76ers: “Love 2 Fast” – Steve Lacy
The fanbase of the 76ers likely fell too hard for the idea of James Harden being on the team. James Harden will likely have a good bounceback year this season, but the rest of their roster outside of their top end talent seems concerning. One of the weaker benches of the league raises concerns for the team. The team will still push far in the playoffs, barring another Most Valuable Player level of season from Joel Embiid, but who knows how they will perform in the playoffs where they have failed so many times.
Bucks: “Money Longer” – Lil Uzi Vert
The Bucks are once again favorites for the title, no matter what changes they make in the offseason it feels like the team will always be in contention for the title as long as they stay healthy.
Bulls: “ball w/o you” – 21 Savage
The Bulls deal with what feels like more injuries than any other team in the league. Lonzo Ball is already out through the All-Star break and both DeMar Derozan and Nikola Vucevic are both aging players. The reason the Bulls fell apart just before the postseason was majority due to the amount of injuries which made them feel like they had a lack of depth to their team, which when the team is healthy, it is clear that the team has great depth.
Cavaliers: “Sacrifices” – Dreamville
Donovan Mitchell will likely give the Cavaliers an endlessly high ceiling, but they lost 5 picks and 3 players. The 3 players were all young and prospering players, one of them being their draft pick this year, Ochai Agbaji. They also lost 3 draft picks. This has turned into a ‘go big or go home’ deal for the Cavaliers, which likely will turn out well for them.
Celtics: “Spinback” – Comethazine
After making it all the way to the Finals only to be met with disappointing performances by Jayson Tatum among other role players. Their roster nearly fully returned though and the addition of Malcom Brogdon the team’s outlook has only improved despite losing coach Ime Udoka. They likely have the same, if not higher potential than last year.
Clippers: “Trouble” – Elvis Presley
The Clippers are exactly that, “Trouble” after making the John Wall signing. Kawhi Leonard returned, having Paul George nearly back to his best season in terms of numbers. The depth of the team looks good too, Ivica Zubac has developed into a strong Center and the team’s defense looks well built, especially with Robert Covington locking down the forwards as another rotational player.
Grizzlies: “Run It Up” – Moneybagg Yo
Grizzlies are only on the up and up. Ja Morant has not stopped improving since coming into the league and the roster composed around him has a lot of depth. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane have emerged as additional stars, and the grittiness of the team has greatly improved the defense of the team. Whether the team will make it very far in the playoffs is hard to determine but the sky’s the limit for the team.
Hawks: “4 The Betta” – Lucki
Following the trade for Dejounte Murray, everything is looking better for the Hawks, excluding the difficulty of their conference. Of course Trae Young is going to perform, as he does every season the bigger curiosity is how he will pair with Murray. Even though the loss of Kevin Huerter is not going to be great for them, it was still for the better of the team, being able to add more depth to their guard and wing play.
Heat: “I Deserve” – Smino
After roughly 3 seasons of nearly making it all the way the Heat still likely won’t make it to the Finals. Their roster depth is not impressive by any means and the team is only aging. There does not seem to be some sort of opportunity for the team to make that final push in the Finals which likely makes the team feel like they deserve more than what they have received.
Hornets: “Slime Mentality” – NBA Youngboy
The Hornets had multiple problems in the offseason pertaining to criminal offenses of a variety of players. Miles Bridges is facing domestic abuse charges, James Bouknight was charged with a DUI and Montrezl Harrel faced drug charges but was eventually waived. In addition, LaMelo Ball was injured and they did not make many additions to the team over the offseason. The team isn’t poised to do much this year and likely have failed in building a team around Ball.
Jazz: “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) (10 Minute Version)” – Taylor Swift
Not too many bright spots beside trade capital. Donovan Mitchell left them, Rudy Gobert left them. There’s not much more to it than that. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton remain as bright, young players but outside of them their roster is composed of not too much. It’s likely that Mike Conley is traded at some point in the season since he is an aging guard on a rebuilding season.
Kings: “Try” – P!nk
All they can do is try because they, at best, are the lowest in the lottery or a play-in. They have a few bright spots but barely enough to do anything with them. Another season of mediocrity for the Kings is ahead.
Knicks: “It Was Only A Dream” – John Quinones
The 2021 run with Julius Randle at the helm was not real. The Knicks roster has no consistency to it and the team is unable to develop the talent of its youth due to Tom Thibodeau’s starter-heavy gameplan; leading to a lack of minutes for those who could develop but do not get the chance to.
Lakers: “Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga
The de-evolution of the Lakers 2020 championship roster has been impressive in the worst way. Although initially Russell Westbrook appeared to be the person to get the Lakers back to the championship, he has not turned out to be a good fit between Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Westbrook is not the only consistent problem with the team so far though; the composition of the Lakers roster is not tailored to the strengths of their stars. Therefore this season may be the last season before they either trade Westbrook away or reconstruct the roster.
Magic: “Rookie of the Year” Moneybagg Yo
Fairly self-explanatory. They likely have the rookie of the year, especially after dropping nearly 25 points in his first game. Paolo Banchero looks to be an extremely bright spot for the future of the Magic’s organization. Seeing how their future will go likely depends on this season’s outcome.
Mavericks: “All By Myself” – Céline Dion
Luka Doncić. Now honestly he’s not quite all by himself anymore with the addition of Christian Wood but there are not many other roster improvements that were made. Yet, it will all be OK because Doncić might be the best floor raiser seen in recent years. If the Mavericks improve from last season it would be impressive since they have not made many changes to their roster or gameplan.
