It’s last call on Aperol Spritzes patio-wide, the smell of barbecue in the air is starting to fade and a slight bristle is itching at the nose.
Summer’s over, but the best time of year for sports fans is only just beginning. The NFL regular season is underway, the MLB post-season is days away, NHL players are suiting up for pre-season games and, at last, the time for drama is back in the NBA after an abnormally quiet off-season.
With training camps set to begin, players are donning new jerseys, rookies are understanding their fits and storylines aplenty are burning.
So as the unrelenting course of posters, three-pointers and swats flood our screens, here’s a quick look at what you should keep an eye on across the NBA.
Have LeBron and Lakers made peace?
Would it really be the NBA if there wasn’t some sort of drama surrounding the Lakers? Last time we checked in on them, talks of a growing rift between the franchise and LeBron James appeared to be growing. But, to be frank, when hasn’t that been the case over the past half-decade?
Early in the summer, whispers about tension between the two sides over the Lakers prioritizing the future around Luka Doncic rather than the present swelled. James, exiting his age-40 season, was rumoured to be frustrated that he was no longer the centrepiece to the winning formula in Los Angeles.
But as the rest of the NBA went quiet, so did the noise around the Lakers.
With James at last set to sit in front of a mic, it’s worth keeping tabs on his messaging around his desire to win another title before calling it a career, whether it’s with the Lakers or elsewhere.
Let’s stick in the same city for this one. Though the Clippers usually take the backseat when it comes to headlines, this summer — and the last month in particular — has belonged to them.
After a massive report from Pablo Torre outlined the Clippers’ alleged salary-cap circumvention to lure Leonard to the team, an NBA investigation has taken root (pun intended).
The NBA’s most quiet superstar, Leonard has mostly stayed out of the spotlight over his time with the little-brother Los Angeles franchise. Despite the ever-encircling questions about his health and the Clippers’ routine underperformance, Leonard has often managed to stay away from microphones.
That seems impossible this time around. The noise around the Clippers is only getting louder, and as the team — rounded out by veteran stars like James Harden and Chris Paul — gets ready for a go at the title, it’s worth keeping an eye on how external factors play a role in the weeks and months to come.
What team fills the void in the East?
After Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the future looked as bright as ever in the Eastern Conference — and for the Indiana Pacers in particular. But Achilles injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum have now left a massive hole.
The New York Knicks took major strides last year, heading to the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, and appear to have improved this off-season with the signings of Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson — reinforcing the depth that kneecapped them down the stretch last season.
In Cleveland, despite a disappointing semifinal against the Pacers, the roster still includes stars like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and the ever-rising Evan Mobley. Though they had a quiet off-season, adding only Thomas Bryant and Lonzo Ball, the Cavaliers are surely hoping the improvement comes from within — and that might not be a bad bet.
It’s also worth taking a look at teams beginning to crack open their windows. The Orlando Magic made one of the bigger swings of the off-season, trading for Desmond Bane to radically improve their shooting after finishing last season as the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons, under the leadership of first-time all-star Cade Cunningham, got their first taste of playoff basketball and will hope to translate that into a deeper run in a weakened East.
The Toronto Raptors will get their first glimpse of life with Brandon Ingram, the Atlanta Hawks will try to parlay one of the league’s best summers into regular-season success, and it’s always a tough ask to count out Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, especially after the addition of stretch big Myles Turner.
The East is wide open, and contenders will make their mark early.
Fit and Fresh: How do established stars fare after off-season transformations?
Considering all the criticism players like Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic get for their fitness, it’s clear how much stock they’ve put into their bodies to come into this campaign fit and fresh.
Though he’s made his bread on the back of sheer physical dominance, combining an imposing frame with jump-off-the-page athleticism, Williamson’s weight and health have often come into question.
But the Pelicans high-flyer appears a man transformed, looking thinner than he did in high school (to the envy of every guy in his mid-20s) and sporting a statement of a goatee. As we’ve seen when he’s healthy, Williamson is a transformative talent, averaging 24.7 points and 6.6 rebounds on 58.9 per cent from the field over his six-year career. The Pelicans view themselves as a team worthy of contention, considering the addition of Jordan Poole, but their hopes rest on the broad shoulders of Mount Zion.
Doncic, meanwhile, was traded from the Mavericks because of his tendency to play himself into shape throughout the year. But the magical Slovenian looks like a man on a mission heading into his first full year in Tinsel Town, getting a front-page feature in Men’s Health magazine on the basis of his physical transformation. Clearly, the Hailey Bieber Erewhon smoothies are doing their trick.
It’s also worth looking at Victor Wembanyama, who had an off-season like no other, training with Shaolin monks in China and learning under Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett as he spent the summer recovering from a season-ending blood clot issue. Will the Spurs phenom turn that zen into a fire once he hits the hardwood?
Are the Mavericks ready to plant the Flagg?
Cooper Flagg made quite a first impression in Summer League, making good on his promise of a generational prospect by averaging 20.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games while showcasing his patented NBA-ready defensive abilities.
Now he gets a chance to establish himself alongside his regular teammates on a Mavericks team built around a game-breaking defensive identity.
It was always a bold move to deal Doncic for Anthony Davis, but the latter’s defensive repertoire is second-to-none, and it’s apparent that’s what the Mavericks and GM Nico Collins intend on building on. With Flagg joining the ranks, the push towards domination on that end is only expedited.
Couple that duo with guys like P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson, and the Mavericks could be a serious force in a crowded Western Conference.
Flagg may not have the primary role many expect from a touted prospect right off the bat, but he’s entering the perfect situation to grow, particularly if winning is the priority right off the rip. It’s time to see how it all fits.
