Which NBA teams are under the most pressure entering 2023-24 season?
With the 2023-24 NBA season fastapproaching, discussions are beginning to ramp up surrounding teamexpectations. Which teams are the early favorites and contenders?Which teams are just wishful thinkers? These topics are debatedoften, usually leading to a select number of teams facingwin-or-bust expectations.
But, of course, there can onlybe one team in June that hoists the Larry O’Brien.
Entering a season withchampionship expectations isn’t easy, as Basketball News’ James Posey highlighted inthis recent article.Which teams fall into the win-or-bust category for the 2023-24season? Let’s look at two teams – one from each conference – whoqualify.
LOS ANGELESLAKERS
The Los Angeles Lakers havedealt with championship aspirations and expectations maybe morethan any other team in NBA history. With 17 championships, which istied with the Boston Celtics for the most all-time, it's clear why.This franchise is used to collecting hardware by season’s end, anddid so as recently as 2020, defeating the Miami Heat to win thechampionship in the midst of a global pandemic and in the wake ofthe passing of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
So, how can a team that won atitle in recent years already be facing pressure to winagain?
The Lakers, led by LeBron Jamesand Anthony Davis, are heading into this season fresh off a cleansweep in the Western Conference Finals by the eventual-championDenver Nuggets. While seemingly negative on paper, the season waslargely viewed as a success, as nobody expected this squad to makea Conference-Finals run after starting an abysmal2-10.
How did they turn their seasonaround? By ending the Russell Westbrook experiment, the Lakerslanded D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt in a trade, inaddition to trading for Rui Hachimura. These three, along with ablossoming Austin Reaves and a rejuvenated James and Davis, broughtthe Lakers to familiar heights – defeating the Memphis Grizzlies inthe first round and taking down the then-defending-champion GoldenState Warriors in round two.
It was clear that the Lakersfixed their mistakes and were back on course. Even the naysayershad to tip their cap after the team’s surprising Western ConferenceFinals run.
Now comes the familiarpressure.
This offseason, Lakers were ableto keep last year’s core together, re-signing Russell, Reaves andHachimura, while adding quality role players in Gabe Vincent,Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. This is really thefirst time in the LeBron-Lakers era that the team has been giventhe green light to try again for a second season. Seeing as theteam didn’t come together until late last season, it would havebeen very much in the Lakers’ nature to come into this year with acompletely different-looking team. Instead, the front office choseto run it back, aside from some changes on the margins. Thisdecision is what puts them in the win-or-bustcategory.
With LeBron entering his 21stNBA season, that sentiment is stronger than ever. The Lakers haveto take advantage of the fact that James is still playing at such ahigh level so late in his career. Being a sports team in Hollywood(especially one with 17 championships) you need to not only havethe stars, you need to win. If the Lakers have stars but aren’twinning, then they are essentially just becoming their neighbors,the Angels. The Lakers have the script ready for them, but we’llhave to wait and see if they can top the box office.
PHILADELPHIA76ERS
With the Philadelphia 76erscoming off their second-round exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffscourtesy of the Boston Celtics in seven games, there’s pressure totake the next step and win a championship. This pressure isn’t new;they’ve been feeling it for several years.
Superstar center Joel Embiid wonhis first Most Valuable Player award last season, giving the 76erstwo MVPs on the team, with James Harden being the other. While theduo has looked good in the short time they’ve been together, theyhaven’t looked like two MVPs playing side-by-side. This isespecially true in the postseason, with Embiid and Harden bothknown for sometimes regressing in playoff series compared to theregular season.
The fact that Doc Rivers was theteam’s head coach, a man who has coached three teams that all losta playoff series after being up 3-1 and someone who has a 6-10record in Game 7s, certainly didn’t help. There's no question thathe also deserves his fair share of blame for the team’s issues. Allof this, along with the lingering effects of the Ben Simmonsdebacle, came to a head last season.
This offseason, the team partedways with Rivers, and Harden requested a trade. While Harden hasyet to be traded and it is possible he remains with the team, theSixers obviously aren’t in an ideal state. It remains to be seenwhat kind of pieces they can get back for Harden.
In the meantime, the Sixershired former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to replaceRivers. Nurse is a great coach who won a championship in 2019 andthe NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2020. But if the team beginsto underperform, a new coach – especially one who’s known forpreviously incorporating a rougher defensive style when it came toguarding Embiid – could become an easy target for blame for thePhilly faithful.
The 76ers might have morepressure on them than any other team this upcoming season. Thereigning MVP, a former MVP (or the trade package they can get forhim), a former Coach of the Year and a solid supporting cast meanthis team is built to win now. This team is no stranger towin-or-bust expectations, but this may be the most pressure they’vefaced yet.
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