Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Will Drive The OKC Thunder To Elite Territory

This is always a tricky part of the NBA calendar. Four months without on-court action will have everyone starving for games, eager to overreact to every standout player and jumping to conclusions after one week of basketball.

Most of the time, it’s easy to roll your eyes at certain declarations, such as which teams will be in the playoffs or who the MVP front-runners will be at the end. Opening week is also never a great time to reassess your preseason outlook or consider anything a botched prediction. After all, we have 170 days left of hoops in this wild, unpredictable league.