In about every decade or so, the faces of the NBA change. In the 2010s, the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard dominated the decade in one way or another. They were all in the primes of their respective careers and entertained the fans.
But in the 2022-23 NBA season, it seems like the end of an era. The teams that the above-mentioned players are currently part of aren’t having a great season. Durant’s Nets are 1-5, Steph’s Warriors have fallen to 3-4, LeBron’s Lakers most recently won their first game of the season and have a record of 1-5.
Keeping that in mind, it feels like the torch has been passed to the next generation of talented basketball players, such as Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, and others.
Has The NBA’s Next Era Started?
Although there are plenty of games remaining in the 2022-23 NBA season, some of the biggest names in the league haven’t been able to lead their teams to good records so far this season.
An NBA fan on Twitter pointed that out in one of their recent tweets. And the fan also questions if we are officially in the new era of the league.
Curry’s team is 3-4.
LeBron’s team is 0-5.
KD’s team is 1-5.
Kawhi’s team is 2-4
Harden’s team is 3-4.
Are we officially in the new era of the NBA?
— Guru (@DrGuru_) October 30, 2022
Upon seeing the original tweet from the fan, many from the NBA community had different reactions to it. Here are some of the best reactions to the tweet according to us:
https://twitter.com/AjayHoopWrites/status/1586863655269765121
The era of the Pelicans pic.twitter.com/LZgZQE3WbX
— big tymer (@otherrandomig) October 31, 2022
No we aren't this is through 7 games, steph and Bron both have a chip in the past 3 seasons
— Dubs Are Back (@kevonolajuwon51) October 30, 2022
They are no longer top 5 players for sure. They get their points but they cant carry their team anymore. Their stats don't translate to impacting games for a win.
— balkman (@NikolaJokicJPN) October 31, 2022
The challenge is on, and the present results suggest this season could be the one that marked the turning point. With that said I would give this until game 55 to see how low some of these teams falls and how much or little the others can climb. pic.twitter.com/qlZE91HeUm
— Narayan De Jesús (@narayandejesus) October 31, 2022
The warriors are not in the same position as then nets or lakers. Stop it. You’re just trying to get attention
— Alan Wilkes (@shiverbstark) October 30, 2022
Kawhi has played in how many?
— 4pointsmoveon (@moveonjob) October 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/nope758392/status/1586868606138077184
Curry’Salary: $45M
LeBron’s Salary: $44M
KD’s Salary: $43M
Kawhi’s Salary: $40M
Harden’s Salary: $39M
Jordan’ Entire NBA Salary: $86M
Magic’s Entire NBA Salary: $24M
Bird’s Entire NBA Salary: $24M
Is this the new era: YES
— VilouBoy (@RajinCajin73) October 31, 2022
With the only difference being that we all know Warriors will be just fine. Those other teams are seriously questionable.
— Oscar Mendez (@GoldenStateDubz) October 31, 2022
While a few fans believed that we are indeed in a new era, many pointed out that the season is still young. To get a clearer picture, we should at least 15-20 games have already been played in the regular season. As of now, apart from the Lakers and the Nets can easily make a comeback in a couple of games. Those two teams genuinely seem in trouble this season.