National Basketball Association

5 Things To Watch For In The 2016-17 NBA Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the NBA season just around the corner, here are five things that I am looking forward to watching unfold.

Sep 26, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) poses for photos during media day at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

This NBA season has more story lines coming up than the next season of Game of Thrones. October 25th cannot come quickly enough. How will Paul George and his revamped Indiana Pacers outfit fare? Will the “everything old is new again” New York Knicks show us that the Chicago Bulls made a mistake by getting rid of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah?

How will the various rookies fare around the league? How will all the free agents who moved away to try at greener pastures go? This is such an exciting time for me, there are so many unknowns. Even the Brooklyn Nets have a shot at the NBA title in October.

For me, the East is going to be more competitive. The Cleveland Cavaliers will not have it all their own way, mainly due to Indiana, the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, all of whom are going to make some noise this year at one time or another.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors are going to show us that competitive sport is in fact not fair. They might not win the regular season by as much but this team is primed for the playoffs, barring injury and a weakness at center being exposed too much.

Once again their main competition will be the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers. There will be a couple of surprise teams at the end of the year, some of which I will go into below.

One thing is for certain, the 2016-17 season of the NBA cannot start quickly enough for me. Here are five things that I am looking forward to watching unfold, in no particular order

5. How Far Will The Rage Take Russell Westbrook And The Oklahoma City Thunder

Nov 21, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) attempts a shot against Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) and Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook, from everything that I have watched and read does not seem to be overly pleased with Kevin Durant. My guess is that he might see the Durant decision to leave to go to Golden State as a personal insult.

It does not seem to take too much to make Westbrook mad and I think that he will turn this into a sporting war. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now, without a shadow of a doubt Russell Westbrook’s team. The contract extension that he signed over the summer, the incredible leadership that he has displayed. It all says to me one thing. Watch out NBA.

Most teams will not be happy about playing Golden State, they have too many options and are simply a scary team. Russell Westbrook, however, will welcome the challenge and probably average 40-50 points and a triple double against the leagues best team on paper.

However, can Westbrook maintain this rage? Can he sustain the fire within all the way to June? My gut says that he and the rest of his Thunder teammates will surprise us and finish as high as fourth in the Western Conference, barring too many injuries of course.

One thing is for sure, when Russell Westbrook is on the court the entire NBA, and any rim in the building he is playing in had better watch out. Westbrook has a fire burning inside him and a level of talent which makes him scary for opposition defenders.

4. How Far Will The Dallas Mavericks Go Now That They Have A Decent Center

Oct 11, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut (6) and guard Justin Anderson (1) celebrate a defensive stop against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With all the hype surrounding Harrison Barnes signing a max contract, the other player that the Dallas Mavericks secured from Golden State has gone somewhat under the radar. Andrew Bogut was also picked up from the Warriors and he makes as much of a difference as anyone in the league.

Bogut’s stat lines are not fantastic. Since joining the Warriors, Bogut has been their defensive leader and an offensive afterthought. In 23.7 minutes, he has averaged 6.3 points per game at a field goal percentage of 58.1. His rebounding numbers are impressive given his limited game time. 8.3 rebounds per game is pretty steady.

However, what Bogut is able to bring on top of this often goes reasonably unnoticed on the stats sheets. His 2.2 assists per game don’t show enough how well Bogut moves the ball, despite this number being high for a center. Also, Bogut’s 1.7 blocks per game, despite being a great number again don’t tell us how good he is at protecting the rim.

With a front court consisting of Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki and Bogut is one that will take on most in the league. The pure athleticism is not there for Dallas but what they lack in that department, they make up for in basketball intelligence.

I can see Dallas as one of the many teams battling for a wide open fourth spot in the West. For me, they have the slight edge over most.

3. How Will The Chemistry Work In The Philadelphia Front Court

Oct 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Jahlil Okafor (right) watch from the bench during the final minutes of a game against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center. The Utah Jazz won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As anyone who follows the NBA is aware, the Philadelphia 76ers have a wealth of talent. The problem? It is all in the front court.

Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons and Robert Covington are all fighting for playing time. Noel and Okafor are quality centers. Embiid is showing the skills to play both center and power forward while Saric is a tremendous talent at power forward also. When he returns from injury, Simmons could play power forward or small forward while Covington is an inconsistent but brilliant small forward when he is on.

Even Richaun Holmes is making a case for himself this preseason for regular season minutes. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has his work cut out for him over this season to find the best combinations as well as giving the right minutes to the right players at the right times. If he does not manage this, Philadelphia will have an implosion as sure as taxes exist.

Another potential outcome, which I think is quite likely, is that Philadelphia will trade one of their big players for a top quality back-court asset.

I just hope that they do not pull the trigger on the wrong trade. Many may disagree but I do not think that Noel should be traded. I think that Okafor is the player who should go. Yes Okafor had a couple of issues, the most notable the issue in Boston as well as the season-ending surgery on his knee. In spite of this, Okafor is a good offensive center who can create for himself.

Noel is an incredible defensive player who is only going to get better. Combine him with Embiid and Simmons in the front court and you have a three-headed monster that teams will struggle to contain in years to come.

I can’t wait to watch the 76ers. It has been a few years since I have uttered those words.

2. How Will The Retirement Of Tim Duncan Really Affect The San Antonio Spurs?

Apr 19, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs players (from left to right) LaMarcus Aldridge, and Danny Green, and Patty Mills, and Tim Duncan, and Kawhi Leonard, and Tony Parker, and Boris Diaw, and Manu Ginobili (20) watch on the bench against the Memphis Grizzlies in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

One of the things that I will watch with interest over the next season is how the San Antonio Spurs go without one of the greatest players of all time in Tim Duncan.

I started to watch the Spurs when David Robinson was a force. I remember Tim Duncan being drafted and my thought was “here goes the NBA, the Spurs are going to spoil it by dominating.”

Thankfully for the sake of competitive sport Duncan and the Spurs did not dominate, five titles in 19 seasons is extremely good but it showed how hard Duncan had to work for his success.

So, how will San Antonio go without Duncan? Really well actually. Who else could attract the services of one of the greatest international players of all time in Pau Gasol in the twilight of his career? Only San Antonio.

So the new starting five is Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tony Parker. That is a pretty handy starting five in anyone’s books, possibly better than last seasons.

The bench is still strong, featuring Patrick Mills, Jonathon Simmons, Kyle Anderson and Manu Ginobili to name but a few.

As always I will be interested to see the development of some of the younger players on their roster.

How will the retirement of Tim Duncan affect the Spurs, not sure it will but I am fascinated to find out.

1. Will The Revamped Jazz Roster Finally Make The Playoffs

Oct 5, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) makes a pass in front of Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

For a team that did not miss the playoffs between 1983-84 to 2002-03, the last six years have been tough on Utah Jazz fans.

I am not discounting the fact that they made the playoffs in 2011-12, but they got swept in four by the Spurs. They have not won a playoff game since 2009-10 where they beat the Denver Nuggets in the first round. They were then swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

This must be a hard pill to swallow for fans who grew up watching the nightly superhuman efforts of John Stockton and Karl Malone. These two are unquestionably two of the top players ever to play in their respective positions.

Unfortunately for Utah, their best player from last season, Gordon Hayward, is out with a finger injury for the start of this season. Last year this would have derailed the Jazz. This season, Utah has improved the depth of the team.

If this had of happened last season the Joe Inglis may have been starting. I love Aussie Joe, however he is not going to take you to the playoffs as a starter. Another Joe, Joe Johnson will start for Utah until Hayward returns meaning that Utah will not fall as far behind as they might of in the West.

Injuries have been cruel to the Jazz in the past. We all remember last season when Dante Exum injured his knee playing for Australia and then throughout the season Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors were injured for stretches of the season, just to name a few.

This season the Jazz have put together a unit who will not only make the Playoffs despite their early setback but probably challenge Oklahoma City and Dallas for fourth.