NBA 2024-25 predictions: Luka for MVP? And will the Knicks win it all?

What I’m most looking forward to…

I can’t wait to see it what Anthony Edwards looks like after his first taste of playoff success and a summer spent finding inspiration playing alongside his heroes. Being the only No. 1 overall pick left on the Wolves following the departure of Karl-Anthony Towns, the keys to the franchise now lie with him. He is ready for a real breakthrough season. CDL

LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry’s tries to channel Tom Brady. While the trio continues to play at a high level and shows no signs of retirement, a new crop of stars are emerging. Much like Brady’s final seasons with Tampa Bay, LeBron, KD and Steph will challenge younger NBA stars to prove their reign is over. IF

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

Biggest off-season development…

The most exciting trade this summer was certainly the Towns/Julius Randle trade between New York and Minnesota, but personally I’m most intrigued by the First big trade the Knicks made this summer: Taking over Mikail Bridges from neighboring Brooklyn. Bridges is exactly what the Knicks were missing, and they are 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 with unreasonable expectations of winning the title. This season that dream could become reality. With Jalen Brunson playing at an All-NBA level, the offseason additions of Bridges and Towns put the Knicks in prime position to dethrone the Celtics. IF

The most spectacular were Paul George to Philly and Towns to New York. And while I’m more interested in the latter than the former, what’s the basketball nerd in me? most I’m looking forward to seeing the Oklahoma City additions. Oftentimes, winning a championship means making the right moves on the fringes, and 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 as a whole has forgotten the issue. 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 feisty but more mature Marcus Smart. Memphis will be a surefire playoff team. CDL

The return of the Grizzlies and Morant. It’s easy to forget that before the off-field mishaps and Morant’s season-ending injury, the Grizzlies were the No. 2 team in the West. If Morant returns to top form and avoids off-field tricks, the Grizzlies have enough to make a deep playoff run. IF

The Orlando magic will jump out to a 20-5 start and people will start wondering if they are a title contender. And while that may not ultimately be the case, the team will be the darling of the NBA and become one of the most attractive destinations for potentially disgruntled stars like Giannis. JU

The link between LeBron James and Bronny James is…

Really cool, but it causes a lot of exaggerated hand-wringing. The younger James will likely spend most (if not all) of the season in the G-League. This amount of fuss over a late second-round pick is excessive. CDL

A moment to be cherished because it might not happen again. The rarity of a father-son duo in the NBA makes it a can’t-miss event for the first time in the regular season. But the critics won’t take kindly to Bronny’s novice learning curve. IF

Nice, fun, historic. But in the end it doesn’t matter for the ultimate goal. I hope Bronny is doing well. I hope he gets time to develop. There’s no point in discussing nepotism in this case: it’s just not that important when it comes to the actual games. But if JJ Redick can turn Bronny into a player, it will be impressive. JU

One bold prediction…

Denver may be in more trouble than many think. They lost a few key supporting cast members and they added Russell Westbrook, who has a notoriously short honeymoon. The rest of the West has improved around them, and it will take a huge effort from Nikola Jokić to ensure they are not the worst they have 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 won’t beat the Warriors into the final playoff spot. The result will be Redick’s first season as the Lakers head coach is his last – a possibility for him jokingly acknowledged. IF

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

MVP

NBA Awards voters tend to be a bit sadistic. That is, they like it when candidates have a tough path to MVP glory – a few close losses on the way to a win are generally rewarded. Luka Doncicaccording to these statistics and several others, are the result. I suspect he’ll finally get it this year. CDL

Anthony Edwards proved he’s ready to become the new face of the league after the Timberwolves’ final win in the Western Conference and his impressive performance at the Paris Olympics with Team USA. Without Towns, Edwards’ offensive numbers will increase significantly as he takes the Wolves to a top-three finish in the West. Ant Man’s leap to superstardom will be undeniable in 2024-2025. IF

Luka Doncic. 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 end up in the 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. IF

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. IF

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

Eastern Conference Finals

New York beats Boston Celtics. CDL

Boston Celtics over New York Knicks. IF

New York beats Boston Celtics. JU

Western Conference Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder over Minnesota Timberwolves. CDL

Minnesota Timberwolves over Oklahoma City Thunder. IF

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks. JU

NBA Finals

New York Knicks 4-3 Oklahoma City Thunder. Granted, there is an element of “speaking out” in saying that the New York Knicks are finally going to break through and win the championship, but they have found new top 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’m taking them from a crowded West. But in a year they can receive 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 has the skills and power to make every second uncomfortable for the Celtics. But the Timberwolves will ultimately be outmatched by the Celtics’ depth and star power of Tatum, Brown, Holiday and Porzingis. The Celtics become the first back-to-back NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors. IF

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 a slog. But sitting atop the Eastern and Western Conferences are two teams with even more depth and talent. Boston and OKC are slightly better. And while their rivals, the new-look Knicks and reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks, will push them, it won’t be enough. It will be series of seven games, including the final. But Boston will win back to back. JU