Catching up with the soap opera drama of the NBA

Draymond Green should have won a Daytime Emmy for his 2016 playoff rampage. The reverberations he created en route to earning his fourth playoff flagrant foul and a Game 6 suspension was Dray at his peak. He’s always understood how critical the element of intimidation is to him being an effective force. However, as his play has declined in recent years, Green’s gone too method actor and diving into his Susan Lucci imitation by taking a swipe at guard Jordan Poole. Draymond’s temper risked fracturing the defending world champions — and Poole’s face. Draymond has feuded with everyone from Ronnie2K to Kevin Durant and was once heard by Lisa Salters accosting Steve Kerr at halftime. The Splash Brothers are too placid, but Green is a drama magnet, which is what makes the rumor mill move.

The longest-running storyline in the NBA is Damian Lillard’s fidelity to the Portland Trailblazers. However, the chemistry of Lillard and CJ McCollum is what kept the Blazers faithful coming back night after night. Last season, Anfernee Simon thrived as a ball-dominant guard, but Portland has the potential to go off the rails if Simons can’t slide into McCollum’s supporting man role and keep Dame Time on the air.

All eyes are on Russell Westbrook. Since joining the Lake Show, he’s stolen the attention of dimming headliner LeBron James by morphing into the villain L.A. loves to hate. Offseason turmoil nearly spelled his departure from the Lake Show, but Rob Pelinka (who would be played by Rob Lowe) decided to amplify his cantankerousness by casting Pat Beverley. Beverley and Westbrook’s combustible energy may backfire, but it’ll be exhilarating. The Lake Show is one of the most horribly cast squads in The Association and isn’t even a particularly well-written drama. Pelinka is trying too hard to force tension through the Beverley acquisition and his refusal to surround LeBron with shooters is ripped straight from past season scripts. It’s like he’s not even trying anymore. However, we’ve been watching LeBron for 20 years and with his finale looming over the horizon, co-creator Jeannie Buss knows we can’t duck out now.

The last time we saw the Phoenix Suns, they’d slipped into a coma following a Game 7 collision with the Dallas Mavericks that left the fate of Deandre Ayton hanging in the balance. However, the thrill was cheapened for anyone who remotely understands restricted free agency. The Phoenix Suns wouldn’t dare kill off their former No. 1 overall pick in such an uneventful summer event. More than likely, when Ayton’s end comes, it will come so unexpectedly in a trade that viewers will have their socks knocked off. The shocking twist came much later in the summer when team owner Robert Sarver was written out of the league.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the rare megawatt star who outgrows his small market setting and still manages to blend in. Watching him steal every scene he’s in on the court with an aging Jrue Holiday, 32, and Khris Middleton, 31, is what it must have been like seeing Denzel Washington during his “St. Elsewhere” run. The Bucks are contenders for a second title in three years, but this team doesn’t feel like it’s set up to run through Giannis’ prime precisely because its A-Lister shines so much brighter than his C-List co-stars.

While Zion Williamson missed the entire season, reports about his weight, his rehab, setbacks, and comments about his unhappiness led to concerns that he may have played his last game in The Big Easy. Williamson’s precarious health is the recurring theme that the Pelicans just can’t seem to move on from. We get it. Williamson’s body has been through more battles than King Viserys. How many times can his well-being be in peril before the Pelicans fandom becomes numb to misfortune? Either way, we’ll be watching Williamson’s physical condition like a hawk.

HBO gave us “Winning Time.” Philadelphia gave us “Losing Time.” The Embiid and Harden pairing that has resulted from their near decade-long Process is a second-rate reboot of the beloved Kobe-Shaq duo. Sadly, the 76ers are too slapstick to execute the landing. Harden is shaped more like Kenny Powers every day and Embiid’s body sabotages him. The Sixers’ front office brass has shot themselves in the foot before, but the roster is essentially set. Every step they’ve taken forward in The Process has been followed by two steps backward.

The warring factions within the Knicks camp still haven’t resolved their ongoing battle between reserving playing time for their young players vs. maximizing wins in the short term by relying on vets. Ratings are still high, but how much drama without a payoff can one franchise take until its fans become inured to it? Tom Thibodeau is at the nexus of a battle to maximize wins at the expense of established middling veterans. The endless cameos from courtside stars became a crutch years ago. Their pace was plodding and borderline unwatchable although Julius Randle’s hyper-emotional state is something to watch if he endures another losing campaign.

The beauty of the Nuggets is how easy they are to digest. The downside is they are bereft of captivating characters without Demarcus Cousins. Every great championship contender has a cantankerous personality who can keep the blogs or Inside the NBA interested in the team’s narrative until playoff time. NBA writers are going back to an old well in the case of Denver. Nikola Jokic is the rare fat man who can get people to care. His MVP reign will again be threatened by two-time runner-up Joel Embiid stealing the statue he believes is rightfully his.

Jonathan Isaac has been in a basketball coma for two seasons, not having played since tearing his ACL in August 2020. The franchise is waiting bedside for Isaac to pull through and become the defensive cheat code he showed flashes of becoming. In the meantime, rookie Paolo Banchero is out to prove he can be “the guy” in Orlando. Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz are out to make names for themselves, but overall, It just feels like too many disconnected character arcs crammed into one season.

