2024 NBA Season Predictions

As a Knicks fan, I am happy to say that after the first day of the 2024 NBA season, we are undefeated, and while that may be because we didn't play yesterday, I'm running with it. So, since the Undefeated Knicks are tipping off against the Celtics tonight, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get out some NBA predications that are sure to come true. We've had an offseason consisting of superstars switching teams, a draft full of generational rookie talents, and slew of unanswered questions around aging all-stars. With so many unknowns it's hard to say whether my predictions will come to fruition or not, but either way, this is without a doubt going to be one of the better NBA seasons in recent years, and I am looking forward to seeing who's offseason strategies pay off come the post season.

1. Bucks Defense to Disappear

The biggest news in Milwaukee this offseason has certainly been the acquisition of Weber State alum, Damian Lillard. Lillard is a bonafide superstar, averaging 25 PPG over his career, and coming off a season where he finished 3rd in scoring, averaging a whopping 32 PPG, finishing just behind Embiid and Doncic. And while Damian will certainly bring electricity to the offensive end, it is the lack of defensive prowess that concerns me in Milwaukee. Since the 2018-19 season, Milwaukee has been a Top 10 defense every year, finding themselves in the #1 spot on three separate occasions. Giannis has had a lot to do with this as a perennial DPOY candidate, and winner in 2019-20, but what I think has gone overlooked is the impact that Jrue Holiday had at the top of the key, and it's his absence that I predict will have a major impact on the Bucks' championship hopes. Going back to the 2017-18 season when Jrue was still in New Orleans, he's been selected for First Team All-Defense in three different seasons, along with another two selections to Second Team All-Defense. In that same time, Brook Lopez was selected to a First Team and Second Team All Defense in his own right, and together, the Bucks were a formidable defense in the face of any opponent. With Damian's arrival comes Jrue's exit, and though Giannis and Lopez may still be able to hold down the paint, I see the Bucks on the outside looking in at the NBA's best defensive teams this year, and I predict that they end up somewhere around #15 when it comes to overall defensive rankings.

2. Knicks in Six

The Knicks are a lot of things, but consistent has never been one of them, and as a Knicks fan, it is a yearly struggle to watch my favorite team rise and fall throughout the course of the NBA season. That said, the last few years have been a little different, the squad has started to take on the form of a legitimate basketball team, and dare I say, they may have an outside chance at competing for an NBA Championship in the near future. Randle has been a beast, Brunson is a clear-cut stud, and some of our recent draft picks have actually turned into basketball players before Dolan tries to trade them away. Fans have something to be excited about in New York, and it's this optimism that has me looking at the playoffs prior to a single game being played. Usually we are just hoping to make the playoffs, limping in as other teams drop games late, but this year I am expecting them to not only make the playoffs, but to win. We have done it before, and we can do it again, and I am predicting that our offseason changes will make the difference in seeing some post-season success. Grimes has looked like a true NBA knockdown shooter in the preseason, and if RJ can keep up his play from the playoffs last year, this team is sure to be a true contender. It may be a bit of bias, but with the changes to the other teams in the East, I think the Knicks might actually have some off the fewest questions going into this season, and I am hoping it results in one of their most successful seasons to date.

3. Twins Basil, Twins!

The last year or so has been Wemby this, and Wemby that, and while he is clearly a generational talent, I'm not so ready to hand him the crown. His height and skillset cannot go ignored, but his unique make-up has done a disservice to the average NBA fan, as it has overshadowed the fact that this is a truly exceptional rookie class. While Wemby may be the headliner this draft was full of highly skilled guards, athletic big men, and a couple foreign phenoms that are sure to make an impact on their squads this year. I myself am most excited to watch the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets, a sentence that no one has said in at least 5 years, but with the respective additions of Amen and Asur Thompson, I can't wait to see these young men make the jump to the next level. Having gone a less traditional route than most, the Thompson twins were both top 5 picks out of OTE, a basketball focussed school/academy out of Atlanta where premier hoopers go to focus on making it to the NBA, and these two were leading the pack. In every OTE season, and exhibition game played, the Thompsons were regularly the best players on the floor, impressing NBA scouts with their highly developed skills and insane athleticism. Both have great handles, multi-level scoring abilities, and have been learning how to be "basketball players" for the majority of their lives, so I think they are more ready for the NBA than most rookies entering their first years. While I think both will be successful at the next level, my bold prediction is that Asur, who was drafted by the Pistons, ends up as the ROTY come season end. He will have to beat out some really impressive talent to do so, but I think that he has the ability if he is given the opportunity.

Only time will tell which of these comes true, if any, but I am excited to watch this season play out either way, including the new in-season tournament which will certainly have an impact on standings. It isn't going to be a the same teams at the top, or bottom, of the NBA ladder this year, and it could really be anyone's season when it comes to the title. If you have predictions of your own I would love to hear them, and would love even more to tell you why you are wrong if you don't have the Knicks in the playoffs, but until then, if you need me, I will be looking at stats that support a Knicks victory in anticipation of Knicks vs Celtics tonight. So glad the NBA is back, and it feels like this is going to be a great season!