Courtesy of Stephen Baker
Just like how Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić spaces the floor, make sure to make space in your schedule because the NBA is back for its 78th season! Massive trades and free-agent signings crossed the headlines this summer, and now is our chance to see familiar faces in new homes. Dozens of hungry rookies look to make their impact felt on the hardwood while new head coaches get a shot at bringing success to their cities. This season is also full of intriguing questions: is the Warrior’s decade of dominance done in The Bay? Will Joel Embid finally make it to the conference finals? What will Bronny call Lebron on the court? Before we find the answer to those questions, we must get some background on all thirty teams and their expectations going into the season. This 2024 NBA season preview is your one-stop shop to sum up this past offseason and build a vision of where your favorite team may be stationed in the playoff hunt come April. Without further ado, here is your 2024 NBA Season Preview!
Boston Celtics:
Celtics fans around the world could not ask for a better season and off-season. Boston was able to win the championship while extending much of their roster to long-term deals. With a young head coach in Joe Mazzulla, a returning starting five that dominated the league in all phases of the game, and an energetic bench, it is no surprise that analysts project future success for the Celtics. They have the highest odds to repeat and win the championship by a significant margin, and Las Vegas has placed their win total at a league-leading 58.5. We may only be at the tip of the iceberg of Boston’s success, and the entire league is looking to dismember the fledgling dynasty.
New York Knicks:
The Knicks’ offseason was a polarizing one that excited NBA fans from across the globe for their constant movement of big-name pieces. Starting on July 1st, center Isaiah Hartenstein signed a massive deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Only a few days later, the front office united the Nova-Knicks in the trade that brought Mikal Bridges crosstown from Brooklyn to Madison Square Garden. It was a loveable story seeing four college teammates reunited in the pros that had the fun cut short. The trade with Minnesota sent Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves without the crew touching the court together in the orange and blue. With the starting five seemingly set in stone, the Knicks look like a true super team, with many fans and analysts floating out the idea of championship basketball coming back to the Big Apple. It is to be seen if the team will be able to strike gold immediately or if growing pains will riddle their season.
Brooklyn Nets:
Brooklyn fans have spent their off-season demoralized by social media and journalists counting this season as over and looking towards the 2025 draft. Las Vegas is not an avenue Nets fans should be looking for in search of hope, as the team is given the lowest win projection at 19.5 and placed in a seven-way tie for the lowest championship odds that would turn a $1 bet into a $1001.00 payout. While this season is undoubtedly an uphill battle, there is hope for Brooklyn’s future. Capped off by the Mikal Bridges trade to the cross-town Knicks, the Nets have secured 13 first-round picks in the next five drafts. New head coach Jordi Fernández, with a strong track record in the United States and abroad, has a massive reserve of current and future young pieces to build Brooklyn into a powerhouse in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers:
The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to make it over the hump in the playoffs, even with former MVP center Joel Embiid. He is the only MVP who has never reached the conference finals. It is an ugly stain on his record that the organization is trying to remove this season. After a season riddled with injury, Embiid is back and now surrounded by more help than ever before. Last season NBA fans saw the breakout of guard Tyrese Maxey, and in the offseason, Philadelphia acquired Paul George from the Clippers. Even with the departure of much of last season’s bench, the 76ers are a team that demands attention because of the All-Star talent that floods their locker room.
Washington Wizards:
With six straight seasons below .500, the Washington Wizards hope this draft class can be the foundation for future success. Washington brought in Alex Sarr with the second overall pick, Bub Carrington with the 14th, and Kyshawn George with the 24th, on top of the additions of Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon. This influx of talent isn’t expected to change Washington’s position at the bottom of the East this season. Still, with time to develop under now full-time head coach Brian Keefe, Washington has a future that Wizard fans can actually look forward to.
Los Angeles Clippers:
The Los Angeles Clippers had an overhaul this offseason on, off, and off the court. At the end of last season, the organization announced the release of a new logo, uniforms, and stadium, all being showcased for the first time this year. On the court, the Clippers did see the loss of two highly coveted names, Paul George and Russel Westbrook. With bench players being the only notable additions of the offseason, the Clippers are not in the most favorable position to contend in the playoffs, especially not after the news of another Kawhi Leonard injury to start the season. If Leonard can come back healthy and play like his 2019 Finals MVP self, the Clippers have a chance to cause some damage in the West.
