NBA Media Day Is Over. Now We Find Out Which Storylines Actually Matter

NBA Media Day is always full of optimism.

Every team believes it got better. Every star believes this could be the year. Every new roster is supposed to have chemistry.

Then the games start.

Media Day isn't really about finding out who is going to win the championship. It's about identifying the questions that teams will have to answer once the season begins.

This year, there are plenty.

From Cleveland finally having a full training camp with its core together to Portland trying to make the jump into the playoff picture, Miami trying to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with enough shooting and Boston waiting for Jayson Tatum to return, these are the storylines I will be watching.

1. Can Cleveland Finally Take the Next Step?

The Cavaliers might be one of the most fascinating teams in the Eastern Conference.

They already took a major step last season, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the eventual champion Knicks. Now they enter this season with something they didn't have last year:

A full training camp together.

James Harden arrived in Cleveland at the trade deadline last season, meaning he and Donovan Mitchell had to figure out their relationship on the fly.

Now they have an entire offseason and training camp to work on it.

That's important because Cleveland's core is still intact. Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are all back, while Peyton Watson gives the team another athletic two-way option on the wing.

The question isn't whether Cleveland has talent.

We've already seen the talent.

The question is whether another year of development and an entire training camp can turn Cleveland from an Eastern Conference contender into a team capable of getting through the final two rounds.

2. Can Portland Make the Playoffs?

Portland might be one of the most intriguing teams in the Western Conference.

The Trail Blazers have a completely different feel entering this season, with Damian Lillard back in Portland and Ja Morant joining him in the backcourt.

The talent is obvious.

But talent doesn't automatically translate into wins.

Portland's biggest questions may come down to how the Lillard-Morant pairing works defensively, whether the team can consistently space the floor and whether the younger players can grow quickly enough around them.

The Blazers have already set an ambitious internal goal of winning more than 50 games, while new coach Micah Nori has emphasized establishing an identity built around pace, physical defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball.

That's a big jump from where Portland has been.

Can they actually make the playoffs?

That's one of the Western Conference questions I'm most interested in watching.

3. Does Miami Have Enough Shooting Around Giannis?

The Miami Heat may have made the biggest philosophical change of their season by adding Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Now comes the basketball question.

Can Miami give him enough shooting?

It's a simple question, but it could determine how the Heat's offense functions.

Giannis is at his best when he has space to attack the paint. Miami has Bam Adebayo, another elite player who can impact the game without needing to dominate the ball, but the Heat still need enough perimeter shooting to prevent defenses from simply collapsing into the lane.

That's why the shooting question matters so much.

If Miami can surround Giannis and Bam with enough reliable shooting, the offense can have multiple layers.

If teams don't respect the perimeter, the floor can shrink quickly.

Media Day showed plenty of excitement about the Giannis-Bam pairing, but the real test will come when defenses start deciding how they're going to guard Miami.

4. Can Jayson Tatum Lead Boston on Another Deep Playoff Run?

Boston is one of the biggest questions in the entire Eastern Conference.

Not because we don't know what Jayson Tatum can do.

We do.

The question is what happens when Boston puts the ball in his hands with the season on the line.

Tatum missed last season's playoff run after suffering an Achilles injury, so his return changes the Celtics' ceiling and their identity.

Media Day also introduced another major piece alongside him: Paul George.

Tatum spoke about watching George when he was coming up, and now the two smooth scoring wings are teammates.

That combination is fascinating.

Tatum doesn't necessarily have to do everything himself. Boston can give him another veteran scorer who can create shots, while Tatum remains the centerpiece.

But eventually, the Celtics are going to need Tatum to be the guy.

Can he return to his previous level?

Can he stay healthy through an entire season?

And when Boston reaches the playoffs, can Tatum lead them through another deep run?

Those questions won't be answered at Media Day.

They'll be answered in May and June.

5. What Does the New-Look Philadelphia 76ers Actually Look Like?

There may not be a team with more pressure on it coming out of Media Day than Philadelphia.

LeBron James is now a Sixer.

Jaylen Brown is a Sixer.

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are still there.

On paper, that's an enormous collection of talent.

But basketball isn't played on paper.

The biggest question isn't whether Philadelphia has enough star power. It's how all of these players are going to fit together.

Who handles the ball late in games? How does Maxey's role change? How does Brown operate next to LeBron? How healthy can Embiid remain?

And perhaps most importantly, can this group develop the chemistry necessary to survive the playoffs?

LeBron made it clear at Media Day that he didn't leave Los Angeles simply to lose in the second round.

Now the pressure begins.

6. Can the Knicks Defend Their Championship?

The Knicks aren't chasing somebody anymore.

Everybody is chasing them.

New York enters the season as defending NBA champions after finally ending a 53-year championship drought.

Now comes the difficult part.

Doing it again.

The Knicks return much of the group that won the championship, giving them continuity that many championship teams don't have.

But everybody now has film on them.

Teams know what worked.

Teams know what didn't.

And the Knicks will have to deal with something they didn't have last season:

The target.

New York's biggest challenge might not be talent.

It might be maintaining the hunger and physicality that helped them survive the postseason.

7. Can Kawhi Leonard Change Toronto Again?

Kawhi Leonard returning to Toronto is one of the most fascinating stories of the season.

This isn't simply a veteran joining a young team.

It's a former Finals MVP returning to the franchise where he won a championship.

Toronto also has a young star in Scottie Barnes who is trying to establish himself as one of the league's best two-way players.

That creates an interesting dynamic.

How much does Kawhi take over?

How much does Barnes continue to develop?

And can Toronto's younger players take advantage of the attention defenses will inevitably give Leonard?

The Raptors already identified Leonard's return, Barnes' development and the continued growth of players like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as major themes entering the season.

8. What Does Cooper Flagg Look Like With Kyrie Irving?

This might be the most intriguing development in Dallas.

Cooper Flagg had an impressive rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year and leading the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists and steals. But there was one major thing missing:

Kyrie Irving.

Irving missed essentially the entire season while recovering from his torn ACL.

Now he's back.

And for the first time, Flagg gets to play alongside one of the most gifted offensive players of his generation.

That could completely change what defenses are able to do against Flagg.

Last season, Flagg had to carry an enormous offensive responsibility as a teenager. Now defenses have to account for Kyrie's ability to create his own shot, get into the paint and knock down difficult shots.

Flagg also enters Year 2 with more confidence. He acknowledged at Media Day that he was sometimes indecisive about taking open three-pointers as a rookie and said he worked on becoming more aggressive with his shot this offseason.

Kyrie and Flagg have already talked about how naturally they feel they fit together.

Now we get to see it.

The question isn't simply whether Flagg gets better.

How much better does he look when he doesn't have to carry everything himself?

Dallas went 26-56 last season. The return of Irving, the development of Flagg and the arrival of new head coach Dusty May give the Mavericks a completely different identity entering this season.

This could be one of the most important seasons of Flagg's young career.

Not because he has to prove he is a star.

He already showed that.

Now we get to see what happens when the future face of the franchise finally has another star beside him.