What will happen in the upcoming NBA season?
During some of the dynastic periods of the past, the results from the year were a foregone conclusion. But we have entered a period of strong parity in the league, which is a good thing for viewership and a great thing for prognosticators like me.
There are no easy predictions this year. I'm up for the challenge.
NBA PLAYER RANKINGS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Bench | Top 30
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Antetokounmpo has finished inside the top four every year in MVP voting since winning back-to-back awards in 2019 and 2020. He's the best player in the game — this award is his to lose.
Last season, Antetokounmpo went from a good passer to a great one. He's also become an even more versatile defender, stepping in as a center for portions of the 2021-22 regular season.
With Brook Lopez healthy and the addition of Joe Ingles once he recovers from his ACL injury, the Bucks should have more shooting around Antetokounmpo. He's already impossible to stop going downhill, and opening up the court even more for him will make his life much easier.
He should have a monster year.
Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero, Magic
Banchero was too good for Summer League. He was pulled after only two games. He averaged 20 points per game and looked very ready for NBA action.
His bucket-getting is great, but it was his passing that had people buzzing.
It's only been two Summer League games and Paolo Banchero has already shown how lethal he is as a creator with all the different passes he can make.
— Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_) July 10, 2022
Reads in transition, thru tight windows with zip, off a live dribble on the attack, back to the basket. Elite playmaker at 6-10. pic.twitter.com/xVeqFJqeMo
It's still unclear if Banchero will be the best player from what's looking like a pretty talented 2022 draft class. But he will probably be one of the quickest ones out of the gate.
I expect him to pile up the counting stats and take home the award.
Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves
Gobert has already won this award three times, most recently in 2021. He finished in third place last season, while Utah's defensive playoff collapses were fresh in voters' minds.
Gobert should look better in Minnesota than he did in Utah. It's been talked about to death, but he had no perimeter help with the Jazz. He's one of the best rim protectors in NBA history, but he can't guard the basket and the 3-point line at the same time.
In Minnesota, he won't have to.
Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Poole, Warriors
This award generally goes to big-time scorers on winning teams. Poole checks both of those boxes.
He is coming off a breakout season for the Warriors, averaging 18.5 points per game in 2021-22. Now, he will move to the bench with Klay Thompson returning to full health.
Poole was exposed defensively in the playoffs, but this is a regular season award. He won't be attacked nearly as much during the day-to-day grind.
He also did have moments in which he showed some natural defensive talent during the regular season. Perhaps he improves on that end this year.
Coach of the Year: Tyronn Lue, Clippers
It's a shame that Lue hasn't won a single Coach of the Year award yet. He's probably the best play-caller in the entire league.
But more than being an X's and O's master, he knows how to motivate his teams and maximize the talent on his rosters. Just ask LeBron James.
Simply the BEST coach in the game! ARGUE with your kids not me. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 16, 2022
The Clippers are going to be very good. This is Lue's chance to get the recognition that should have been his a long time ago.
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NBA Playoff predictions 2022-23
Eastern Conference playoff teams
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Miami Heat*
- Toronto Raptors*
- Chicago Bulls*
- New York Knicks*
*Play-In Tournament
Ranking the top seven in the East was tough.
Putting the Sixers up top is certainly a spicy pick, but I believe in a revamped James Harden that is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to winning. Joel Embiid is a top-three player in the league. And I love their offseason additions of De'Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell. They will be a great regular season team.
The Celtics were my top pick to win the East before the Ime Udoka suspension and Robert Williams' knee injury hit the news cycle. There may be some hope that the talent is enough for this team to get by, but this is basically the same roster that started last year with an 18-21 record. They need someone to direct the ship, and interim coach Joe Mazzulla is a complete unknown.
The Cavs are my biggest riser in the East. It's easy to forget that they were the No. 3 team in the conference at last year's All-Star break before getting hit with the injury bug and heading to the Play-In Tournament.
With a young and deeper team, they should be better equipped this season to work through that type of bad luck. And the addition of Donovan Mitchell is a perfect fit for the most glaring weaknesses on last year's squad.
The Bulls are the big faller in my predictions. The uncertain status of Lonzo Ball, who underwent a second surgery for his knee in September, is brutal for them. They also made marginal upgrades while everyone around them got a lot better.
Western Conference playoff teams
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Golden State Warriors
- Denver Nuggets
- Phoenix Suns
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Dallas Mavericks*
- New Orleans Pelicans*
- Los Angeles Lakers*
- Sacramento Kings*
*Play-In Tournament
The Clippers only had 42 wins last season. Losses to the Wolves and Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament kept them out of the playoffs.
But this is far from the same team. They have the most wing depth in the league, they are getting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back and they have the best coach in the league in my mind. They are going to be dangerous.
The Grizzlies and Mavs are tied for the biggest fallers, dropping three spots from where they finished last year.
I'm worried about the Grizzlies because of their roster turnover and defensive dropoff. They were tied for the No. 5 defense in the league last year. But they traded away Melton, and they lost Kyle Anderson in free agency and Jaren Jackson Jr. to an early-season injury.
The Mavericks could be in trouble because of personnel changes, too. Their addition of Christian Wood was a solid move. He is going to have a career year playing next to Luka Doncic.
But the loss of Jalen Brunson is going to sting. The Mavs needed secondary creators to take some of the burden off Doncic even before they lost Brunson. That's a big hole to fill, and they didn't improve at the same rate as some of the teams around them.
All of my top eight teams are going to be awesome this season. I struggled with the upstart Pelicans, who finished the year 13-10 after the All-Star break and looked good against the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. They're getting Zion Williamson back, and he was a top-20 player in the league the last time we saw him healthy.
But who could I displace above them? Playoff seeding is going to come down to the last few games of the year in the West.
Eastern Conference champion: 76ers
The Sixers were a great team last season, and they've shored up some of their biggest weaknesses. Tucker, Harrell and a more experienced Paul Reed give them innings-eating options when Embiid sits on the bench. That has been their major Achilles' heel.
The biggest worry for this team has to obviously be the health of Embiid. If the Sixers finally can avoid some bad luck, then they can beat every other team in the East.
Western Conference champion: Clippers
The Clippers have the versatility on their roster to play a ton of different styles in the playoffs. They also have perhaps the best coach in the league at making adjustments. And they have high-end star talent to carry them late in games.
That's basically all of the ingredients that you need for playoff success.
NBA champion: Clippers
A Clippers-Sixers series would be a bloodbath. Embiid would feast, but the Clippers have a ton of guys to throw at Harden and Tyrese Maxey to slow those two down.
The Clippers also have the deep personnel to withstand some nicks and bruises along the way. And I think that Lue would coach circles around Doc Rivers.
The Clippers are my pick to go all the way.
