The Post’s Stefan Bondy, Brian Lewis and Mike Vaccaro answer the NBA’s top 10 questions as the season tips off.
1. Biggest question of the season
STEFAN BONDY: Will this be LeBron James’ final season? We’re talking about, easily, the greatest player since Michael Jordan and the face of the NBA for over a decade. He teased retirement after last season and his plan of playing alongside his son may have to change after Bronny’s health scare.
BRIAN LEWIS: Not so much where James Harden ends up, but whether the sordid situation prompts Joel Embiid to demand a trade as well? And if so, to where?
MIKE VACCARO: Will Victor Wembanyama be the most impactful rookie since Lew Alcindor in 1970? Because right now it’s hard to believe any self-respecting basketball fan won’t want to see every bit of his debut season.
2. This team will be better than expected
BONDY: The Heat have been written off after missing out on Dame Lillard. But they’re returning Tyler Herro and Erik Spoelstra squeezed out high playoff seeds with much less. In the West, we’re going with the Clippers — both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could be free agents after the season. Contract years tend to be motivating.
LEWIS: The Thunder. They missed the playoffs by a game last season at 40-42 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Adding Chet Holmgren (and Cason Wallace) puts them over the hump.
VACCARO: The Thunder not only have Holmgren in the fold now but the whole league will be watching to see the strides Gilgeous-Alexander makes.
3. This team will be worse than expected
BONDY: The Suns. Kevin Durant will inevitably get hurt. Bradley Beal hasn’t been to the playoffs in five years. They have no point guard and no depth.
LEWIS: The Suns. Phoenix is tabbed for 52.5 wins, and with Durant having missed 177 games in the last four years, that total seems optimistic.
VACCARO: The Bucks. They’ll be fun because the Dame/Giannis Antetokounmpo dynamic will be electric. But there are serious coaching issues and they are going to miss the secret sauce Jrue Holiday provided.
4. This player will emerge this season
BONDY: Cade Cunningham. The former No. 1 overall pick is forgotten because he plays in Detroit and missed most of last season with an injury. But he has All-Star potential and the Pistons should be better as the young core develops (except Killian Hayes, he’s a lost cause).
LEWIS: Picking Anthony Edwards or Mikal Bridges is too easy. We’ll go with Detroit’s Cunningham, with his size, skill and now health, after playing just a dozen games last season.
VACCARO: Chet Holmgren essentially redshirted his rookie season last year but he’s had a strong preseason and ought to help OKC become one of the fun teams to keep track of.
5. If I were this coach, I’d be worried about my status
BONDY: Cheating and going with four — Chicago’s Billy Donovan (the Bulls are all-in without the roster to support contention), Dallas’ Jason Kidd (any coach with Kyrie Irving is automatically on the hot seat), Phoenix’s Frank Vogel (new owner without much patience and championship expectations) and Minnesota’s Chris Finch (see Donovan’s problem).
LEWIS: Donovan. The top six in the East seems set, the play-in seems crowded and expectations seem tough to meet.
VACCARO: The Celtics have tried to do right by Joe Mazzulla. But if they don’t get off to the kind of start that their roster insists they should get off to, his seat will start to sizzle.
6. When the trade deadline is over, Joel Embiid and James Harden will be __?
BONDY: On different teams. Harden will be on the Clippers, probably, although I’m not as confident about that location. Embiid will still be on the Sixers. Even if the team implodes, we can’t see them trading the reigning MVP until after the season.
LEWIS: On different teams, on different coasts. Harden will be a Clipper, but will Embiid still be a Sixer?
VACCARO: Embiid will be a Sixer. Harden will be a Clipper. Neither the Sixers nor the Clippers will make it terribly far in the playoffs.
7. Victor Wembanyama’s season will be __?
BONDY: Amazing and injured. He’s undoubtedly a special talent and there will be moments when it feels like we’re witnessing the next face of the NBA. But we’re skeptical that a rail-thin 19-year-old who is legitimately 7-foot-4 can stay healthy.
LEWIS: Rife with hyperbole and hot takes, but punctuated by Rookie of the Year.
VACCARO: Must-see TV, the way LeBron James’ first few seasons were, the way Michael Jordan’s games quickly became. He’s going to be the real deal.
8. This will quietly be an important NBA storyline this season
BONDY: The ascension of the Thunder. They have eight games on ESPN and TNT, which is much more than recent seasons. But they’re still very much under the radar and could be one of the league’s most exciting teams with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams. If the Thunder are good, the rest of the league better watch out, including the Knicks: no team has better assets than OKC to trade for a superstar. Or trade for two.
LEWIS: The Suns are setting on the superteam era. The new collective bargaining agreement, with the punitive second apron, will change how rosters are built; will Phoenix go out with a win?
VACCARO: Players and coaches will give lip service to how excited they are about the in-season tournament. But at some point a team is going to make a call for the long term and there’ll be some noise about that.
9. MVP prediction
BONDY: Jayson Tatum. Hitting his physical prime and has all the weapons around him to win while putting up huge numbers.
LEWIS: Denver’s Nikola Jokic has his championship ring, and now the superstar center will reclaim the MVP he lost to Embiid.
VACCARO: Nikola Jokic had a terrific chance to win another one last year, but dialed it back the last two months. He won’t do that this time in a more competitive West.
10. NBA Finals prediction
BONDY: Celtics over Clippers. The Celtics finally get their title after years of knocking on the door. The Clippers shock the West behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who both make sure they’re healthy and available before hitting free agency for their last big paydays.
LEWIS: Celtics over Nuggets. Boston gets back to the NBA Finals like it did in 2022, but this time it closes the deal against Denver.
VACCARO: Nuggets over Celtics. As long as the big man stays healthy, the Nuggets will be the best show in the sport.
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