The last two seasons could have been devoid of drama if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s flaws weren’t obstructing the Nets’ championship aspirations. They were that good. This team is a perpetually burning building. Kyrie is the delusional galaxy brain who would turn off the sprinklers during a blaze after he decided to become an energy conservationist. Kevin Durant has starred as his enabler. Steve Nash is the wannabe mentor if Kyrie weren’t so self-assured of his own purity. The internal battle between Ben Simmons, Kyrie, and KD being weightier than their external rivalries is some deep, prestige drama-grade character development.

Last we saw, Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history, had fallen on hard times. The irony is that in order to escape these dire straits, Popovich has to lose more than ever in 2022-23. If he doesn’t, San Antonio would be in a prime position to inherit the most promising prospect of the last 20 years from his former point guard Tony Parker. It sounds like the premise for a campy season because that’s what it is. The odds of all these characters interconnecting seem a tad too much, but we just roll with it because Pop is a compelling character you have to root for — even if it means rooting against him for the next 82 games.

Interest in the Clippers diminished greatly last season, but that doesn’t mean growth didn’t occur. It was a set-up season. Paul George has quietly developed into the emotional backbone and the in-town Lakers are in turmoil. The return of a long-lost central character is a tried and true method to renew interest in a series that’s fallen from its peak. Kawhi Leonard’s return from a torn ACL in the 2021 Conference Semifinals has reignited the pressure cooker in Clipperland. Everything is kumbaya now, but once they feel the heat, we’ll see if they have the mettle to withstand it.

Nick Nurse understands mise en scène better than any other hardwood director in the league. Out of timeouts, his sets are immaculate and on a nightly basis, they hustle and are rarely underprepared. When Nurse has the material, he has shown the capacity to lead a water cooler squad. This Raptors squad appears to be a marquee name away from contending again, but if you peer closer, Nurse has Bo Cruz on his roster. If Cruz can live up to his “Hustle” rep, Toronto may be in for a plot twist.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s grappling with another tank year or two while Chet Holmgren moves his rookie debut back 12 months is enough to mess with his head. There is only so much losing one can take before he revolts. SGA was on the block this offseason and though nothing materialized, it wouldn’t be surprising if this was the setting of the NBA’s first trade demand crisis of the offseason. SGA is starting to resemble an adult actor stuck in a teen dramedy.

Twin Cities, twin bigs. Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns aren’t your standard good twin or bad twin. Rather they are modern big and traditional big. Can they fit under one roof? Offensive tension is where things could go sideways. Athletes are territorial and if KAT struggles in his new role as a stretch-4, that frontcourt may start getting crowded. It could also prove to be a masterstroke by Tim O’Connell and coach Chris Finch, who has a history of getting the best out of NBA monoliths such as DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Zion.

It’s hard to tell whose chaotic preseason overshadowed their rise more, The Try Guys, or the Boston Celtics. A smooth offseason was interrupted by a cheating scandal that dragged Nia Long into the mix. Technically, Udoka could still be reinstated as the Celtics’ coach next season. His potential return from the dead will looms over this team all season long, which should make things incredibly awkward if interim head coach Joe Mazzulla wins 60 games and earns the Celtics a No. 1 seed in the East.

This season marks 25 years since The Last Dance was filmed. Everything else since then has just been cheap fan service. Zach LaVine is a cheap ripoff of Air Jordan and DeMar DeRozan’s midrange efficiency is the closest thing to an M.J. homage Chicago has ever seen. Last season’s hot start was tempered by reality. However, the perfect simulcast of these Bulls’ home games would just be a camera angle focused on everyone’s knees. Lonzo Ball’s recurring knee injury has the team on its toes, LaVine’s knees are giving off Blake Griffin vibes and it’s only a matter of time until he and DeRozan’s 33-year-old patellas have seen the best days of their lives.

The unrestricted free agent who shall not be named is the storyline that haunts this team. Everyone is afraid to touch the Miles Bridges domestic assault hot stove, but he will probably never play another game in a Hornets uniform again. That leaves the Hornets in a quandary. They made great strides last season, but have been beset by off-court turmoil. Over the weekend, Charlotte’s 12th pick in the 2020 Draft was arrested for his fourth DUI and reckless driving charge in the last 12 months. The regression is coming and Jordan’s discontent with losing will erupt. When that happens, look for the risky, irrational Vegas gambler that dwells within him compels him to make an irrational trade.

After matriculating from Louisville to Utah, Donovan Mitchell’s star turn in New York never came to fruition. Mitchell was pushed as a leading man early on in his career, but his ceiling was lower than expected. Instead, he’ll have to settle for being second on the billing to Evan Mobley on a mid-budget production. Mitchell will start as the No. 1 guy, but it’ll be a slow burn to get to the action in Cleveland when Mobley asserts himself as “the guy.” But tune in the next few seasons to watch the transfer of power occur.

