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The NBA season kicked off this week, and Hallelujah! So why not post some of my preseason predictions for regular-season awards, NBA finals, and other topics? We will start with my preseason picks for regular-season awards.
Award Winner Picks
MVP- Luka Doncic
I have tried to wish this into existence every year, and perhaps this will finally be the year Luka Doncic wins his first regular-season MVP. It came down to Luka, SGA, and Jalen Brunson for my choices, but I finally decided to go with Luka to win this award.
Rookie of the Year- Zach Edey
This will be one of the underwhelming rookie of the year seasons, but I’m going with big man Zach Edey to win this award because he will be part of the Grizzlies’ potential turnaround season.
Sixth Man of the Year- Donte DiVincenzo
Another tough award was Sixth Man of the Year, between Alex Caruso, Malik Monk, Deuce McBride, and Donte DiVincenzo. I went with DiVincenzo to win with this revenge tour and show New York why they should not have traded him away.
Defensive Player of the Year- Victor Wembanyama
I wanted to go in a different direction with Defensive Player of the Year by going with Bam Adebayo to win this year’s award. Still, I went with the apparent choice of Victor Wembanyama. Whether the Spurs vastly improve or not, Wemby’s individual performance on defense will be enough to win this award regardless of San Antonio’s standing in the West.
Most Improved Player- Cade Cunningham
One of the teams that I can not quit believing in is the Detroit Pistons, and Cade Cunningham is due to have that breakout season, which I feel is this season. I thought about Josh Giddey for this award but went with Cunningham instead because something has to happen with him to finally show us if he is an all-NBA talent or not, and I believe he will show us he is that all-NBA caliber player.
Comeback Player of the Year- Lonzo Ball
I don’t believe this is an actual award, but I am rooting for Lonzo Ball to have a remarkable comeback season because he is a fun basketball player to watch and a winning-caliber player. We should excel and stay healthy to do that.
Coach of the Year- Kenny Atkinson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kenny Atkinson gets another chance at the head seat in Cleveland and will improve this Cavs team and open up their offensive potential this season. Jahmal Mosley, Coach Thibs, Coach Bud, and Ime Udoka will surely be in the mix and deserving. Still, I am going with Atkinson to win this award because the Cavaliers will take another step this season, potentially becoming the number two seed in the East.
Teams who will have a Breakout Season
Eastern Conference: Detroit Pistons
There are some teams that we have every reason to finally give up on believing in, but for some reason, we just can’t do it, and that is the Detroit Pistons in the East. While I am not a vast JB Bickerstaff fan, Bickerstaff is precisely the coach this team needed but unfortunately did not get from Monty Williams. By bringing professionalism and enthusiasm to this team’s young, promising talent, Bickerstaff can make Detroit one of the teams that could have a breakout season this year.
Western Conference: Houston Rockets
This season, the Rockets should be the breakout team in the West, as Oklahoma City was last year and Sacramento was a few years ago. The talent on this team is incredible, which may force them to make a big trade at some point this season, but the Rockets are in a position to have that breakout year that may lead to the play-in or playoff appearance.
The NBA League Pass Team to Watch: Houston Rockets
If you have an NBA league pass, the team worth watching this season is the Rockets. As I said previously, the abundance of young, exciting talent coached by an old-school tough coach will make watching on a random Tuesday or Wednesday night worthwhile.
Player to Watch on NBA League Pass: Anthony Edwards
While I’m sure the T’Wolves will have some national TV games this season, if you want to check in on a player via league regularly, the answer is Anthony Edwards. Edwards will probably be a Sportscenter top 10 regular this year or a social media viral reel. Still, if you want to see his evolution night to night or something like that on League Pass, you won’t be disappointed to do so this season.
