With the NBA regular season set to get going in less than a week, we’re starting to get excited about the possibilities.
The landscape of the league is different than at any point over the past half-decade in that it’s wide open. A number of teams have legit title aspirations, starting with both Los Angeles-based teams.
Meanwhile, the five-time defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors are expected to take a step back after losing Kevin Durant in free agency and with Klay Thompson rehabbing from a torn ACL.
This has led to renewed expectations that Stephen Curry could earn a third NBA MVP award as the team’s primary scorer.
In Houston, things are a tad different for the Rockets. Fellow former league MVP James Harden won’t be asked to burden as much of the load with Russell Westbrook now teaming up with him.
Despite this, Harden is still favored to lead the NBA in scoring with Curry coming in a close second.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the interesting play here in that his scoring average has increased in each of his six NBA seasons. At 24, he also remains the youngest of the group.
We firmly believe that Harden was see a regression in scoring while likely adding a new level of overall production.
As it relates to Curry, he’ll be asked to score a whole heck of a lot for the Warriors. An average of 30-plus points per game could be in the cards.
It’s also interesting to see both Anthony Davis and LeBron James with top-seven odds. Wouldn’t they counteract one another as teammates in Los Angeles?