The NBA Season is back! Just like your favorite superhero story, the NBA brings fun, entertainment, and a lot of uncanny subplots to unpack. That’s why NBA.com Philippines decided to preview the new season comic-book style. We pick out fantastic characters that will take the stage and new amazing arcs to watch out for. Bang! Pow! Boom! Let’s go!
What’s their superpower?
A team usually has a different level of confidence after winning a title. You see it in how they go about their business night in and night out, especially when the championship core is intact. They know that they can beat anybody and they can lean on their confidence and experience from the year before. Take for example the 2016 Golden State Warriors. After they won the title in 2015, they blew the competition right out of the water on their way to a historic 73-9 finish.
The Denver Nuggets will come out swinging to start the season. Don’t be surprised if they kick things off with a 20-3 record or something. The superpower of a defending champion is knowing that their power is superior to everyone else’s.
What’s their kryptonite?
Denver’s bench was a huge factor last season. The Nuggets enter the new year without two key rotation players, Jeff Green and Bruce Brown, who left during free agency. They’ll have to figure out which of the remaining players will step up in their absence. They have the promising Christian Braun and Vlatko Cancar, among others, but the roles need to be redefined to start the season.
Who is their biggest hero?
Nikola Jokic remains the trump card of Denver’s chances of another title. He is currently the game’s best player and it’s not even close. He’s an absolute game-changer who is at the peak of his powers. Add the fiery Jamal Murray, who can stop them? Murray can be considered a little bit underrated as well with all the attention Jokic is getting. He’s only 26 and he continues to add layers to his offensive arsenal.
Who is their biggest villain?
Winning back-to-back titles is extremely hard in any sport. In the NBA, we’ve seen teams struggle to win consecutive championships because a lot can happen over the course of a season.
The “disease of more” has already hit the team with the departure of Brown. Will the other bench players want more playing time? Is everyone still satisfied with their roles? Will somebody want to get traded?
At the same time, how do we make sure that Jokic and the rest of the veterans don’t get bored? This isn’t a knock on the Joker and the numerous clips we’ve seen him seemingly disinterested in returning to work. Who loves working anyway? And he has every right to enjoy stuff outside of hoops. The concern lies in keeping everyone on the same page. Since they know they’re unbeatable, how do they keep that competitive fire burning?
Keeping a championship core happy for another season is the elephant in the room.
How does their story (season) play out?
The rest of the league has retooled to dethrone the Nuggets. Each contender has made an upgrade in one way or another. The advantage of the Nuggets is that they know their personnel and what they’re capable of. If you look at the rest of the field, everyone has a key piece that they’re going to have work to integrate. There’s Bradley Beal in Phoenix, Kristaps Porzingis in Boston, and Damian Lillard in Milwaukee.
The Nuggets may seem boring without a massive shakeup, but boring can be good. And in their case, boring is elite. Boring is Nikola Jokic dominating basketball unlike something we’ve never seen before. This group certainly has the potential to repeat as champions.
