The 2022-23 NBA campaign is underway, which also means that lots of drama and storylines are coming shortly. Some have already happened in such a young season. Some are about playoff team struggles, and one has nothing to do with the game of basketball. Nevertheless, it gives fans a taste of what it really means to be an NBA franchise, dealing with the ups and downs of attempting to win a world championship. Here are the top five storylines to take a look at right now.
#1: Unfortunately, we begin with the controversial news surrounding Brooklyn Nets All-Star Guard and 2016 NBA Champion Kyrie Irving. Reports came out last week that Irving posted antisemitic views and even went as far as promoting an anti-jew documentary called “Hebrews to Negros: Wake up Black America” on his social media platforms, with whom he has several million followers. The NBA is a global league that accepts all religions, races, etc. League executives and commissioner Adam Silver have said on multiple occasions that this type of behavior is never to be tolerated by any player, regardless of their status in the league. Irving, on the other hand, is no stranger to controversy, as he repeatedly spoke on his anti-vax views during the height of the pandemic. Irving issued a statement saying, “to all jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected by my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize.” Many people around the Nets organization, including General Manager Sean Marks, say it’s a step in the right direction, but certainly not enough to condone his actions. Irving still hadn’t actually spoken down on what was in the documentary; he never actually said that he disagreed with what was in it.
#2: Back to the basketball side of things, the Golden State Warriors have recently experienced what All Star SG Klay Thompson called a “road trip from hell.” The team made history this season by becoming the first defending champions in league history to start the following campaign 0-6 on the road. It began with a loss at Phoenix. Afterward, despite having beaten the Heat at home, the Warriors lost five straight road games against Charlotte, Detroit, Miami, Orlando and New Orleans. Another shocking stat to take note of is the fact that Golden State ranks 24th in the NBA in defensive rebounding, despite having finished sixth in that category in 2021-22. The Warriors are the defending champs after all, and they must not be taken lightly, especially with two-time MVP and four-time champion PG Stephen Curry at the helm of one of the premiere dynasties in league history.
#3: Another story of struggle is not too far down the road from the Bay Area in Los Angeles and is being led by another four-time champion in Lebron James. This team’s apparent lack of three-point shooting has been the Achilles heel for them in the early going. The first four games of their season were not just normally bad. They made history just like Golden State did but in their own unique way. LA shot 33 of 148 from three and started off 0-4. One of the main culprits is former league MVP PG Russell Westbrook. Newly hired coach Darvin Ham had recently decided that it would be in the best interest of the Lakers as a whole if Westbrook came off the bench. Despite this decision, Westbrook still managed to get the starting spot for their first three games of the season, and in them, he shot 1-12. Since actually coming off the bench, his numbers improved slightly as he went up to 10-22. On a positive note though, Lebron James is nearing the game, where he may pass up fellow Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the record of most points ever scored in a career in the NBA.
#4: On a more positive note, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be building the best team they’ve had since Lebron James departed for the second time just before the 2018-19 season. This is largely due to them trading for arguably their best player since James in Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is no Lebron of course, but he is a pretty good consolation prize. The Cavs have improved their record every season since Lebron’s departure, and the sky continues to be the limit. This season, Cleveland finds themselves ranked 8-2 and second overall in the Eastern Conference behind only the Milwaukee Bucks led by MVP favorite Giannis Anetokounmpo who sit at 9-1. The Cavs are 4-0 at home, 4-2 on the road, and 7-1 against Eastern Conference teams alone. The Cavs have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, but still one of its deepest and most talented despite their ages. Seasoned vets like champions Kevin Love and Cedi Osman aren’t playing too shabby while their young core is led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Caris Levert, and Issac Okoro, who are among the best under 30 core in the league.
#5. Finally, Lebron James is close to passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the points record and has the chance to do it this season. James needs 1,107 points, and is projected to need 41 games to accomplish this. Abdul-Jabbar has held this record since April 5, 1984, eight months before Lebron was even born. If he keeps up his career scoring average of 27.1 PPG, he can accomplish this feat this season. This game could end up being on March 12 against the New York Knicks. Currently, James is averaging 24.3 points per game so he is not on pace to do it as planned just yet. Wherever you put Lebron on your list of the greatest players of all time, if he were to pass this record, he would no doubt have a strong case to be the GOAT in many people’s minds. Lebron James has been dominant for 20 years now and when he does choose to hang up his sneakers and retire, the NBA will never be the same.
Article written by Owen Lomotan of Thomas S. Wootton High School
Photo courtesy of Erik Drost from Wikimedia Commons