It all starts tonight ladies and gentlemen, the first games of the highly anticipated 2023-24 season. Tonight, The Lakers will take on the Champion Nuggets while the former Dynasty Warriors take on the hopefully dynasty bound Suns. There are lots of great storylines from aging superstars to Rookie superstars to be. Let’s have a look at just a few.
LeBron James: In tonight’s game, former number 1 player in the world and legend in his own mind, LeBron James starts his 21st season, still hoping to disrupt Michael Jordan’s long reign as GOAT. Only a handful of NBA players have lasted 20 or more seasons with the current record holder being Vince Carter and his 22 seasons. We’ll see what James can deliver, he still sees himself as the number one option on his team and no one with 20 or more seasons could ever make that claim. Can he stay healthy? This will be one of the most important questions as he has missed some significant time in the past few years. Making this even more important, Anthony Davis, his running mate on the Lakers will never win any iron man awards himself.
Nikola Jokic: The consensus best player in the world currently, Jokic has upended what everyone believed the prototypical NBA star looked like. By NBA standards he is slow footed and can’t jump, in good but not great shape and yet he is an extraordinary playmaker who is just as content making a play for a teammate as getting the points himself and that in large part is so dangerous. No one knows what he’s going to do with the ball until it’s too late to guard it. Can he lead his team to a second straight title? Can he continue to stay healthy? Can he become even better than he has been?
The Warriors: Not that long ago the Warriors were the Dynasty franchise of the NBA. Making 5 finals in a row and winning 3 before being destroyed by the Toronto Raptors in 2019, the Warriors dropped to the bottom of the league before rebounding to win another championship in 2022. But the wheels are getting old and worn. They sport the same core as they did nearly 10 years ago. What do they have left in the tank? Can they really expect to make a difference again this year?
The Suns: Not many teams made a bigger splash in the offseason bringing in Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon and Jusuf Nurkic while sending out Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. They’ve gone all in to win now. Can Kevin Durant still be the dominating force he once was? Can all these type A personalities fit on one team and be successful?
Outside of the storylines in tonight’s games, this season also heralds the arrival of a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama. Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, he’ll learn under the direction of one of the best coaches in NBA history, Greg Popovich. Every game should be a treat to watch.
Enjoy tonight’s games and return here soon for more interesting storylines for the 20123-24 NBA season.