LeBron and Steph on Milestone Watch
If there’s anything that yells out “unique” it’s when record books are rewritten… certainly something that makes every NBA season different from the previous. This year two of the most revolutionary players the game has seen over the last two decades will push the needle furthermore in their respective records.
Lakers’ LeBron James enters his 19th NBA season, and with that, he looks to surpass Hall of Famer Karl Malone for No. 2 on the all-time scoring and field goals made list. James’ chances of passing Malone on the all-time scoring list seem to be favorable as he is just 1,561 points away from accomplishing the feat and has averaged 1,645 points over his last four seasons. In the same four-season span, James has averaged 620 made field goals a year but remains 625 field goals behind the former Jazz star.
Meanwhile, 384 miles up north resides the “Baby-Faced Assassin” in Stephen Curry. The future Hall of Famer has been regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history and to anyone still playing devil’s advocate to that, Curry stands a mere 141 threes away from passing Ray Allen for the all-time lead in 3-pointers made. Since the 2012-13 season, the life-long Warrior has made 212 or more 3-pointers in eight of those nine seasons. Additionally, Curry has hit 320 or more 3-pointers in three of those seasons (2015-16 with 402 3-pointers; 2016-17 with 324; 2020-21 with 337).
It’s worth noting that Curry is coming off a season where he led the league in scoring with a career-high 32 PPG alongside 3-pointers made (337) and attempted (801) through 63 games. With Klay Thompson set to miss the first half of the season will allow the fellow splash brother to pick up right where he left off and near the record if not break it by the time Thompson makes his return.
The Hawks and Suns Share Similar Challenge
Both these squads are coming off a more similar season than you’d think. No one could’ve seen the Suns coming out of the Western Conference while no one could’ve seen the Atlanta Hawks going on a deep playoff run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. To put the cherry on top, both of these teams’ 2020-21 seasons ended just 17 days apart to none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo and the reigning NBA Champs Milwaukee Bucks.
It certainly makes for an interesting storyline to see which squad will bounce back and build upon last season’s success and without a doubt, it seems to be Atlanta. It all starts with Trae Young being the leader of his flock alongside sharpshooters Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter. Then the team has a strong big man duo in John Collins and Clint Capela. This team has it in them to make another strong playoff push and compete against some of the best eastern conference squads. With the way everything stacks up right now, it would still be eye-popping to see this team make a run for the conference finals as a second-round exit seems realistic.
Meanwhile, Phoenix’s Finals run may not have been a fluke, however, it sure as hell will be seen as easier compared to this year’s run. The western conference is far too stacked for Phoenix to legitimately compete down the stretch and the team’s reluctance to offer former No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton a contract extension is going to cause a distraction in the locker room. It’s simply tough to see Phoenix elevate themselves beyond what they accomplished last season as the team seems to have reached their ceiling. I say Phoenix fails to make it past the second, potentially even the first round. It’s going to be an ugly Finals’ loss hangover.
