The first tip-off for the NBA 2024-25 season is coming up in just a few days, and I wanted to share some thoughts on how the regular season might pan out. I’ll even attempt a few predictions of my own - although they’ll probably miss completely with how chaotic the season can get.
I was actually heavily invested in offseason rumors and moves during the summer, and I’m very excited about some trades and signings certain teams have made. For some others, I feel like they could have definitely improved their quality or depth more.
So, let’s start by discussing the top favorites for the ring and how I think they will perform during the regular season. Then, I’ll briefly talk about some awards contenders, as well as some dark horse options in the East and West you might want to keep an eye on.
NBA 24-25 championship predictions
First, let’s discuss the top championship contenders. I’m basing this on last year’s results, the moves some of these teams made, and their preseason rankings. I'll also give you my opinion on where I think they could finish the regular season and how far into the Playoffs they could go.
Boston Celtics
I’ll start off with last year’s champions, the Boston Celtics, who are clearly favored to go back-to-back. I can’t say I disagree with their favoritism, considering they kept all the key members of last year’s squad and their important role players.
The team is in a firm position to build a dynasty. They have four superstars at this point, with Porzingis and Holiday slotting very well into the duo of Tatum and Brown. And Mazulla will definitely be hungry to prove himself even more.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they stepped off the gas during the regular season and scored fewer wins. After all, it’s pretty hard to replicate a 64-18 record.
But I don’t think they’ll really struggle to top the Eastern Conference, and they’ll probably have the best win rate among all NBA teams. They’ll definitely still have last year’s issues, though, with a lack of depth in the bigs and Porzingis coming off a nasty injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Next is an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has looked better year by year. Last season, they steamrolled their way into the no.1 seed in the West with a 60-22 record, but they couldn’t go all the way to the Conference Finals. This year, though, I think they’ve got what it takes to succeed.
The team is a clear title contender now and is definitely playing as one. Shai will almost definitely make another MVP run (more on that later), and Holmgren and Williams are improving drastically every season.
Add to that some much-needed experience and defensive prowess through Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein and last season’s Coach of the Year, Mike Daigenault, and you’ve got a squad that can (and should) be fighting for the ring in the NBA Finals. And, at the very least, I expect them to top the Western Conference.
New York Knicks
Now, we get to the team I’ll probably be checking out the most throughout the season – the New York Knicks. The Knicks impressed me last year, showing a team that had the potential to go all the way but lacked just a little superstar quality.
I think the additions they made this year will definitely propel the team toward the top of the Eastern Conference. They brought in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, both of whom fit Jalen Brunson’s playstyle excellently. And they still have amazing options like OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson to round out the squad.
Sure, they lost Randle and DiVincenzo (who had a massive breakout last season), but overall, I think they’ve upgraded the team in terms of quality. Thibs has proven time and time again he’s an amazing coach, so I believe New York has got 2nd place in the East locked in.
I’ll go as far as to say they’ll give Boston a run for their money and might just have enough to even win the championship this year.
Dallas Mavericks
Last year’s finalists, the Dallas Mavericks, are in a weird spot, in my opinion. They’ve kept most of last year’s squad (although the absence of Derrick Jones Jr. is very important in defense), and they’ve even signed an NBA legend in Klay Thompson. But will this be enough to get them back into the Finals?
I think they’ll do relatively well in the regular season and probably finish around that no. 3 or 4 seed. However, they could easily drop further below based on how competitive the Western Conference can be.
Either way, they’ll likely get through the first few Playoff rounds just fine. The question remains whether the addition of Thompson can get them past tougher Playoff opponents on their way to the Finals. I believe the answer is “no”, but I’ll be very happy to be proven wrong since I’m a huge fan of the Mavs and Luka.
Philadelphia 76ers
With how the Philadelphia 76ers have performed in the Playoffs during the past few seasons, it’s hard to see them as title contenders. Nevertheless, they have a key addition to their core team that can definitely help them go all the way – Paul George.
With George moving from LA to Philly, he brought a bunch of necessary rearrangements in the 76ers squad. Gone are some key players in Tobias Harris, De'Anthony Melton, and Nicolas Batum during the past few years. To fill their role-playing spots, Philly brought in a ton of experience through Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond, among others.
A team coached by Nick Nurse with a fully-fit Joel Embiid and Paul George and an in-form Tyrese Maxey are definitely title contenders. But for these guys to remain fit, they must be protected throughout the regular season. This means we could see Philly slotting in that no. 5 or 6 seed and potentially facing an early Playoff exit again if their stars don’t step up.
NBA Awards predictions: who will be crowned MVP?
