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?
Many expected the Utah Jazz to frequent the bottom of the standings last season after trading away All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. But Utah surprised people with a strong start, winning 10 of their first 13 games to hold the No.1 spot in the Western Conference over a month into the regular season. Utah did slide down in the standings eventually, but last year was still considered a success as it managed to work around the players who remained.
Utah’s greatest strength right now is its young core. As a team that is in the rebuilding stage, they’ve been doing a solid job of improving players and finding the right combinations. Lauri Markkanen earned his first All-Star berth and was named NBA’s Most Improved Player while Walker Kessler finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting and was fourth in the league in blocks. They have older guys like former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk to smooth out the transition.
What’s their kryptonite?
Utah’s biggest weakness coming into the season is the point guard position. Collin Sexton should be the lead point guard, but the second guard spot is up for grabs. Clarkson has the experience but he’s always been more efficient when he comes off the bench. We’ll expect the Jazz to struggle a bit as they use some of their young pieces like Keyonte George or Talen Horton-Tucker to fill up that role.
Who is their biggest hero?
Markkanen is the main man in Utah. With a clearly defined role last season, he flourished and capitalized en route to a career-high average of 25.2 PPG. He is expected to remain steady especially with John Collins and Kessler alongside him. They just need Markkanen to build on the momentum he had last year and keep it consistent.
Who is their biggest villain?
The greatest opponent of a team can also be themselves. Heading into the new year, there will be growing pains as they navigate how to fill up the roles needed on and off the court. A fresh set of players should be heavily guided by the veterans until the younger ones can flourish and execute.
How does their story (season) play out?
The majority of the players from last year were retained, making it a good sign that the rebuilding process is going well. The best-case scenario for this young team is they enter the Play-In spot or snag a playoff berth. It’s realistic to assume that their budding stars will continue to improve but title contention isn’t really on the radar right now.
