The 2023-24 NBA season begins Tuesday night with two Western Conference games that should set the tone for another torrid season. The defending champion Denver Nuggets receive their rings and then host the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the season. There may be leftovers from the Nuggets’ Western Conference finals, so bring the popcorn. In the second game, Kevin Durant returns to the Bay Area with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns’ Big 3, to face the Golden State Warriors, who now employ “sixth starter” Chris Paul. For this you need a popcorn refill.
On Wednesday night, highly touted rookie Victor Wembanyama makes his debut for the San Antonio Spurs, marking a series of games. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his new vice president Damian Lillard will face the Philadelphia 76ers (with or without James Harden) on Thursday. Yahoo Sports offers comprehensive coverage of all the opening week highlights.
Ahead of training camp and preseason, Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Ben Rohrbach summarized a busy offseason with 16 key storylines. While some have made up their minds, much remains to be determined when the season begins on Tuesday.
Here’s everything you need to know before the clue.
Yahoo Sports predictions 🔮
It wouldn’t be a new season without a series of predictions about what lies ahead. Yahoo Sports’ top NBA writers – Vincent Goodwill, Dan Devine, Jake Fischer and Ben Rohrbach – make their picks for the league’s top awards, playoff teams, Conference Finals matchups, NBA Finals matchups, NBA Champion and Finals MVP.
(Illustration by Michael Wagstaffe/Yahoo Sports)
(Illustration by Michael Wagstaffe/Yahoo Sports)
Agree or disagree? Make your choice in the comments.
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
Wemby Watch 👀
From comparisons to the best and most hyped NBA players to sold-out Summer League sessions and jaw-dropping preseason highlights, NBA fans can’t get enough of Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Vincent Goodwill, senior NBA reporter at Yahoo Sports, writes:
No one does hype better than the NBA, using every opportunity to promote its current and future stars.
Often the trailer makes the film look better than it is. There were too many cases to mention, too many ridiculous cases where players weren’t worth the paper and had their posters plastered across NBA-sanctioned screens.
🔗 Read more from Goodwill about Wembanyama’s expectations.
👶 Yahoo Sports NBA Draft analyst Krysten Peek talks about other rookies to keep an eye on this season.
NBA level 🏆
Yahoo Sports set out this preseason to create a final ranking of the top players for the 2023-24 season.
Nine Yahoo Sports writers, editors and producers submitted ballots with their individual player rankings in four stages. Players were assigned points based on the level they achieved on each ballot to determine the overall ranking. To be considered for this project, players had to appear on most ballots.
Players were not numerically ranked in each level or in the overall project. Instead, they were assigned a tier based on the overall vote. Each level has a different number of players, making the project a total of 39 players.
🔗 See the full list of the top 39 NBA players across four levels.
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
The Bill Russell Scale 🐐
Now in its third season, The Bill Russell Scale aims to produce an unbiased ranking of the 75 most untouchable players in NBA history, based on a career that was nearly perfect. Ben Rohrbach, senior NBA writer at Yahoo Sports, developed the system to rank past and current NBA players based on Russell’s career.
The 75 greatest players in NBA history, according to the 100-point scale (active players in bold):
1. Bill Russell (100)
2. Michael Jordan (99)
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (97)
4. Lebron James (96)
T5. Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant (92)
T8. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal (89)
10. Larry Bird (87.2)
T11. Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Karl Malone (84)
14. Hakeem Olajuwon (83.9)
15. Jerry West (82.9)
16. Kevin Durant (82.8)
17. Moses Malone (80)
18. John Havlicek (79.2)
19. Dirk Nowitzki (79)
T20. Kevin Garnett, David Robinson, Chris Paul (78)
23. Charles Barkley (77)
24. Bob Cousy (76.3)
25. Stephen Curry (75.4)
26. Dolph Schayes (74.8)
27. James Harden (73.4)
28. George Mikan (72.2)
29. Elgin Baylor (72)
30. Dwyane Wade (71.7)
31. John Stockton (71)
32. Patrick Ewing (70.2)
33. Julius Erving (69.2)
34. Dwight Howard (68.8)
35. Scottie Pippen (67.5)
36. Russell Westbrook (67.4)
37. Elvin Hayes (67)
38. Steve Nash (66.6)
39. Gary Payton (66.3)
40. Giannis Antetokounmpo (66.2)
T41. Paul Arizin, Allen Iverson (65.5)
T43. George Gervin, Clyde Drexler (65.2)
T45. Rick Barry, Jason Kidd (64.9)
47. Dominique Wilkins (64.4)
48. Paul Pierce (64)
49. Robert Parish (63.1)
50. Isiah Thomas (62.6)
51. Sam Jones (61.8)
52. Carmelo Anthony (61.3)
53. Walt Frazier (61)
54. Ray Allen (60.5)
55. Pau Gasol (60)
56. Tracy McGrady (59.3)
57. Tony Parker (59.1)
58. Hal Greer (59)
59. Damian Lillard (58.9)
T60. Bill Sharman, Nikola Jokic (58.7)
62. Anthony Davis (58.6)
63. Chris Bosh (58.2)
T64. Willis Reed, Reggie Miller (57.9)
66. Kawhi Leonard (57.4)
67. LaMarcus Aldridge (57.2)
T68. Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale (56.9)
70. Chauncey Billups (56.6)
71. Paul George (56.3)
72. Grant Hill (56.2)
73. Bob McAdoo (55.5)
74. Jerry Lucas (55.4)
T75. Bob Lanier, Vince Carter (55.3)
🔗 See the full methodology and rank of more recent players.
