Philly’s title hopes will come down to top players stepping up and coaching moves
Notes: The 76ers have no excuses this season. Joel Embiid & James Harden return at 100% and new additions PJ Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House should provide that extra needed depth. The real pressure is on now.
Luka showed us he can win without another star during the Tokyo Olympics, now doing it again for new look Mavs
Notes: There’s no doubt Luka is a superstar who can play alongside anyone, but losing Jalen Brunson hurts the club on offense. So I’ll be looking for Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Jaden Hardy to pick up the scoring. Also Dallas needs to stick to getting it done through team defense. Golden State’s high powered offense left the club running around in circles during the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
Herb Jones looking like Pelicans’ defensive anchor of the future, offense playing great with CJ McCollum, plus Zion cleared for basketball activities
Notes: This observation should carry over to 2023. A full season of CJ McCollum & Zion Williamson along with their returning players will make the Pelicans very competitive. Not to mention, 2022 #8 pick Dyson Daniels could become New Orleans’ point guard of the future.
Nuggets & Clippers will have loaded rosters when Jamal Murray, Michael Porter, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George get back
Notes: This remains true for both teams, as Denver & LA added even more talent since March. The Nuggets got Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DeAndre Jordan, & Ish Smith/drafted Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, & Ismael Kamagate (remains overseas) while LA picked up John Wall & Moses Brown/drafted Moussa Diabate.
