The anticipation is over, as the NBA regular season is here and upon us. What is this season going to give us? With lots of trades transpiring and teams getting players back from injury, this season looks to be one to remember. Lots of big shakeups happened in the offseason.
Lebron is looking to become the highest scorer in NBA history, the Nets are trying to get back to being a title contender and the Jazz unloading Gobert and Mitchell just to name a few storylines heading into this season. In this article, we are going to jump into some of the best long-term predictions for this upcoming season.
Backing the Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks added Dejounte Murray via trade with the Spurs in the offseason. This trade will propel the Hawks to being a legit force in the East. I expect to be backing the Hawks on the spread more often than not throughout the regular season. Keep in mind they are returning an already solid lineup with Clint Capela, Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter, and John Collins. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu will be two solid pieces to come off of the bench to add depth. Just two seasons ago this team was in the Eastern Conference Finals, so I expect them to become extremely dangerous in the playoffs.
Gobert Wins Defensive Player of the Year
Gobert has already won this three times, but a huge trade sending Gobert to the Timberwolves will put him in a dream situation. The Timberwolves already have Karl Anthony Towns, so this is going to likely give Gobert even more confidence to go all out protecting the rim. After looking bad in the playoffs and getting traded, I expect him to have a big year defensively to solidify he wins that award. Expect Gobert to make up for the bad playoff series last season.
Luka Doncic to Win MVP
We are talking about an already prolific player in Luka, but he has not quite been able to get enough votes for the MVP. Finishing 4th, 6th and 5th in voting so far, Luka looks to be more in shape than he ever has been. A highly motivated Luka should give us a year to remember and the voters will not be able to deny him the MVP. Yes, they lost Jalen Brunson but this just means Luka will have to step up even more and make those around him better which he should have no problems doing. There is definitely some value on Luka to win MVP even though he is the favorite when searching for NBA Odds.
So those are my long-term predictions for the 2022 NBA season. I expect those three to confidently hold true as the season goes on. Barring any injuries, this season should deliver on being one of the best seasons in recent years. The youth and balance across the league should make for a competitive year and lots of excitement. Backing the Atlanta Hawks, Gobert to win DPOY and Luka to be MVP should all be relative by the time this season is over.
