NBA 2024-2025 Season Preview
Nothing too in-depth here. Just a fan eager to get the show on the road.
If I were to predict anything this year… which I'm not, of course, because predictions in sports are lame and meaningless… but IF I were to predict who the NBA champions will be in 2025, I'd say the Boston Celtics. Team Green dominated last year and brought the whole band back together for another run. It's difficult to repeat in today's league, but this would be the kind of team to do just that.
My Spurs (a specific preview will be posted on Thursday when their season starts) will win around 46 games, 10 more than the oddmakers give them, and 24 more than last year's total. I wouldn't be surprised if they win more or less, or if they tank yet again to try and get Cooper Flagg, but there are just too many small improvements the team has made not to expect a big improvement overall.
Dallas will underperform, at least in terms of returning to the Finals. They'll make the playoffs, but I actually don't think they can sustain the focus defensively again like they did at the end of last year. I hope I'm wrong, because it would be fun to see Luka get a ring, but there's just too much James Harden in him and the Mavericks have invested too much in other moody stars.
Don't tell Celtic fans this, but I'm actually rooting for the New York Knicks to win the title this year (assuming San Antonio doesn't, naturally). What Jalen Brunson has been able to do there, since being discarded by Mark Cuban a couple of years ago, is storybook stuff. Now a complete team has been built around him, They have valuable playoff experience and a championship window as big as any team in the Association.
The Timberwolves brought excitement back to Minnesota last year, but I think that success was an aberration instead of their new normal. Anthony Edwards will continue to be one of the faces of the league, but I actually think the team got worse. Losing some key pieces, sacrificing defense for offense, and the continued aging of Gobert and Connelly, means Ant-Man will try to do it all himself.
Indiana is in a sort of early make-or-break path this year, with the Pacers offense ready to set records but the defense used by players as time to rest before trying to score again. The only reason they got past the Knicks last year was a Brunson injury (yes, I said it) and they have a lot to prove (to me) in order to be considered a title-contender.
Speaking of things to prove, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a little bit of pressure on themselves now. They were ahead of schedule last year as they finished first in their conference while being the second youngest team, but now those expectations have caught up. Adding two veterans, one in a position of need, means their floor needs to be the conference finals and their expected landing spot would be in the NBA Finals. They certainly have the talent to do it, with a team-first attitude to match, but life is a helluva teacher. Another year of experience is on the menu.
The Bucks are a team with plenty of experience. I prefer to call them old. There's going to be a catastrophic drop for Milwaukee this year, and it may cost them their franchise player by February. Unable to address any of the roster concerns and clinging to the Dame Lillard experiment for another season, combined with a desperate coaching hire last year in Doc Rivers, we're going to see a painful end to what was a wonderful story coming out of the pandemic.
If the Denver Nuggets aren't careful, they'll turn into the Bucks in a couple of years. I see them slipping out of title contention as well UNLESS Jamal Murray has a mini-comeback and one of their young role players turns into a difference maker. Otherwise, the Mile Hile City will waste another year of the Joker's prime.
The rest of the teams can be categorized as follows:
Clippers and Sixers, here we go again. Don't expect LA to make the play-in, let alone the playoffs. Philly I think will make it, but they are basing their title run on two of the three most injury-prone players in the game. Good luck.
Orlando, Houston, and yes, the Hornets, I'm rooting for all of you. Young teams prepared to turn the corner are fun to watch.
Lakers, Warriors, and Suns ain't gonna do a damn thing except take national attention away from more deserving teams. I'd be shocked if all three make the playoffs and relieved if none of them did. Go away.
Everybody is waiting for the Memphis Grizzlies comeback. I'm actually higher on them than most, thinking they could be a two-seed (again) this year.
The “What Will They Do?” teams are New Orleans, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Nobody thinks they'll be the best or the worst in the league, but no one can predict just where in the middle they'll finish. My ultimate dream is for the Hawks to drop into the lottery so we can use their pick on Flagg.
The “What the Hell Are You Doing?” team is Chicago. The “Gee, I Hope You Don't Suck Yet Again” team is Detroit. The “You Always Play Hard But Will Never Win a Title Again” team is Miami.
The “Tank for Cooper Flagg” teams are Utah, Washington, Brooklyn, Portland, and Toronto (yes, the Raptors). There is also a list of teams that will switch gears and start to tank for Flagg midway through the season if they see they aren't good enough to compete yet. I will be very disappointed if it happens to include the Spurs, but I wouldn't be surprised.
I'm just ready to get basketball underway. It's been a long off-season
image courtesy of @barbwiretape on Insta