Written by: Jacob Nevis
As the MLB season enters the World Series matchup between Aaron Judge with the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the NBA regular season starts winding up for its triumphant return.
This season promises to be as exciting as the last, when fans watched as stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White helped capture their 18th NBA finals and first since 2008. Tatum and the Celtics will attempt to continue their dominance and become the first back-to-back champions since the 2017-2018 Golden State Warriors.
The Dallas Mavericks will try to bounce back from last season’s finals loss, with one MVP favorite, Luka Doncic, leading the charge. This offseason, the Mavericks added former Golden State Warrior, Klay Thompson to help lead the team to the finals.
Out in the west, the Sacramento Kings will try to return to the playoffs after missing last season’s. Stephen Curry and the Warriors aim to add their fifth championship of the decade.
The Lakers and Clippers rely on veteran players to guide the teams to the playoffs. Veteran LeBron James and Anthony Davis will lead the Lakers, while the Clippers will be led by James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
The Phoenix Suns hope to continue their current success. In recent years, the Suns have played successful regular seasons, but face inevitable playoff woes. The Suns traded for three-time all-star guard Bradley Beal in the offseason, hoping the trio of Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant can capture their first championship.
Rising star Anthony Edwards with the Minnesota Timberwolves hope to make it to the finals after falling to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals during last season.
In the east, the Milwaukee Bucks hope to win another championship since their victory in 2021. Damien Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will aim to bring their team back to the promised land.
Others in the east looking to continue recent successes are the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid. After trading for Timberwolves star Karl Anthony-Towns, the New York Knicks made one of the splashiest trades this offseason.
This season will include the in-season tournament, starting in November. All 30 teams have been randomly paired with four other teams from their conferences to play against each other in groups of five. All games will be counted for each team’s regular season record.
