4 NBA Storylines All Your Basketball-Inclined Friends Will Be Talking About This Season

How the star power of a few key players is reshaping the league — and which up-and-comers are ready to put the top teams on blast.

The Super Team:

Golden State Warriors

GettyImages-918840248

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. The Warriors were already stacked with seemingly invincible talent. Then four-time all-star DeMarcus Cousins came over in a one-year deal worth $5.3 million USD. Now there are debates about whether this year’s campaign is even still a contest.

The Dynamic Duo:

Houston Rockets

GettyImages-908998020

James Harden and Chris Paul were doing all of the heavy lifting here last season, but it remains to be seen how much impact new addition (and former all-star) Carmelo Anthony has on this situation. Depending on his performance, he could be enough to tip the scale and earn the Rockets super team classification, too.

The One-Man Show:

Los Angeles Lakers

GettyImages-999727244

While many had predicted he’d move to a team with real championship potential, LeBron instead opted for… the Lakers. He says he was inspired by the franchise’s storied history and the opportunity to work with team president Magic Johnson — a former idol of his. One upside: maybe this means more of LeBron The Actor (see: Trainwreck; Smallfoot), which we’re all for.

The Up-and-Comers:

Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves

GettyImages-853800848

The combined star-in-the-making power of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz — a top pick in the 2017 draft who went on to suffer injury — is on the verge of making the 76ers a real threat, while on the Timberwolves side, Karl-Anthony Towns could step up to give Jimmy Butler the support he needs.