What I’m most looking forward to …

I can’t wait to see what Anthony Edwards looks like after his first taste of playoff success and a summer to soak up inspiration from playing alongside his heroes. As the lone No 1 overall pick remaining on the Wolves with the departure of Karl-Anthony Towns, the keys to the franchise are now his. He’s primed for a true breakout season. CDL

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry’s attempts to channel Tom Brady. While the trio are still playing at a high level with no hints of retirement, a new crop of stars are emerging. Similar to Brady’s final seasons with Tampa Bay, LeBron, KD, and Steph will challenge younger NBA stars to prove their reign is over. AS

In the latter half of last season, the NBA seemed to shift from allowing ticky-tack fouls to letting the players play more physically. Refs could swallow their whistles. I grew up in the era of 1990s basketball where final scores were sometimes in the 60s. And while we don’t need to go back to that, my hope is that the league will focus more on physical play and stop allowing guys like James Harden to trick refs into 10,000 foul calls per game. JU

Biggest offseason development …

The splashiest trade this summer was certainly the Towns / Julius Randle swap between New York and Minnesota, but personally I’m most intrigued by the first big trade the Knicks made this summer: acquiring Mikail Bridges from neighboring Brooklyn. Bridges is just what the Knicks were missing, and they’re now well positioned to give Boston a run for their money. CDL

New hope for the Knicks. Since 1973, Knicks fans have entered most seasons holding unreasonable expectations of winning the title. This season, that dream could be realized. With Jalen Brunson playing at an All-NBA level, the offseason additions of Bridges and Towns place the Knicks in a prime position to dethrone the Celtics. AS

The splashiest were Paul George to Philly and Towns to New York. And while I’m more interested in the latter than the former there, what the basketball nerd in me is most looking forward to seeing are the additions in Oklahoma City. Often, to win a championship means to make the right moves on the margins and the Thunder getting Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein was a coup. JU

The surprise package will be ...

This has already been discussed too much by diehards to be a “surprise,” but the basketball viewing public has, as a whole, forgotten about the Memphis Grizzlies. And that’s a mistake, because Ja Morant is on a revenge tour, GG Jackson had a breakout season, and Dillon Brooks has been replaced by the equally spicy but more mature Marcus Smart. Memphis will be a surefire playoff team. CDL

The Grizzlies and Morant’s return. It’s easy to forget that before Morant’s off-the-court mishaps and season-ending injury, the Grizzlies were the No 2 team in the West. If Morant returns to top form and steers clear of off-court shenanigans, the Grizzlies have enough to achieve a deep playoff run. AS

The Orlando Magic will jump out to something like a 20-5 start and people will begin to wonder if they are a title contender. And while they ultimately will not be, the team will be the darling of the NBA and become one of the most attractive destinations for possibly disgruntled stars like Giannis. JU

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The LeBron James-Bronny James link-up is ...

Really, really cool, but causing a lot of overblown hand-wringing. The younger James will probably spend most (if not all) of his season in the G-League. This amount of hullabaloo over a late second-round pick is outsized. CDL

A moment that should be cherished because it may not happen again. The rarity of a father-son duo in the NBA will make it a must-see event the first time it happens in the regular season. But the critics won’t be kind as Bronny endures his rookie learning curve. AS

Cute, nice, historic. But ultimately it won’t matter in terms of the ultimate goal. I hope Bronny is good. I hope he gets time to develop. Debating nepotism is pointless in this case: it’s just not that important when it comes to the actual games. Though, if JJ Redick can turn Bronny into a player, that will be impressive. JU

One bold prediction …

Denver may be in more trouble than many think. They lost a few important supporting cast members, and they’re adding Russell Westbrook, who has a notoriously short honeymoon period. The rest of the West has gotten better around them, and it’ll take a herculean effort from Nikola Jokić to make sure they aren’t the worst they’ve been in years. CDL

The Lakers will struggle to make the playoffs. LeBron and Anthony Davis will continue to put up All-NBA numbers, but the Lakers will not beat the Warriors to the final playoff spot. The result will be Redick’s first season as Lakers head coach being his last – a possibility he jokingly acknowledged. AS

Jimmy Butler will be traded. His time is just up. He’s known for acrimonious exits and the Heat don’t want to give him a giant amount of money as they begin to reset and he approaches his late 30s. If and when they struggle this season, they’ll take phone calls and someone will be desperate enough to take Butler on for a good package. JU

MVP

NBA Awards voters have a tendency to have a bit of a sadistic streak. That is to say, they like when candidates have a hard road to MVP glory – a few close losses on their way to a win is generally rewarded. Luka Dončić, by those metrics and several others, are due. My guess is he will finally get it this year. CDL

Anthony Edwards proved he’s ready to be the new face of the league following the Timberwolves’ Western Conference finals run and his impressive play in the Paris Olympics with Team USA. Without Towns, Edwards’ offensive numbers will increase significantly as he carries the Wolves to a top-three seed in the West. Ant Man’s leap to superstardom will be undeniable in 2024-25. AS

Luka Dončić. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum will make their claims, but it’s just time for the Slovenian. The Mavs should be great and Luka is the eye of their storm. SGA is a quieter player and Tatum is surrounded by a great team. So they will finish top-five, along with the Joker and Brunson. JU

Eastern Conference playoff teams

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers. CDL

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat. AS

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat. JU

Western Conference playoff teams

Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors. CDL

Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors. AS

Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers. JU

Eastern Conference final

New York Knicks over Boston Celtics. CDL

Boston Celtics over New York Knicks. AS

Boston Celtics over New York Knicks. JU

Western Conference final

Oklahoma City Thunder over Minnesota Timberwolves. CDL

Minnesota Timberwolves over Oklahoma City Thunder. AS

Oklahoma City Thunder over Dallas Mavericks. JU

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NBA finals

New York Knicks 4-3 Oklahoma City Thunder. There is, admittedly, an element of speaking-it-into-existence to say the New York Knicks are going to finally break through and win the championship, but they have newfound top-end talent and have retained their excellent core from last year. They have a lot of combined playoff experience, great offensive and defensive talent, and a bona fide star in Jalen Brunson. The Thunder are formidable and will be excellent, which is why I have them coming out of a crowded West. But they’re a year away from hoisting the trophy. CDL

Boston Celtics 4-2 Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA finals will feature a showdown between Edwards’ Timberwolves and the Celtics led by Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Edwards is equipped with the skills and toughness to make every second uncomfortable for the Celtics. But the Timberwolves will eventually be outmatched by the Celtics’ depth and the star power of Tatum, Brown, Holiday, and Porzingis. The Celtics will become the first back-to-back NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors. AS

Boston Celtics 4-3 Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA is deep and full of talent this year. That means the regular season and playoffs will be slogs. But atop the Eastern and Western Conferences sit two teams with even more depth and talent. Boston and OKC are just a cut above. And while their rivals, the new look Knicks and reigning Western Conference champ Mavericks, will push them, it won’t be enough. It’ll be seven-game series all around, including in the finals. But Boston will win back to back. JU

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