Can Boston Celtics repeat? And five more key questions as 2024-25 NBA season tips off

Posted by Admin October 22, 2024 NBA

Spread the love

The 2024-25 NBA season is here, finally.

Although hoops fans did have the Paris Olympics to tide them over, all eyes turn to Tuesday night’s tip-off. The Boston Celtics will host the new-look New York Knicks in the early game, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves traveling to Los Angeles for a nightcap against the Lakers.

Boston is looking to become the first team since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to repeat as champions, though there will be plenty of competition, starting with its opening night opponent.

Here are six key questions headed into the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Can anyone unseat the Boston Celtics?

The Celtics dominated the NBA pretty much wire-to-wire last season. From its 26-6 start, to its 11-game win streak in February, to its smooth path to an 18^th NBA title, Boston built a deep team capable of winning multiple titles. Yet, this offseason, a pair of Eastern Conference squads — the Knicks and 76ers — responded to Boston’s success with corresponding personnel moves.

New York traded for Mikal Bridges, a perimeter wing with solid scoring instincts and plus-defense, and Karl-Anthony Towns, a big whose range clears spacing and offers a foil to Kristaps Porziņģis. Philadelphia signed six-time All-NBA forward Paul George, who in many ways became the prototype of the contemporary wing. Still, when healthy, all five Celtics starters are excellent defenders, and all can ignite from 3-point range.

NBA SEASON PREDICTIONS: USA TODAY picks for champion, MVP, rookie, coach of year

Can the young Thunder take the next step?

Oklahoma City entered last season as the second-youngest team (24.12 average age), behind only the Spurs (23.52). The Thunder, however, did have the fewest average number of seasons of NBA experience (2.22) of any team. Still, the Thunder broke out and claimed the No. 1 seed in the West.

Their youth and inexperience became apparent in the playoffs, when they were bounced in the semifinals by the eventual Western Conference champion Mavericks. But coach Mark Daigneault developed a free-flowing offense led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 26, who glides through defenses with total control. Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren, 22, played all 82 games, and should expand his production. Jalen Williams, 23, also emerged. Luguentz Dort, 25, became the defensive stopper. OKC added another defensive piece in a trade for Alex Caruso. The Thunder improved by 17 wins last season; this year, progress will be measured by a deep postseason run.

How will the league and officials handle scoring and physicality?

The NBA often uses the All-Star break to assess the first months of the season before adjusting points of emphasis. Last season, after an eruption of historic scoring marked play before the break — aided in part by generous, whistle-happy officiating — the NBA had a palpable shift in the way games were enforced.

Defensive physicality was allowed to prevail and free throws gradually declined. Scoring did, too. Then, in the height of the offseason, basketball fans enjoyed the style of play at the Olympics, which is governed, and officiated by, FIBA personnel. In an appearance earlier this month on “The Wake Up Call with KB and Andy” podcast, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the NBA informed coaching staffs that “games are going to look a lot more like FIBA than the old, freedom-of-movement NBA.” The first month should be a good indicator of how seriously (and consistently) the NBA chooses to officiate games.

Can Ja Morant stay on the floor and return the Grizzlies to form?

Two seasons ago, Memphis won 51 games. Three seasons ago, the Grizzlies won 56. Both times, they clinched the No. 2 seed in the West. But a 25-game suspension and shoulder ailment derailed star guard Ja Morant’s season. His injury was just one of several, plummeting Memphis down the standings.

It might have resulted in some silver linings. Jaren Jackson Jr., the Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago, performed well with greater offensive responsibility. GG Jackson, the youngest player in the NBA last season, flashed promise. And now enter Zach Edey, who stabilizes the center spot and provides an instant presence in the low block, and is the preseason favorite to win Rookie of the Year. The Western Conference is already stacked. If Memphis is to disrupt the balance of power and establish itself as a contender, the catalyst will have to be Morant.

What does Year 2 look like for Victor Wembanyama (and the Spurs)?

He unanimously won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award and stacked clip after clip of otherworldly highlights, so basketball fans will be eager to see what Victor Wembanyama has in store for his sophomore season. Wembanyama, who is still 20, also starred for France in the Olympics.

The Spurs diligently kept Wembanyama on a minutes restriction last season, as he averaged 29.7 per game. That number should steadily increase. The Spurs also listed Wemby at 235 pounds at the start of training camp, 25 more than the 210 he weighed last season. That should help him on both ends of the floor. Improvements to watch for this season are increased physicality in the post, higher efficiency with his 3-point shot, cutting down on his 3.7 turnovers per game. The addition of veteran point guard Chris Paul only eases life for Wembanyama, who must now also increase his scoring production for the Spurs to get better.

What can the Pacers do for an encore?

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2024 playoffs was Indiana’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Certainly, the Pacers benefitted from opponent injuries during both the first round and the semifinals, but they still relied on their pace and ball movement.

Although point guard Tyrese Haliburton led the NBA in assists (10.9 per game), Indiana may need him to be a little more selfish in finding and creating his own shot, particularly late in games. The Pacers — matching their name — ranked second in offensive pace, though it’s reasonable to wonder if that speed is sustainable and if it compromises the defensive integrity; the Pacers ranked 23^rd in defensive efficiency. Indiana opted to keep most of its roster intact, though the return of shooting guard Benedict Mathurin provides a boost off the bench. But as other teams in the Eastern Conference improved, Indiana might struggle to make a deep run.