Los Angeles Lakers:
The Lakers were quickly the buzz of the offseason as Lebron James was united with his son Bronny on draft night. In their debut game, they became the first father-son duo in the NBA and served as a feel-good story for fans across the world. In the same draft that brought Bronny to LA, the Lakers also drafted Tennessee stand-out guard Dalton Knecht who looked outstanding in the preseason. Further excitement was created by the team’s ownership deciding to bring in J.J. Reddick as head coach. As a former player with zero professional coaching experience, Reddick is a hire far out of left field and will bring a new feel to Laker basketball that hopefully should keep opposing teams on their toes for years to come.
Golden State Warriors:
The Splash Brothers are no more, and the retooling stage is officially underway in the Golden State. This offseason saw the departure of two major veterans, Klay Thompson and Chris Paul. The void was filled with a collection of role players as Steve Kerr relies on developing young pieces like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski. Steph Curry is going into his age 36 season, and questions of how much longer he will play are beginning to surface. This season will tell if the Warriors have the talent to be competitive in Curry’s last few seasons or if the championship window is officially closed in San Francisco.
Dallas Mavericks:
The question on the mind of all Maverick fans is, can they make it back to the championship, or was last season a fluke? Last season was truly unexpected based on the preseason projection for Dallas and even this year, they are not spoken about as a top-tier championship contender by Vegas odds or NBA media. This is partly due to the depth shooters lost in free agency being replaced by former Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson. While the end of Thompson’s time in California was disappointing, the move to Texas gives him a chance to revitalize his career and join the likes of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as a three-headed monster looking to wreak havoc in the Western Conference.
Denver Nuggets:
The Denver Nuggets’ season came to a screeching halt as they struggled to get hot against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver fans would likely call last season a disappointment, and the front office would have agreed as they made significant moves this offseason. Their elite defender at the guard position, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, left for Orlando while their leading minute-getter off the bench, Reggie Jackson, was included in a trade to Philadelphia. To recover these losses, Denver brought in former league MVP Russel Westbrook to bring a jolt to the offense off the bench. Westbrook hopes to help deliver an already formidable roster led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic to a championship and earn himself his first title.
Atlanta Hawks:
The Atlanta Hawks had a disappointing 2023 NBA season, with their first season below .500 in three years. The front office remained quiet this off-season, mostly retaining players outside standout guard Dejounte Murray, walking in free agency. They were awarded this liberty because of their remarkable luck in receiving the No. 1 overall pick with only a 3% chance of winning the lottery. This pick was turned into Zaccharie Risacher, the second French player drafted with the first pick in back-to-back drafts. The Hawks have hope that Risacher will revive their playoff ambitions.
Charlotte Hornets:
The Charlotte Hornets are focused on two themes that determine their future team outlook, can LaMelo Ball stay healthy, and can the new head coach Charles Lee cement himself in the locker room? While expectations are justifiably low for this season, Sports Illustrated’s wing for the Hornets loved the Coach Lee hire, and Charlotte seems to have their guy for the foreseeable future. With Ball hopefully joining second-year guard Brandon Miller, these two look to be a young superstar duo for years to come.
Chicago Bulls:
This offseason was a mixed bag for Chicago, full of big-name departures and additions. It started on June 21 with a trade between the Bulls and the Thunder that sent two-time NBA All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso to OKC for the young, ascending guard Josh Giddey. The Bulls’ front office was not done, as three weeks later, they traded six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings. With two core pieces of the Bulls roster, they were fortunate enough to get the return of Lonzo Ball. Their star guard has missed over 200 games and now has a chance to recapture the league’s attention and prove that injury won’t define his career. This retooling stage for Chicago looks to keep them competitive with upside looking towards next season.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
The Cavaliers had a relatively quiet offseason. They spent big, resigning much of their core roster, including the five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell. Their new coaching hire, Kenny Atkinson, was the other major move that has received praise across the league. Coach Atkinson has spent the past decade and a half gaining league experience. After a suboptimal tenure with the Brooklyn Nets, Atkinson spent the past four years with the Clippers and Warriors honing his coaching skills and has returned to the head coaching role with Cleveland. With a 48.5 win total projection, this season looks to be a successful building block with further success in the pipeline.
