A Beginner’s Guide to the 2023-2024 NBA Season

The NBA is back! Tonight, the 2023-2024 NBA season begins. Whether you have been a fan for years or are just looking to start, it always helps to have a summer refresher before things get going. This summer was the cause of lots of excitement, and it is worth recounting. In the following paragraphs, we are going to give fans both old and new some things to be on the lookout for this season. Without further ado, here are the things to keep on your radar.

A Generational Talent in San Antonio?

If you’ve been living under a rock, the San Antonio Spurs were fortunate enough to get the number one pick in the latest draft and with it, they selected a young Frenchman by the name of Victor Wembanyama (aka Wemby). This is a huge deal for a couple reasons, the first being Wemby’s generational potential. Sports media has a proclivity for hyperbole, and the consensus is that Victor is the most high profile prospect since LeBron James. Talk about a high bar. Is he worth the hype?

Yes, he is. I have followed Wemby for a couple years now. He is the real deal. Will he reach the Hall of Fame heights people have predicted? Impossible to say. But here are the facts: he is 19 years of age, he’s 7’4 with an 8 ft. wingspan, he has guard skills, and he can legitimately defend all five positions. Despite that, though, will the American sports media hype machine chew him up and spit him out like so many other prospects before him?

No. Watching his preseason has been an absolute joy. He swats shots on closeouts, he dances through defenders, he dribbles under Reggie Bullock’s legs in what can only be described as the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen. The big question mark for Wemby doubters is his offense. Will be able to do the things he used to when he’s playing with the best athletes in the sport? The answer seems to be a resounding “Duh!” Again for the sake of argument, say his offense just never gets to the Kevin Durant levels people have set for him. He still confidently dribbles into unblockable, high percentage jumpers. He still puts all sorts of pressure on defenses when he rolls to the rim. The Spurs ran a play in which the 7’4 Wemby got an Iverson screen to get to the left elbow. Insanity. But again, for the sake of argument, let us imagine that the offense never ends up working out and the league “solves” the Wemby problem. He still adds arguably the most defensive value we have ever seen in the sport. He is going to be a problem for opponents for years. Selfishly, I want him to spend his entire career in San Antonio because I love to win and I despise sharing (I am openly a San Antonio fan and will not be apologizing). And look, these are huge expectations for a 19 year old kid. In this segment alone, he has been compared to LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and I literally just said “He still adds arguably the most defensive value we have ever seen in the sport.” All eyes are going to be on this kid, and despite the scrutiny, he will succeed.

This season, Full Court Dime is going to have extensive coverage of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for our coverage entitled “Wemby Watch,” so be sure to stay tuned.

Suns Stack Stars

The Phoenix Suns have somehow been able to build a complete roster despite paying Devin Booker, acquiring Kevin Durant, and absorbing Bradley Beal’s massive contract. After the trade that landed them Beal, the speculation on their roster prospects was rampant. Somehow they’ve done what no one thought possible: they have a roster deep enough to make a run at a championship.

They added Grayson Allen, Bol Bol, Jusuf Nurkic, and somehow swung an Eric Gordon acquisition. The roster looks good on paper. There are a variety of skills, good spacing, and flexible lineup potential. Sure, they lost Deandre Ayton in a massive three-way trade, and honestly, they may have made up for it. Only time will tell if the team is able to make all of the pieces fit together, but the Suns are a team to keep an eye on in the West. And speaking of the West…

Loaded Lakers

I know Laker Nation is always supremely confident in their team, even when that confidence has not been warranted. However, coming into this season, the Lakers look dangerous. They acquired some solid pieces with that sweet LA money. There are recognizable names donning the purple and gold for the first time this season, including Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood. And of course LeBron James and Anthony Davis are returning for another championship push.

On paper, the Lakers are horrifying. They now have a bunch of big wings with defensive switchability, they have surrounded LeBron and AD with shooters, and head coach Darvin Ham has a full season of experience under his belt. If the team can get on the same page and remain healthy, they stand to dominate the league.

Dame Time for Bucks

Another team poised for domination is the new-look Milwaukee Bucks. In a massive trade, the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard. They now have a three-pronged attack consisting of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Damian Lillard. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: YIKES. The firepower on this team is insane, and opponents are going to struggle trying to find a way to slow it down. We have already covered this trade, so we will summarize with this: watch out for the Bucks train, because it is liable to steam roll through the league. Make no mistake, though. The competition at the top is poised to be intense.

