On June 17, 2024, the Boston Celtics were crowned champion of the National Basketball League for the 2023-24 season. The season had been long and full of stories, but it was time for the end. 

It was a busy offseason, and there were plenty of interesting stories, including trades that sent longtime Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Karl Anthony-Towns to the New York Knicks. 

The next NBA season is now upon us. Here are my picks for the 2024-25 season, including rising and declining teams for each conference, a playoff bracket, and a champion.

Eastern Conference

Last year, the Eastern Conference was won easily by the Celtics, with the Knicks taking the No. 2 seed. The No. 3 seed was awarded to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks. 

The No. 5 seed was a tie between 3 teams, the Orlando Magic, the Indiana Pacers, and the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Magic winning the tiebreaker. The Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, and the Atlanta Hawks rounded out the play-in teams, with the Brooklyn Nets just missing the cut.

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NEW YORK KNICKS

The Knicks, coming off of a 50-32 season, made lots of improvements to their roster this offseason, most notably adding all-defensive shooting guard Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Nets, and Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the Timberwolves. Knicks starting Point Guard Jalen Brunson will continue to take steps forward and play at an All-NBA level.

This Knicks roster looks much more complete coming into the season, replacing the largest question mark of the starting 5, Julius Randle, with an all-star center in Karl-Anthony Towns, who is also known for his shooting ability. Expect this Knicks team to compete with the Celtics this upcoming season.

PHILADPEHIA 76ERS

The 76ers, coming off of a 47-35 season, made by far the biggest move in free agency this summer by signing 9-time All-Star Paul George. George, unhappy with his former LA Clippers, looked to join a contending team elsewhere. He ended up choosing the 76ers.

The 76ers are led by 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and last year’s Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey. Embiid is coming off of a season where he would have won MVP if he was’t injured late in the season, and Maxey will look to improve as well.

The 76ers haven’t made an Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 with Allen Iverson. The past few seasons, they’ve made the playoffs, but have failed to make it past the Conference Semifinals. With this roster, a return is certainly possible.

ORLANDO MAGIC

Led by 21-year-old superstar Paolo Banchero and coming off of a 47-35 season, the Orlando Magic shocked fans last year by reaching the playoffs. Just 2 years ago, the Magic went 22-60 and finished with the bottom seed in the Eastern Conference. 

They were awarded with the 1st overall pick in the 2023 Draft, where they selected Banchero out of Duke. After a playoff berth last year, this team added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out of free agency. Caldwell-Pope is best known for his 3-point shot, which was the Magic’s biggest issue last year. 

The Magic also kept their young core around by extending Franz Wagner to a 5-year max extension. Wagner, entering his 4th NBA season, and Banchero, entering his 3rd, will keep developing.

This Magic team will do well next year. They have one of, if not the youngest roster in the league, and will look to become a perennial playoff team. They have never won a championship, but this can easily change in the next few years.

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MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Last year, the Bucks, who went 49-33, shocked everyone by trading for Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. The pairing of Lillard and 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was hyped up coming into last season.

However, this hype around the Bucks coming into last season was not lived up to. The team got off to a shaky start and fired coach Adrian Griffin by the midseason, replacing him with ex-Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

Come playoff time, the injury bug had robbed the Bucks of their star duo. They ended up being eliminated in the 1st Round by the Indiana Pacers.

This offseason, the Bucks failed to make any significant additions to their roster. The star duo that many hyped up last year could perhaps have a great year, but the improvements to other Eastern Conference teams will limit the ceiling of this Bucks squad.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Last year, the Trae Young-led Hawks went 36-46 and just barely missed the playoffs. Since their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the Hawks have been on the mediocre side of the NBA.

In 2023, after trading for San Antonio Spurs star Dejounte Murray, they suffered a 1st-round loss to the Celtics and missed the playoffs the following year. 

The pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray never really worked out, due to the two stars’ playstyles not working together. In the offseason, the Hawks expectedly traded Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Hawks earned the 1st overall pick through the draft, and used it to select French prospect Zaccharie Risacher. This Hawks squad is worse than last year without Murray but could surprise some people if Young and Risacher work well together.

MIAMI HEAT

The Miami Heat finished the 2023-24 season with a 46-36 record and were knocked out in the first round in 6 games by the Celtics. Since 2020, the Heat, led by Jimmy Butler, have reached the Finals twice, and have lost both times.

The Heat have been on a downward spiral since their Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets in 2023, and after failing to land Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers after he requested a trade to Miami, had an underwhelming 2023 season.

