Opening Day and expectations for the NBA

Today marks the start of the 75th NBA season. There will be two games that will start us off, with the debut of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as a dynamic duo on the Nets, taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden-State Warriors, followed by the battle of LA between the Lakers and the Clippers, a classic rematch between LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. This is the first time the NBA will be playing in a non-bubble situation so there is more of a risk for players to contract the virus then when the bubble was enforced towards the end of last season and for the entirety of the playoffs. This season will have several covid protocols teams and players must abide by, as well as a shortened season with a maximum of 72 games being played, as well as the 7th-10th seeds of both conferences having a play-in tournament for the last two spots for the playoffs. Pittstop is wondering about how the NBA will receive vaccinations for players and team personnel, and how many they can acquire at a time. Only time will tell. 

This off-season has certainly been wild, with star James Harden wanting to be traded from the Rockets to preferably the Nets or Sixers, and if he lands on one of those teams, how will the chemistry between him and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and him and Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons work out respectively. Chris Paul is on the Suns now to team up with Devin Booker to form an elite backcourt duo out west, Anthony Davis signed a max deal to remain with the Lakers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a max deal with the Milwaukee Bucks as well solidifying that for now they are here to stay and compete.  Russell Westbrook and John Wall were both swapped for each other in a trade that potentially pairs Wall with Harden and Demarcus Cousins, while Westbrook pairs with Bradley Beal in the nation’s capital, forming an exciting future for the Wizards. 

This upcoming season, there will be lots of headlines I will be looking for as the season progresses. How will Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant play together as a duo in Brooklyn? Will their playing styles of needing the ball in the hands complicate things on the court and in the locker room? With Giannis resigning with the Bucks on a five-year max deal, and with the addition of Jrue Holiday acquired by trade from the Pelicans, how far will they go in the playoffs? Can they avoid being beat in the second round as a top seed for the third season in a row? If not, will Giannis want to stay or will he request a trade? Can the Lakers repeat with a reloaded and revamped roster, out in Charlotte I will be rooting for the Hornets since they are close to my school (Wake Forest), how will Lamelo Ball pan out?

I would like to end with my award predictions for this 2021-22 season, and I will start off with the Most Valuable Player award. Though Giannis will probably have identical numbers and one of the best records in all of the NBA, being bounced out of the playoffs in the second round in consecutive years will abstain voters from putting him back in the conversation this year. I believe that Luka Doncic will win this year, and that is because he is in a good situation in Dallas with Kristaps Porzingis as his sidekick and great complementary players, and if he can get the Mavericks to a top five seed and average a near or actual triple-double like he did last year, he will walk away with this award. My Most Improved Player prediction is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Oklahoma City Thunder because the organization gave him the keys to the team after trading CP3, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams and he averaged 19 a game last year after just averaging 10 his rookie year. Rookie of the year will be Obi Toppin on the New York Knicks, his athleticism will be box-office and he already has a shot from deep, a great paint game, and is very versatile, and playing in the media capital of the world helps as well. Finally, my Defensive Player of The Year is Anthony Davis. He is too good at that end with his long arms and athleticism, and his ability to block shots in the paint and defend 1-5 position-wise on the perimeter too makes him one of a kind, and he will show up this year and walk away with the award. 

I am excited for this season, there are a lot of old faces in new locations, a deep rookie class that will not disappoint, and lots of storylines that we will all be looking forward to seeing play out. Despite there being a global pandemic, we as basketball fans are able to enjoy a NBA season and I hope that we are able to have a full and safe season and have no huge postponements or setbacks.