The three publications that make dutifully-studied NBA predictions came up with mixed forecasts before this season started, creating a situation of unpredictability. Sports Illustrated picked Oklahoma City to beat defending champion Boston in the Finals with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as MVP, New York’s Tom Thibodeaux as Coach of the Year and Memphis’ 7-4 Zach Edey as Best Rookie. Lindy’s Sports chose the Knicks to win it all with Denver’s Nikola Jokic as MVP, Thibodeaux as Coach of the Year and Edey as Best Rookie. Athlon Sports selected the Celtics over OKC in the Finals with SGA as MVP, Boston’s Joe Mazzulla as Coach of the Year and Houston’s Reed Sheppard as Best Rookie.
At the moment, Cleveland leads the NBA with a 17-1 record, losing only to the Celtics. OKC is showing the way in the West at 13-4 with Golden State breathing down the Thunder’s neck at 12-5. Boston is No. 2 in the East at 15-3, Orlando No. 3 at 12-7 and New York No. 4 at 10-7.
There’s a case to be made for OKC as a serious title contender. The Thunder is No. 2 in defense and No. 1 in opponents’ turnovers. Coach Mark Daigneault is a stickler for stops and his focus is evident in the stats. The drawback is 7-1 Chet Holmgren is out eight to 10 weeks with a pelvic fracture and luckily, offseason pick-up 7-0 Isaiah Hartenstein has recovered from a broken left hand to take over the center spot. SGA is averaging 29.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists, shooting .355 from three and Jalen Williams backs him up with a 22.1 clip. Lu Dort is hitting .402 from beyond the arc. Alex Caruso was brought in to shore up the backcourt. Chip Engelland is back as assistant coach for player development and clearly influenced OKC’s lofty shooting clips last season at No. 1 in three-point percentage, No. 4 in free throw percentage and No. 3 in total field goal percentage.
The Celtics are No. 1 in least turnovers and three-point conversions at 18.9 a game. They’re No. 3 in offense with seven players averaging in twin digit points. The good news is Kristaps Porzingis is back in harness after sitting out 17 games. Jayson Tatum leads the scoring parade with a 28.4 norm then it’s Jaylen Brown at 25, Derrick White at 18.4, Payton Pritchard at 14.8 off the bench, Jrue Holiday at 12.2, Al Horford at 10.1 and Porzingis at 16. Mazzulla has rotated nine players to start so he’s employing a long rotation early, realizing it’s a long season.
The Knicks are coming alive with offseason recruit Karl Anthony Towns who’s averaging 26.3 points and shooting .471 from three. Jalen Brunson (24.9), OG Anunoby (19.1), Mikal Bridges (15.6), Josh Hart (14.1) and Miles McBride (10.9) are others making the Knicks formidable.
The picks for Best Rookie are shaky. Edey is averaging 11.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while Sheppard is norming 3.8 points. From latest polls, Philadelphia’s Jared McCain (16.6) is the oddsmakers’ favorite to clinch Best Rookie honors with Los Angeles’ Dalton Knecht at second and San Antonio’s Stephon Castle (11.6) at third. Edey is third and Sheppard isn’t in the top 10 conversation. So who’s your pick to win the NBA crown this season?