The Biggest Storyline For All 30 Teams This NBA Season

The NBA 2023-2024 NBA season is upon us, and so many storylines will unfold in the next eight months as we work towards crowning a champion. There’s a reason to pay attention to every NBA team this year, though some are better reasons than others.

The NBA 2023-2024 NBA season is upon us, and so many storylines will unfold in the next eight months as we work towards crowning a champion. There’s a reason to pay attention to every NBA team this year, though some are better reasons than others.

Atlanta Hawks: Will They Decide To Break Up Their Core?

After the Hawks made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, many expected big things to come from their core, led by Trae Young. They added star guard Dejounte Murray after a disappointing 2021-2022 season, but last year was a letdown, as well, finishing eighth in the East and getting bounced by Boston in the first round. If they get off to a slow start this year, a rebuild in Atlanta could be coming.

Boston Celtics: Will Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday Put Them Over The Top?

This Celtics core, led by Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have come close to getting over the hump and winning an NBA title, but haven’t been able to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Will star acquisitions Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis put them over the top?

Brooklyn Nets: Just How Good Is Mikal Bridges?

The big three of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant is all gone. Now, the team has a solid group of young players as they looked to build a sustainable winning future. The biggest piece is Mikal Bridges, who shined after coming over from Phoenix in the Durant trade. Finding out just how good he is will give the Nets a lot of guidance in terms of how to build for the future.

Charlotte Hornets: Will LaMelo Ball Take the Leap?

“The Leap”, in NBA terms, is when a pretty good player becomes a great player. And, after the Hornets signed young guard LaMelo Ball to a max contract this offseason, the biggest storyline for the franchise is just how good of a player can LaMelo be

Chicago Bulls: Is It Time To Tear It All Down?

The Chicago Bulls roster isn’t that bad. But, it’s not anywhere close to championship-caliber, and there’s no clear way to get this roster to that level. DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine are coveted assets by teams, and it would not be surprising at all for one or both of those players to be moved this season for a load of assets.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Can Evan Mobley Become The Third Scorer The Cavaliers Need?

The Cavaliers have one of the best backcourts in basketball in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. But, it was evident last year in their first round loss to the Knicks that the team needed more out of 2022 third-overall pick Evan Mobley. The 6’11 power forward is already one of the league’s better defenders, but he needs to continue to develop his offensive game if the Cavaliers want to challenge the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in the East. He has the potential to increasing from the 16.2 PPG he averaged last year into the low twenties.

Dallas Mavericks: Was Re-Signing Kyrie Irving A Mistake?

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for embattled superstar point guard Kyrie Irving prior to last season’s trade deadline, the move reeked of the desperation the team has had to try to pair another star with Luka Dončić. It was a disaster, as the team fell from the middle of the playoff picture in the Western Conference to missing the postseason altogether, and they were especially bad in games that Irving and Doncic played together. They re-signed Irving this offseason, and we will soon find out quickly if that was a terrible mistake, or if the two will figure out how to win basketball games together.

Denver Nuggets: Will There Be A Championship Hangover?

The Nuggets were not taken seriously as top-flight title contender for much of last season, even though they were arguably the top team in the league all year. They did, in fact, win the franchise’s first NBA Championship as Nikola Jokić established himself as the world’s best player. All five starters return, and they could win it all again. That is, if they avoid a post-championship hangover.

Detroit Pistons: Is Cade Cunningham Just A Guy Or THE Guy?

The Detroit Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham with the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft with high hopes that he could be the franchise’s first true superstar player since Isiah Thomas. He’s been solid, but not spectacular, in his first two seasons in the league, and played just twelve games last year after he had shin surgery. As he enters his third year with the Pistons still rebuilding, the question remains if he is a true franchise cornerstone or not.

Golden State Warriors: How Will Chris Paul Mesh With The Established Core?

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have done a lot of winning together in the last decade-plus in the Bay Area. This year, the question is whether all-time great Chris Paul can fit in and help bring those three their fifth title, and win his first.

Houston Rockets: Can Fred VanVleet Help The Youngsters Grow Up?

When The Houston Rockets signed former Raptors star Fred Van Vleet to a monster contract in the offseason, it wasn’t the type of signing that is made in the hopes that it’s a missing piece to a title team. Rather, they want the veteran point guardto help develop their promising young core of players that includes Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson.

Indiana Pacers: Will A Sidekick To Tyrese Halliburton Emerge?

