole number to them, but it's just because the other new looks already looked good. OKC has been good, Boston has been good, Houston has been good, and of course Cleveland. But these teams have all just been made better somehow! OKC has the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, which will definitely lower Russell Westbrook's insane numbers from last season, but from a team standpoint, they become a contender. With an ultimate triangle offense and... actually some defense for a change, they will not just ride on their point guard's 38 minute games and super-human durability to get to round 2 of the playoffs. Houston got Chris Paul which adds some good playmaking to their team. As much fun as it was to watch 50 three's a game go up, their offense looks so much better with an experienced point guard there to do what he does best. James Harden will still be able to work off of him, (you might see less assists, but) he will be putting up 50 point games and winning instead of losing. Boston adds Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to their roster, substituting their star point for another. Although Isaiah put up more points last season than Kyrie, they got the younger point guard who is just entering his prime and ready to lead a team. This might just be the leader they need. Gordon Hayward is perfect support because he's not as ball dominant as LeBron, but he will still make up for most of Kyrie and Al Horford's weak points. Now for Cleveland. When you have a team saying you want to leave, and your conference rivals offer up their star player and a starter.... you take it. We all know what Isaiah Thomas is, and although he's injured, it's not a big deal for him to play in the first half of the regular season. We all know they'll play in June. Crowder however fits perfectly with this team. His defensive side is much needed against Golden State's offense and his three point shot is one of the better on the weak shooting starting lineup of the Cavs until Isaiah comes back. Derrick Rose isn't MVP level anymore, but he can still take it to the whole. D-Wade is back with LeBron and they have won 2 championships together before. He knows how to work with the team. The only concern is that he has generally the same strong points and weak points as Derrick Rose and he's taking the starting spot of a shooter who disagrees. Also forcing the trade of Richard Jefferson, who was a brilliant role player for the Cavs in this last finals series, we will have to see what happens!
4. Centers of the Future:
My two favorites right now: Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. While they have completely opposite play styles, these two centers are monsters and it looks like both might just have monster seasons. The 76'ers are being extremely cautious with the minutes of Joel Embiid, while on the other hand, Denver can't have Jokic on the floor enough. He started the second half of the season last year and put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. If this guy is one you've never heard of, get on Youtube right now. He will change the game of basketball, and I would not be surprised if 1) he brings Denver to the 6th seed this year and 2) if he brings them to the 2 seed in 3 years. Joel Embiid is putting up crazy numbers too, only playing less than 15 minutes in two preseason games, we can see he's ready to put up the same 20, 7, and 2.5 blocks or more this season. He's fighting for more minutes, but injury has already been an insane threat to his career and the last thing we want to see is another Greg Monroe.
5. The race to Rookie of the Year!
Everyone wants to see Lonzo Ball play! He gave us a show in the summer league and was sensational up until October 2nd in preseason, when hurting his ankle. Many have him winning rookie of the year. The others: Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr., DeAaron Fox, or even potentials like Jayson Tatum or Malik Monk. Ben Simmons, the versatile point/forward in Philly has had a year to sit and get used to NBA Basketball before competing. My hopes is that he can transition more to a Small Forward role and give Markelle some playing time at point guard. He will be a dark horse, considering his lack of play time during preseason. Dennis Smith Jr., however, plays for my home team. The last franchise player of the Dallas Mavericks, 18 years ago, was a number nine pick, and Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson are hopeful that this is the same. A 6'2 point guard with an INSANE 48 inch vertical has already shown crazy explosiveness and talent. With Dallas' stance in the league right now, he just might get a lot of playing time to show off his skill. This is why someone like Jayson Tatum might not get it.
6. The race to MVP!
Could this be the year of the klaw?? Kawhi Leonard has been waiting patiently. Perhaps the quietest of the elites, he already has a finals MVP and some DPOY under his name. He has been the most consistent, (except maybe LeBron) of the elites and lots of fingers are pointing towards him to win it this year. Other names at the top would be LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and my favorite dark horse: Giannes Antetokounpo. (sp?) He is the one name on every list that is slapped on because it's possible. He could have a season just like Russell Westbrook did last year and lead his team to potentially 48 wins. It all depends on what he does. I believe.
7. Free Agency
Take a minute to look at this list of 2018 free agents... it says it all.
-Kevin Durant
-Lebron James
-Paul George
-Russell Westbrook
-Demarcus Cousins
-Isaiah Thomas
-Chris Paul
-Deandre Jordan
-Avery Bradley
-Zach LaVine
-Clint Capela
-Jabari Parker
-Jusuf Nurkic
-Aaron Gordon
-Marcus Smart
-Elfrid Payton
-Brook Lopez
-Danny Green
8. Coaching Changes??
The coaching staff in the NBA has been a little too stable lately... I'm predicting that when it changes, it will change a lot.
