We are less than two weeks away from the 2015-2016 NBA season! I think last season went down as one of the best NBA seasons of all time, certainly the best in my young memory. While this season will almost certainly be less exciting than last year, there’s a number of storylines, teams, and players to keep an eye on. Here are the Top 10 players I’m excited to watch this season.
10: Kevin Durant I wouldn’t say I’m actually excited to watch Kevin Durant play for the Warriors, but I’m certainly curious to see how it goes. One thing we have learned about KD from this offseason is that he’s happy for things to be easy for him, so there is the possibility he has a personal dropoff and allows those around him to carry the load this season. But more than likely, the Warriors will torch the league even more than they did than last season.
9: Giannis Antetokounmpo The 6’11” Greek Freak will be playing Point Guard this season. The Bucks will likely struggle to even break .500, especially with Middleton hurt, but the Point Giannis experiment will be fun to watch. At just 21 years old, Giannis has as much potential as anyone in the league to win MVP in five years (around the age Durant was in his MVP season).
8: Nikola Jokic My description is Jokic is a lot like his game, short and sweet: he plays a quiet game but no big man passes like Jokic.
7: E’Twaun Moore I have been of E’Twaun’s since he played for Purdue from 2007 to 2011. After a breakout year for my Bulls in his fifth year in the NBA, Moore landed a $34m contract with the Pelicans. While I’m sad to see him leave Chicago, I hope to see him have an even bigger year with a bigger role.
6: Anthony Davis Another contender for possible MVP winner in the next few years, Davis is the best all-around big man in basketball. Against the Pistons back in February Davis had 59 points, 20 rebounds, and 4 assists for the fourth-highest game score in regular season history. Yeah, this guy is worth watching.
5: Joel Embiid After being drafted third overall in 2014 by the 76ers, Joel “The Process” Embiid is now recovered from a broken foot bone. Based on his preseason footage, he has the potential to go down as an all-time great player. Three things to watch with Embiid: How well does he develop as a player (less turnovers, smarter post play, does he become a real perimeter threat)? What effect does playing for Philadelphia have on his development in terms of his skills and mindset? Will injuries continue to plague him as has happened to so many other promising front court players?
4: Karl-Anthony Towns The reigning Rookie of the Year, Towns and the Timberwolves will likely take a big step forward under the direction of Coach Tom Thibodeau. Towns and teammate Andrew Wiggins (his predecessor as Rookie of the Year) form an exciting core that could take the Western Conference by storm if the current Warriors core disassembles in the next few seasons.
3: Denzel Valentine Naturally I’m excited to watch a former star for my Michigan State Spartans drafted in the first round by my Chicago Bulls. Valentine has looked alright in summer league and preseason, getting to the rim at a decent rate but showing weaknesses defensively. It remains to be seen how the Bulls will utilize Valentine. Will he be a backup ballhandler when Rondo and Wade are on the bench? Or will he come in to provide outside scoring for the perimeter-challenged Rondo/Wade/Butler trio, considering he was a 44% 3-point shooter last season?
2: James Harden I think Harden is the most dominant offensive player in the NBA, even more so than Curry. He gets a bad rap for his poor defensive effort but I can’t blame a guy who has to carry nearly the entire offensive load for his team night in and night out. With Harden officially taking on more of a Point Guard role and the Rockets bringing in Coach Mike D’Antoni, an offensive juggernaut who can take Harden to another level, he should be a a highlight machine. This Rockets team will try to answer the question: How successful can you be as an elite offensive team but a terrible defensive team?
1: Russell Westbrook Hustle Bestbrook. Muscle Chestbrook. Knuckle Westbrick. Westbrook is the most exciting basketball player to watch because he gives 200% on every play, every night. But it isn’t always roses with Westbrook. He has a habit of making unwise gambles defensively or chucking up bad shots to try and take over a game. Live by the Russ, die by the Russ. After this offseason, I hope Billy Donavon can channel Westbrook’s passion towards an MVP season with the Thunder contending come the post-season. Regardless of how their season goes, Russ will be must-see TV this year.