The theme of last year’s NBA season was that there was little question regarding who would walk away with the title. The 64-18 Boston Celtics ran the gauntlet, besting the Heat, Cavaliers, Pacers and Mavericks, losing just three of their 19 Playoff games.
The 2024-25 season looks to be much different, and aside from which team falls where in the standings, there are a bevy of fun players to watch and storylines to follow that will look to keep fans entertained through all 82 games this season.
The biggest storyline of the season, viewed through the rose-colored glasses of a Cavaliers fan, is Cleveland’s incredible start. The Cavaliers look like a different team under their new head coach Kenny Atkinson, ranking second in the league in offensive rating when they had ranked 16th in the category last season under current Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
The Cavaliers All-Star guard duo, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, are clicking at a new level, while fourth-year big-man Evan Mobley has started to break out on the offensive end. Despite the majority of games being finished dominantly, one of the best moments of the season came with Mitchell’s last-second game-winner against Milwaukee Saturday.
The next best team is the Western Conference-topping Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has dominated on the defensive end as the only team with a defensive rating under 100.0, a category where low ratings are better than high ratings. If it keeps that number where it is, it will be the first time a team has finished with a defensive rating under triple-digits since the 2015-16 Spurs.
The Thunder also boast a loveable roster, full of young stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren who seem to love playing with each other. Their electric post-game interviews, in which the whole team gathers around, are often marked by barking and celebrating each other.
Although Mobley and Holmgren have begun to break out for the league’s top teams, there’s a plethora of other young players making headlines for their performances.
The seventh and thirteenth picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bilal Coulibaly and Gradey Dick, have upped their numbers tremendously in their sophomore campaigns.
Coulibaly, a French wing who played his pre-draft season alongside the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, ranks second in scoring on a enjoyable Wizards squad behind sixth-year guard Jordan Poole, who leads the league in steals alongside a career-high in points per game. Coulibaly’s also been tremendous on the defensive end.
Dick, who was drafted as one of the best shooters in his class, has begun to live up to his potential, turning into a dominant scorer through adversity. He, alongside sixth-year forward RJ Barrett, has combined for some exciting basketball up in Canada. Barrett, despite missing the first three games for Toronto, is having a career year, with highs in points, rebounds and assists per game.
Even toward the bottom of the conferences, there are interesting storylines to follow. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have struggled out of the gates, prompting questions about the future of the franchise. Giannis Antetokounmpo, now in his 12th season, could begin looking for an out if the Bucks don’t start stringing wins together.
The 76ers, on the other hand, made major off-season additions, adding nine-time All-Star Paul George to try and make the most out of Joel Embiid’s dominance. Both stars were unable to play through the team’s first handful of games and will need to get healthy and stay healthy to right the ship.
Overall, the start of the 2024-25 NBA season has shown tremendous promise. Breakout sophomores, elite and loveable contenders and highlight moments have given way to what could be the most fun season in recent memory.
Logan Adams is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Logan know by tweeting him @LoganPAdams.
