Trades, make or break?: a fresh start

Courtesy of NBA.com

By Bailey Lim

A new beginning has arisen as the new NBA 2020-21 season has started in late December. Major changes have come to the league with the start of the new year that will have an enormous impact on this year’s basketball season.

Teams have started to butt heads and up their game by practicing during all their free time and are getting back into the motion of being competitive with each other. Fans are limited to watching the games virtually due to the social distancing restriction from COVID-19. 

With fans missing out on the in-person experience of seeing these marvelous athletes, people can experience the full scene at home. Major changes have come to the league with this year’s rookie drafts, trades, and free agencies. 

Rookie LaMelo Ball on the Charlotte Hornets is placed number one on the rookie list with little surprise by fans after watching his amazing court vision and playmaking abilities. Number two is James Wiseman on the Golden State Warriors who has proven to be a major gain for their team. Number three on the rookie list is Tyrese Haliburton on the Sacramento Kings being named one of their biggest young stars. 

Recent trades have also had a major impact on the league. Recently on Jan. 13, Houston Rockets star James Harden was announced to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets. This will have an enormous impact on the league creating a deadly trio alongside point guard Kyrie Irving and small forward Kevin Durant. 

Off to a fast start, the standings in the West and East Conferences are a little surprise to fans. The top spot in the Eastern Conference is held by the Boston Celtics with a record of 7-3. The top spot in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Lakers with a record of 10-3, having the best win percentage of the entire league. 

A fresh start is what the players were excited for after the delayed finals in the 2019-20 NBA season. This new year provides the players and teams a restart and a chance to show basketball fans their potential. 

The 2020-2021 Season is off to a phenomenal start and fans are thrilled to see how the drafts and trades will make or break this season.