Another NBA season has come and gone, with the Golden State Warriors becoming champions for the second time in three seasons. Though the Warriors and, to a lesser extent the Cavs, are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, some teams showed great improvement in 2017, while others struggled.
What did we learn from the 2016-2017 season besides the Warriors and LeBron James remain awesome? Here’s a look at the 10 biggest developments from the season.
1) We live in the age of the super-team
There is no denying it. There are several iterations of the “super team” floating around the NBA right now.
The Warriors, with Kevin Durant, are the obvious one, but they’re actually an exception in a certain sense. Their core, with the exception of Kevin Durant, is fully home-grown. Sure, the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James, but he returned as a free agent, while Kevin Love was acquired by trade. Even the Los Angeles Clippers, who added Chris Paul to pool as much talent as possible together, have tried to follow a similar path. It just hasn’t worked as well for them.
Given the talk around the NBA, it wouldn’t be surprising if more super-teams follow.
Could Chris Paul join the Spurs to team with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge? What about Carmelo Anthony’s future? Would anyone be truly shocked if one or both of them ended up on an established contender to chase a ring? Not at all, not in today’s NBA.
2) The balance of power behind Golden State is changing out West
The Los Angeles Clippers face an offseason of reckoning after their first round loss to the Utah Jazz. Two of their key players are free agents who may or may not return. The San Antonio Spurs got their first look at a post-Tony Parker existence due to his playoff injury, and it wasn’t particularly pretty, either. They’ll always be a threat as long as Gregg Popovich is in charge, and they do have talent, but it’s beginning to feel like San Antonio’s windows of contention in the Western Conference is closing, if it hasn’t already.
Who’s left? James Harden’s Houston Rockets appear to be on the rise. If the Oklahoma City Thunder can find some help for Russell Westbrook, they can certainly cause trouble. The Utah Jazz appear to be on the rise, though that’s contingent on them retaining Gordon Hayward, which is no sure thing at this point. There does seem to be some reshuffling in the West, though, with the old guard fading a bit.
3) The Celtics are the biggest threat to Cleveland’s dominance in the East
It’s easy to forget that the Celtics actually topped the Eastern Conference this season thanks to a Cavalier swoon after the new year. Boston faces a pivotal offseason in which they have the No. 1 overall pick. That provides them the opportunity to add to a core that already contains Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Al Horford. They could keep it and likely draft Markelle Fultz, or try to trade it for an already-established superstar.
None of this is particularly good news for the Cavs.
The East Finals proved that there is still a pronounced gap between the two squads, though Thomas being hurt did not help matters. The concern for James and the Cavaliers is what happens if the Celtics build a juggernaut? They already have to cope with the Warriors in the West. They don’t need the Celtics rising up in the East to go along with it.
4) Giannis Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s next superstar
Antetokounmpo plays in Milwaukee, which, for now, somewhat limits his visibility. He won’t be able to be ignored for much longer, though.
At the age of 22, The Greek Freak averaged 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. All three were career-highs, and all stand to remain where they are or rise even further as the Bucks begin to focus on well and truly building their entire roster around him.
He’ll only go up from here.
Antetokounmpo is one of the most exciting players in basketball at such a young age, and the Greek Freak is only going to get bigger. The Bucks will need to become a more consistent playoff presence to take him as far as he can go, and realistically, he may have to bolt to a bigger market altogether. There will be time for that later. For now, enjoy the NBA’s next dynamic superstar as he continues to grow and improve.
5) Russell Westbrook is going to put up some of the gaudiest numbers we’ve ever seen
A very angry Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double in 2016-17 — the first NBA player to do so since Oscar Robertson. Who’s to say he can’t do it again?
Such a task will be very difficult, to be sure. Part of it depends on what else the Thunder do with their roster. Part of it depends on how driven Westbrook is after putting so much into this season, but that’s a bit of a lesser concern. Westbrook is always motivated, and do you really think he won’t be annoyed that Kevin Durant got his NBA title after leaving him behind?
The fact is, Westbrook has a skillset that few, if any players can match, and he’s the undisputed leader on a team that will basically defer to him. Don’t be surprised to see a continuation of his numbers this season.
See Nos. 6-10 on Page 2
