The NBA is back! Like, officially!

And before it got going for real, we sat down for our annual predictions podcast, where we pick all the winners in both conferences, make our selections for the big awards, and cover some of the interesting overarching storylines that will define the year. Also, we talk about Paul George and the news he made this week.

Basically, once you’ve heard these 45 minutes, you can fastforward to the end of the year. Because we’ve told you everything that’s going to happen.

You’re welcome.

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We’re thiiiiiiiiiiiis close to finishing up the pretend games, folks. So how are the Lakers looking?

Better, with Lonzo Ball back on the floor, for one. He made his debut this week, and while there’s definitely some rust, overall his impact was pretty tangible. And with Lonzo back, the Lakers can now keep a ball mover on the floor at all times. That’ll help the second unit. Meanwhile, with the preseason winding down, some of the stuff we thought the Lakers might not be very good at… they haven’t been very good at. The three-point shooting has been spotty, and the interior defense as well (particularly when they go small). How Luke Walton protects the guys asked to fill the void, some of whom probably aren’t really qualified, will be one of his bigger challenges.

Finally… Jimmy Butler!

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