Did you know LeBron James went back to Cleveland? Of course you did. It was the summer’s biggest NBA story, and it immediately makes the Cavs title contenders. But James’ move isn’t the only thing to keep an eye on (sorry, King James).
1. Replay
Increasing the speed and accuracy of replay were the two main goals when the NBA revamped its video-replay process this past summer. Now officials have access to numerous angles, which will be ready to view by the time they walk off the court and look at the courtside monitor. This should help the flow of the game. Every game will have a person assigned to watch replays from the new, state-of-the-art facility in Secaucus, N.J. Nine camera angles are at that person’s fingertips, and that individual will deliver the looks, tailored to each kind of call, to the referee to quickly make the final call. The system has worked well in the preseason. The regular season is the next big test.
2. Teams in Texas
The best basketball this season might just come out of the Lone Star State. The Spurs are the “aging, but not defined by age” defending champions. The Rockets are emerging as NBA title threats, led by James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Mavericks are the most potent they’ve been in years, having added one of the league’s best shooters in Chandler Parsons and a former defensive player of the year in center Tyson Chandler. All three teams should finish with more than 50 wins, which would be the first time that has happened since the 2008-09 season. The Southwest Division opens the season as the toughest group in the league.
3. 3-point barrage
Much to Lakers coach Byron Scott’s chagrin, last year was the second consecutive season the 3-point shot grew in power. Scott pretty much hates the shot, but overall the NBA topped the 21-per-game mark for the first time in league history. The Nuggets were among the teams that embraced the trey. They took five more per game last season under coach Brian Shaw than they had the season prior under George Karl. Expect another increase as the NBA gets deeper into the age of analytics, and expect it to start to look the same everywhere you go with the emphasis on corner 3s.
4. Rookies shall lead them?
Sure, Cleveland didn’t want Andrew Wiggins. But the Cavs got LeBron to come home and got Kevin Love in the exchange, so it’s understandable, and Wiggins will get over it. His new team wants him, though. Minnesota needed a new star to love, and Wiggins will have a big hand in the team’s fortunes this season. Similarly, in Milwaukee, Jabari Parker is the most celebrated player there in many years. The pressure is immediately on these two young players.
5. New coaches
In New York, Derek Fisher basically changed from a uniform to a suit. He played for Oklahoma City last season but is now teaching the ways of the triangle offense to Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. At Golden State, Steve Kerr is many years removed from when he last played, but he has never coached until this season, when he is taking over the Warriors from Mark Jackson. Jason Kidd’s uniform-to-suit success last season with Brooklyn has opened the door to more of these former players getting a head coaching job, even though they had no coaching experience. How Fisher and Kerr do will go a long way toward other ex-players getting a chance without paying their dues.
