Oklahoma City Thunder
Observation: Oklahoma City will be picking first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft
The Thunder are rebuilding and as a result, they are going to lose a lot of games this season. They have the youngest team in the league, as their team average age is below 23-years-old, and while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could have a chance to put up All-Star-like numbers again, they are going to wind up with the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
This organization has never selected first overall before and the last time they held the 2nd overall pick, they selected a guy by the name of Kevin Durant, so maybe finishing with the worst record in the league is not so bad for them.
The future is definitely bright for this team and GM Sam Presti, who has accumulated over 35 total draft picks through the 2028 NBA Draft, but expecting more than 20 wins this year is a stretch for the Thunder.
Focusing on player development and their young talents will be key for Oklahoma City this year, which will result in them finishing with the most 20-plus point losses this year as well.
Orlando Magic
Observation: The Magic will be better when they get Fultz and Isaac back
They got trounced by the San Antonio Spurs in their season opener, but the Orlando Magic are not as bad of a young team as many make them out to be. In fact, their young talents actually played really well given that they have not had a lot of time to play together and are all still developing.
Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner looked solid in their NBA debuts and when they get Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac back, Orlando is going to be a team that can be competitive.
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Orlando is not going to be making the playoffs and they will be picking in the lottery once again in next year’s draft, but they can definitely pull off some upsets this season at full strength. Their young core of Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke, Jalen Suggs, RJ Hampton, Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. is one of the best young cores in the league right now, giving the Magic a lot of hope that their rebuild process will be quick and effortless.
Philadelphia 76ers
Observation: Philadelphia still needs that other key contributor on offense
Just move Ben Simmons already! He obviously does not want to be there and now has a “back injury” after getting kicked out of practice the other day, but the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl Morey just will not give in to Simmons’ trade request.
It is understandable that the 76ers want an All-Star or All-NBA player in return for their 3x All-Star, but they may not be able to wait too long on this whole situation. This looks like a big win for the Sixers over New Orleans in their season opener, but Philly pulled away in the second half because of Tyrese Maxey and Furkan Korkmaz.
These two guys will be unable to score 20-plus points every single night, which is where the 76ers could ultimately run into trouble against better teams in this league. If Zion Williamson was out there on the floor, the Pelicans would have made this game a lot more interesting, and who knows, maybe they could have withstood the 76ers barrage from three-point range.
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Philadelphia is going to have to make a decision on Ben Simmons sooner than later and with him doing everything in his power not to put on a 76ers jersey ever again, they might as well trade him for whatever they can get right now.
The Sixers are not a championship contender with him on the bench and even with him in the lineup, they still aren’t a real contender, which is why adding more overall value to their team, even if it is not an All-Star-level player, is the way to go right now.
Phoenix Suns
Observation: Devin Booker and Chris Paul struggled; directly contributed to loss
In their first game since losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns looked very sluggish and unprepared for a more energetic Nuggets team.
Chris Paul recorded a double-double with 15 points, 10 assists, but he was -23 for the game, something that is unheard of for “The Point God”. As for Booker, he was not much better, as he was -24 for the game and shot just 3-15 from the floor, and scored 12 total points.
When Phoenix’s backcourt does not play well, they are not going to win many games and while he is a great two-way player, the Suns are not going to win many games if Mikal Bridges is their leading scorer. Spreading the ball around and getting open shots for anyone is something that head coach Monty Williams preaches and they did that during the first half of this game against Denver, but the Suns seemed to hit a wall in the second half.
Phoenix’s second-unit of Abdel Nader, Cameron Johnson, JaVale McGee, Cameron Payne, and Landry Shamet played well, scoring a total of 38 bench points and putting together a combined +30 +/- rating for the game, which was definitely a bright spot for Phoenix.
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This team is too good and too balanced to suffer losses like this, which is why we should not be worried about the Phoenix Suns just yet. They still have 81 games left in the season and even if they lose to the Lakers in their second game, they will be just fine.
Portland Trail Blazers
Observation: Defense is still a problem for Portland
Damian Lillard made his intentions to remain in Portland very clear this offseason, but he also said he wants to win there. Well, the Blazers did the opposite of that against the Sacramento Kings in Portland on Wednesday night, as they gave up a total of 121 points to a team that has missed the playoffs each of the last 15 seasons.
Sacramento is not a bad offensive team, but all night long, Harrison Barnes dominated the Trail Blazers and new head coach Chauncey Billups made no real adjustments to try and force the ball out of his hands.
The defense was a major problem for the Portland Trail Blazers in this game, as they seemed to be out of position a lot, but they ultimately lost this game because their offense was sluggish. C.J. McCollum, Damian Lillard, and Norman Powell combined for 68 total points, which is not terrible, but Dame and Powell were a combined 11-33 (33.3%) from the floor and just 1-12 (8.3%) from three-point range.
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Lillard did not make a single three-pointer in this game, snapping a 32-game streak he had dating back to last season with at least one made three in a game, including the postseason. This sluggish offensive performance from Damian Lillard was definitely surprising and we should expect to see him and Portland bounce back in a big way over the next week or so.
