The 2023-34 NBA season is upon us and it’s set to be one of the best seasons in recent memory.
There continues to be no real “superteams” and the parity has been better than ever recently. In fact, there has been a different NBA Champion every single year for the last 5 years. To make things even better, there isn’t a team anyone can point to right now and say that they will be a tanking team.
There very well could be a couple of teams that shut things down 35 games into the season but for right now, every team will at least look to make the play-in.
Another thing is, we have plenty of young stars who are ready to take the next step and be the new faces of the NBA but we also still have the older stars who are still very hungry. This clash could make for some very intriguing games and playoff series down the line.
This new season will also be filled with a few new changes that fans will either love or hate but one thing is for sure, the new changes will make things much more interesting.
Here are the biggest storylines to look out for heading into the season:
New Changes
The NBA will be implementing a few new changes to this new season and they could really shake things up. For starters, there are the new rules that will go into place this season. The added coaches challenges, the new flopping penalties, and the new tax apron are just a few of the major new rule changes but the ones that fans are talking about the most is probably the player participation policy and 65 game minimums for league awards. Both rules could have the biggest impact on the floor because teams just can’t rest players in big games and if players want to win awards, which are tied to contracts, they will have to play those 65 games minimum. That could mean the possibility for an increase of great games.
The other big addition to the 23-24 season is the new In Season Tournament. This new tournament will take place in November with a Final Four in December in Las Vegas and winners will receive a monetary prize. There are lots of fans and even some players against this but the NBA is trying to add more intrigue to the regular season for the first time in a long time.
It will for sure be interesting to see which one of these changes will have the biggest impact this year and for the future.
Rookie of the Year Race
This could be the best Rookie of the year race in history.
The favorite to win the award is French phenom Victor Wembanyama and he deserves all of the hype he’s getting but he isn’t the only one that could have a strong case for the award. Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren missed all of last season due to a foot injury so this is now his rookie year and he looks great. However, we can’t just forget Scoot Henderson who has been playing in the G-League for the last two years and will have the keys to the Blazers franchise where he can put up some very good numbers.
It’s fair for Wemby to be the favorite but for now, this should be seen as a 3-headed race because all 3 guys could put up crazy numbers and easily win the award.
Celtics vs. Bucks
By being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard inadvertently created a new rivalry out east. We hope. In the trade, the Bucks sent Jrue Holiday to the Blazers who then traded him to the Celtics. The Bucks and Celtics are the two teams in the East that everyone thinks has a chance to represent the conference and the fact that Jrue now plays for the Celtics makes things much more intriguing.
Both teams kept the bulk of their team together while adding big peaces. The addition of Jrue and Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics and Dame to the Bucks. This could be a very fun rivalry in the making.
No Margin of Error Out West
The West is absolutely loaded this season. From talent on every team to them being well coached.
As mentioned above, there is no team that anyone can say right now that will be tanking and that makes things much tougher. That along with the new player participation policy and 65 game minimums for awards, the margin of error out West is much more slim than it is in the East. Guys missing one or two games could be the difference between a 4 or 5 seed or making the play-in or not.
Every night should be very fun.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is still searching for his first NBA Championship in what is going to be his 19th NBA season. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.
His new home, for now, is with the Warriors and that makes things a lot more intriguing out west. Will he be with them all year? How will he fit? Will he start the whole year? There are so many questions surrounding the future first ballot hall of famer and is definitely something fans need to keep an eye on.
Ja-less Grizzlies
Ja Morant is suspended for the first 35 games of the season due to his off the court conduct and that could hurt the Grizzlies big time. They have been pretty good when Ja doesn’t play but not having Ja along with Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke missing the whole season along with not bringing back Dillon Brooks could make them a lottery team.
The addition of Marcus Smart could certainly payoff dividends but that might not be enough for the Grizzlies in the West.
James Harden
Where will James Harden end up playing this season? Is it the Sixers? Clippers? Or maybe a team we aren’t even thinking of?
Right now, he is on the Sixers roster but is currently in Houston dealing with a personal matter. He has made it very clear that he doesn’t want to play for the Sixers any longer and that stance hasn’t changed. Where he plays could shake up the NBA no matter where he goes. If he stays with the Sixers they could be in play for one of the top spots, if he goes to the Clippers that could create a whole new dynamic out West, and if he goes to another team, that could work out for the Sixers big time or hurt them and his new team could turn into bigger title contenders.
For now, we wait.
Suns Big 3
The Suns created a very unique big 3 by trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. There aren’t many people who think it will work but those 3 guys fit together very well. All play very well off the ball and have a lot of experience doing so. Plus, they are all willing passers. The one hiccup that most fans and media have about them is their other pieces but they have made some great moves in the offseason.
The additions of Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, Bol Bol, Keon Johnson, Nassir Little, Chimeze Metu, and Yuta Watanabe could be just enough for them to win the team’s first championship. Health is going to be a factor but they should be one of the teams at the top in the West.
Zion Health
Zion has played just 29 games in the last two seasons combined and just 114 games in the four years he’s been in the league. He has at worst the third highest ceiling of any young player in the league but he hasn’t been able to stay on the floor consistently but when he does, he’s great. And so are the Pelicans. If he’s on the floor consistently, he’s an Allstar and the Pelicans could be contenders but that could be seen as a big if.
He looked great in preseason so all signs point towards him being healthy but we shall see how long that holds up.
Next Step For Thunder?
The Thunder are one of the teams that shocked a lot of people last season and that will cause them to go from the hunters to the hunted this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took a huge leap last year on his way to averaging 31.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1 block which helped him become a first time Allstar and First Team All NBA. Plus the surprise of Jalen Williams. Those two plus Josh Giddey and Lu Dort with the addition of Chet Holmgren, rookie Cason Wallace, Davis Bertans, and Euroleague MVP Vasilije Micić could have them taking another leap.
They have a lot of questions that will need to be answered very quick if they really want to make some noise. They could have a top 10 offense and defense with the talent they have on the roster but they are still very young and will have to grow quickly.
Nuggets Repeat
The Nuggets are looking to become the first back to back champion since the Warriors 6 years ago. They are kind of going under the radar but that’s probably how they like it.
They still have Nikola Jokic who has a very strong argument for the best player in the league and a healthy Jamal Murray. The two could be the best duo in the league and they kept the bulk of their championship roster. They did lose Bruce Brown who was a huge piece so we will see how much that matters.
Only time will tell if they can go back to back or if we’ll have six different champions in six different years.
BSO 2023-24 NBA Predictions
Most Valuable Player
Daniel – Jayson Tatum
Robert – Giannis Antetoukounmpo
Rookie of the Year
Daniel – Victor Wembanyama
Robert – Chet Holmgren
Defensive Player of the Year
Daniel – Evan Mobley
Robert – Jrue Holiday
Coach of the Year
Daniel – Willie Green
Robert – Gregg Popovich
Most Improved Player
Daniel – Obi Toppin
Robert – Rui Hachimura
Sixth Man of the Year
Daniel – Rui Hachimura
Robert – Bones Hyland
Clutch Player of the Year
Daniel – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Robert – Jamal Murray
Eastern Conference Finals
Daniel – Bucks vs. Celtics
Robert – Bucks vs. Celtics
Western Conference Finals
Daniel – Clippers vs. Suns
Robert – Suns vs. Nuggets
Finals Matchup
Daniel – Bucks vs. Suns
Robert – Bucks vs. Nuggets
NBA Champion
Daniel – Suns
Robert – Bucks