In the offseason, the Heat failed to make any major additions to their roster. The star duo of Butler and Bam Adebayo still look solid coming into the new season, but the team around them is not good. Even though the Heat’s first-round pick, Kel’el Ware, looked promising in the Summer League, I doubt this Heat squad will make the playoffs in 2023.

Western Conference

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DALLAS MAVERICKS

Coming off of a 50-32 season and a finals appearance, the Dallas Mavericks were excellent last year. They had a massive win streak just at the right time and seemed to carry the energy into the postseason up until the finals, where they lost in 5 to the Celtics. 

Led by superstar point guard Luka Doncic, the Mavericks have become a powerhouse in the Western Conference. Doncic, coming off of a season where he averaged 34 points per game, is looking like an MVP lock for the next few seasons.

This offseason, the Mavericks traded for Klay Thompson. Despite his long tenure with the Golden State Warriors, Thompson seemed as if he was on the decline. Despite this, he is still a good player. The trio of Doncic, Thompson, and Kyrie Irving are poised for another deep playoff run in 2025.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

In the 2023 Draft, the Spurs got the #1 pick and used it on French superstar Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama was one of the most hyped-up prospects since LeBron James.

The Spurs ended up going 22-60 in Wembanyama’s rookie year. Despite their poor record, Wembanyama was thought to have had one of the best rookie seasons in NBA history. Of course, he also won Rookie of the Year.

Over the offseason, after the Golden State Warriors cut aging star Chris Paul, the Spurs signed him to a small contract. Paul, known as one of the best passers of this century, will most certainly elevate Wembanyama’s game. Expect this Spurs squad to possibly enter the playoffs, and to begin a new era of San Antonio basketball.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Last year, ending with a 57-25 record and a Conference Semifinals exit, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the most improved teams in the past few NBA seasons. Only two years ago, they were the 14th seed in the West, and now they sit atop the conference.

Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who looks to have an MVP season coming up, and young star Chet Holmgren, the Thunder are easily the most complete team in the Western Conference. Jalen Williams, often referred to as “J-Dub”, is on the verge of a breakout season into stardom.

Over the offseason, the Thunder acquired Alex Caruso in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Caruso, one of the best defenders in the NBA, will join an already-stacked roster in Oklahoma City. This Thunder squad seems like it’s on the verge of a finals run.

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LOS ANGELES LAKERS

It was only 4 years ago when the Lakers, who finished last season with a 47-35 record, won an NBA championship. Since then, they’ve made one Conference Finals. Led by superstar LeBron James and defensive big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers have a strong roster, but the Western Conference is a battle to win every year.

In the draft, the Lakers took Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee, and Bronny James, LeBron’s son, out of USC. The Bronny selection was criticized at first, but the Lakers have one of the best development programs in the NBA, and Bronny will turn out fine.

Over the offseason, the Lakers were rumored to sign Klay Thompson, but they didn’t add any major new pieces to the roster. Simply put, many teams in the Western Conference have improved too much for the Lakers to continue title contention.

DENVER NUGGETS

The Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets won the franchise’s first championship 2 years ago, and last year, they finished with a 57-25 record and a Conference Semifinals exit. They were in the race to win the Western Conference all year but came up short to the Thunder.

Jokic, probably the best player in the league right now, came off of an MVP season where he averaged nearly a triple-double. The Nuggets have a strong roster with Jamal Murray, known for his performance in the clutch, and Aaron Gordon, known for his athleticism.

The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic, and only made up for the loss by signing a 35-year-old Russell Westbrook. This Nuggets squad is not as good as in previous years, and it would not be a surprise if this team fails to make the finals in 2025.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

A few years ago, the Clippers looked like title favorites in the Western Conference, and they now have nothing to show for it. Kawhi Leonard, their best player, has been injured for the playoffs for the past 3 years. They traded for Paul George in 2019 in a move that is widely regarded as a fleece by the Thunder.

This offseason, the Clippers lost Paul George to the 76ers. This move set the Clippers very far back, and they probably won’t make the playoffs this year. They have almost no draft capital in the future as well, meaning that they’ll most likely be in the bottom tier of NBA teams for the foreseeable future

This Clippers squad is not going to do well this season. They will rely on an injured Kawhi Leonard and an aging James Harden, and they most likely will fall into irrelevancy.

2024-25 Champions

It’s hard to not see the Celtics in the Finals again next year, and I see them reaching it again. The Conference Finals will probably be against the Knicks, as they are the most healthy and complete team coming into 2025. 

For the Western Conference, the Thunder will probably end up making the finals, and they will beat the Mavericks in the Conference Finals. The finals between the Celtics and the Thunder will be close, and perhaps it will even go to 7 games, but I predict the Celtics to win the NBA Finals for next year.