It is laborious to imagine it has been simply 4 months – or 134 days to be precise – because the Denver Nuggets clinched the NBA title.
Again in June as confetti littered the courtroom and champagne soaked the gamers’ jerseys, these with knowledgeable data of the game recommended the Nuggets’ dominance may final for years.
The basketball gods, nevertheless, clearly had different plans.
A summer time of blockbuster trades, a “generational expertise” showing to stay as much as the hype and virtuoso performances from stars of previous throughout pre-season has blown the championship race huge open.
Because the NBA enters a brand new season, BBC Sport appears to be like on the star gamers and groups who could have an enormous say in the place the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy finally ends up.
Victor Wembanyama – San Antonio Spurs
As a brand new participant coming into the NBA it’s common to be in comparison with former stars – and, in the event you’re fortunate, even one of many greats.
However that is not the case for Victor Wembanyama. Fairly merely, within the 78-year historical past of the NBA, there has by no means been a participant like him.
The 19-year-old Frenchman, the primary general decide on this season’s draft, has all of it.
Wembanyama is listed at 7ft 3in, though some imagine he is taller than that. He’s an elite shot blocker who additionally has the ball dealing with abilities and quickness often displayed by level guards.
“Halloween could also be arising, however in the event you’re an opposing participant within the NBA, there’s nothing scarier than Wembanyama,” Mo Mooncey, NBA analyst and host of the Hoop Genius podcast, instructed BBC Sport.
“We have by no means seen a participant at his top have such agility. You noticed him in pre-season, the way in which he is making performs, throwing no look passes – he is doing all the things.
“I do not count on the Spurs to have an enormous season however I count on this 12 months to be nice for his improvement.
“If pre-season was any indication of what he’ll be like at 19 years previous, all the NBA must be nervous.
“And also you higher win your championships now as a result of when he will get to his prime, it is over”.
Chet Holmgren – Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
Earlier than there was Wembanyama, there was Chet Holmgren.
The 21-year-old can also be over seven foot tall and was the second general decide within the 2021 draft. Nevertheless, he needed to watch from the sidelines final outing after struggling a season-ending foot harm.
Former NBA champion and ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson believes Holmgren will edge out Wembanyama for Rookie of the Yr.
“I feel there’s at all times a bit of little bit of a bonus for a participant that misses their rookie season,” Jefferson mentioned.
“It offers a participant a full 12 months to work out with their crew, a full 12 months to study the system, in addition to their coaching and consuming correctly”.
LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
How’s this for a truth – LeBron James performed his first NBA recreation earlier than Victor Wembanyama was even born.
Now aged 38, four-time champion James is coming into his twenty first season within the league the place he’s the all-time document factors scorer.
Whereas he will not be the attacking drive he as soon as was, there’s a perception that if his team-mates – specifically Anthony Davis – step up then the Lakers may very well be real contenders.
“He has been resting for the entire off season and he is bought recent legs,” Mooncey mentioned.
“Over the course of 82 video games, you will get worn down, decide up little nagging accidents, decide up little knocks right here and there.
“So it is essential that the Lakers have a balanced crew to maintain him recent for the play-offs.”
Damian Lillard – Milwaukee Bucks
A a lot debated matter in basketball loving circles is who’s the most effective participant by no means to win a championship?
Most of the time Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing are talked about.
So too is Damian Lillard, who had been with the Portland Trailblazers since 2012. The crew usually limped out of the post-season play-offs regardless of the most effective efforts of the 33-year-old, with many questioning if Lillard’s loyalty would maintain him solely within the “greatest to by no means do it” debate.
However final month there was a change as he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. The brand new pairing of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a mouth-watering prospect, particularly when you think about Antetokounmpo virtually single-handedly delivered the Bucks the 2021 title.
The overall feeling is that if the crew can get the steadiness between offence and defence proper, they will be very laborious to beat.
So which groups are the favourites?
There are in all probability sections of the Nuggets fan base nonetheless celebrating the success achieved in mid-June – and rightly so.
Nikola Jokic was unstoppable as he led the franchise to their first NBA championship with victory over the Miami Warmth.
However whereas the Serbian centre is broadly thought-about the most effective participant within the league, his crew usually are not tipped to retain the trophy.
The Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns are the favourites to take the prize this season. The Celtics have boosted their squad, bringing in level guard Jrue Vacation, an All-Star decide final season, to play alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Suns have their very own ‘Massive Three’ in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who will certainly have the attacking menace to trigger defenders complications night time after night time.
And the ‘world champions’ debate?
The NBA season is a gruelling one. With 82 common season video games alone, it is a lengthy quest to be topped world champions.
American monitor star Noah Lyles began a debate earlier this 12 months after questioning if an NBA crew needs to be branded world champions once they play in a home league.
“We’re a north American league however we’ve got the most effective gamers on the earth,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum instructed BBC Sport.
“We have now the most effective Cameroonian gamers, the most effective French participant, the most effective Canadian participant… I’d put them up towards any crew on the earth.
“I laughed at it. I feel it is a enjoyable debate to have.”
And the most effective of the remaining
It appears considerably disrespectful to be placing Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on this class, however it’s testomony to the energy of the league.
Curry is arguably the most effective shooter the sport has even seen, a person who holds the document for essentially the most three pointers ever scored.
However are the Warriors’ golden years behind them?
With their core of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Inexperienced, the crew gained championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
This time, many imagine they could fall quick due to their lack of ‘dimension’. They’ve failed to handle that, having not drafted or traded for a conventional centre in the summertime.
In the meantime final season’s Most Useful Participant (MVP) Joel Embiid can be asking questions of the Philadelphia 76ers administration workers. It seems he’ll be beginning the season with out James Harden after the guard fell out with some of the boardroom staff.
As for the Dallas Mavericks, they’ve threatened to ship with out ever actually doing so. Falling quick once more would pose questions in regards to the compatibility of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Final however on no account least, the Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons is again on the courtroom. The Australian, the highest draft decide in 2016 – missed over half of final season with a mix of harm and off courtroom points.
The 27-year-old is an elite defender and seems to have discovered his taking pictures stroke too simply earlier than the season begins.
If the video games match the anticipation, then we’re in for some season.
Let the video games start.
The NBA season takes place from 24 October-14 April.