NBA Season Preview
LP Rankings, Power Rankings, o/u pt.2, Players to Watch
Hey, everyone. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m considering spinning out the NBA portion of RRR into a separate publication (but then, would it just be RR?)
My reasoning would be that I don’t have a great read on what % of my subs actually care about the NBA portion, and I suspect it isn’t a large number.
However, I will probably spend some more time trying to extract insights on that subject before I make any decisions.
So, for any of you who are getting this special edition of RRR and don’t want to read anything basketball related, I’m truly sorry 🙏🏼. We’ll be back with normal RRR posts very soon.
🏀⛹🏽♂️⛹🏼⛹🏽♂️🏀 With that being said, let’s get right into this NBA preview! 🏀⛹🏽♂️⛹🏼⛹🏽♂️🏀
I could not be any more excited that the season tips-off tonight. Adding to the anticipation, us hoop junkies truly have an amazing slate of games to enjoy throughout the week. Here are some highlights:
Tuesday:
Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets
Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors
Wednesday:
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks
Houston Rockets @ Orlando Magic
Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs
Thursday:
Philadelphia 76ers @ Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers
Friday:
Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Orlando Magic @ Portland Trail Blazers
Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings
Perhaps most importantly, the NBA is nearing what seems to be a peak talent level in its history. Each team, even the “bad” ones, have exciting young players and tremendous athletes up and down the roster.
Time for a couple expansion teams? 🤔🤔🤨
In this edition, you’ll find each teams’ standing in the RRR League Pass Rankings, Power Rankings, as well as whether I have wagered on them to exceed their over/under win total (as set by Las Vegas) for the regular season. If I don’t have a wager, I’ll write “N/A” as well as which way I’m leaning.
You’ll also see information on players we need to keep an eye on throughout the season. As a reminder:
The League Pass Rankings are a measure of how interesting / fun the team will be to watch, with 1 being the highest rated, and 30 being the lowest rated
The Power Rankings are a measure of how good a team is. Again, 1 is the best, 30th is the worst.
Please see the below directory to jump around and read about whichever teams you’d like, or, check out all 30 listings!
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN | NOP | NYK | OKC | ORL | PHL | PHO | POR | SAC | SAN | TOR | UTA | WAS
Atlanta Hawks
League Pass Ranking: 21
Power Ranking: 14
O/U 42.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Onyeka Okongwu - can he finally take Clint Capela’s role? If yes, I think that’s a nice boost for this team.
AJ Griffin - A really interesting second-year player who showed flashes of potential in his rookie season. The Hawks will need someone like this to really blossom if they have hopes of raising their competitive ceiling.
Boston Celtics
League Pass Ranking: 6
Power Ranking: 3
O/U 55.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Jayson Tatum - Can Tatum take the leap towards being credibly considered a top-5 player in the league? History tells us if he can, it should be happening very soon…
Kristaps Porzingis - The Celtics brought in the 7-foot tall sharpshooting big to open all kinds of new playing styles on offense. They also bolstered the defensive hole that was left by Marcus Smarts departure to Memphis by bringing in Jrue Holiday. If Kristaps stays healthy, I think it will unlock them.
Check out this clip where he spaces the floor just by being a threat to shoot, and drags 7-foot tall defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson out of the painted area to guard him. It opens up the floor for a Jrue Holiday post up, which is a nice option to have. The fact Porzingis puts this in is just a bonus!
Brooklyn Nets
League Pass Ranking: 26
Power Ranking: 22
O/U 37.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Nic Claxton - Can he develop a little bit more of a “mid-range” game? I don’t need 15-20 foot jumpers, but some floaters from the paint and little bank shots from 10 feet would be lovely.
Charlotte Hornets
League Pass Ranking: 23
Power Ranking: 27
O/U 31.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Lamelo Ball and Mark Williams
Chicago Bulls
League Pass Ranking: 25
Power Ranking: 18
O/U 37.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Patrick Williams - Will the Bulls finally involve him more offensively? How many seasons can we watch Lavine, DeRozan, and Vucevic take turns on offense without some different looks?
Cleveland Cavaliers
League Pass Ranking: 4
Power Ranking: 6
O/U 49.5: Over ⬆️
Players To Watch:
Darius Garland - I expect him to be an all-star even whilst playing alongside another all-star guard in Donovan Mitchell
Evan Mobley - Can he step out and space the floor a little bit this year?
Max Strus & Georges Niang - These offseason additions will give the Cavs much needed lineup flexibility and shooting
Dallas Mavericks
League Pass Ranking: 10
Power Ranking: 11
O/U 44.5: Over ⬆️
Players To Watch:
Kyrie Irving - Possibly the most exciting player in the league to watch with the ball in his hands
Dereck Lively - Looks like he’s getting the starting center job heading into the season. Will he provide a much needed lob threat along with credible rim protection?
Josh Green - I expect him to be a key contributor on the wing
Denver Nuggets
League Pass Ranking: 8
Power Ranking: 5
O/U 53.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Christian Braun - Can. he step into the rotation and replace what Bruce Brown gave this team a year ago?
