WASHINGTON • Giannis Antetokounmpo chases another title, the Brooklyn Nets move on without Kyrie Irving and LeBron James unveils his new supporting cast when the new National Basketball Association (NBA) season starts today (Singapore time).
The NBA's 75th anniversary campaign tips off with Brooklyn at Milwaukee as NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks raise the club's first championship banner since 1971.
The Greek superstar averaged 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 blocked shots and one steal a game last year in the play-offs as the Bucks ended a half-century title drought.
Milwaukee will try to become the first NBA champions from the Eastern Conference to retain their crown since James led Miami to titles in 2012 and 2013 as the league aims for its first full 82-game per club campaign since 2018-19 after consecutive seasons shortened due to Covid-19.
Antetokounmpo, for one, knows clearly what he wants this term.
"I'm not satisfied," he said.
"I'm not even close to being satisfied. That's the tone we've got to set as a team. And as a leader of this team, that's the tone that I'm going to set.
"We understand that teams are coming for us, but we're going to be ready."
The Nets have been part of the NBA off-season's biggest drama with the loss of Irving for refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccination.
City regulations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco forbid attending large indoor public gatherings without being vaccinated, meaning Irving could not play in Nets home games.
As a result, the Nets decided the star guard will not be part of the team at all until he is "fully eligible", rather than be available on a part-time basis.
But Brooklyn, the oddsmakers' favourites to win the championship, still offer formidable talent with two-time NBA champion and 2014 MVP Kevin Durant up front and 2018 MVP and three-time scoring champion James Harden in the backcourt.
Patty Mills, an NBA champion with San Antonio in 2014, signed with the Nets in August after sparking the Australia Boomers to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 33-year-old guard from Canberra could see more minutes with Irving absent.
"When you lose a talent as great as Kyrie, we have to be tighter, we have to be more connected, we have to have guys play bigger roles and be more responsible," Nets coach Steve Nash said.
"No one is going to come in and imitate Kyrie. So how can we make up for his loss as best as possible? Through all the collective work we do... coming together and really building a team."
The NBA season's opening night also features James and the revamped Los Angeles Lakers playing host to the Golden State Warriors, three-time NBA champions from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and the rest of the Warriors will hope to welcome back guard Klay Thompson from an Achilles tendon injury in December or January.
The Lakers have surrounded James and Anthony Davis with a new collection of talent, including Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn and Carmelo Anthony.
The hope is to try and recapture the magic that produced a championship in the Covid-19 bubble last year. The Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of last season's play-offs.
"It's going to take a minute for us to become the team we know we're capable of being," James said.
"It's all about being patient with the process, understanding that we're going to have frustrating moments.
"Nothing is worth having if it's not worth working for."
The four-time MVP is chasing his fifth NBA crown.
He will turn 37 in December but remains a skilled scorer and passing threat.
The Philadelphia 76ers, last season's Eastern Conference top seeds, lost to Atlanta in the second round of the play-offs and have had to contend with Ben Simmons sitting out pre-season workouts until Sunday after failing to get a trade.
With the guard back in the fold alongside star big man Joel Embiid, Philadelphia again figure to be a team to beat in the East.
In the West, Utah and Phoenix, the only teams to win 50 games last season, improved in the off-season.
The Jazz added swingman Rudy Gay and centre Hassan Whiteside while the Suns, who lost to Milwaukee in the NBA Finals, kept star guard Chris Paul and added forward JaVale McGee to go alongside Bahamas big man Deandre Ayton.
The NBA Finals are set to return to their typical June time frame.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
