So, the NBA season is nearing and there's so much to watch out for. After a few trades and free agent signings, we now have a number of top tier duos in the NBA that could end up doing some damage or making some noise. In addition to the already existing juggernaut in Golden State, the stacked team in Cleveland, and of course the duos in Washington, Toronto, and New Orleans, we now have 5 new duos to get used to. Not included here? LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas, because we don't really know how soon it'll be before Isaiah will play. That aside, let's take a look at 5 new duos to watch for.
5. Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic
(Denver Nuggets)
-This COULD be a post nightmare for some teams, and I think Denver suits Millsap pretty well. My biggest concern is that these two won't mix well, but with the type of players they are, it should work to give Denver some solid offense. While Denver needs to really work on their backcourt, their frontcourt is set, and of all the new duos, this is the most slept on of them all and underappreciated. Millsap doesn't make the Nuggets a championship team, but he definitely can make them a playoff team again.
4. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward
(Boston Celtics)
-It is surprising in many ways that Kyrie and Hayward both would end up in Boston, but we knew Boston would end up making some big move. I just never expected Isaiah Thomas to leave and I never expected Kyrie to leave Cleveland. Hayward was clearly heading to Boston and with the system they have in Boston, it is fairly certain to be a fun thing to watch Kyrie as the no. 1 option. The question remains, is this big time All Star duo enough to push the Celtics beyond the Cavs and to the NBA Finals? That remains to be seen. The sure thing is that it'll definitely be fun to watch regardless.
3. Jimmy Butler and Karl Anthony Towns
(Minnesota Tinberwolves)
-As a Bulls fan, it sucks that Jimmy Butler is gone. For Minnesota fans, you have to be ecstatic. The playoff drought should finally be coming to an end. The Wolves don't seem championship bound, but with Butler provided scoring and defense for the Wolves alongside KAT and his natural abilities, this duo could work very well to help the team see the Conference Finals at best and at worse, the first round of the playoffs. This duo will be fun to watch and I think Butler takes over where Wiggins couldn't. That'll be interesting to watch play out.
2. Chris Paul and James Harden
(Houston Rockets)
-This duo is the most intriguing. These two have never played with a player of this magnitude on each end. Harden can comfortably go back to his shooting guard position, but he's still a good passer and a primary ball handler, and so is CP3. This will end up being an interesting dichotomy and while I can't for sure say that it will work like everyone expects it to, on paper, the Rockets look very good. Chris Paul is silently beginning his late career decline (defensively mostly), but outside of that, he's still a viable player and Harden was just a MVP candidate, so he for sure has the tools to help this team. Will this duo work? Will the Rockets make the Conference Finals? That remains to be seen.
1. Russell Westbrook and Paul George
(Oklahoma City Thunder)
-This duo is the most intriguing. Russell Westbrook had a decent team around him, but he carried the scoring load in OKC. He has been used to having a second option most of his career and PG has been a first option on his own team, so putting these two chiefs together to make something happen should result in instant playoff success. If Paul George plays solid defense and scores at will like he usually does when focused, the fact remains that we might see the Thunder as a top 3 seed in the West and a sleeper to make the Conference Finals. This is the duo you need to watch out for the most.
-True
0 comments:
Post a Comment