NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers will not have all hands on deck for their preseason opener against the Boston Celtics.
James Harden likely to miss 76ers opener | 00:48The NBA season has officially tipped off, with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers facing off in a battle of two Western Conference heavyweights.
As always, the health of James and Davis will determine just how far the Lakers can go but at full-strength they now have the kind of depth, versatility and shooting that has been lacking in past seasons.“The best roster construction around LeBron historically has been shooting, 3-and-D guys and I think he sort of fits the bill there. Gabe Vincent of course coming in... they’ve addressed some of that shooting,” former NBA player J.J. Redick said last month on“The roster actually makes sense.
Reaves was lightning in a bottle for the Lakers during their Western Conference Finals series against Denver last season, averaging 21.3 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 56 per cent from deep. However, Denver was largely able to turn one of its biggest weaknesses into a strength during the Finals with Aaron Gordon proving a valuable asset on both ends of the court while playing as the team’s back-up five.
If anything, Denver will be hoping draft picks Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Hunter Tyson are seamless fits like Braun was. With Jeff Green also gone, the Nuggets are largely depending on a youth movement to keep the second unit going.WHAT VERSION OF ZION WILL WE GET? Veteran guard CJ McCollum played through injury himself as he tried to keep the Pelicans afloat last season without Williamson while Brandon Ingram also missed time with a toe issue.
McCollum though said Williamsom has made some much-needed changes with a better understanding of what is expected of him heading into his fourth season in the league. The superstar duo are eligible for four-year max contracts this offseason, although it would have to be at the right price given the concerns over their durability.
“Nothing imminent. No talks really that has been reported. And to me, the Clippers have to look around the league and the Western Conference and think to themselves, ‘In year five of this, have we grown a little bit stale? Has the rest of the Conference, if not passed us by, at least pulled up to us and maybe dipped by us’.
It would be quite underwhelming otherwise for the Clippers to open the new Intuit Dome without their All-Star duo and instead be looking at the beginning of a long rebuild.Well, a few things are clear. He wants out of Philadelphia. He wants in at Los Angeles. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, both the Sixers and the Clippers — Harden’s preferred trade destination — are no closer to agreeing on a potential deal.“He is away on an excused leave. The organisation is allowing for it... it hasn’t happened. It is nowhere close, it is nowhere in range.
“Daryl Morey wants more... I think the way the Clippers look at it is the market dictates the value,” Wojnarowski said. Embiid raised eyebrows in the summer when he said in an interview with Maverick Carter that he wants to win a ring “whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else”. “Embiid says he likes the challenge. But he also admits it can be frustrating at times that the Sixers lack continuity,” Pompey wrote.
Now the pair will need to work out how to play together and while Milwaukee won’t have many problems scoring points, the Bucks did sacrifice one of the league’s best defenders to land Lillard. Now the Suns will be banking on the superstar trio of Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to end the franchise’s championship curse.
If there is one glaring question hanging over the team this season it is how Jusuf Nurkic fits in the frontcourt, although it was also clear the team needed to move on from Ayton regardless.As for Golden State, the biggest challenge for the Warriors is finding a way to get the most out of their three star guards in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and new arrival Chris Paul.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the month Paul made it clear he would be happy to play a bench role if it was in the team’s best interests. Regardless of whether he starts or not though, it looks like the Warriors will lean on the veteran point guard to lead the second unit.“I am told no matter what Chris’ role is, whether he is in the starting line-up or coming off the bench, his main job with this team is going to be being that floor general - that conductor - for the second unit and that goes beyond tonight,” Kendra Andrews said on ESPN.
But there is also plenty of pressure on the Mavericks to take a significant step this season — or at least show some level of improvement so as to convince Luka Doncic this is a team he can win a title with.
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