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Cameron Adams
Sports Editor
The National Basketball Association is changing before our eyes since the 2022-23 season began on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, fans have been blessed with high level basketball.
The players the world once watched through viral college highlights are now dominating the league.
The high-flying former Murray State guard, Ja Morant is putting on for the south averaging 29.3 points per game, while leading a determined Memphis Grizzlies team and giving out daily highlights.
The Grizzlies are looking for redemption after NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors ended their 2021-2022 season in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Morant is not the only player performing MVP caliber basketball.
The 6 ‘7 Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Luka Doncic, is leading out of seven players who are currently averaging at least 30 points per game.
Jayme Mitchell, Jackson native and sophomore guard for the Jackson State University basketball team, believes that Luka could take home the scoring title if he continues to dominate.
“Luka Doncic is currently averaging the most in the league at 34 points,” stated Mitchell. “If he keeps playing like this he’s going to win it.”
Outside of individual performances, the race to the Larry O’Brian Trophy has new competitors stepping up. Teams who were struggling to pick up the pace last year, are now taking the league by storm.
After trading away their franchise players, fans expected the Utah Jazz to fall behind in the star-studded Western Conference.
Although the new Jazz team was built for the future, they are dominating today’s league. The addition of Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Lauri Markkanen has given the Jazz an unexpected hot start currently ranking third in the Western Conference.
Matthew Adams, a junior journalism and media studies major from Atlanta Ga., expressed his thoughts on the sudden success of the Utah Jazz.
“I feel like with the loss of two of their all-stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they lost some key pieces. But right now it’s looking like they are a playoff contender,” Adams said.
He acknowledged how Utah has improved this season after acquiring a more versatile center.
While other teams made the necessary moves to improve their franchises, others have fallen behind.
Elijah Spann, a junior journalism and media studies student from Mendenhall Miss., expressed his disappointment with the Brooklyn Nets following the trade for Ben Simmons.
He believed that the Nets should trade Ben Simmons if he does not get comfortable soon.
“Make him play like his potential and get him back in the lab, ‘’ Spann said. “Let him just be him without heavily critiquing him.”
The Lakers are also having an awful start to the season. Fans claim that the lack of shooters puts too much pressure on LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
They are currently ranked in twenty-eighth place out of the 30 teams in the league and it will only get worse if adjustments are not made soon.
Meanwhile their historic rivals, the Boston Celtics have established themselves as a true contender for the title.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both averaging over 25 points per game, as they currently hold the best record in the league.
With the addition of Blake Griffin, Malcom Brogdan, and Danilo Gallanari the Celtics have added more depth to their highly talented team. Although Boston fell short to the Golden State Warriors in the finals last year, fans believe that history will not repeat itself this year.
Adams predicted that the new additions to the team will elevate the 2021 Eastern Conference champions to finals champions.
“With these additions I feel as if they have more than enough potential to make it back,” Adams said.
He believes that the experience of the team will play a big factor in their 2022-23 run.
Students Spann and Mitchell also believe the Celtics have the potential to bring the franchise its eighteenth championship.
Although teams are showing strong glimpses of championship contention, there are still plenty of games left in the new season that have yet to be played.
