Things to Look for This Season

The NBA season is just a little over a week away and it's time to evaluate what to look forward to this season. First and foremost this is Kobe Bryant's 20th NBA season. He will set the record for the most seasons a player has ever played with a single franchise. The return of Kobe Bryant is a big deal because he is easily one of the best, if not the best player of the last decade in the NBA. Bryant's future is unknown right now and it could possibly be his last season. That will make the Lakers must watch television.

To travel to the other end of the age spectrum there are a lot of young teams that will be exciting to watch this season. The first three teams that come to my mind are the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Players from left to right:
Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon,
Elfrid Payton, Tobias Harris

For the Magic they have a young core of players that seem ready to take their game to the next level. Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic could be potential all- stars this season. Also point guard Elfrid Payton and Tobias Harris are looking to make strides to improve there games and become the role players this team needs. Aaron Gordon is expected to see more playing time this season after having success towards the end of last season and during Summer League. And I can't forget about the 5th overall pick in this years draft, Mario Hezonja. Hezonja has been playing very well for the Magic during preseason and could become a very reliable 6th man for this team considering the way he can score the ball. It will be great to have the offensive spark off the bench. This team has 9 players 24 years old or younger that will most likely make the final roster. This is a very young team.

Player from left to right:
Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo,
Greg Moroe, Khris Middleton, Michael Carter Williams

Another young team to watch for this season will be the Milwaukee Bucks. Much like the magic they have a roster full of young talent. They have 7 guys that are 25 years old or younger that will probably make the final roster. The magic starting 5 will be Michael Carter Williams, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Greg Monroe. I think that this team will make the playoffs again this year and they really learn how to play off one another. The only weird this about this line up is three guys all play relatively the same position. I don't this this will be a problem though because they all have different play styles. And if Michael Carter Williams keeps playing the way he does and takes a few tips and tricks from Jason Kidd he will be able to run the offense and make sure everybody gets the ball where they need it and when they need it.

The final young team to look forward to this season are the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have two number 1 overall picks from back to back years playing on the same team. First the Timberwolves are hoping Ricky Rubio can flurish with all this talent he is now surrounded with. Rubio is pass first player and this will be the perfect team for him to play with. He will have a bunch of 20 year old kids to run the floor with this season making transition play much easier. He will also not be relied on to do heavy duty scoring. Rubio only played 22 games last, but he averaged 8.8 apg during that time. I expect Rubio to hover around 9 to 10 apg when he returns this season. To join Rubio in the back court this season will be Zach LaVine. LaVine got the nod to start this season over Kevin Martin. I like this move because it shows that the Timberwolves are looking to develope there young players. They want LaVine to share the court with Karl-Anthony Towns, Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins. Rookie of the year winner last year, Andrew Wiggins, will probably average about 20 ppg this season. He didn't start the season off well, but he finished strong and he surprised people by shooting the ball much better than many expected him to do during his rookie year. Joing Andrew Wiggins in the front court will be Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Garnett.

Photo Credit: NBAE

Garnett is really only in Minnesota at this point to be the mentor to these young guys. It's the perfect situation for Garnett because he loves Minnesota and he was willing to go back in order to help develop this team. Many think Garnett should have retired this season and worked in the front office for the Timberwolves, but I think it's more important that he stays on the court to be a player coach and provide a locker room presence. He will eventually move to the front office for this team but he still has a lot to teach these young guys. Speaking of teaching, I think Karl-Anthony Towns will benefit most from Garnett being on the court and on the bench. This will allow Garnett to point out Towns mistakes as they happen and help him learn much quicker. Also it is different for someone to fix your mistake as it happens because you will know in the moment what went wrong. Re watching it on tape and then explaining what to do may not be as effective. I think Garnett will also share tips and secrets with Towns on how he can improve. I think having Garnett mentor Towns will be a huge plus for the Wolves.

Photo Credit: Stacy Bengs

The only down side to the Timberwolves this season is that there is a log jam at the center position. The still have Nikola Pekovic, Gorgui Dieng, and Adreian Payne on the roster. All of these guys are talented and they are all going to want playing time. It is very hard to see Flip Saunders being able to have a 5 man rotation at center. There are going to be nights where Garnett doesn't play, but then the question becomes who gets to start in his spot. I think the Wolves need to make a move to get rid of Nikola Pekovic, but that may not come until the trade deadline.

These are just a few of this things I will be looking forward to this season. I will look to talk about more in the next article.