9. Rising Stars
The era I grew up in is old now. Dwade was the elite shooting guard, now James Harden. James Harden was a sixth man on an immature OKC team. Dwight Howard has to fight for his starting spot on the Hornets. Dirk Nowitzki is close to retirement and Tim Duncan isn't the best player on the Spurs. All this being said, here are my favorite young players to be stars:
-Devin Booker
-Kristaps Porzingis
-Jaylen Brown
-Brandon Ingram
-D'Angelo Russell
-Jabari Parker
-Myles Turner
-Karl Anthony Towns
Every new season is another step towards their prime. Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in his draft. Even one of the players we haven't seen play a regular season game yet could theoretically be a top 10 player of all time and all we can do is sit back and watch.
10. Last but not least, the finals.
Everyone predicts Golden State to win again. Sure, that's entirely probable. But a Cleveland win is not too hard to imagine. Last year, the Cavs led by 6 points with three minutes left in game 3. If they could have held out the win for three minutes, the series would have changed drastically. Imagine Golden State now with a 2-1 lead, come game four when Cleveland had an "on" game and Golden State had an "off." 2-2 and the Cavs would only have to take one more win in California. I think the Cavs got better after this offseason. The other option would be for the West to put up a fight and try to take out GS in their territory. We could see teams such as the Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder put up fights. The Spurs might have just as big of a chance to beat Golden State as Cleveland does, considering their perimeter defense and bench strength including Patty Mills and Rudy Gay. If Lamarcus Aldridge takes a lead and becomes that number two that Kawhi needs, they could have a chance.
Overall, this season might be a repeat playoffs-wise, but behind the scenes, there's so much going on to work for the future, from future stars on the rise, future dynasties forming, and game changing. This season will be exciting and by now, this first game is already underway!
note: RIP Celtics, I am really really bummed for Gordon Hayward :(
1. Minnesota's Return to the Playoffs
The T-Wolves have not played a postseason game since their 6 game conference finals against the Lakers in 2004. From Kevin Love to Ricky Rubio, to Andrew Wiggins, to KAT, the Timberwolves have always seemed to have so much potential but fell short. This year, after their brilliant, franchise-altering off-season, it looks like they will return. Adding key pieces Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, and, most notably, two-way star Jimmy Butler, Minnesota seems like a sure bet to make it to the playoffs, despite their competitive conference.
2. The All-Star Game
If you were unaware, the NBA is completely changing the All-Star game format this season! I don't know if it was because of the completely uncompetitive prediction of East vs. West, but if not, this was good timing. We would have been watching LeBron and Giannes against Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, KD, KAT, Paul George, James Harden, and more. This year, 12 all stars will still be chosen from each conference, BUT the catch is that the two players with the most all star votes will be chosen as team captains where they will then select their guards and forwards to match up. This will make for a competitive game once again. Never will it be as good as 2001, but maybe closer ;)
3. New-look teams
I understand Minnesota is one of the big new-look teams, and I dedicated a whole number to them, but it's just because the other new looks already looked good. OKC has been good, Boston has been good, Houston has been good, and of course Cleveland. But these teams have all just been made better somehow! OKC has the addition of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, which will definitely lower Russell Westbrook's insane numbers from last season, but from a team standpoint, they become a contender. With an ultimate triangle offense and... actually some defense for a change, they will not just ride on their point guard's 38 minute games and super-human durability to get to round 2 of the playoffs. Houston got Chris Paul which adds some good playmaking to their team. As much fun as it was to watch 50 three's a game go up, their offense looks so much better with an experienced point guard there to do what he does best. James Harden will still be able to work off of him, (you might see less assists, but) he will be putting up 50 point games and winning instead of losing. Boston adds Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to their roster, substituting their star point for another. Although Isaiah put up more points last season than Kyrie, they got the younger point guard who is just entering his prime and ready to lead a team. This might just be the leader they need. Gordon Hayward is perfect support because he's not as ball dominant as LeBron, but he will still make up for most of Kyrie and Al Horford's weak points. Now for Cleveland. When you have a team saying you want to leave, and your conference rivals offer up their star player and a starter.... you take it. We all know what Isaiah Thomas is, and although he's injured, it's not a big deal for him to play in the first half of the regular season. We all know they'll play in June. Crowder however fits perfectly with this team. His defensive side is much needed against Golden State's offense and his three point shot is one of the better on the weak shooting starting lineup of the Cavs until Isaiah comes back. Derrick Rose isn't MVP level anymore, but he can still take it to the whole. D-Wade is back with LeBron and they have won 2 championships together before. He knows how to work with the team. The only concern is that he has generally the same strong points and weak points as Derrick Rose and he's taking the starting spot of a shooter who disagrees. Also forcing the trade of Richard Jefferson, who was a brilliant role player for the Cavs in this last finals series, we will have to see what happens!
