The inaugural games of the 2018-19 NBA season are officially in the books. The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-87, and the Golden State Warriors edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-100, on Tuesday night.
While both the Celtics and Warriors top the charts in ESPN’s latest power rankings, it might be wise to pump the brakes before declaring either of these teams as championship-favorites. According to ESPN’s rankings at tip-off, the top-five teams in the NBA are as follows: Warriors, Celtics, Raptors, Rockets and Jazz.
Rounding out the top-10, ESPN has the 76ers, Thunder, Lakers, Bucks and Nuggets. These teams may have fewer question marks than some of the other teams in the league, but that does not dismiss the concerns that could very well turn the tides of the upcoming season.
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Photo via NBA.com[/caption]
Starting at the top, the Warriors are obviously loaded up front and there is not much room for debate. Every team would jump at the opportunity to have four All-Stars in its starting lineup. The addition of DeMarcus Cousins could prove to be monumental once he returns from injury, although that poses as a problem in and of itself.
The Warriors are largely dependent on the health of Cousins this season. Unable to bolster its bench yet again, head coach Steve Kerr’s squad will rely on its starters ability to overwhelm opponents in early and late-game situations. While Golden State will remain the favorite to three-peat in 2018, it does not mean that it will not see its fair share of ups and downs.
Another team in the Western Conference that will depend on its newest addition is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets lost two playmakers on the wing this offseason after failing to re-sign Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. As a result, Houston was forced to look elsewhere and ultimately sign veteran forward Carmelo Anthony.
Plain and simple, Anthony is not the same player that he once was. However, his addition will not be scrutinized for his ability, or lack thereof, to score points. Instead, Ariza and Mbah a Moute offered a strong presence on the defensive side of the ball that the Rockets will greatly miss. Ariza, specifically, could guard multiple positions which proved to be invaluable to the Rockets.
If the Rockets are going to compete with the top-tier teams in the NBA, they will have to either outscore teams with consistency or develop a new identity on defense. Until it is known which direction they take, there are legitimate reasons to have reservations.
No matter how it shakes out, it is simply too early to buy into any NBA franchise for this season. As the sample size becomes larger, it will be easier to accurately assess the teams and rank them. Until then, it is just a roster evaluation.
Anthony Talarico can be reached at anthony.talarico@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @ant_tal.
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