The trade that sent guard Tyrese Halliburton to the Pacers and big man Domantas Sabonis to the Kings appears to have worked out for both teams. Halliburton emerged as a bona fide All Star in his age 22 season last year. Now, the Pacers need to find out if Buddy Hield, Benedict Mathurin, or Myles Turner can be a legitimate second option, or if they may need to move some pieces to acquire one.

Los Angeles Clippers: Can Kawhi Leonard And Paul George Stay Healthy?

When superstar wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George share the court, the Clippers are 83-35, good for a 57-win pace over an 82 game season. The problem is, those games have been too infrequent for a team that is built to win now. As those two age, the Clippers need both of them to stay healthy if they want to win the franchise’s first NBA title. Make no mistake, if George and Leonard can stay healthy for an entire playoff run, they absoultely can win a championship.

Los Angeles Lakers: There's No Way LeBron Can Keep Playing This Well In Year 21, Right?

It’s LeBron James’ 21st season in the NBA, which means that both he, you, and I are getting old. But, the league’s most experienced player is still one of its best, despite having an incredible amount of tread on the tiles. Eventually, he won’t be able to be the best player on the court nearly every night. Will that be the case this year, as he looks for his fifth championship?

Memphis Grizzlies: Can They Limit The Off-Court Distractions And Compete For An NBA Title?

There’s no doubt this core of Grizzlies can win games. The team has been the second seed in the Western Conference each of the last two seasons, only to fall short in the playoffs. But, the antics of now-departed Dillon Brooks and superstar guard Ja Morant have too often gotten in the way of a real championship run. Morant will serve a twenty-five game suspension to start the season for gun-related incidents, and when he comes back, he needs to stay out of trouble. Commissioner Adam Silver’s patience is clearly wearing thin.

Miami Heat: Can They Score Enough Points To Contend Once Again?

The Miami Heat had quite the Cinderella run last year, garnering the eighth seed following that play-in games before upsetting the top-seeded Bucks en route and the second-seeded Celtics en route to the NBA Finals. But, the reason they were in the play-in game last year was due to the fact that they are simply not a great offensive team. They will need to improve on last year’s 25th-ranked offense if they want to make a similar run this year.

Milwaukee Bucks: How Will Damian Lillard And Giannis Antetekounmpo Work Together?

The Bucks waited until mid-October to make the biggest splash of any team in the offseason, as they traded for superstar guard Damian Lillard, sending off Jrue Holiday (now with the Celtics) and picks in a three-team trade. They’re arguably the NBA title favorite after the move, and it will come down to how well Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard can gel together.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Can They Find Anyone To Take Rudy Gobert's Contract?

It was very clear in the 2022-2023 season that the blockbuster trade the Timberwolves made to acquire center Rudy Gobert from the Jazz was a big mistake. The center was, frankly, bad last year for the Timberwolves, and the pairing of him and fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns simply doesn’t mesh well together. Can the Timberwolves find a team to take on Gobert’s contract, which has three years and roughly $130 million remaining on it?

New Orleans Pelicans: Can Zion Williamson Stay Healthy?

When Zion Williamson is on the court, there are few players more electric than the first-overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. And, he’s been awfully productive in his career, averaging 25.8 points per game in his first 114 games. The problem is, he’s missed significantly more games in his first four years than he’s played in, and people are questioning his durability. He has to stay healthy this year and prove his massive frame can withstand an NBA season.

New York Knicks: Will RJ Barrett Ever Live Up To His Potential?

Despite the Knicks having their best season in a decade last year, swing man RJ Barrett was arguably the league’s least-efficient player. The Knicks were significantly better with him off the court than on it, and that’s not a good thing when that player has a $107 million contract. If the Knicks want to compete with the Celtics and the Bucks and make their first NBA finals in twenty-five years, he has to turn into the guy the Knicks thought they were getting when he was made the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Just How Good Is Chet Holmgren?

Most attention will be on the other very skinny, very tall rookie big man in the Southwest in the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama. But, don’t forget about 2022 second-overall pick Chet Holmgren, who missed all of last season with injury. Holmgren has massive potential on a team that is chock-full of young stars and future first round draft picks. Oklahoma City could be on the verge of a dynasty, but they will need Holmgren to grow into an All Star-caliber player to make that happen.

Orlando Magic: Is Jalen Suggs A Contributor Or A Bust?