Cade Cunningham is a Rorschach test. Cunningham whipping passes to cutting teammates is a sight to behold, but his second season gets us closer to answering a vital question. Is he a franchise cornerstone or is he a second-in-command? Cunningham is flanked by a slew of former lottery picks Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox, and Marvin Bagley who are seeking second chances. That redemptive arc is shared by head coach Dwane Casey, who was fired by Toronto after winning Coach of the Year only to watch his replacement coach Kawhi Leonard to the NBA title.

Trae Young is the star, but Dejounte Murray is the fiery backcourt accomplice he’s always needed. Apart, they’re yin and yang. Together they’ll bring more balance to the Hawks. The Hawks ranked in the bottom fourth in defensive efficiency ranking, allowing nearly eight points more than the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics per 100 possessions. Young will also conserve energy and get buckets more easily and efficiently playing off-ball alongside Murray.

Jimmy Butler is a traveling melodrama whose ego is unmatched. But while he’s shown the capacity to back up the big game he talks, it’s created tension with teammates again and again and again. If things go south he could either wear out his teammates or be a living, breathing TED Talk. When he’s not snarling at teammates, Butler specializes in delivering, riveting emotional performances. He’s renowned for his physicality, but his character jumped the shark in Game 7 by pulling up for a trey instead of driving to the rim and tying it up.

Luka Dončić enters the season as the betting odds favorite to succeed Nikola Jokic as the NBA MVP. We’ve gotten so used to Dončić’s improvised floor choreography that we’ve compartmentalized how good he already is at 23! He’s still young enough to play a high school freshman on the CW. But the Mavs should be more focused on avoiding the Atlanta Hawks’ mistakes after their Conference Finals run by coasting and assuming they can take the regular season lightly.

The Pacers don’t know what type of arc they want to follow. The Buddy Hield and Myles Turner trade watch is the most enticing reason to keep up with Indiana’s machinations. Tanking is a hinterland team owner Herb Simon is unwilling to explore. There’s a slight chance Russell Westbrook could join the Pacers at some point as the mustache-twirling, black-hat villain to Tyrese Haliburton’s white hat if Hield or Turner are jettisoned to the Lakers.

The Wizards would rather continue spinning the wheel of mediocrity than hop off. It would be commendable if it weren’t so stupid. Bradley Beal will be paid $57 million in 2026 to win 41 games unless the Wizards can dig up a trade partner. Beal is in D.C. for nothing but money. Beal’s approval rating in D.C. is barely higher than 45’s right now. Beal believes he’s one of the best shooting guards in the league based on counting stats, but his 3-point shooting efficacy and impact on win totals say otherwise. Meanwhile, the Mavs stock soared after trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Wizards. Porzingis started off his Wizards career with seven losses in his first nine games.

Danny Ainge has declared war on the win column and unloaded his roster to orchestrate a draft heist. The target: Victor Wembanyama. This season will chronicle that pursuit. The composition of Ainge’s amorphous Jazz squad is older than your average tank lords. Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Talen Horton-Tucker, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Kelly Olynyk are all old enough to be the Thunder’s dance chaperones — but they just aren’t very good. They’ll be able to score in bunches and won’t defend. The Jazz have to contend with the Thunder, Spurs, and Magic in the race for the Wembanayama fortune, but they’re the lottery preseason pacesetters. The product on the floor will be frustrating, but the methodology is actually rock-solid. Don’t watch, but keep an eye on their plummeting record.

Sacramento’s bid to end its playoff drought drives every action the organization makes. Last season, it led them to err by trading Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis. The Kings are 16 years into their playoff drought, meanwhile, all the picks they’ve passed on have thrived. Luka, Dame, C.J. McCollum, and LaVine were all taken immediately after the Kings drafted busts. The Kings fanbase is as morose as Damon Lindelof’s “Leftovers.” If Jaden Ivey winds up outclassing Sac-Town’s 22-year-old rookie Keegan Murray, Kings fans may form a doomsday cult.

The Grizzlies weren’t your typical happy-go-lucky fast risers. They were also a brash unit that embodied a feistiness that rubbed teams — including the defending champs — the wrong way. Ja Morant’s clapbacks are diabolical. Dillon Brooks is a habitual instigator. Desmond Bane is built like a tank. Steven Adams won’t start nothin’, but he’ll end it. They just can’t allow all that sassy chirping to distract from their precocious ascension into the league’s creme de la creme.

The Houston Rockets awarded Kevin Porter Jr. with a four-year, $84 million contract following a superb season in which he asserted himself as their starting point guard. Nine months ago, he threw a projectile at John Lucas, one of the most respected assistants in the NBA, and then stormed out of the arena at halftime. During KPJ’s only season at USC, he was suspended indefinitely for “personal conduct issues. The only reason KPJ is in the Rockets’ lineup is because Cleveland’s tolerance for KPJ’s behavior grew so thin they shipped out their first-round pick in 2019 to Houston for a late second-round selection. “How could this go wrong? Fortunately, the contract is laden with so many incentives that it’s one of the few multi-year contracts in the NBA that is guaranteed for only one year.