Celtics are the most talented teams in their respective conferences, in my view, though this goes beyond just skillsets. Jayson Tatum may be a Kia MVP favorite (if voters don’t dwell on the help he has on Boston’s roster). Kristaps Porzingis adds a new dimension and Jrue Holiday might be more helpful to a title push than Damian Lillard.
The Suns are dripping with firepower, and like Boston, have some urgency to make this all work swiftly. Both teams expected to reach the Finals last June, so any sense of a narrowing championship window should keep them focused in a good way.
NBA Cup, the inaugural in-season tournament. Boston added veteran guard Jrue Holiday, and Milwaukee traded for superstar Damian Lillard to pair him with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Nuggets attracted the most and biggest bets in the offseason to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook, which reported taking a $30,000 bet on Denver at 4-1 odds from a bettor in Nevada that would pay a net $120,000.
LA Clippers are 18-1 and the Miami Heat are 22-1.
Overall, 64 European players were included, with Serbian star and two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic hoping to lead his Denver Nuggets to a title repeat.
The Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder each have eight international players, followed by the Toronto Raptors and the Spurs with seven each. The Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns each have six.
The past five MVP awards have gone to international players: Joel Embiid (Cameroon, 2022-23), Jokic (Serbia, 2021-22 and 2020-21) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, 2019-20 and 2018-19).
Joseph begins his first year with the Golden State Warriors and 13th season overall in the league. Rice, who led the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight last year, begins his first season with the San Antonio Spurs after earning a two-way contract in the summer.
Sims, the No. 58 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, enters his third year with the New York Knicks. Thompson returns to the court for the Cleveland Cavaliers after a one-year absence and starts his 12th year overall in the NBA. Tucker begins his 13th year overall in the NBA and his second season with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Turner starts his ninth season in the league, all with the Indiana Pacers.
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