The NBA season has officially begun, with the first regular-season games tipping off Oct. 21. Here is what you need to know as this brand-new season hits its stride.
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder look to repeat, as reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the charge coming off back-to-back seasons with 57 wins or more. He is joined by an elite supporting cast, starring Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and filled with skillful role players and loads of tantalizing young talent.
Gilgeous-Alexander is favored to win MVP once again this year, with other notable contenders for the award including Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, and Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
Several big off-season moves were made across the league this summer, starting with our hometown Portland Trail Blazers trading for Jrue Holiday in exchange for Anfernee Simons, who’s now with the Boston Celtics. Following that, NBA veteran Kevin Durant was moved from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets. Other big moves include Cameron Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr, Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks, Desmond Bane going to Orlando to join the Magic, and CJ McCollum being traded to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, who is now a New Orleans Pelican.
Many of the league’s top stars will be injured for most or all of the season; this includes Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Tyrese Halliburton (Pacers), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks), Fred VanVleet (Rockets), and Dejounte Murray (Pelicans). Injuries are always part of the game, but nevertheless, missing out on being able to watch these stars play is still a bummer for fans. These injuries may lead to open All-Star and All-NBA slots, possibly opening up for new stars to break through and reach heights they haven’t before. Young stars like Amen Thompson (Rockets) and Franz Wagner (Magic) could potentially break out and make big leaps this season.
With the NBA draft lottery odds going against them, the Dallas Mavericks miraculously received the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft, after shockingly trading their franchise player, Luka Doncic, to the Lakers in February. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison received lots of backlash from critics around the league due to the trade, so getting the first pick softened the criticism. The Mavericks used the first overall pick to select the consensus best player in this year’s draft class, Cooper Flagg, a 6-9 small forward out of Duke, who is the favorite to receive Rookie of the Year. Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Kneuppel, and Ace Bailey were also top picks in the draft. The Blazers held the 11th pick but opted to trade down to 16 to select 7-1 Chinese center Yang Hansen.
The Trail Blazers made many aggressive moves this offseason, picking up Jrue Holiday from the Celtics and signing Trail Blazers legend Damian Lillard after a two-year stint in Milwaukee. Aside from drafting Hansen, the Blazers also signed Blake Wesley from the Spurs, and undrafted Caleb Love post-draft.
After having a lot of success in the second half of last year’s season, the expectations for this young Blazers team are the highest they’ve been in years. This year’s roster is filled with young talent such as high flyer Shaedon Sharpe and a crafty 6-3 point guard in Scoot Henderson. Young forward Toumani Camara has become a vital role player on the roster after being a second-round gem from the 2023 draft that the Suns threw in to the Damian Lillard trade in 2023, before the start of Camara’s rookie campaign. They also have the 2024 seventh overall pick, Donovan Clingan, who made all-rookie second team last season, and rising star Deni Avdija, who the Blazers acquired in last year’s offseason in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon.
Avdija had a productive first season for the team, averaging 16.9 points per game and leading the Blazers to a six-game win streak in February. The Blazers also have experienced veterans on the roster, including Jerami Grant, Robert Williams, and Matisse Thybulle, who bring leadership into a locker room full of players in their early 20s. Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin has done an unbelievable job as of late, with many moves that have contributed vitally to the success in Rip City. Many experts around the league believe the Avdija and Camara trades were huge wins in favor of Portland.
Top teams in the east this year will likely be the Knicks, Cavaliers, Magic, Pistons, Hawks, and 76ers, while likely top contenders in the west are the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, Lakers, Timberwolves, and Warriors. The Eastern Conference is relatively wide open, with teams like Boston and Indiana taking steps back after losing their star players in the playoffs due to injury. The Western Conference is competitive as ever, with the majority of teams looking to compete for a spot in the playoffs. Last year, to even make a Play-In spot in the west meant winning 39 games, which would undoubtedly make them a playoff team in the east. To add on, the west has only improved, with teams like the Mavericks and Pelicans being healthier, and other teams developing their young talent further like the aforementioned Blazers and the Spurs.