4. Centers of the Future:
My two favorites right now: Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. While they have completely opposite play styles, these two centers are monsters and it looks like both might just have monster seasons. The 76'ers are being extremely cautious with the minutes of Joel Embiid, while on the other hand, Denver can't have Jokic on the floor enough. He started the second half of the season last year and put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. If this guy is one you've never heard of, get on Youtube right now. He will change the game of basketball, and I would not be surprised if 1) he brings Denver to the 6th seed this year and 2) if he brings them to the 2 seed in 3 years. Joel Embiid is putting up crazy numbers too, only playing less than 15 minutes in two preseason games, we can see he's ready to put up the same 20, 7, and 2.5 blocks or more this season. He's fighting for more minutes, but injury has already been an insane threat to his career and the last thing we want to see is another Greg Monroe.
5. The race to Rookie of the Year!
Everyone wants to see Lonzo Ball play! He gave us a show in the summer league and was sensational up until October 2nd in preseason, when hurting his ankle. Many have him winning rookie of the year. The others: Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr., DeAaron Fox, or even potentials like Jayson Tatum or Malik Monk. Ben Simmons, the versatile point/forward in Philly has had a year to sit and get used to NBA Basketball before competing. My hopes is that he can transition more to a Small Forward role and give Markelle some playing time at point guard. He will be a dark horse, considering his lack of play time during preseason. Dennis Smith Jr., however, plays for my home team. The last franchise player of the Dallas Mavericks, 18 years ago, was a number nine pick, and Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson are hopeful that this is the same. A 6'2 point guard with an INSANE 48 inch vertical has already shown crazy explosiveness and talent. With Dallas' stance in the league right now, he just might get a lot of playing time to show off his skill. This is why someone like Jayson Tatum might not get it.
6. The race to MVP!
Could this be the year of the klaw?? Kawhi Leonard has been waiting patiently. Perhaps the quietest of the elites, he already has a finals MVP and some DPOY under his name. He has been the most consistent, (except maybe LeBron) of the elites and lots of fingers are pointing towards him to win it this year. Other names at the top would be LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and my favorite dark horse: Giannes Antetokounpo. (sp?) He is the one name on every list that is slapped on because it's possible. He could have a season just like Russell Westbrook did last year and lead his team to potentially 48 wins. It all depends on what he does. I believe.
7. Free Agency
Take a minute to look at this list of 2018 free agents... it says it all.
-Kevin Durant
-Lebron James
-Paul George
-Russell Westbrook
-Demarcus Cousins
-Isaiah Thomas
-Chris Paul
-Deandre Jordan
-Avery Bradley
-Zach LaVine
-Clint Capela
-Jabari Parker
-Jusuf Nurkic
-Aaron Gordon
-Marcus Smart
-Elfrid Payton
-Brook Lopez
-Danny Green
8. Coaching Changes??
The coaching staff in the NBA has been a little too stable lately... I'm predicting that when it changes, it will change a lot.
9. Rising Stars
The era I grew up in is old now. Dwade was the elite shooting guard, now James Harden. James Harden was a sixth man on an immature OKC team. Dwight Howard has to fight for his starting spot on the Hornets. Dirk Nowitzki is close to retirement and Tim Duncan isn't the best player on the Spurs. All this being said, here are my favorite young players to be stars:
-Devin Booker
-Kristaps Porzingis
-Jaylen Brown
-Brandon Ingram
-D'Angelo Russell
-Jabari Parker
-Myles Turner
-Karl Anthony Towns
Every new season is another step towards their prime. Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in his draft. Even one of the players we haven't seen play a regular season game yet could theoretically be a top 10 player of all time and all we can do is sit back and watch.
10. Last but not least, the finals.
Everyone predicts Golden State to win again. Sure, that's entirely probable. But a Cleveland win is not too hard to imagine. Last year, the Cavs led by 6 points with three minutes left in game 3. If they could have held out the win for three minutes, the series would have changed drastically. Imagine Golden State now with a 2-1 lead, come game four when Cleveland had an "on" game and Golden State had an "off." 2-2 and the Cavs would only have to take one more win in California. I think the Cavs got better after this offseason. The other option would be for the West to put up a fight and try to take out GS in their territory. We could see teams such as the Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder put up fights. The Spurs might have just as big of a chance to beat Golden State as Cleveland does, considering their perimeter defense and bench strength including Patty Mills and Rudy Gay. If Lamarcus Aldridge takes a lead and becomes that number two that Kawhi needs, they could have a chance.
Overall, this season might be a repeat playoffs-wise, but behind the scenes, there's so much going on to work for the future, from future stars on the rise, future dynasties forming, and game changing. This season will be exciting and by now, this first game is already underway!
note: RIP Celtics, I am really really bummed for Gordon Hayward :(
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