The Magic’s rebuild took a step forward last year, as then-rookie forward Paolo Banchero looks to be a future perennial All-Star and fellow versatile forward Franz Wagner could be one, as well. The biggest question as the Magic move to the next stage of the rebuild are what guards are worth keeping. Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs have all shown flashes, and they drafted another guard in the lanky Anthony Black with the sixth pick in the draft. The Magic drafted Suggs in the top five in 2021 to be a long-term answer in the backcourt, and the jury is still out if that will be the case.

Philadelphia 76ers: How Will The James Harden Saga End?

Simply put, superstar guard James Harden does not want to be a member of the Philadelphia 76ers anymore. Harden’s general manger Daryl Morey’s relationship goes back to their days in Houston, but the often-disgruntled guard claims his relationship with Morey has completely broken down. It’s hard to see Harden playing again for the Sixers, and even if he were to, it wouldn’t be a great situation. He wants to be a Clipper, but the 76ers seem reluctant to trade him there. Resolving this situation will go a long way in determining what kind of path Philadelphia is on this year.

Phoenix Suns: Are There Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen?

No other team in the league have as many players ability to create their own shot at a high level as the Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant are all outstanding scorers. The question that will determine whether this team wins an NBA Championship or embarrassingly falls short once again will be if those three can work out how to effectively share the ball and play efficiently together. If they can do that, the sky is the limit.

Portland Trail Blazers: Is Scoot Henderson The Future Of The Franchise?

If Victor Wembanyama didn’t exist, lead guard Scoot Henderson would have been the best prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he still is one of the best prospects in years. The fact that he slipped to the Blazers at the third pick due to the Hornets already having a franchise lead guard in LaMelo Ball made it easier to deal away Damian Lillard. Now, the uber-athletic guard needs to show signs that he can keep the fan base engaged as they embark on a rebuild.

Sacramento Kings: Are They For Real, Or Was Last Year A Flash In The Pan?

The Sacramento Kings broke out in a big way last year, making the playoffs for the first time since 2006 as the third seed in the west before succumbing to the Warriors in an awesome seven-game series. That core led De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis appears to be one that can make the Kings a perennial playoff contender. Now, they have to prove that last year was not a flash in the pan for a franchise and fan base desperate for a consistent winner.

San Antonio Spurs: How Much Can Gregg Popovich Help Develop Victor Wembanyama?

If you clicked this article, are still here, and don’t know who Victor Wembanyama is, I have some questions for you. At any rate, the best NBA prospect since LeBron James has arrived in the form of a 7-foot-4-inch nineteen-year-old French kid who can do absolutely everything on the basketball court. When the Spurs won the most important draft lottery in twenty years, it may have been the perfect fit for Wembanyama. After all, legendary coach Gregg Popovich nurtured big man Tim Duncan into being one of the ten greatest NBA players to ever play. With his coaching career winding down, developing Wembanyama will be the last big project of Popovich’s incredible career.

Toronto Raptors: Is Scottie Barnes A Star?

Scottie Barnes has arguably been the most impressive player of the 2021 NBA Draft class so far, and the small forward has a chance to break out in a huge way this year. The versatile forward is already an excellent defender, and has scored efficiently in his first two years in the league. With the departure of Fred Van Vleet, Barnes is going to be getting significantly higher volume on offense. If he can continue scoring at an efficient rate with increased volume and continue to improve as a passer (4.8 APG last year) while not sacrificing anything on the defensive end, you’re looking at one of the league’s best young two-way players.

Utah Jazz: Can Lauri Markkanen Repeat His Breakout 2022-2023 Season?

I spoke about “the leap” earlier in the slideshow, and a great example of a player making “the leap” was Lauri Markkanen in 2022-2023. After averaging no more than 14.8 points per game in his previous three seasons, The Finnish forward exploded his scoring average to 25.8 PPG, while scoring at the most efficient rate of his career. He was named NBA Most Improved Player, as he came incredibly close to the mythical 50/40/90 shooting splits. If he does it again, the Jazz will know they have a true superstar to build around with all the assets they have built up in the past few years.

Washington Wizards: Just How Bad Can They Be?

The slideshow is in alphabetical order, so it’s just dumb luck that we saved the worst team for last. But, that’s what the Washington Wizards are this year. There is just not a lot to get excited about on this roster, unless you enjoy Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma putting up empty numbers. Other than the development of rookie Bilal Coulibaly, there aren’t a lot of good development storylines on this team, either. They could truly be one of the worst defensive teams in league history, and at this point, Wizards fans are counting down to the NBA Draft Lottery.