Cheers to a new NBA season! Â A new season is here and it is time for way too early season predictions.
MVP: LeBron James
It’s not too hard to understand why I would chose James. Â There is literally a case for him to be MVP every single year of his career. Â This year, however, we see him on a new team with a cast of characters. Â No matter what this team will vastly improve with his presence and could possibly make a deep playoff run, something Hollywood has been missing since Kobe Bryant’s retirement.
Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Embiid
He will probably also be most entertaining player of the year. Â Last season we finally got to see just how good Embiid is and he will likely only get better. Â The Sixers’ center is a vital piece to the organization’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Â Now that LeBron has headed West, the East is looking for a new face. Â He finished last year in DPOY voting after averaging 1.8 blocks per game. Â I expect him to only get better on defense and as a player overall.
Rookie of the Year: DeAndre Ayton
The Phoenix Suns have been a mess recently, but they might be onto something with their young players. Â DeAndre Ayton came to the Suns with very high expectations of him, however he seems prepared to live up to them. Â With Devin Booker sidelined with an injury to his shooting hand, a lot will be asked of Ayton to start the season. Â All eyes will be on him until Booker returns, but when he does watch out. Â We could be witnessing the next generation Kobe and Shaq.
Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens
Brad Stevens is a phenomenal coach. Â His team suffered a huge blow when Gordon Hayward went down within five minutes of the season starting and then an even bigger blow when Kyrie Irving went down for the playoffs. Â You wouldn’t know it, however, because this team never skipped a beat with Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. Â This team has some of the best ball movement in the league with some of the most unselfish play. Â The development of Jayson Tatum in one season has been glorious to watch and there is little doubt that he will not continue to improve. Â Stevens will hopefully have his full roster healthy and can be the kings of the East.
Eastern Conference Champions: Boston Celtics
This team almost made it to the NBA Finals last season and they were missing two of their stars and LeBron was in their way. Â James has gone to the Western Conference and the whole team is currently healthy. Â It just seems logical that the Celtics are the best team in the East and it could be by a great margin. Â They were the first seed in last year’s playoffs so it is hard to imagine that they fall even with Kawhi Leonard joining the Raptors. Â Toronto just doesn’t have enough fire power to compete with Boston in a seven game series.
Western Conference Champions: Golden State Warriors
Do I even need to explain why I chose them? Â Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins. Â Enough said.
Finals Prediction: Golden State Warriors (4-1)
Again, it’s just not fair. Â You can make a valid argument for each starter on the team for being the best at their position currently. Â As long as the team stays healthy, I don’t see how they are stopped.
