A lot has happened in the basketball world since the San Antonio Spurs hoisted the Larry O’Brien on June 15th: LeBron James returned home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Duke guard Jabari Parker with the second pick in the NBA Draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a trade that will send superstar forward Kevin Love to the Cavs in return for the last two first overall draft picks Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014). With that said, let’s look at some of the must-see teams and players for the 2014-2015 NBA season:
Cleveland Cavaliers:
This one should be obvious. Just imagine a Big 3 of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love—not to mention Mike Miller, Shawn Marion, and Ray Allen, who are all expected to follow LeBron to Cleveland. The Cavs have gone from making the first pick in the draft three out of four years to championship favorites in one season.
Derrick Rose/Chicago Bulls:
That’s right—Derrick Rose is finally returning to basketball. The 2011 MVP has missed the entire 2012-2013 NBA season as well as most of last season with various injuries, but he will be bringing his exciting playback to the league this season. The Bulls were favorites to win the NBA Championship when Rose went down with the ACL injury during a playoff game in 2012; and with Rose back the Bulls will most likely make a deep playoff run this season—provided he stays healthy, of course.
Anthony Davis/New Orleans Pelicans:
Many people still don’t know the Pelicans are a team, and not enough people know who All-Star power forward Anthony Davis is. Davis is one of the most exciting young players in the league, and at the rate he is improving his game he just may be the next Kevin Durant. Davis is one of few players in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season. Despite a disappointing season this past year, the Pelicans have the tools to make a playoff run this season; so be sure to keep an eye on them this season.
Andrew Wiggins/Jabari Parker:
The first two players selected in this year’s draft are projected to be the next big MVP-caliber players in the NBA. Not everyone does well their rookie season, but it will be interesting to see how these two perform for their new teams who need their talents desperately.