The Los Angeles Clippers face the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, October 19, 2023. KIRBY LEE / USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
Who will succeed the Denver Nuggets? More than four months after the first coronation of the Colorado “nuggets” against the Miami Heat, the North American basketball league is back. On the night of Tuesday October 24 to Wednesday October 25 (at 1:30 a.m. Paris time), the “shock” match between the Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers will launch an NBA long eighty-two regular season games by team. The eight best teams from each conference will then compete in the final stages to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Unlike last year, the offseason transfer window was very lively and promises a season marked by multiple matches at the top. After eleven years spent in Portland, iconic Blazers player Damian Lillard shook the transfer market by signing with Milwaukee. The arrival of Bradley Beal within a Phoenix team, already very competitive, also deserves to be highlighted. Just like that of 38-year-old point guard Chris Paul in Golden State. James Harden, who no longer hides his intentions to leave Philadelphia, could be the last big surprise of this transfer window.
Who will be the stars of the League and the Paris 2024 Games?
The excitement around this 2023-2024 financial year is not new. Since the emergence of Victor Wembanyama in the eyes of the whole world, more than a year ago, the Americans can no longer wait for the arrival of the Frenchman in their league. After being drafted in first position by the San Antonio Spurs on June 23, the native of Chesnay (Yvelines) will make his first steps in an official match against Dallas, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. The man who will be the star attraction of the year has already impressed in preseason, achieving matches with more than twenty points despite limited playing time to preserve him. “Wemby” will try to make a franchise competitive that specialists predict will be far from the play-offs at the end of the year.
Read also: Nine months before the Paris Games, the French basketball team is maintaining its course of action, but is preparing for some changes
But, at home, American basketball players will do everything not to give too much light to the “little” Frenchman of 2.21 meters. This year, they will be driven by an additional objective: to be in the « dream team »who will play at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Many NBA stars have already announced that they want to be part of the adventure, like LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry, who sees it “an opportunity for Team USA to reaffirm its international domination”.
Damian Lillard, who is coming off an exceptional season averaging 32.2 points, the talented Jayson Tatum, still in search of a coronation with Boston, or Joel Embiid, who recently opted for the American selection, will also be important players this season. The two Europeans Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) will have nothing to envy of their American counterparts in the race for the MVP title (most valuable player, best player of the season).
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