Eastern Conference Rankings
Top Six
- Boston Celtics
- Orlando Magic
- New York Knicks
- Clevland Cavaliers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Indiana Pacers
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Play-In Teams
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami Heat
- Atlanta Hawks
- Detroit Pistons
Western Conference Rankings
Top Six
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Dallas Mavericks
- Phoenix Suns
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Denver Nuggets
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Play-In Teams
- Houston Rockets
- Sacramento Kings
- San Antonio Spurs
- LA Lakers
Teams that are at a Crossroads This Season
Philadelphia 76ers: Now, I usually do not like to gloat or say, “I told you so,” but this is an exception because the Philadelphia 76ers are a gift that keeps on giving to me. From the moronic statement that they only care about the playoffs to the face of the franchise and Process era Joel Embiid stating he will never play back-to-back games again and missing the first week of the season just reinforces the absolute massive disappointment, this team is going to be yet again.
This season will be crucial in shaping our view of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and front office mastermind Daryl Morey’s legacy. It is an all-in-or-nothing season for them and a test of how much more the city of Philadelphia can take from the franchise.
Denver Nuggets: I cannot believe I’m writing this, but the Denver Nuggets are a team at a significant crossroads. Some peculiar roster decisions made over the past two seasons have left the Nuggets with questions concerning roster depth while wasting Nikola Jokic’s prime years, which is a shame. A move will have to happen if they genuinely want to compete in the Western Conference with Jokic playing at the peak of his powers.
New Orleans Pelicans: Originally, I had the Lakers and Clippers here, but I figured I would have opportunities to talk about them more this season, so I went with what seems to be some basketball fans’ guiltiest pleasure: the New Orleans Pelicans. This season needs to be one in which the Pelicans finally live up to this insane hype and potential they have had for about five years now.
Zion Williamson remaining healthy and on the floor is the top priority, but figuring out the rest of this roster needs to address this season. This could mean finally trading Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum to fill out this team to build best around Williamson, which should start acquiring an actual center or big men, but don’t be stunned if this is yet another disappointing letdown in New Orleans that should lead to some dramatic changes in the franchise.
One story or narrative to Watch: The handling of Bronny James’ Rookie Season
Without question, the story, narrative, or situation that should be focused on is Bronny James and how his rookie season/career starts. For the record, I was not a fan of him coming out of college after an underwhelming season at USC. Coming back from a cardiac scare before last season just did not sit well with me or make any sense to do besides the obvious of making the milestone moment of him and his father, LeBron James, play together on opening night.
But here we are after the distractions of drafting him and not going back to college to put some better film out. Bronny is a Laker, so what would be the correct way to handle and set him up for a successful career? After the opening night game, where we saw and got the historical moment, which is understandable, but I hope the Lakers are going to be logical and send Bronny James down to the Lakers G-Leauge affiliate (South Bay Lakers) where he can develop and evolve his NBA career without it being a distraction.
Anything to prevent more irrational pressure and hatred on him because Bronny James does not deserve that; I am all for it because I believe he can have a solid NBA career but has a tall task ahead of him that I think he will overcome if this is handled correctly and logically from the Lakers.
Now that I have released some of the negativity, I am going to end this with the “Breakout All-Star” team and my finals matchup prediction.
2024-2025 Breakout All-Star Team
Point Guard: Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic)
Shooting Guard: Bradin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)
Small Forward: Naji Marshall (Dallas Mavericks)
Power Forward: Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Center: Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz)
6th Man: Keyonte George (Utah Jazz)
NBA Finals: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks
My NBA finals predictions may be trendy, but Thunder vs. Knicks is possible. Boston is going to be the prominent best team throughout the season. Still, the Porzingis injury, with no accurate timeline resorting to depending on an aging Al Horford and limited depth, is going to come back to bite the defending champs come playoff time regardless of how great seasons Brown and Tatum are going to have, which opens the door for the Knicks to break through in the East finally.
There are some very generous injuries. Good luck has to happen to New York for this to occur along with Thibodeau. Not grinding this team into powder in back-to-back seasons will help their chances. OKC has a team that’s young enough to withstand the regular season and has gained enough experience to catch some top Western Conference teams off guard, which can make the Thunder’s Road to the finals easier than people think. I honestly can’t come up with a strong prediction here, except if this series happens, it will be the most enjoyable 6-7 game NBA finals. We will see in a while, which is perfect considering the new TV deal the league will enter in the fall of 2025.
