2023-2024 NBA Season Recap
It's not just about the stars.
[RIP to Bill Walton, aka “Big Red,” and Jerry West, aka “The Logo”]
Every season is a good season when it comes to the NBA, at least in my opinion. Despite some small gripes I have here and there, overall the league has been amazing throughout its history and it's done a lot to grow the game of basketball around the world. It's still the only major sports league that has a team in my hometown, so for that I may be forever grateful.
Regarding the 2023-2024 season that just finished, it seems we got a clear changing-of-the-guard regarding star talent. With old guys like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James struggling to make the playoffs, youngsters like Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum are making deep runs in the post-season (with the last two winning it all).
Entering the chat was one of the most successful rookie classes in recent memory with Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski, Dereck Lively II, and many others immediately contributing to the teams that drafted them. And there are several other young players or those “young vets” that have turned the corner and helped make this league as competitive as ever.
Additionally, stars in their prime that aren't going anywhere anytime soon include Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Shae Gilgous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, and several others. Then you got those stars that still have something to prove, whether it be young men just trying to stay on the court like Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, or older guys like Paul George and Damian Lillard showing they got something left in the tank.
Maybe more now than in recent years, though, we saw the value of high-level role players like Jaden McDaniels, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White. The Denver Nuggets showed us, as another example, what happens when you remove two key role players after winning a championship last year. Guess Bruce Brown and “Uncle” Jeff Green were worth the money after all.
We witnessed how elite defenses, like Minnesota, and elite offenses, like Indiana, could unseat champions and disrupt superstar narratives. Coaches are becoming as valued as ever, in a league known for not valuing them all that much, and it's wonderful to see guys like Joe Mazzula, Jamahl Mosley, and Mark Daigneault finally start getting the recognition they deserve.
Organizations themselves, meaning ownership and management, seem to be slowly waking up to the idea that it's better to invest in the long-term competitiveness of your team, rather than splashy signings. Some teams are learning that the hard way, like the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers, while others are maybe finally coming around, like the Lakers and Timberwolves. And I don't know what the hell the Chicago Bulls are doing…
I know this has turned into more of an essay than a hard recap of games and teams from this year, but I realized as I was writing this that it would take hours to put together something appropriate along those lines. It would be like summarizing a year in someone's life: you'd mention the highlights, lowlights, and lessons, but not every weekend would get a description and not every new recipe tried would be mentioned.
I love basketball. It looks like the best professional league of this sport is in good hands. Tomorrow night is the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, so we'll see a few more professional careers start their journey, and a few more franchises change their fortunes (for the better, hopefully).