(Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Julius Erving Golf Classic (a PGD Global Production))
With the NBA Draft and the NBA 2K Summer League already in the history books and teams looking forward to the next campaign, some analysts have already made their predictions for what may or may not happen next season.
NBA rosters are mostly set.
And while some still wait to see what’s going to happen with Damian Lillard and James Harden, it doesn’t seem like they’re going to get traded any time soon.
With that in mind, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes that, as things stand now, there are only four legit title contenders.
Charles Barkley says he only sees four NBA teams as contenders next season:
Nuggets
76ers
Lakers
Celtics
Agree?
(via @MontePooleNBCS) pic.twitter.com/m99OGKXFnL
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 27, 2023
The legendary power forward told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Legion Hoops) that he only sees the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics as threats to take the Larry O’Brien trophy home.
Truth be told, the Nuggets should be considered the team to beat until proven otherwise, granted that they’re the reigning champions, although losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green were obviously two big blows.
The Sixers have a new coach in Nick Nurse, who’s a big upgrade over Doc Rivers in terms of Xs and Os, and they also have the reigning MVP in Joel Embiid and — for now — James Harden.
The Los Angeles Lakers got slightly better in the offseason, and they were already quite good to close out the campaign.
Also, any team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have a chance to win.
Last but not least, the Boston Celtics got better by adding Kristaps Porzingis, and they’ve been the most consistent team in the Eastern Conference for years now.
The post Charles Barkley Says Only 4 NBA Teams Are Legit Title Contenders Next Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.