With the brand-new NBA Season being one month old, several compelling storylines have made it one of the most interesting seasons in recent years. In this series, we will be looking at four storylines in the NBA season that have drawn the attention of fans from around the world.

Giannis Antetokounmpo started as a player in Greece second tier of basketball. A scout discovered Giannis while waiting for the more competitive Greece games to start. 8 months later Giannis was selected as the fifteenth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and took a huge leap to the NBA. Initially Giannis struggled in the NBA, but it was obvious he had the talent to be a good NBA player.

Giannis really took the next step when he was moved to the point guard position and became the tallest point guard in NBA History. This season, Giannis has emerged as a star, averaging 22.4 points 8.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

Giannis has freakish length for a guard standing at 6’11 with a 7’4 wingspan, he’s able to get to the rim at will as it only takes him two strides to get to get there. Finish with crafty Euro-steps or a dunk. Giannis is also a game changer defensively, averaging 2.2 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. By using his length he is able to block shots that no other guard in the league could get.

The Bucks have improved over last year with a 10-9 record largely in thanks to the improvement of Giannis. “When I filed my report on them,” one Western Conference advance scout said of the Bucks, “I wrote that ‘No matter how long you’ve been in the game, this guy [Antetokounmpo] will do something tonight that will make your jaw drop.’ He tries things but I don’t think he thinks about them — they seem to spring from him naturally. The way he’s going, he can be a 10-year All-Star for Milwaukee.”

Giannis carrying the Bucks in every way possible leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Giannis had his best game of the season this year against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with 34 points 12 rebounds 5 assists and 5 steals, leading the Bucks to a 118-101 win against the best team in the East and the best player in the NBA it is only the start of big things for the 22 year old Greek Freak.

The 76ers “Trust the Process” strategy is simply an attempt to lose as many games as possible in order to get young players coming out of college who have superstar potential. The 76ers have gone 19-63, 18-64, and 10-72 in three consecutive seasons, the worst 3 year stretch by a team in NBA history.

The 76ers have in a sense failed in terms of getting their star players through the draft with selections of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Michael Carter-Williams. However in 2014 they selected Kansas Center Joel Embiid who was projected to be the number one pick before injury concerns dropped him to the third pick.

Having sat out the past two seasons. Joel Embiid grew 2 inches and gained thirty pounds within that time and has turned into one of the most dominant players in his rookie season. Embiid is averaging 18.7 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game, which are great numbers for a starting center.

However, Embiid has had a minute restriction in order to prevent him from further injury, if the stats were converted to what he would average if he played 36 minutes per game (the average minutes played by a starter) Embiid averages 29.1 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game. Only nine players in NBA History have matched those numbers, and all of them have entered the Hall of Fame.

Embiid’s physical tools is what separates him from every other center in the NBA. Standing at 7’2 and 280 pounds, Embiid is already the biggest player in the NBA, while also having the fluidity of a shooting guard that has drawn comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon. Having developed a post game, a three point shot (51% from three) and being already a prolific shot blocker (3.5 blocks per 36 minutes). Embiid is the future of basketball as is dominance in his rookie season makes you wonder how dominant he is going to be once he reaches his prime.

As prolific as Embiid is on the court, he is arguably has the best sense of humor in the NBA, making him a social media goldmine. Embiid has stated that he learned how to shoot by watching “regular white people”, Embiid also claimed to have killed a Lion as a six year old with his bare hands in Cameroon. Embiid along with #1 pick Ben Simmons are going to make the Sixers a potential dynasty if they can stay healthy.

Ben Browder