The 2022/23 NBA season looks set to have teams fighting for two of the big prizes on offer – an NBA title or the number one pick in the draft.
The upcoming NBA season has the potential to be one of the tightest races at the top of the ladder, while having an all-time battle for the bottom of the standings.
16 teams will feel that they have a genuine shot at an NBA title this season as the league boasts one of the most talented fields of players in history.
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The top of the Eastern Conference will be up for grabs, with the Sixers, Celtics, Bucks, Nets, Heat, Raptors and Cavaliers all looking ready to contend for a championship.
The Western Conference is looking just as stacked, with 11 teams that will be aiming to secure one of the eight playoff spots.
It’s a make-or-break year for a lot of teams like the Suns and Nets, who have serious concerns internally that may affect their performance this season.
Teams like the Timberwolves, Cavs and Hawks will all be looking to prove they spent their draft capital correctly as they aim for an improved season.
The Battle of California could very well decide who makes it out of the West, as the Clippers and Warriors enter the season as the favourites to do so.
Finally, the fight for one of the greatest draft prospects in NBA history – Victor Wembanyama will see the rebuilding teams undertake an all-time tank job in order to draft the French big man.
Who makes it out the East?
The three teams that will be the biggest threat to any team out East will likely be the Sixers, Bucks and Celtics.
Starting off with the Sixers, the Ben Simmons dilemma is firmly behind them and now the pressure is on Doc Rivers to deliver a massive season.
Rivers could very easily be the first coach out the door if the Sixers start the season poorly, such is the pressure of coaching a Philadelphia-based sporting team.
The Sixers fans, owners and front office demand success from Joel Embiid and James Harden, thus anything other than an Eastern conference finals appearance would be deemed as a failure.
Philly added some solid bench rotation players in the off-season, rebuilding the 2018 Rockets with P.J Tucker and Daniel House, whilst Montrezl Harrell and DeAnthony Melton will add some much-needed depth.
The Sixers and their players are placed with the unfortunate tag of being ‘playoff chokers’ and will have the eyes of the basketball world on them come the end of the season.
Before the Ime Udoka situation, the Celtics were the favourites to repeat the success of last year and return to the NBA Finals. Now without their head coach, Boston faces an uphill battle to return to the top of the East.
The addition of Malcolm Brogdon will significantly help their playmaking but there is still plenty of questions regarding his durability throughout an NBA season. Boston will heavily rely on the superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to carry the load on offence, but the loss of Udoka cannot be understated.
The Celtics have plenty of assets to move if they wish to acquire another superstar and time will tell if Brad Stevens will pull the trigger to help their chances of a record-tying 18th NBA title.
Onto the 2021 NBA Champions, the Bucks will be in need of a bounce-back year after a heartbreaking game seven loss to the Celtics.
Milwaukee enters this season with a relatively untouched roster but the key to success this year will be a full season with the big three, importantly Khris Middleton. Middleton’s injury concerns last season were arguably the most influential factor in the Bucks’ second-round exit.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is full of confidence after a dominant showing with Greece at Eurobasket and will be favoured to take out a third MVP trophy.
The Bucks have a championship DNA embedded in them now and it’s time for Giannis to take his rightful place amongst the immortals of the NBA.
Where do you start with the Brooklyn Nets? They’re a team that can never get their name out of the headlines and will firmly be in them for the majority of the season.
If the Nets’ big three can play well enough together, there’s no reason to believe that they can’t win it all.
But with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons all on the same team, it seems inevitable that something will derail their chances. Simmons’ shooting and free throw concerns, alongside Durant’s desire to leave and Irving’s well-known disruptive behaviour, could all be triggers for another painful season at the Barclays Centre.
The Heat, Raptors and Cavs will be ready to pounce at any sign of drama at any of the aforementioned teams, and will be massive underdogs to make serious noise in the playoffs.
Who makes it out of the West?
There is no clear-cut favourite to make it out of the West, with a stacked field of teams ready to challenge for Golden State’s crown.
Starting with the reigning NBA champs, the Warriors may have more issues than losing Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. The well-documented fight between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole could have detrimental impacts on the team’s chemistry, as both players are up for a contract extension, as is Andrew Wiggins.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob has a massive dilemma on his hands – if he decides to pay all three players, his tax bill could exceed $USD 600 million.
Unless the Warriors win the title again, it’s highly unlikely that he will pay that tax, thus leaving Draymond as the favourite to leave the team. After punching Poole, Draymond may depart the team sooner rather than later, but Golden State crucially uses him as the glue to hold the offence and defence together.
It’s a massive season for Golden State and if they can’t recover from the Draymond incident, we could see a new king out West.
The Clippers will be eager to make a jump after missing the playoffs last year and with a healthy Kawhi Leonard, the sky is the limit.
Steve Balmer hasn’t been shy, spending heavy amounts of money to keep this side together and it may finally pay off. The Clippers have 11 players who could very well start for any team in the league, however the combined injury history is the one thing holding them back.
If the Clippers manage their players correctly and get them to a peak level by the playoffs, the notorious Clippers’ curse could well be over.
There will be a stacked fight for third place in the conference, with the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Grizzlies all ready to stake their claim.
Denver will welcome back a healthy Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to line up alongside the back-to-back MVP, Nikola Jokic.
The Timberwolves went all in for Rudy Gobert and now have a side ready to prove their playoff appearance last year was no fluke.
Whilst the Ja Morant-led Grizzlies are back with the majority of the same players from last season looking to avenge the Warriors for their second-round loss.
Phoenix will be under new ownership this season and could be looking to spend all their assets to capitalise on the final years of Chris Paul’s contract.
The Lakers are getting desperate to give LeBron James a fifth NBA Championship, but may sacrifice their future draft capital in order to do so. The biggest elephant in the room, Russell Westbrook still remains at the Crypto.com Arena and could well determine if the Lakers have a successful season.
Finally, the Kings and Blazers will be looking to improve on what has been a disappointing last couple of years, presenting new rosters to push for a playoff spot.
