10 reasons we’re thankful the NBA is back
9. The Lakers figuring it out in real time
The center of the NBA world is, once again, the Lakers. That’s usually the case anyway by virtue of the Los Angeles media market, but now the magnifying glass is squarely on LeBron and his strange team of young potential stars and older, weirder veterans. Let’s take a moment and show our gratitude for yet another installment of “LeBron Saves a Flailing Franchise.”
Any team with LeBron immediately has both playoff and championship expectations. LeBron is facing a tougher road in this jumbled West than he’s ever faced in the East, and he’s trying to do it with a team with little-to-no three-point shooting and a cast of characters that have rightfully earned the nickname “Meme Team.”
To be fair, this group looks like the ’86 Celtics compared to the sorry bunch he dragged to the Finals last year in Cleveland. Kuzma, Hart, Ball and Ingram are all ballers, which is a massive upgrade over J.R. Smith and stiffs like Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson. This team could still use a second All-Star, but this is a good start for the franchise’s rebuild.
The rest of the team is there more for entertainment value than their basketball IQ. Rajon Rondo has already started a fight with Chris Paul, and guys like Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley have so far proved incapable of providing anything beyond moral support. At least the Lakers seem to have hit on JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler, both of who give them a defensive edge.
This is probably going to be a lost season for LeBron unless the Lakers add another star midseason, but the chances of that are even slimmer than before with Butler now off the market. Whether this is just a feeling-out year for LeBron or the team becomes a Western Conference titan right away, we should all be thankful for the opportunity to watch this circus.
10. Giannis has been unlocked
The East was supposed to be a three-team race this year between Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia. Milwaukee was supposed to be a tier lower than those three, remaining frisky but not seriously challenging for the Eastern Conference title. Early on, it would appear that Mike Budenholzer, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks didn’t get that memo.
The Bucks look every bit as good as those three teams, and they already have racked up victories against the Raptors and Sixers while barely losing to the Celtics. Coach Budenholzer’s offensive system appears to have unlocked both Giannis (who has earned first-name reference privileges) and the rest of his team to a degree that should terrify the rest of the league.
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Even the Warriors were put on notice on Nov. 8 when the Bucks took it to them in Oracle Arena, beating them 134-111. Even before that eye-opening performance, Steph Curry himself said that he believes what’s happening with the Bucks is reminiscent of Steve Kerr’s first year coaching Golden State. That’s extremely high praise coming from someone who knows about the profound effect a coaching change can have on a team’s championship prospects.
The Bucks aren’t just a one-man band though. Giannis is probably the league MVP through the first few weeks, but he has had helped from the likes of Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. Even Brook Lopez, a relatively unsung offseason pickup, has proven himself extremely valuable. How many other scrap-heap guys have drained eight threes in a game so far this year?
Everyone who is a fan of high-level basketball should be grateful for what Budenholzer has done for the Bucks, particularly for Giannis’ rising star. Fear the deer y’all.