The 2016-17 NBA season is upon us and these five players are set to become your new favorites
It’s been a long summer and early fall, but the NBA is triumphantly set to make its return on Tuesday night. Though there are only three games on the slate for opening night, it’s a palette cleanser from the unwelcome respite from pro basketball.
The major narratives throughout the league are clear and have been for quite some time. Kevin Durant is on the Golden State Warriors and that’s terrifying. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to defend a title for the first time in The Land. There are many more, but we know what those major stories are.
However, there are far more reasons to be excited about the 2016-17 NBA season. There are teams set to take the leap like the Utah Jazz or even the Minnesota Timberwolves. Similarly, there are teams drenched in intrigue like the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. If that weren’t enough, there are also the next crop of players ready to take the league and the hearts of fans by storm.
Let’s take a look at some of those players, specifically five guys who are set to become your new favorites.
5. Nikola Jokic, C — Denver Nuggets
Competing for time in a frontcourt logjam with the Denver Nuggets last season, then-rookie Nikola Jokic made it impossible to ignore him. Whether it was his scoring, his solid defense, or just his general presence on the floor, saying he was anything but impressive in his first season would be drastically incorrect. Though there’s still a bit of a crowd in the mile-high frontcourt, Jokic looks again to be the breakout star this season.
Though he showed flashes last season, perhaps the best indication that Jokic is going to become a new favorite around the league came in the Summer Olympics. While competing for his native Serbia in Rio, Jokic looked the part of a star. He kept a team that not many would’ve considered favorites all the way to the gold medal game. Sure, they were trounced by Team USA, but Jokic had his coming out party in emphatic fashion.
Now he brings that to the Nuggets for his second NBA season. Not only is he tremendously talented, but oddly charming as well. Just watch one of his post-game scrum interviews and you’ll see a dry sense of humor that inherently brings a smile to your face. When you add that kind of vibrant personality to the fact that he can flat-out ball, Jokic is going to become a star in the hearts and minds of NBA fans this year.