Predictions for the 2022/2023 NBA Season

NBA Eastern Conference Season 2021/22

Last season in the NBA Eastern Conference the division was won by champions Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics were followed closely by Miami Heat, who finished as runners-up.

Boston Celtics

During the NBA finals Boston Celtics were not good enough to beat the Golden State Warriors losing 4 – 2 over the six games. They struggled offensively and were often turned over while the shooting was well below par. They found it difficult to get beyond the defence of Golden State and this season they will be hoping to go all the way and win the NBA Finals. They will certainly need to consider making some changes offensively to help build upon their strong defence where Marcus Smart won 2021/22 defensive player of the year.

Miami Heat

Another team that will be looking to make some changes to try to win the NBA Finals. They were close to making the finals but Boston Celtics overcame Miami Heat 4 – 3 in the conference finals. Coach Erik Spoelstra is an excellent head coach to move the team forward and offensively they have the consistency of Jimmy Butler who averaged 27.4 points per game.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets made the first round of the play offs in the 2021/22 season. During the offseason there is a lot of speculation surrounding the team and a lot will depend on how this progresses to determine their chances of winning in 2022/23. There has been speculation about Kevin Durant leaving, however it is likely he will stay with the Nets for one more year. That will be important as he averaged 26.3 points per game as a power forward. It also appears that Kyrie Irving will leave the Nets with the Los Angeles Lakers interested in his services. Ben Simmons at point guard has also been an excellent addition to the Nets squad.

NBA Western Conference Season 2021/22

During the 2021 /22 NBA Western Conference season, the champions of the division were the Golden State Warriors. The Western division runners-up were the Dallas Mavericks.

Golden State Warriors

The team to beat after their strong performances in the play-offs of 2021/22 season where no team were able to match them. Their ascendency as the leading team in the NBA has been incredible and it is difficult to pick any weaknesses, with strengths in all departments. If there are few changes you can expect Golden State to be challenging for the 2022/23 NBA finals. They had the offensive support and consistency of Stephen Curry who averaged 27.4 points per game, which meant he averaged the highest number of three points per game.

Dallas Mavericks

A great season in 2021/22 saw the Dallas Mavericks lose to Golden State in the Conference finals. With some clever trades and deals during the off season they will certainly have a chance of competing for the NBA finals. In their point guard Luka Doncic, they have a fine asset to build the team around. Doncic averaged 31.7 points per game, the joint season highest while he averaged 6.4 assists per game. With Jalen Busen as support to Doncic the Mavericks are well set in the point guard position. This is a team that might just go one step further in the NBA 2022/23 season and reach the NBA finals.

Phoenix Suns

What an impressive season Phoenix Suns had in the regular 2021/22 NBA season. Their record was 64 wins to 18 losses. However, they imploded in the play offs when they lost to Dallas 4 – 3 in the Conference semi-finals. In the offseason Chris Paul will need to work on his shooting to bring it back to the standard we all know he is capable of. Meanwhile, there remains speculation around Deandre Ayton and whether he will stay with the Suns.

Conclusion

With the NBA still in the offseason and not knowing the trades and deals that will occur, it is difficult to predict which teams will make the play-offs and reach the NBA finals. What is apparent is that the NBA 2022/23 will be as exciting as ever and fans have a lot to look forward to.