NBA 2022-23 season: Preview, schedule, and stars to watch as the 77th league campaign tips off

The wait is finally over: the National Basketball Association (NBA) is back.

The 2022-23 season runs from Tuesday October 18 with a mouthwatering double-header getting things started as last season’s finalists Boston Celtics square off against Philadelphia 76ers before 2021 NBA Champions Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

As the top men’s basketball league in the world prepares to deliver more thrills and spills, Olympics.com runs the rule over some of the key questions heading into the 77th season of the North American competition, as well as providing the key diary dates.

READ MORE: Golden State Warriors embark on NBA title defense with win over Washington Wizards in Japan

Can the Golden State Warriors repeat their title triumph?

Returning with the same core of key players who helped them sweep the Boston Celtics 4-2 in last season's finals and to claim their seventh overall NBA title, California’s Golden State Warriors will remain a tangible threat as they look to go back-to-back.

Main man Steph Curry had an impressive 2021-22 campaign, taking the all-time three-point record and the Finals MVP honours. The expectation from fans will be that he will lead from the front again. But what makes the Warriors capable of taking a consecutive title is not so much their veterans, Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, but their younger stars poised to rise through.

Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman each have their own individual talent set that leave them well-positioned to force a healthy upward pressure on the likely starting five so keeping the Dubs hungry.

The build-up to this campaign hasn't exactly been smooth though, with forward Draymond Green being fined after punching team-mate Poole in a practice session, which Warriors coach Steve Kerr called "the biggest crisis we've had since I've been coach here."

Golden State won two consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018 and will be looking to repeat that feat, having lost the 2016 final after their 2015 championship triumph.  

READ MORE: Top things you didn’t know about Golden State Warrior’s rising star Jonathan Kuminga

NBA 2022-23 title challengers: Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics

2021-22 title winners Milwaukee Bucks present one of the biggest challengers to Golden State. Favourites last year to take the title, some have argued that had Khris Middleton not picked up an injury during the postseason run against eventual finalists Boston, then the Bucks might have gone the distance.

That was then and this is now, and with a roster that still brags two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Jrue Holiday, the team from Wisconsin have the necessary star power and the motivation to get into the playoffs again. If they can survive a loaded Eastern Conference, and stay healthy, then they are projected to go far.

Should the Boston Celtics overcome their tumultuous September then the finalists from last year’s title hunt are also in with a shout for this year’s honours.

The loss of new addition Danilo Gallinari and Robert Williams III to knee injuries, as well as the year-long suspension of head coach Ime Udoka last month, certainly casts a dark shadow over the franchise from Massachusetts, but there is cause to remain calm.

Even with their outs the Celtics still have a formidable roster. Two All-Star players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as Al Horford, Marcus Smart, and Derrick White all returning, suggest Boston still mean business. Throw in the big off-season signing in Malcolm Brogdon, who looks to be connecting well with his new team if pre-season games are anything to go by, the Celtics, despite their last-minute changes, look set to do well.

READ MORE: Giannis Antetokounmpo: From the streets of Greece to the lawns of the White House

What about the best of the rest?

With 30 contenders the possibility of upsets and surprises are, of course, likely and just as there are heavyweights and favourites there are also those on the periphery waiting to pounce.

In the Western Conference Denver Nuggets featuring reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr have more than ample capacity to disrupt should their big three stay fit and healthy; the Phoenix Suns, winners in the West two seasons ago and owners of the best record in the NBA (2021), are certainly ones to keep an eye on with Devin Booker at the helm, and the LA Clippers, with injuries now behind them, could have a deciding say in the conference with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and now John Wall in the mix.

Over in the East, the Philadelphia 76ers are a franchise many are touting to pose a threat with Joel Embiid and James Harden on board. Then there is the intrigue surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, who after causing fireworks in the offseason appear to have landed with three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant and former All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. If they blend the Nets could have a winning formula.

READ MORE: NBA star Joel Embiid eyes Paris 2024 Olympics with France as naturalised player

NBA 2022-23 League MVP predictions

The 77th NBA regular season may not have yet started but that hasn’t stopped the guesses flooding in as to which individual will take home the prize of league Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Serbia’s Nikola Jokic took home a second consecutive MVP award at the end of last season after finishing the regular season ranked sixth in scoring (27.1 points per game), second in rebounding (13.8 rebounds per game) and eighth in assists (7.9 per game).

Only three other players in NBA history have won three successive MVP titles; Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird – could the ‘Joker’ be the fourth?

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic is tipped to scoop up the award having forged a reputation for being one of the best in the game at just 23 years old. The Slovenian has already three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections and last season averaged a healthy 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He'll also be in contention for the season scoring title.

Already a back-to-back MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, cannot escape the conversation when it comes to who reigns supreme this year. The ‘Greek Freak’ standing at 2.21m is a well-known monster at both ends of the court and was certainly instrumental to the Bucks claiming their title back in the 2020-21 season.

Then there is 76ers’ Joel Embiid whose impressive season last year has him tipped to challenge for the MVP honours this time around. The Cameroon-born player, who recently acquired French citizenship, became the first center to lead the league in scoring, averaging 30.6 points per game since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-00. He recorded 40 games with at least 30 points, which was the most out of anyone in the league.

READ MORE: Back-to-back MVP award for Nikola Jokic in an NBA more international than ever

NBA 2022-23 Schedule: Key dates

• October 18, 2022 – Regular season begins

• February 17-19 – All-Star Weekend

• April 9, 2023 – Regular season ends

• April 11-14, 2023 - Play-In Tournament

• April 15, 2023 - Playoffs begin

• June 1, 2023 – Finals begin

• June 22, 2023 - NBA Draft

NBA 2022-23: How to watch the regular season games

Fans can watch the best men's basketball league via NBA regional broadcasters (geographical restrictions may apply) or using the NBA League Pass (subscription fee may apply).