Hot takes we could actually believe 🔥
Every year, Yahoo Sports Senior NBA Writer Ben Rohrbach takes a trip too close to the sun and challenges you to withstand the heat of these prospects in his preseason series, “Hot Takes We Might Actually Believe”:
• The Denver Nuggets are a budding dynasty
• Jayson Tatum is your 2023-24 NBA MVP
• The Golden State Warriors are no longer serious contenders
• The Miami Heat will miss the NBA playoffs
• Joel Embiid will request a trade from the 76ers this NBA season
The 5 most interesting teams 🤔
Dan Devine, senior NBA writer at Yahoo Sports, takes a closer look at a handful of rosters that he finds particularly compelling for the 2023-24 season. His look at the five most interesting teams in the NBA – for him, if not necessarily for anyone else:
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Intense heat
Reintroduction to the NBA title race 🎰
Dan Devine looked at the six teams entering the 2023-24 season with championship odds of 15-1 (+1500) or better, according to BetMGM earlier this month. While the odds have changed slightly, the teams remain the same. He argues for and against every title contender.
1️⃣ Milwaukee Bucks (+400)
2️⃣ Boston Celtics (+400)
3️⃣ Denver Nuggets (+550)
4️⃣ Phoenix Suns (+650)
5️⃣ Los Angeles Lakers (+1300)
6️⃣ Golden State Warriors (+1400)
Fantasy Basketball Tips 📱
Welcome to the start of a new fantasy basketball season! With all that goes into drafting, it can be difficult to navigate all the potential paths that lead to success. Don’t worry, though, because Dan Titus, fantasy basketball analyst at Yahoo Sports, provides insight into what’s working and what’s not so you can move forward with confidence.
Quick Tips:
😴 Sleeper Tips: centers | Forward | guards
📉 Players to hide: centers | Forward | guards
💪 Breakout candidates: centers | Forward | guards
🔢 Ranked Draft: centers | Stream forward | Small strikers | Shooting protector | Point guards
💻 Mock Drafts: 12 team points | Category with 12 teams
This embedded content is not available in your region.
How to watch the NBA season 📺
National TV broadcasts will return to air on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV this season, with some teams opting for local broadcast options available in those markets. NBA League Pass is available to fans who want to watch out-of-market games (local restrictions apply) that are not broadcast nationally.
Stream every out-of-stock game
NBA League Pass
📅 Dan Devine’s games you shouldn’t miss in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Follow Yahoo Sports’ NBA coverage all season long 🏀
🎧 Ball Don’t Lie Podcast: Subscribe to the Ball Don’t Lie podcast feed wherever you listen to podcasts for four shows a week from Vincent Goodwill, Dan Devine and Jake Fischer.
On Monday: Good Word with Goodwill invites Vincent Goodwill’s friends from around the basketball world to discuss the latest news and current topics surrounding the association.
Tuesdays: “Devine Intervention” brings you some basketball therapy as Dan Devine hosts guests offering self-help.
Wednesdays: Vincent Goodwill is back for a second solo episode of “Good Word with Goodwill,” where he discusses everything that’s on his mind.
Thursdays: In No Cap Room, Jake Fischer and Dan Devine take you behind the scenes and tell you what’s really going on in the NBA.
📧 Ball Don’t Lie newsletter: Sign up for the Ball Don’t Lie weekly newsletter to get the latest basketball news from Yahoo Sports insiders in your inbox every Thursday.
👩💻 Follow Yahoo Sports on Social Media: Be part of the Ball Don’t Lie community on X (formerly Twitter)Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
🟪 Quick Links to Yahoo Sports: Results/Schedule | Injury report | Ranking | Statistical Leaders | Fantasy Tires | Latest news