Cheers to a new NBA season! 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. There is literally a case for him to be MVP every single year of his career. This year, however, we see him on a new team with a cast of characters. 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. Last season we finally got to see just how good Embiid is and he will likely only get better. The Sixers’ center is a vital piece to the organization’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Now that LeBron has headed West, the East is looking for a new face. He finished last year in DPOY voting after averaging 1.8 blocks per game. 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. DeAndre Ayton came to the Suns with very high expectations of him, however he seems prepared to live up to them. With Devin Booker sidelined with an injury to his shooting hand, a lot will be asked of Ayton to start the season. All eyes will be on him until Booker returns, but when he does watch out. We could be witnessing the next generation Kobe and Shaq.
Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens
Brad Stevens is a phenomenal coach. 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. You wouldn’t know it, however, because this team never skipped a beat with Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. This team has some of the best ball movement in the league with some of the most unselfish play. 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. 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. James has gone to the Western Conference and the whole team is currently healthy. It just seems logical that the Celtics are the best team in the East and it could be by a great margin. 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. 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? Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins. Enough said.
Finals Prediction: Golden State Warriors (4-1)
Again, it’s just not fair. You can make a valid argument for each starter on the team for being the best at their position currently. As long as the team stays healthy, I don’t see how they are stopped.
