No Team USA FIBA World Cup games, no preseason games, the real deal.
In my opinion, there are really only two groups of teams that enter 2023-24 pretty much pressure-free.
The Denver Nuggets (as defending champs they are playing with house money)
2.
Tanking teams who want to lose on purpose/are in the early stages of their rebuild
Everyone else?
The upcoming season brings a certain degree of pressure.
The teams in this group can’t just have a “good” season.
They can’t win a round or two in the playoffs and consider things a success.
Milwaukee Bucks- I mean, duh.
Huge pressure season in MIL.
Philadelphia 76ers- Nobody gets more regular season hype only to fall short every year quite like the Sixers.
How many more years is Embiid going to stomach not even making the ECF?
There’s already rumblings that he could be the next start to demand out.
If they don’t, I think you could put it in the disaster category.
Boston Celtics -Sorry, the time for excuses is over.
They traded Marcus Smart for a player Brad Stevens feels gets them over the hump.
Their two young stars are getting even closer to their NBA prime years.
The talent is there to win the whole thing.
Personally, I say embrace the pressure and use it to fuel you, but we’ll see.
You have to win the whole thing.
Given the age of their core, the Suns' window to win their title is right now.
They already wasted a postseason run with Durant, you might’t make a habit of that.
If for whatever reason they don’t bring in Dame, their expectation/pressure obviously adjusts pretty substantially.
The Clock Is Running Out
This section is sort of a combination of the two above.
The pressure for GS this upcoming season mostly revolves around Klay Thompson.
The clock for them isn’t only running because of those contract situations, but also the age.
There’s also a group of teams that enter 2023-24 as a “prove it” season.
Show us that what we saw last year was real, and not just a one-season anomaly.
New York Knicks- These are not the same old Knicks.
Well now let’s see if they can do it again.
Cleveland Cavaliers- This isn’t too different from the Knicks.
They were a young team that was maybe a year early in terms of their progress.
They traded for Donovan Mitchell, won 51 games, but then flamed out big time in the playoffs.
Was what we saw during the year smoke and mirrors or is there actually something there?
Not just for the fans, but to Donovan Mitchell as well.
Sacramento Kings- Ah yes, the Beam Team.
Everyone loves the Beam Team and their awesome 2023-24 season.
Well, just like the teams above, they enter 2023-24 with real expectations.
That went a long way when it came to their 48-34 record.
This offseason you have ESPN saying they’ve had the best summer of any team in the NBA.
OK, so prove it.
Enough talking about it and more being about it.
A whole lot of talking from that group without the winning to back it up.
Lots of hype, lots of shit talking from their best players, little postseason success.
That’s not exactly where any team should want to be.
Dallas Mavericks -The way people talk about Luka Doncic, you’d think he had 5 rings by now.
Well, since arriving in DAL, the Mavs have made just 1 WCF.
Chicago Bulls -On paper, the talent is there.
On the court, that talent hasn’t exactly translated to wins.
Are You Ever Going To Actually Make The Leap?
All while refusing to tank or refusing to unload assets for big win-now players.
Charlotte Hornets- Are the Hornets good?
Not really, but they probably should be much better than their 27-55 record indicates.
There’s legit talent on that roster, so what’s the deal?
This team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015-16.
They just gave LaMelo a max rookie extension.
At some point things have to translate to the court, and that most certainly has not happened.
On The Verge Of Disaster
Title basically says it all.
Nobody is saying win the title, but how about finishing in the Top 6?
New Orleans Pelicans -Including the Pelicans here is solely around Zion.
On paper, the Pelicans are loaded with talent.
While Zion was on the floor last year, they had one of the best records in the league.
Then they sank like a rock.
you’re able to’t.
Orlando Magic -Is there hype around the Magic this year?
Maybe not, but I certainly think they should continue to make forward progress.
Indiana Pacers- Same thing here with the Pacers.
People forget the Pacers were a top 6 seeded team with Haliburton on the floor.
They were one of the early surprises of the season last year.
Well now let’s see what they can do to back that up.
Everyone Else
This is where I’d put the tanking/not anywhere close teams.
That would be your Pistons/Rockets/Spurs/Wizards/Blazers/Nets of the world.