Detroit Pistons:
The Detroit Pistons have had a challenging past decade, and unfortunately for Detroit fans, the current team projections don’t look to change that trend. They are projected to have 29.5 wins on the season and the front office chose not to make any significant roster moves. As one of the youngest rosters in the league, the Pistons are relying on considerable development. This development is supposed to be carried out by new head coach J. B. Bickerstaff, who came off three winning seasons in Cleveland. The goal for the front office is long-term success, so this year is another hurdle before success can be brought back to Detroit basketball.
Houston Rockets:
The Houston Rockets are a young team loaded with talent banking on development. The Rockets are maintaining the same starting five from last season, with multi-year extensions being dished out to guard Jalen Green and center Alperen Sengun. Rookie Reed Sheppard flashed in the Summer League before struggling in the preseason, and with some more experience, looks to be a vital piece for years to come in H-town. Houston’s projections hover around league average in both win total and championship odds, and that is all that Rockets fans need out of this season to have hope for the team’s future outlook.
Indiana Pacers:
The Pacers showed promise in last season’s playoffs, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. As a result, the team’s offseason goal was to keep the crew together, and that is precisely what they did. They re-signed forward Pascal Siakam to a four-year $189 million extension, while sizable contracts were also given to Indiana’s bench. Without any significant losses from last season’s roster, the Pacers hope to be able to make a run in the playoffs again.
Memphis Grizzlies:
The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to bounce back from last season, where they struggled due to much of their roster unavailable due to injury. Their perennial All-Star guard Ja Morant is officially back from his season-ending injury, and they are now pairing him with rookie center Zach Edey from Purdue. Edey is one of the 12 tallest players in NBA history and now joins a potent roster with the ability to be a serious threat in the dunker’s spot. With the readdition of Morant and the drafting of Edey, many of the players who received significant minutes last season are able to take a back seat and be valuable role players instead of starters. These changes allow the Grizzlies to compete with the other superstar teams in the Western Conference as they did in 2022.
Miami Heat:
The Miami Heat roster is going into the 2024 season in a puzzling spot. The front office chose not to make any sizable moves outside, resigning their three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo to a three-year extension and letting starting forward Caleb Martin walk in free agency. This lack of activity meshes a developing young roster with their aging superstar Jimmy Butler who has been involved in trade rumors for months. When he is on the court and motivated to win, Butler is one of the best players in the league, but at this point in his career, his soiling relationship with Miami makes it challenging to predict what the Heat will get out of Butler. The beginning of this season will determine if the Heat are in a position to compete come April or if they are preparing for a significant rebuild.
Milwaukee Bucks:
The injury to star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo ended Milwaukee’s season in the first round of last season’s playoffs. With the return of Antetokounmpo, the Bucks organization is prepared to recapture its status atop the Eastern Conference. They added former Toronto Raptor Guard Gary Trent Jr. at an extreme discount and former LA Laker Taurean Prince as an affordable defending forward to come off the bench. Milwaukee was able to significantly improve their roster without dishing out a significant portion of their cap, giving themselves current and future flexibility if deemed necessary during the season. With coach Doc Rivers cemented firmly in the head coaching role for the year and another season of Damian Lillard in Milwaukee, the Bucks’ future looks bright as they contend with a continually more competitive Eastern Conference.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a rising juggernaut in the West led by their young superstar Anthony Edwards. While their season ended abruptly with a crushing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, the front office chose not to stay stagnant and pulled off a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks, sending one of the faces of the franchise, Karl-Anthony Towns, to New York in exchange for three-time All-Star Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo who drained the third most three-pointers last season. While Minnesota’s value in the trade is yet to be seen, Timberwolves basketball will continue to bring a level of physicality that opposing teams must contend with in all phases of the game. After giving four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert a long-term contract, the Timberwolves are looking to compete this season and for seasons to come.
