The 78th NBA season begins tonight. This season could be one of the most unpredictable ones in a while, as many trades and signings happened over the offseason—all starting in the NBA Draft.
NBA Draft
The NBA draft started off with the Atlanta Hawks selecting Zaccharie Risacher, a forward from France. The third pick of the draft belonged to the Houston Rockets, and the team selected Reed Sheppard: a 6’1” point guard. Sheppard had an impressive preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 10, as he scored 11 points on 71% shooting.
After nearly winning the NCAA championship with Purdue, Zach Edey was drafted as the ninth overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies. In college, Edey was the highest scorer in his final year, averaging 25.2 pts a game. We saw a glimpse of his college self when he put up a near double-double in his preseason game against the Indiana Pacers: 23 points and nine rebounds.
A pick in this draft that has been titled “the steal of the draft” is the 27th pick, Terrence Shannon Jr., by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shannon Jr. was one of the highest scorers in college for Illinois last year, averaging 23.0 ppg while shooting 47% from the field.
The biggest headline of this draft was the 55th pick of the draft, LeBron James’s oldest son. LeBron James Jr., known as Bronny, was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers: becoming the first player to be drafted into the NBA while his father is an active player.
After the draft, there came the big offseason acquisitions.
Biggest Offseason Moves
The first of many notable offseason moves came by the New York Knicks. On July 6, 2024, the Knicks decided to complete the “Nova Knicks” and trade for forward Mikal Bridges. The “Nova Knicks” consist of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte Divencenzo, and Mikal Bridges. They all played at Villanova together and now have reunited on the Knicks.
Four days later, the Atlanta Hawks decided to trade star guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. The New Orleans Pelicans traded away Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller, and two future first-round draft picks.
One of the most surprising moves of the offseason was when the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson announced that they would be parting ways after 13 years. Klay went on to sign with the Dallas Mavericks.
On July 6, as free agency officially opened, star forward Paul George decided to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. By doing this, George will now team up with former MVP Joel Embiid and All Star Tyrese Maxey.
As free agency continued, the Chicago Bulls announced that they would be trading All Star forward Demar Derozan to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade.
Throughout the rest of July, August, and almost all of September, there were no major moves made in the league. On Sept. 27, the New York Knicks stunned the league and traded for All Star center Karl Anthony Towns. The Knicks traded away Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This shocked many around the league as the Knicks decided to get rid of the hyped-up “Nova Knicks.”
According to ESPN, the Boston Celtics currently have the best odds to win the NBA finals, at +290. The next teams with the best odds to win the finals are the Oklahoma City Thunder at +675, the New York Knicks at +700, the Philadelphia 76ers at +825, and then the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves at +1000.
In-Season Tournament
For the second straight season, the NBA will have an in-season tournament known as the NBA Cup. In the NBA Cup, all 30 teams are randomly drawn into six different groups of five within their conferences, with each team in the group playing each other once. Last year, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the title game. There were cash prizes for the winning team, second place team, semifinalists, and quarterfinalists. This year, the tournament takes place between Nov. 12 and Dec. 17. Along with being favored to win the NBA finals, the Boston Celtics are also favored to win the in-season tournament.
Below are Josh Reiser and Nate Faber’s predictions for the NBA Season:
Award Predictions
MVP – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Defensive player of the year- Victor Wembenyama
Rookie of the year- Reed Sheppard
Sixth man of the year- Donte Divincenzo
Most improved player – Jonathan Kuminga
Coach of the year- Ime Udoka (Rockets)
Below are the NBA standing projections by Josh Reiser, followed by Nate Faber
Eastern Conference
- Celtics 59-23
- 76ers 55-27
- Knicks 50-32
- Bucks 49-33
- Pacers 47-35
- Heat 46-36
- Magic 43-39
- Raptors 41-41
- Cavaliers 40-42
- Bulls 38-44
- Hawks 36-46
- Hornets 30-42
- Wizards 24-58
- Pistons 23-59
- Nets 20-62
Western Conference
- Nuggets 59-23
- Thunder 57-25
- Mavericks 54-28
- Timberwolves 50-32
- Suns 47-35
- Lakers 44-38
- Pelicans 42-40
- Kings 41-41
- Grizzlies 38-44
- Warriors 36-46
- Clippers 35-47
- Rockets 33-49
- Jazz 32-50
- Spurs 30-52
- Trail Blazers 21-61
Standing Predictions
Eastern Conference
- Celtics 60-22
- Bucks 53-29
- Knicks 51-31
- 76ers 49-33
- Cavaliers 47-35
- Pacers 45-37
- Heat 44-38
- Magic 42-40
- Raptors 41-41
- Hornets 39-43
- Bulls 38-44
- Hawks 38-44
- Wizards 30-52
- Nets 24-58
- Pistons 22-60
Western Conference
- Thunder 59-23
- Timberwolves 57-25
- Nuggets 55-27
- Mavericks 52-30
- Grizzlies 48-34
- Suns 46-36
- Lakers 43-39
- Pelicans 41-41
- Rockets 40-42
- Clippers 38-44
- Kings 37-45
- Spurs 35-47
- Warriors 34-48
- Jazz 29-53
- Trail Blazers 21-61
