the Basketball Hawks of Atlanta play their first preseason game against the Rockets tonight, so I had to do it
people are saying the Hawks can contend in the East because some other guys are injured. thing is, tho, they can contend in the whole dang league because it’s all coming together
this could be the match-up in the finals and I’m not even getting that far ahead of myself
anyway, look at Klay overachieving
(Rockets are my pick for champs this season)
Jalen Johnson just blocked a 3 point attempt, got the ball on the fast break, bodied Amen Thompson, finished off glass + flexed
oh but Jabari Smith just postered Onyeka, boooo
MIP season for Jabari Smith, I reckon
Şengün looks ever closer to a full-grown Jokic
both teams look fun and good. Hawks more fun tho, fast-breaks killers
The Van Vleet injury for Houston is a killer, they no longer have a viable point guard. Also much too reliant on a 37 year old Durant.
It’s OKCs title to lose. They’ll be even better than last year.
Maybe this is my year to get into the NBA.
I like the look of Reed Sheppard. think he can do enough of a job
Sengun is going to be a monster all year, too, and Amen Thompson appears to have improved his shooting
but it is obvs OKC’s to lose
have you tried before? any teams that call out to you?
I’d quite like to get into the NBA.
When I got into NHL I based my team pick entirely on the logo and it worked out quite well (for a bit). Might base an NBA team pick on the kit - who’s looking shit hot?
top three in no order imo
Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic
Utah Jazz
spare yourself the misery and go with the Magic.
their kits are the best of the lot, really, but they’re also actually a good team at this point. led by Paulo Banchero, number one pick a few seasons ago, and miserly in defence.
Hornets will be a hot mess. fun, improved by offseason moves + their top draft pick Kon Knueppel, but probably not a playoff team with their maverick star point guard, Lamelo Ball.
Jazz are deep in a rebuild. they have Lauri Markkanen, a ridiculous talent who deserves to be on a contender, and Ace Bailey, maybe the most talented rookie of the 2025 class, but they’re at least a few seasons away from being at all relevant again
it’s over. Wemby might be even better than anyone could have dreamt. this is barely comprehensible, let alone defensible
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1o1i4iu/wemby_working_out_with_hakeem_olajuwon/
also, 
https://youtube.com/shorts/BQ4my5nIrWk?si=WzElo4i1PWHpgim5
just different. he reads fantasy novels mostly 
we don’t deserve him
oh, there is that one! their other tops are rubbish, though
and yes, the Raps are very much in the doldrums.
they were 2019 champ in a great finals against Golden State, and authored arguably the greatest playoffs moment in that run
Nah, I’m pretty optimistic about this season. I think they could be as high as 5th in the East, after the Brandon Ingram vindication season.
I suppose the East is super-weak this season
in no order, I figure the Cavs, Knicks, Hawks, Magic, Pacers and Pistons to be the top 6?
hard to see the Celtics and Bucks being all that bad, too? Heat also.
Raps look like a play-in team, max? idk tho. still get a rebuild vibe
Heat will be bad, I also think the Pacers could absolutely crater.
Heat are gonna struggle to score, but they’ll Heat Culture their way to the usual kind of standing, I reckon
Pacers… Turner being gone and Hali being out is big, but Nembhard, Mathurin and Nesmith should step up in the latter’s absence, and they still have Siakam, so idk how far they’ll actually fall
idk! I can see Raps being one of a bunch of teams scrapping for those places, but I feel like the Raps front office rushed to pay some dudes who aren’t proper stars