Now, let’s talk about some contenders for a few key NBA Awards. I’ll briefly give you my thoughts on a few players without going into too much detail since these can drastically change as the season goes on.
For the MVP award, last year’s finalists are definitely still the top three contenders. Shai can definitely win this if Oklahoma performs better than last year. Maybe it’s finally time for Luka to dominate the regular season and earn his first award. And, of course, you can never count the Joker out of the MVP conversation.
Despite all this, I have a pretty hot take that goes hand-in-hand with what I discussed previously about the New York Knicks. I think that if the Knicks can be dominant in the East, Jalen Brunson could easily win the MVP award, provided he brings the same level of performance as in the last few games of the previous season.
Moving on to the Sixth Man of the Year, I think it’s time for Malik Monk to win the award. He was amazing last season with 15.1 PPG and 5.1 APG and was narrowly beaten by Naz Reid (also a favorite to go back-to-back). The third favorite is Donte DiVincenzo, who’s had a very strong 2023-24 season and could improve massively in Minnesota.
For the MIP award, I think Wembanyama has a great chance of winning. He finished last season very strong, and if he can keep up those numbers, he’ll probably take the MIP home.
My personal prediction for this one is Jalen Williams, who can definitely have another banger of a season with Oklahoma. If he can increase his points average by five (or even less) compared to last year, he’ll definitely be a solid contender for the MIP.
Finishing off with the Defensive Player of the Year, where Wemby is strongly favored to take this award, too. It’s definitely expected since he finished last season with more than 12 rebounds and 4 blocks per game.
But since I think there’s a decent chance he wins MIP, I don’t see him getting the DPoY, too. Not really sure who gets it, but it’ll probably come down to one of Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, or Bam Adebayo.
Other Western Conference teams to look out for
The Western Conference is wild. You have legendary teams like the Lakers and Warriors struggling but having the superstar power to reach the playoffs. Then there’s the Suns, a team full of talent and arguably the best scoring duo in the NBA, finishing the season without a single Playoff win.
The latter, though, mostly came down to an impressive Minnesota Timberwolves team that finished last season 2nd in the West with 53 wins and 29 losses. Then, they went on to trade one of their franchise players, Karl-Anthony Towns, to the Knicks. Definitely a strange move, in my opinion, but at least they got some great players in Randle and DiVincenzo.
I think Minnesota could definitely repeat last year’s second place in the West, although I don’t really see them going beyond the Conference Semifinals. What’s keeping me from placing them as title contenders is mostly the lack of adequate coverage at Point Guard. And I don’t really think Anthony Edwards is ready to lead this team to glory yet.
Another team I’m keeping an eye out for, mostly towards the mid and late season, will be the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s the first time all the team’s players will be available, and they’ll definitely take a bit of time to get going. However, I believe they can cause some damage in the West and potentially land in the top 4.
The team I’m most excited about in the West is the Sacramento Kings. The addition of DeMar DeRozan gives them another superstar to slot into the already-successful core of Fox and Sabonis.
DeRozan also fits very well into the team’s offensive mentality and gives them another clutch player for those crunchtime moments. I think they can potentially reach the Playoffs directly through a top 6 seed.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the Houston Rockets, who are clearly building something good, and we saw glimpses of it late last season. They’ve got a bunch of young and talented players, but they have to figure out if they’ll re-sign or extend the contracts of Sengun and Green. Still, I can see them slotting into the Play-In, or maybe even that no. 6 seed if they do well.
Eastern Conference teams to watch
For me, the East is much more clear-cut in terms of power rankings, with Boston and New York being the top two favorites. I think the third seed will go to either the Cavaliers or the Pacers.
The Cavs looked very solid last year with a 54-28 win rate and 4th in the East. This year, they basically extended the contracts of their entire core, which obviously shows they have a plan for their star players. If they remain healthy, I think they’ve got a great chance of making it into the top 3 or, at the very least, securing that 4th seed again.
My final top 4 team in the East is the Pacers. The addition of Siakam to a team full of young and exciting talents last season was definitely what the team needed to get so far into the Playoffs. Each of their core players is still on the team, so barring any injuries, they should definitely finish in the top 4. I’d even go as far as to predict they’ll end up as the no. 3 seed.
I want to touch on the Bucks briefly, a team that I was very excited about last year with the addition of Dame Lillard. Unfortunately, they were pretty underwhelming, and I don’t see them being any better this season. I think they might even struggle to get a top 6 finish despite having Giannis and Dame on the team.
To wrap things up, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the Orlando Magic, as I think they have huge potential in the future and will almost definitely be at least in the Play-In. And the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will definitely bring some much-needed experience and championship quality.
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