Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports As the NBA regular season rapidly approaches, we take a look at some of the highly motivated players that have a lot to prove in the imminent 2022-23 season. Motivation is a powerful angle in the NBA. Redemption is an even more powerful driving force of narrative. Amidst the squeaking of
NBA Season Preview
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports As the 2022-23 NBA season rapidly approaches, we take a look at some of the players who are especially hoping to stay healthy and on the court this year. The old adage “availability is the best ability” holds a lot of truth in the NBA. While helpful and wise words from
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) With so many veterans returning from injury, All-Star rosters should be loaded. But these five players could slip through as first-time All-Stars Thanks to a combination of injuries and age-related decline, the 2022 NBA All-Star Game was missing some familiar faces and featured seven first-time
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports With only a couple of days until NBA preseason, we are sifting through the current rosters to find the players that have been with each team the longest. It is no secret that roster turnover is a prevalent part of today’s NBA. The days of truly emphasizing continuity and familiarity
In 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended Kevin Love‘s contract through 2022. Three years later, it’s no longer clear where he fits on the rebuilding team. When the Cavaliers traded for Kevin Love in the summer of 2014, it was clear what the goal was. They wanted him to team up with Kyrie Irving and LeBron
Every NBA season is worth being excited about. Here are 50 reasons to celebrate the start of the upcoming season. The last two seasons have not gone the way anyone would have expected or hoped. With the coronavirus pandemic shifting and shortening the league schedule, the rhythms of the season have been interrupted, each wrapping
Entering his third season, how much of his game has New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson unveiled? With a full season officially under New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson’s belt, we got to see the dominance that made him a viral sensation in high school, executed at the NBA level. Playing with a poorly built roster,
Western Conference teams have posted a winning record against Eastern Conference teams in 12 straight seasons. Will that change in 2021-22? Between the rise of small-ball and the proliferation of 3-point shooting, the NBA has undergone seismic changes over the past decade. Throughout it all, Western Conference teams have consistently dominated their Eastern Conference counterparts
Going into his third season, the Ja Morant appears poised to make The Leap. Can he be the player the Grizzlies have never had? On May 14, 2019, I spent the majority of my day thinking about a 6.6 percent chance. The NBA Draft Lottery was that night, and those were the odds that the
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers. (Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot to prove this season after the most tumultuous offseason in the NBA. They may have the most important questions to answer in basketball. The Philadelphia 76ers spent the entire offseason in the NBA news cycle. They gave content to
Oct 4, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Drew Eubanks (14) in the first half at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports One of the greatest storylines in the NBA last season was Mike Conley’s All-Star Game appearance. Which player can
Washington Wizards forward Kyle KuzmaMandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports With the 2021-22 NBA season scheduled to begin soon, these five players have the most to prove this season. The NBA off-season is a time filled with hot takes, trade and free agency rumors, player rankings and a lot of criticisms. While media discusses this
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) The Golden State Warriors are a team with a lot of questions surrounding the team. Which ones weigh the most on the team heading into the season? It seems like forever ago that the Golden State Warriors were the quintessential star of
With small-ball grand chancellors Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni gone, an air of uncertainty surrounds the Houston Rockets. Here lie their five biggest questions for 2020-21. 1. What are the odds James Harden is still on the roster past the 2021 trade deadline? Very slim. Like, the opposite of how James Harden showed up to
Coming off a surprise run to the conference finals, the Denver Nuggets are in the thick of the West’s top tier. Can they meet these new expectations? 1. Who leads the Nuggets in scoring this season — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr.? Murray. His performance in The Bubble was incredible: 26.5 points
The Atlanta Hawks made significant upgrades to a young roster this offseason. Will it be enough to surge into the playoffs? 1. Would what it take for Trae Young to finish in the top-5 in MVP voting? Any answer to this question obviously accepts a rather rosy outlook on Atlanta’s 2021 prospects, but any path
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a totally new team after myriad changes this past offseason. Here are five big questions facing the Thunder this season. 1. Which is the higher number: Future first-round draft picks owed to the Thunder or the number of OKC wins in 2020-21? According to my count, Oklahoma City has a
The Milwaukee Bucks got a point guard upgrade in Jrue Holiday and a long term commitment from Giannis Antetokounmpo. What comes next? 1. All else being equal, how significant is the point guard upgrade from Eric Bledsoe to Jrue Holiday? It’s enormously significant, and not in any one specific area as in the way Holiday
The Heat caught fire en route to an NBA Finals appearance last season, but it will be difficult for Miami to match that feat this year. Erik Spoelstra and his coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for their work to get the Heat playing their best basketball at the right time last season. They
Luka Dončić and the Mavericks surged into the playoffs last season behind a historically efficient offense. Does the 2021 season have another leap in store? 1. Will Dallas’ push for a more balanced roster impact their league-leading offense from last year? Probably, but not so much that the Mavericks can’t contend for the top spot
What’s the best-case scenario for the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ young trio of guards? How do Kevin Love and Andre Drummond work together? We answer these questions and more in our Cavaliers 2020-21 season preview. 1. Who is the Cavaliers’ best youngster in 2020-21? It’s Collin Sexton. This is absolutely not the Collin Sexton that you saw
The Charlotte Hornets landed LaMelo Ball in the draft and Gordon Hayward in free agency. What does the 2020-21 season have in store for them? 1. Who is the Hornets’ third-most important offensive player? P.J. Washington. The Hornets‘ offense is going to rely heavily, on the talents of their individual shot creators and, when healthy,
The Washington Wizards resisted the urge to blow things up and brought in Russell Westbrook to flank Bradley Beal. Here are their five biggest questions for 2020-21. 1. Russell Westbrook + Bradley Beal = ?? WASHINGTON’S GLORIOUS RETURN TO THE POSTSEASON! Yes, the Eastern Conference continues to grow stronger but those bottom-rung playoff seeds are
The San Antonio Spurs saw their multi-decade playoff streak broken last year. Are they ready to start a new one? Is there an NBA team run by Jawas? The real issue with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan is that they have outlived their usefulness in the basketball world. The words are cruel, but so is
The Raptors managed to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, but will that be enough to keep them in the hunt for an Eastern Conference title? Masai Ujiri and the Raptors front office quietly had a lot of work to do this offseason. They managed to retain Fred VanVleet which was crucial for the team’s
One of the biggest players of the offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers made a splash in their chase for a championship. Here are their five big questions for them heading into 2020-21. 1. Is Robert Covington the wing Portland has been waiting for? The Blazers spent all of last season putting a band-aid on the
After a disappointing 2019-20 campaign, can the Philadelphia 76ers bounce back under new head coach Doc Rivers and new team president Daryl Morey? The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2019-20 NBA season on the shortlist of title favorites. Nine months later, the Boston Celtics demoralized them with a first-round playoff sweep. Their sixth-place finish in the
The Orlando Magic enter this year hoping internal consistency and growth will help them stay competitive in a suddenly more crowded Eastern Conference. Here are their five biggest questions for 2020-21. 1. An impossible task: Try your best to explain what the Orlando Magic’s goal is for this season. What is a good season for
The Knicks avoided making any big mistakes in free agency, but did the front office do enough to contend for the playoffs this season? Tom Thibodeau’s arrival in New York is supposed to bring respectability to the Knicks. What’s unclear is whether or not he’ll have the talent required to push this roster into the
The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking to rebound after a rough 2019-20 season. Below are five questions about the team that need to be answered. 1. Who is in the Timberwolves’ starting backcourt? Timberwolves’ head coach Ryan Saunders has not kept his desire to frequently employ a two lead-guard lineup a secret in the build-up to