10 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

The games haven’t started yet, so with the 2018-19 NBA season on the horizon, it’s time to make some bold predictions that aren’t outside the realm of possibility either.

The NBA is one of the more predictable sports leagues in the world. Every year, it’s pretty clear who the main 2-5 contenders will be, with one or two usually being pencilled in as the eventual title favorite. This year, like the last few years, it’d take major injuries to prevent the Golden State Warriors from winning their third straight title.

However, there are always surprises in a given season. Just looking back to last year, the Indiana Pacers were expected to be an Eastern Conference bottom-feeder and instead won 48 games, earned the 5-seed in the playoffs and pushed LeBron James to seven games in the first round.

Hell, just this week, the Phoenix Suns unexpectedly fired their general manager nine days before the start of the regular season — just a year after they fired their head coach three games into the 2017-18 campaign.

The point is, both on and off the court, the NBA is the world’s most entertaining sports league. People don’t watch it because the ultimate victor holding the Larry O’Brien trophy in June is shrouded in mystery; they watch it for the thrills, highlights and unexpected surprises along the way.

Bearing that in mind, it’s time to take a look ahead to the 2018-19 campaign and throw out some bold predictions. We’re not talking “Trae Young wins Rookie of the Year” or “Jimmy Butler gets traded.” No, we’re going big, or we’re going home.

While these predictions can’t reasonably be expected to unfold, they’re also not impossible, and there’s solid reasoning behind each one. The goal here is to be bold without being totally ridiculous at the same time. With that being said, here are 10 bold predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season.