The Contenders

Every season, pundits are pretty quickly grilled about their potential championship winners. It is impossible to tell who is going to win it all early on in the season, but facts have never gotten in the way of stoking the fires of controversy. In saying that though, there are teams who are seemingly head-and-shoulders above the rest. As mentioned previously, the Bucks, Lakers, and Suns all have a good chance of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy come season’s end. However, it would be dishonest to say those are the only teams with a chance. The reigning champion Denver Nuggets have had almost no roster movement in the offseason, and they ended things in dominant fashion. They are still dangerous, and are definitely looking to get their dynasty started.

The Boston Celtics also seem primed to finally make the jump from legitimate contender to champion. They acquired Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday, and those two guys are going to be huge contributors if the preseason is anything to go by. On top of that, the organization locked down Jaylen Brown and secured the partnership of him and Jayson Tatum for at least the next few years. For the boys in Boston, there is no better time to win than right now. If they fail to do so, it will be a summer of hard decisions for the front office.

The Golden State Warriors are still looming as well. The team added Chris Paul to the roster and while it is unclear how the acquisition will play out in the long term, it is probably going to be a net positive. Though they failed to address their biggest weakness (which is size) in a way fans would have liked, they did add Dario Saric who gives them some much needed big man depth. They still have Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga who will hopefully see some actual playing time this season. And of course they have their triumvirate of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Warriors have a proven track record: if they are in the mix, they have a shot to win, and they are most certainly in the mix on paper.

And lest we forget the oft tossed aside Miami Heat. One of these days, the media will stop counting the team from South Beach out. There is no team who better embodies the fighting spirit than the Heat. If the above comment about the Warriors is true, then it is doubly so for the Heat. If they are in the playoffs, they believe they can win. This just might be the year they do so. Heat culture is real, and it has the potential to burn opponents. I have a feeling that since the Heat missed out on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, they are going to take a big swing for a star at some point during the season. Be on guard, because the Heat are coming.

But hey, not every team can win it all. There is only one trophy, after all. While some teams are looking to take the next step and become immortalized in the NBA forever, others are looking to get something new off the ground, which is equally as exciting.

The Newcomers (hopefully)

One of the best things about the beginning of the season is watching up-and-comers make the jump to the here-and-nowers. The league certainly has some squads looking to do just that. If you are a new fan in need of a team to ravenously support, the following might prove to be the perfect fit.

The most intriguing team in the coming season is going to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have a roster filled to bursting with young talent, including a first team All-NBA selection last season in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren will actually get to play this season. They have two young studs both named Jaylin Williams (though one spells it “Jalen”). Make no mistake about it: the Thunder are going to take a big leap this season. If you are someone who likes to be early to the party, it might pay off to be a Thunder fan right now.

Another team to keep an eye on is the Portland Trail Blazers. Will they shock everyone in the same way the Thunder will? Probably not, however they will be worth tuning into. They are another young team who quietly had a really good offseason, which feels weird to write given they had the second pick in the draft and had to trade away Damian Lillard. Odd. Digression aside, the team is really exciting to think about. Scoot Henderson will be the big draw, but the team added Robert Williams, Deandre Ayton, and Malcolm Brogdon. Not to mention Shaedon Sharpe (look for him to have a nice jump in numbers this season). The Blazers might not shock the world with their win column, but the front office really seems to be building something special. Time will tell.

The Detroit Pistons also deserve to be in this conversation. Yet again, a roster full of young potential. Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman, and rookie Ausar Thompson make a core that tempts the imagination with something dangerous: hope. The city of Detroit has had little luck with their Pistons for a long time now. But Motor City, rejoice! You have a young squad who is going to be worth watching. For the sake of fans, I hope the Pistons can put something special together. Not so bold prediction: the Pistons will make the play-in game this season, and they may even sneak their way into the playoffs. Too early to tell, but not too early to dream.

And that concludes some of our biggest storylines coming into the 2023-2024 NBA season. These are going to be things we at Full Court Dime are following closely, and we would be honored if you would join us for our coverage and thoughts. As said before, we will be tuning in to every single San Antonio Spurs game for our “Wemby Watch,” a breakdown of the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James. We will also be on the lookout for teams who shock the league, be they newcomers or familiar faces. We will have film breakdown, player analysis, and so much more. Strap in, basketball fans. This is going to be a season to remember.