The NBA is BACK and We’re Already Overthinking Everything
Everything and nothing has changed for the Boston Celtics
6 minutes into the Celtics season Gordon Hayward went down with a gruesome lower leg injury that likely has him out for the rest of the season if not longer. While this is a huge loss to a team with so much intrigue, at the end of the day not much changes in the long run for Boston. Before the injury the Celtics ceiling was a trip to the Finals where they would lose to the Golden State Warriors. After the injury? The Celtics ceiling is now to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will get beat by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Realistically the Celtics were never playing to win it all this year so all this injury does is push their timetable back another year. That being said — Get well soon Gordon! The NBA is better with all it’s stars in action and Hayward will certainly be missed this year.
Markelle Fultz is at least a year away
Philadelphia 76ers fans who were eagerly awaiting a Fultz, Simmons, Embiid power tandem are going to have to wait a little longer. Unlike his other high pick counterparts Fultz appears to still have quite a ways to go before reaching his full potential. The 76ers top draft pick has tried to change his shooting form a few times since college (never a good sign) and is coming off the bench to start the year. Thankfully Philadelphia has all the time in the world for their young core to grow so it’s really just up to the fans to make sure they realize this one is a work in progress.
There is enough ball to go around for the Thunder’s Big 3
Pundits and fans alike were worried when the Oklahoma City Thunder added perennial All-Stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to play alongside MVP Russell Westbrook that there would not be enough possessions for three ball dominant guards. Fortunately for the Thunder faithful it seems like these giants may coexist easier than most thought possible. In their first game together all three players scored at least 20 points and Westbrook even got a triple-double. These three amigos are going to be juuuuust fine.
The Lakers are fun to watch but the Clippers are still LA’s team
In all the Lonzo Ball hype NBA fans seemed to have forgotten about the other team in the 2nd largest city in America. The Clippers however, didn’t forget. The crowd, fans, and nation eagerly awaited the debut of Lonzo Ball and the new “Showtime” Lakers but a Chris Paul-less Clips will still have the upper hand for the rest of this year. The new-look Lakers will certainly still have their share of high flying fun moments with Lonzo throwing beautiful outlet passes and Larry Nance Jr. dunking with no regard for human life, but the Clippers should be the much more interesting team this year.
Giannis is only a jump shot away from total domination
What an opening NBA weekend for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The budding star of the Milwaukee Bucks is picking up right where he left off last year with 37, 34 and 44 points in his first three outings not to mention already accumulating a plethora of absurd monster highlights. What’s even crazier about these number is how he’s getting them. Giannis is being incredibly efficient from the field by getting to the basket and to the foul line with his freakish athleticism . The Greek freak has made one three pointer this year out of only six attempts partly because the last and only missing part of his game is the jump shot. Meaning that everyone needs to win their championships now while they still have a chance.
Porzingis is going to have a monster year
With big brother Carmelo Anthony playing in the greener pastures of Oklahoma the keys to the New York Knicks future were officially handed down to Kristaps Porzingis. The seven foot tall Latvian has gotten better year to year but has already shown a significant increase in offense this year, scoring 31 and 33 points in the Knicks first two outings of the season. We can expect similar stats from the forward the rest of the year as the offense looks like it will flow through the versatile star and because no one else on this roster is worth a damn. Sorry is my Knicks fandom showing? It’s going to be a long year so I’m going to need you all to just bear with me here.
Nick (Swaggy-P) Young is having the time of his life
When Nick Young signed with the Warriors this off-season it was the universe definitively proving that the rich do indeed get richer. What a match made in heaven — a three point shooting, no defense playing guard getting to play on a team that does not care if Young plays a second of defense as long as he keeps shooting threes. Young opened his career with the defending champs by hitting 6 of his 7 three point attempts. My hot take for the year: Nick Young has more fun than anyone else during the 2017–2018 season.
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