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2022-23 NBA Season Preview

Our one-stop-shop for an NBA season preview in great detail and depth

The Box and One

Oct 18, 2022

NBA highlights on Dec. 6: Bucks beat Clippers for 14 straight wins - CGTN

I’m not a big “hot take” guy. Mostly, hot takes are fueled by the desire to come out as a contrarian, to stir the pot. If my predictions go against the grain, it’s just a product of us calling it as we see it.

Predictions are, as I am learning, important for the sake of accountability. We can look at and see exactly where we missed on our prognostications, what didn’t pan out the way we expected and use that as the starting point for where to dive into improvement. As such, we’ll publish our preseason predictions in full.

If you haven’t gotten the chance to view any of our team-by-team previews, please check those out for more detail and context in each situation. Click on the link of each team to see their individual preview.

Eastern Conference:

Western Conference:

Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference Finals: Milwaukee Bucks over Philadelphia 76ers
Western Conference Finals: LA Clippers over Golden State Warriors
NBA Finals Prediction: Bucks over Clippers in 7

Awards

In our awards section, we’ll dive into our predictions for the major hardware that gets handed out at the end of the season, with a brief explanation for why they are our preseason favorite to win.

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - Giannis is a competitor who doesn’t coast or take nights off. The Greek Freak isn’t wired to take a night off, and he’s going to be hellbent on getting the Bucks back to the Finals. I’m expecting a monster year from Antetokounmpo.

Defensive Player of the Year: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks - While Marcus Smart grabbed the award last year, Giannis is going to come out as a man on a mission for the Bucks after missing the NBA Finals a year ago. Just copy and paste what we said in the section ago.

Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic - Quite frankly, he’s him. Banchero checks every box you look for with immediate out-of-the-gates success. He’s big and strong, ready physically. He’ll have plenty of opportunity on a subpar team where he’ll grow into the alpha role. He’s a scorer and a gifted passer to put up the right numbers to appease voters. Most importantly, he’s really good.

6th Man of the Year: Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors - Poole is a professional scorer and a good one at that. The Warriors will likely keep him in a reserve role, but with nights off for their stars and the opportunity to really play his style when they stagger minutes, he’s going to have the upside to show he can take another step forward in terms of production.

Most Improved Player: Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic - This is the year that Franz takes the legitimate step towards being seen across the league as a true #2 option on a great team. His numbers will be high in volume yet efficient, he’ll flash more isolation scoring and self-creation than before, and prove himself to be the perfect piece next to rookie of the year Paolo Banchero.

Coach of the Year: Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors - Despite several big splashes in the Eastern Conference made via trade, the Raptors gain ground in the standings through internal development and a terrorizing defense. Nurse, the architect of their gameplan and an offensive tactician, maximizes their impact in a half-court setting while the length and athleticism of the roster carry them in transition.

All-NBA First Team
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

All-NBA Second Team
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

All-NBA Third Team
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

All-Defense First Team
Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves

All-Defense Second Team
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns
Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

All-Rookie First Team
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
Jabari Smith, Houston Rockets
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

All-Rookie Second Team
Jaden Hardy, Dallas Mavericks
Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Other Random Predictions

First coach fired: Nate McMillan, Atlanta Hawks - While the Dejounte Murray trade was a good addition on paper, it could have some issues in terms of its execution. Murray and Trae Young require an imaginative coach to make them work, and McMillan is not known for being that. If the Hawks don’t get off to a great start, I can easily see McMillan getting the boot by mid-January.

Biggest star traded by the deadline: Bradley Beal to the Memphis Grizzlies. For some reason, I just smell this one. The Wizards will want to duck the playoffs and push themselves closer to the Victor and Scoot sweepstakes. The Grizzlies are in dire need of a consolidation trade, realizing that their group of youngsters needs one more win-now piece to get over the hump.

Biggest All-Star Snub: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns - I always do this based on positions, and to me, the guard spots in the Western Conference are insanely competitive. Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Luka Doncic (to an extent), Ja Morant, Paul George, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray… it leaves very little room for someone else to emerge, let alone for everyone here to make it. If I had to bet on one guy to get the snub, it would be Booker.

Top Pick in 2023 NBA Draft: Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92 - I mean… not much to say about this one. It strangely feels like a large part of this season already is, and is going to always be, about Victor.