NBA Opening Day: PC's Top 5 Storylines

Tonight marks the beginning of the NBA season with matchups between the defending champs Toronto Raptors and the rising NOLA Pelicans. Afterward, we will see round one of the Battle of L.A. with Lakers and Clippers.

The NBA is always missed when it is not going on, and with such a crazy offseason this has been one of the most anticipated seasons in a while. Here are my top five storylines entering the season:

5. Parity

It has been a while since we have said this but there is no clear cut favorite to win the NBA championship. The era of superteams are over now and thus a wide-open NBA with several teams in each conference that can actually compete. Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and 76ers are early favorites but then you have teams like Blazers, Bucks, Celtics and even the Warriors that can make some noise.

This is a welcoming sight for fans who have seen the same handful of teams in the finals. And since there are star duos on just about every team, the games should be very competitive all season long. Move over NFL, the NBA is the new king of parity.

4. Can Ben Simmons develop a jump shot?

The 76ers are legit contenders and favorites to come out the East. They lost Jimmy Butler during the offseason but gained Josh Richardson (a viable replacement) and Al Horford in the process becoming a defensive nightmare for teams. With the way this team went down to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference second round, Joel Embiid should be more focused than ever. But the Sixers title shot can go down the drain if Simmons can’t develop his jump shot.

Throughout the offseason, we saw video after video of Simmons putting in work in the gyms shooting the three-ball. We even saw him hit his first career three-point in an NBA preseason game. But none of that matters if he can’t consistently hit it during the season. The Sixers will need more scoring after letting Butler and J.J. Redick walk so their chance of winning it all might just solely reside on Simmons’ development.

3. Thunder brodies re-united

During the offseason, we saw former MVP players James Harden and Russell Westbrook reunite on Harden’s Rockets. Replacing Chris Paul with a more athletic and younger player in Russ should give the Rockets a much-needed boost and also gives them another player in Russ that can run that Rockets offense on a nightly basis. The big question, however, is how these two ball-dominant players will co-exist on the court.

Harden will no doubt be the main ball handler in this offense, but that leaves Russ in an awkward position. He’s not a great shooter and has been erratic with his free throw shooting. Mike D’Antoni will surely have a big project on his hands this season, but it should be a hell of a ride to watch.

2. Zion future in jeopardy?

This past week we saw the first pick in the NBA Draft Zion Williamson go down to injury for up to eight weeks. This is disappointing for NBA fans who got to see Zion put on a absolute show during the pre-season. The bad thing about this is the injury to his right knee, a torn meniscus has shown to slow down some of the most explosive players the game has seen a la Derrick Rose.

We will no doubt see Zion at some point this season, but now questions arise about his weight. Is he too heavy to survive the duration of an NBA season? That has been his signature as a player, being too big for defenders to handle. The Pelicans have to be extra careful in protecting the future of the NBA.

1. The Battle of L.A.

The top two favorites to win the NBA title this year resides in L.A and that is the Lakers and Clippers. With the Lakers finally getting Anthony Davis, Lebron should have what he needs to win his fourth championship. But in a surprise turn of events we saw not only Kawhi Leonard join the Clippers but Paul Geroge as well, top-three MVP candidate last season.

The Staple Center is going be jam-packed every night with these two powerhouse teams. And we’ll get to see them face each other tonight in round one of the Battle of L.A. It remains to be seen who will take the throne. The focal point of the NBA should be in L.A and it should be exciting to watch to see if the Clippers can overtake a Lakers town.