Detroit Pistons
League Pass Ranking: 22
Power Ranking: 29
O/U 28.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
The young core of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, James Wiseman, and Jalen Duren
Golden State Warriors
League Pass Ranking: 1
Power Ranking: 4
O/U 48.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Jonathan Kuminga - He’s had a great offseason, and may be able to provide this old team with some athleticism and verticality that is sorely missing
Chris Paul - Maybe the Warriors can finally win non-Steph minutes with Paul on the roster running the second unit
Steph Curry - The most electrifying player in the NBA, in my opinion:
Houston Rockets
League Pass Ranking: 13
Power Ranking: 23
O/U 31.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Jalen Green - NBA stat nerds (kind of like myself) are really down on Green. I see an incredibly talented player who was forced to carry to heavy of a load on abysmal teams his first couple of seasons. I can’t wait to see how he fits into a more competitive scheme this year.
Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr.
Indiana Pacers
League Pass Ranking: 7
Power Ranking: 19
O/U 36.5: Over ⬆️
Players To Watch:
Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Andrew Nembhard (watch Nembhard attack baseline, kill off both defenders with a head/ball fake, and set up the easy dunk for Myles Turner):
Los Angeles Clippers
League Pass Ranking: 17
Power Ranking: 16
O/U 46.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Can Kawhi and Paul George stay healthy?
Los Angeles Lakers
League Pass Ranking: 16
Power Ranking: 1
O/U 47.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
LeBron James - Enjoy his presence in the NBA while you still can!
Austin Reaves - I expect a huge season from Austin Reaves. He’s going to carry the Lakers offensively on a lot of possessions.
Memphis Grizzlies
League Pass Ranking: 28
Power Ranking: 20
O/U 45.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Desmond Bane - He’ll have to carry them while Ja Morant is away on suspension.
Miami Heat
League Pass Ranking: 27
Power Ranking: 8
O/U 45.5: Over ⬆️
Players To Watch:
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and Tyler Herro. Can they make the rotation a little sturdier than it was a season ago when they barely made the playoffs (and then went to the NBA finals).
Milwaukee Bucks
League Pass Ranking: 14
Power Ranking: 2
O/U 54.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Damian Lillard X Giannis Antetokounmpo pick & roll… 🔥🔥🔥
Minnesota Timberwolves
League Pass Ranking: 5
Power Ranking: 10
O/U 44.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Anthony Edwards - Can he make the leap to be All-NBA this season? If so, it would mean the Timberwolves are a scary outfit come playoff time
Jaden McDaniels - One of the most impressive wing defenders that professional basketball has to offer
New Orleans Pelicans
League Pass Ranking: 11
Power Ranking: 17
O/U 44.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Zion Williamson - Can he stay healthy… please?
Trey Murphy III - Big wing with incredible skill and potential (starting the season injured unfortunately)
New York Knicks
League Pass Ranking: 20
Power Ranking: 9
O/U 45.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Quentin Grimes - If Grimes develops into a quality starter caliber player, it could change the ceiling for this Knicks team. He already defends tenaciously, can he bring his offensive game along for the ride?
Oklahoma City Thunder
League Pass Ranking: 3
Power Ranking: 15
O/U 44.5: Over ⬆️
Players To Watch:
Chet Holmgren, Jaylen Williams, & Josh Giddey. Also, will the front office cash in some of it’s draft assets for a big time addition to the roster? Pascal Siakam???
Orlando Magic
League Pass Ranking: 15
Power Ranking: 21
O/U 45.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Jett Howard - Can he provide elite shooting for a team who desperately needs it to help the offense flow?
Jalen Suggs - This is the year he has to show why he was a coveted draft pick a few seasons ago
Paolo Banchero & Franz Wagner - Must see TV
Philadelphia 76ers
League Pass Ranking: 24
Power Ranking: 12
O/U 49.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Tyrese Maxey will take a huge leap.
Phoenix Suns
League Pass Ranking: 2
Power Ranking: 13
O/U 51.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Nassir Litte - He will need to supplement the teams star power with defensive grit and respectable shooting if they’re to move up in the power rankings.
Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Wow…
Portland Trailblazers
League Pass Ranking: 19
Power Ranking: 28
O/U 31.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Scoot Henderson & Shaedon Sharpe - Dynamic young backcourt tandem
Sacramento Kings
League Pass Ranking: 12
Power Ranking: 7
O/U 44.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Keegan Murray - He’s the swing player for this team
San Antonio Spurs
League Pass Ranking: 9
Power Ranking: 24
O/U 29.5: N/A - Leaning Over
Players To Watch:
Victor Wembanyama - What could I possibly add that hasn’t already been said…
Toronto Raptors
League Pass Ranking: 30
Power Ranking: 26
O/U 36.5: Under ⬇️
Players To Watch:
Literally none? Look for Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby to get moved this season before becoming free agents next summer.
Utah Jazz
League Pass Ranking: 18
Power Ranking: 25
O/U 35.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Keyonte George - What an exciting player he could be. I hope he gets big minutes this year as a rookie.
Washington Wizards
League Pass Ranking: 29
Power Ranking: 30
O/U 24.5: N/A - Leaning Under
Players To Watch:
Jordan Poole - Will he grow into a playmaking force? Or are we in for suffering through a shot-chucking masterpiece?
Bilal Coulibaly - We’ll see how many minutes the young rookie earns…