Nets: “Wanted More” – Weiland
The Nets are one of the more confusing teams in the league. Having as many internal problems as they do, it’s unpredictable how their team will do. On paper, the team seems like it has a lack of spacing but it still seems that they have a very serviceable team, and no matter what they will be getting plenty of media attention. This season likely lies in the hands of Ben Simmons to see how he will do after being out for roughly two years.
Nuggets: “Mr. Morale” – Kendrick Lamar
Of course with the back-to-back Most Valuable Player in Nikola Jokic the team will be successful, now that the secondary stars are back in Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray now they’re primed to be in real contention at full health. The talent of the team has no real limit which makes them full contenders.
Pacers: “All Bad” – J.I.D
Here is the thing about the Pacers. They could win that spot to get Victor Webanyama, but if they don’t Scoot Henderson doesn’t fit into their team dynamic quite as well. Buddy Heild and Myles Turner are likely going to be traded at some point in the season, and outside of Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers roster looks very weak. They hardly have young talent outside of Haliburton and Benedict Mathurin.
Pelicans: “Finally Rich” – Chief Keef
After waiting for over a season and a half for Zion Williamson, the Pelicans roster is finally reaching its potential, at least on paper. Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum are a deadly offensive trio. In addition to the double-double machine that is Jonas Valančiūnas and one of the best young defenders in the league in Herb Jones the defense does not even appear to be questionable. The team appears poised to make some noise in the playoffs, but they likely won’t go all the way based on the youth of the team.
Pistons: “It Was A Good Day” – Ice Cube
Everything about the Detroit Pistons is on an upward trend. Young talent, a growing market and the most recent rookie of the year. For the first time in a long time it feels like the Pistons will be a good team after this season. This season is going to be great to see the potential of Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, from this season on the team’s potential is through the roof.
Raptors: “Walkin” – Denzel Curry
The Raptors are the definition of a gritty team, the team is filled with defensive experts. The one question that consistently has come back since their 2020 championship season is whether their team can make more noise in the playoffs again or not. The team has really only proved to be good during the regular season despite having solid talent. They lack one more star before the team can make the next step, so the team must just keep going with what they have and their team develops into their superstars.
Rockets: “Keep Going” – DJ Khaled
All the team can really do is put their head down and get better. They are going to have a few more bad seasons before the team’s true potential is seen. Therefore it will be another season of being below average but it will at least be a little more fun.
Spurs: “Tank!” – SEATBELTS
The Spurs have one job this season. The tank for Victor Webanyama. Webanyama looks like the best prospect since Zion Williamson, or even LeBron James. Joshua Primo, Jakob Poeltl and Devin Vassell all look like bright spots on the teams’ roster which is great for their future. Under the coaching of Gregg Popovich they will develop well and if they end up with Webanyama they would have a very bright future ahead of them.
Suns: “One More Chance / Stay With Me” – Notorious B.I.G.
The Suns team morale appears to be at an all time low; Chris Paul is aging and for the first time in the last couple of years they are not confident contenders. Of course, if Devin Bookers plays as he did last season they will be fine for the regular season, but the playoffs are still a concern. This likely could be the last year we see Deandre Ayton in a Suns jersey, or even the last time we see Paul in a Suns jersey. They’re yet to prove they can make it in the playoffs so this may be their last chance to win the finals.
Thunder: “See You Again” – Charlie Puth
The loss of Chet Holmgren is a big hit to the Thunder morale. The fear that Holmgren would injure easily based on his frame has already started to come to fruition, a bad sign for Thunder fans. They’re not in a spot to receive Victor Webanyama, but they could receive a lottery prospect. The only problem is that they don’t really need more prospects. This season may end up being another season of waiting as well as a waste of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s talent.
Timberwolves: “NO BYSTANDERS” – Travis Scott
A young, cocky team that on paper has a really great composition. What the team can actually do, who knows? The two center duo is going to be an interesting combo especially because one is known for only defense while the other center is only known for offense. How Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns will pair will dictate their season. Anthony Edwards is very likely to take another large leap in skill which only makes the team that much more dangerous.
Trail Blazers: “1 step forward, 3 steps back” – Olivia Rodrigo
Although Damian Lillard is returning to the Trail Blazers the team outlook doesn’t seem to be so strong. The acquisition of Jerami Grant increases their strength on defense in addition to the progression of Anfernee Simmons is reassuring, but their team has not improved much from before. Nurkić must take a step up defensively, and the bench must step up as well despite the lack of depth. Otherwise, they’ll end up right back where they started.
Warriors: “Back To Back” – Drake
Fairly self explanatory, the Warriors have the talent to go back to back if they are able to settle the internal problems with the team. Speaking of Draymond Green, since he didn’t receive a contract extension, it’s likely that he is going to leave the team following the season. Which doesn’t help their defense by any means. Their need to develop James Wiseman is far more pressing now, due to their lack of Forward/Center depth. This is their best opportunity to go back to back before they may recede.
Wizards: “Agony” – Yung Lean
The Wizards have very few bright spots on the team. Many of their rookies drafted have yet to pan out, and the window for those athletes to become something more than a role player is fading. It is likely Bradley Beal is traded within the coming 2 seasons for draft capital. The Wizards fanbase is, no doubt, going to have another long season coming.