Players to look out for:

Anthony Davis: “I think he’ll have an MVP season, because he’s a beast”. Pandit believes Alvin Gentry’s addition to the New Orleans Pelicans coaching staff will help Davis excel in the league.

Lamarcus Aldridge: Pandit predicts that Aldridge’s addition to the San Antonio Spurs will help him have a breakout season. “He’ll have more skilled big men like Tim Duncan to work with,” Pandit said. “He’ll get more opportunities to excel in the Spurs offense.”

Amir Johnson: Pandit anticipates the Boston Celtics’ frontcourt duo of Johnson and David Lee will be a force to be reckoned with. “These two are both skilled big men,” Pandit said. “They can both also shoot the mid-range [jumper].”

Team to look out for: “The Celtics,” Pandit said. “They have a good frontcourt, a good backcourt and some good maturing players. Marcus Smart might have a good year and they made some good deals in the offseason.” Pandit finds that the Celtics’ placement in a relatively weak conference could snag them a top four slot.

Future Champions: “I think the [Cleveland] Cavaliers will beat the [San Antonio] Spurs,” Pandit said. “Cleveland will finally have a ring, if they all stay healthy.”