Look, I know that everyone is saying that next year’s regular season is just going to be boring and not worth watching. I can see your pain, I feel your anguish. Golden State, the team which has won three out of the past four NBA Finals just added arguably the best center in the league in DeMarcus Cousins.
Now GSW has the best point guard, the second best shooting guard, the second best small forward, a recent defensive player of the year at power forward and now a center who averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds a game last year.
I wouldn’t blame if you wanted to run and hide. Forget the 2008 Celtics, forget the 2011 Miami Heat, hell even forget the damn Marvel Avengers, the GSW starting five is easily the most talented group ever assembled on an NBA hardwood. These guys have the potential to win by 40 points every game, sweep the playoffs and add another title to the Golden State trophy cabinet.
So what’s the point in watching the regular season next year I hear you ask? Well, all is not as simple as it seems. I wouldn’t write the Warriors to win the title just yet. Cousins is coming off a major Achilles tendon tear and isn’t expected back soon. Cousins himself has stressed the need for patience in his return and given that he is on a team with 4 All-Stars that’s easily understandable.
Who knows how good Cousins will be when he returns. Many players who have suffered similar injuries were able to return but the majority were never the same player again. The injury is simple too heinous.
In a twisted way, Cousins’ turmoil is the league’s treasure. The Warriors lost some key role players like JaVale McGee and Zaza (Kawhi’s Nemesis) Pachulia to get Cousins, so at the start of the season, there is hope for other teams against Golden State.
We said the NBA wasn’t worth watching when LeBron went to South Beach, we said it again when KD went to the Warriors and we are saying it again this year, but we all end up watching it anyway. The Warriors are by far not the only draw this year, there are always new stories manifesting. New players emerge, some teams do better than imagine, some do worse. The NBA is always in a state of flux which is a big reason why it’s the best league in the world.
For me, it’s always the breakout players who excite me the most. The NBA is a star driven league and the more stars it has the better. Last year we had Victor Oladipo, Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell explode onto the scene because every year there is a group of players who surpass expectations and really catch our eyes.
Here are my top 5 players who are most likely to do just that this season.
5. Zach LaVine
The two-time dunk champion is now well over a year past his tragic ACL Injury in 2017. Before the incident, he was averaging 19 points a game as the third option for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now that he’s in Chicago he’s likely to be at least the second option behind Jabari Parker, if not the first.
He’s only 23 years old, he’s a good shooter and it looks as though he’s got his hops back. On a Chicago Bulls team that doesn’t have a go-to scorer, look for LaVine to fill that role next season as he looks to put the past behind him and make a push for an All-Star nod with his electrifying speed and dunking ability.
4. Nikola Jokic
The Joker is now entering his 4th season for the Denver Nuggets and now is the time for him to ascend to the ranks of the best big men in the league. The stage is perfectly set for him; the Nuggets are a decent team looking to make the playoffs again and Jokic is the man to lead them there.
Aside from the fact that he’s a double-double machine with points and rebounds, he’s easily one of the best passing bigs in the NBA. He averaged a whopping 6.1 assists last year which is amazing for a center…oh and he also hit nearly 40% of his 3s last year. The Nuggets can run their whole offense through him as he can score on the low block or find slashing teammates or open shooters. Mark my words, this is the season where Jokic defines himself as a true franchise centerpiece.
3. Gary Harris
I have high hopes for Denver this year. Their top three scorers were all under 24 last year and with another season and training camp together they should really be in the mix for a decent playoff push.
Jokic is their cornerstone, but Gary Harris is their catalyst. The fifth-year shooting guard from Michigan State averaged a career-high 17.5 points per game last season whilst shooting just under 40% from beyond the arc. He’s strong, athletic and a good cutter which works extremely well with the passing of Jokic as mentioned above. These two have a chance to boost each other into the All-Star conversation, don’t be surprised if they both average over 20 points a game this coming season.
2. Gordon Hayward
Another player who I think is set to explode back is Gordon Hayward who after tragically breaking his leg in the first game of the season will want to prove that he is still the All-Star caliber player he was before the incident.
The Celtics should be winning the East this year as Kyrie and Hayward return along with studs like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and the coaching brilliance of Brad Stevens. Hayward will want to make sure he is the second option behind Kyrie Irving and with all the potential floor spacing that Irving, Brown and Tatum will provide you bet that the leg injury will be just a distant memory
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1. Kevin Love
Sadly for the Cavs, their 4 year run of getting to the Finals has surely come to an end as LeBron has left the cold city of Cleveland for the sunny shores of Los Angeles. The Cavs once again weren’t able to provide LeBron with the right pieces to beat a team as loaded as Golden State and again they paid the price.
But I still reckon they could make the playoffs this year despite losing the King. They managed to persuade Kevin Love to sign a 4-year extension, and now that he’s the main man in the Land expect a whole different Love than what we’ve seen the past few years.
Forget the guy who often called soft and was left hanging around on the perimeter just to space the floor for LeBron. I’m talking about the guy who was considered by some to be the best power forward in the league when he was with Minnesota. I’m talking about the guy who averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds a night AND could space the floor with his shooting AND could pass the ball. To give you some context, Kevin Love is the only player in history to average greater than 26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and hit over 100 threes in a single season. He is the greatest stretch-4 ever and he will prove that again next year.
Cleveland and going to rely a lot on Love next season and the fact that he’s been suppressed by the shadow of LeBron will mean he will be itching to prove to everyone that he is still a franchise player.