New Orleans Pelicans:
The Pelicans’ season is reliant on one thing: health. On paper, this roster is full of All-Star talent, but the injury bug has plagued this roster and prevented them from being a true playoff contender. A massive trade with Atlanta for guard Dejounte Murray placed an All-Star in three out of five starting spots and defensive staples in the other two positions. Even with all this talent, Vegas places New Orleans’ win total and championship odds as about average, and a clean bill of health is the only way for the Pelicans to crush these expectations.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
A new era of Oklahoma City basketball is officially underway, and the young roster is not only thinking of championships but also of dynasties. With the average age of their starters being 24 years old, this team is only getting started, and after a 57-win season last year, the sky is the limit. They lead the West in both championship odds and win total projection, and while they struggled in last season’s playoff, with more experience under their belts, OKC is the team to beat in their conference. The Thunder also brought in two-time All-defensive team guard Alex Caruso from Chicago to add a stable defensive piece off the bench. Oklahoma City and its fans should be thrilled with the direction the Thunder are going in, and with the best odds to make it to the finals out of the west, the possibility of the first championship win in the city looks to be on the horizon.
Orlando Magic:
The Magic have been hovering around the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the past decade, and this past year showed a glimmer of hope. Led by former 2022 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, the Magic were in the top three in defensive rating and sat atop the Southeast division for the first time since 2018. The organization is building upon its success by remaining faithful to its “development first” strategy and keeping most of its roster from last year together. They did make a significant acquisition of former Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to add an above-average shooter and elite defender to their starting roster. Orlando is another team of the future that is expecting to make some noise in the playoffs this year.
Phoenix Suns:
As the Western Conference has become more competitive, the Phoenix Suns have struggled to keep pace. They have declined over the past three seasons, and their 2023 season ended in a playoff sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. This May, the organization decided they needed a coaching change and brought in two-time Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer, to help iron out the kinks, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The team also brought in former Wizard Tyus Jones as a starting point guard to bring above-average shooting and smooth ball movement to the team’s offense. The Suns organization hopes these changes, mixed with more time for former MVP forward Kevin Durant to get acclimated to the desert, can be enough to get Phoenix back to the Finals.
Portland Trail Blazers:
Unfortunately for Portland fans, it appears the Trail Blazers are still another season away from serious contention. Portland has the third-lowest win total in the league at 22.5, and CBS Sports already has them as the third-best team to tank for Cooper Flagg. In this year’s draft, they added Uconn’s center Donovan Clingan who looks to develop into a threat in the paint with his 7-2, 265-pound frame. Seeing development from Portland’s young talent is the priority over wins this season, and in a loaded western conference, it is to be seen if the young guys are up to the task.
Sacramento Kings:
The Sacramento Kings have tasted their first hint of success in years and are looking to keep the positivity rolling. The 2022 and 2023 seasons were the team’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 2004 and 2005. The early 2000s were a golden age of Kings basketball, and to make the 2020s draw a similar narrative, Sacramento brought in DeMar DeRozan from Chicago as another dominant veteran piece to solidify the roster. Without losing any significant minute-getters outside of forward Harrison Barnes, the Kings are allowing their pieces to build chemistry as a unit and trust their ability to make a push in the playoffs. While the Kings have only made the playoffs once since 2006, Sacramento hopes to get their roster some playoff experience and hopefully make a run in the spring.
San Antonio Spurs:
San Antonio has yet to make the playoffs in five straight seasons, and 2024 is expected to be an extension of that unfortunate streak. With a 36.5 projected win total, the Spurs are anticipated to miss the playoffs again but with their highest win total since they made the playoffs in 2018. NBA analysts envision leaps and bounds from last year’s Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama looked dominant last season, and the Spurs are attempting to give the young center more help with 12-time All-star guard Chris Paul and veteran forward Harrison Barnes. With this veteran presence in the locker room, San Antonio is taking a considerable step toward its future success, and seeing some improvement from last year is enough to give Spurs fans confidence.
Toronto Raptors:
The Toronto Raptors are placing their full faith in their young talent. Toronto did not make any significant moves in the offseason besides losing guard Gary Trent to free agency. Raptor fans will have their eyes glued to 20223 first-rounder Gradey Dick and perennial All-Star Scottie Barnes. With their young pieces showing promise, Toronto is focused on building chemistry and preparing for success in the future.
Utah Jazz:
The Utah Jazz are another roster that has struggled to find success in recent years, and unfortunately for Jazz fans, the odds are stacked against them in 2024. Utah is in the bottom eight in the league in win total and championship odds and even lost veteran guard Kris Dunn in the offseason. However, Utah has its eyes on the future. They locked up All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen to a five-year contract while the front office looks forward to 13 first-round picks in the next five drafts. With their young talent continuing to build rapport with one another, Utah may only be a season or so away from being back into serious contention for a playoff spot.
