My early observations of all 30 NBA teams so far.
Atlanta Hawks
With veterans like Dejounte Murray & Saddiq Bey now gone/Trae Young, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and De’Andre Hunter still around, young players like Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels (came over in the Murray deal), Zaccharie Risacher (2024 #1 pick), Onyeka Okongwu, and Kobe Bufkin will need to develop every day. I’ve already seen growth from all five of those youngsters, so that’s a good start.
Boston Celtics
Making sure Kristaps Porzingis stays healthy now that he’s finally made his 2024-25 debut is obvious, but besides that, I really think winning back-to-back titles seems realistic. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White are in their primes, Jrue Holiday & Al Horford still bring a lot as vets, and bench players like Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta continue to get better.
Brooklyn Nets
New head coach Jordi Fernandez has already set the tone that his team won’t back down from anyone, so now it’s about which veterans will stick around long term and developing their young players. It will be interesting to see who their core guys will be by the end of the year (Cam Thomas & Nic Claxton definitely have a chance to be those players based on age/talent).
Charlotte Hornets
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson wanting the Hornets to become a premier NBA franchise/head coach Charles Lee’s emphasis on defense is a solid start, now it’s time for the roster to get healthy and find continuity. Unfortunately, lack of health this season will likely prevent them from earning a play-in spot (Grant Williams tore ACL/Mark Williams still out/LaMelo Ball out at least 2 weeks with calf strain/Nick Richards & Miles Bridges have combined to miss 23 games).
Chicago Bulls
Trying to be a play-in team again just doesn’t make sense to me if you’re the Bulls. Now that DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso aren’t on the roster anymore, I think executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should just accept the reality of a rebuild (look out for Zach LaVine & Nikola Vucevic to possibly get traded).
Cleveland Cavaliers
New head coach Kenny Atkinson has helped lead the Cavs to a 18-3 start, so hopefully they can keep this jump in play going and get past the Second Round. With 4 possible All-Stars (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley) and role players getting it done at a high level, not making the Eastern Conference Finals would definitely be a disappointment for the group.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas has another solid supporting cast around Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving. New addition Klay Thompson could be that missing sharpshooter they need to win it all (99.2 PPG/31.6% 3-PT vs. the Boston Celtics in 2024 NBA Finals). However, they also have to acknowledge that their defense must improve (Boston scored over 100 points in four of the five games).
Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray’s 2023 playoff run was magnificent, but who knows if Denver ever gets that same production from him again. After losing in the Second Round last year, I think they’ve gotta win games more collectively/increase the roles of Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther. Hopefully new veteran Russell Westbrook can make a difference off the bench come playoff time.
Detroit Pistons
President of basketball operations Trajan Langdon brought in playoff experienced veterans who can still produce in Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. while head coach JB Bickerstaff has implemented his mindset of selfless basketball. With young starters like Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Jalen Duren now more mature (also keep an eye on Ausar Thompson’s growth), I wouldn’t be surprised if they sneak in as a play-in team this season.
Golden State Warriors
No more Klay Thompson means more shots for other players, but reestablishing that championship level defense will be key for Golden State. Buddy Hield making sure he keeps up his hot three-point shooting/how Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis respond to up and down minutes are extremely important as well.
Houston Rockets
Head coach Ime Udoka/veterans Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, and Steven Adams have made a tremendous impact on the group through their leadership. It doesn’t seem like Houston’s younger players care about numbers, and just want to win/reach the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers
Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals again seems like a tough task, so I think the focus for Indy should be making sure players are getting better/bringing togetherness every day. Losing early in the 2025 postseason wouldn’t seem as bad if Tyrese Haliburton returns to his All-Star form for longer stretches by the end of the year.
Los Angeles Clippers
I’d say winning a title was more of a possibility with a younger Kawhi Leonard (now 33/still hasn’t played during 2024-25) and when Paul George was there (signed with 76ers). Inefficiency from James Harden and Kawhi’s lack of health are two early warning signs from my view, but they could surprise some people if Norman Powell & Ivica Zubac continue their career-best play into the postseason.
Los Angeles Lakers
New head coach JJ Redick seems committed to getting the most out of this group. You know what you’re getting from Anthony Davis & LeBron James (both looked great during the Olympics), Austin Reaves has developed into a starter since going undrafted/rookie Dalton Knecht adds needed shooting, now it’s time for D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent, and others to play winning basketball as the supporting cast.
Memphis Grizzlies
The grit and grind mentality that Memphis lost a little bit last season is back thanks to the health of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane/multiple players stepping up like Santi Aldama, rookie Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr., Jay Huff, and more. Marcus Smart has already missed 10 games, so making sure he’s injury-free to help make a difference on both ends, especially defensively, will be huge.
Miami Heat
I thought Tyler Herro coming back as a better player following an inefficient First Round series vs. Boston last year might make a difference, but that hasn’t really translated into wins (9-9 record). Unfortunately, it just feels like Jimmy Butler will be that guy to get traded if the front office doesn’t feel like making the East or NBA Finals can happen, when in reality this roster as a whole looks worse early on except for a few players.
Milwaukee Bucks
Doc Rivers’ history of blowing 3-1 leads in the playoffs has been talked about a lot over his career, but I don’t think this roster cares about that and has goals of winning the NBA Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo does it all, Damian Lillard can do great things offensively, and Brook Lopez still protects the rim very well for his age, so I’ll be focused on Khris Middleton’s health, perimeter defense, and bench play for the Bucks all year.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Julius Randle may not match Karl-Anthony Towns efficiency, but is still a 20 plus PPG scorer and a better passer, so hopefully he can focus on being a playmaker at the highest level for this Timberwolves group while Anthony Edwards leads the way. Defensive-minded Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels not being known as scorers/veteran Mike Conley Jr. averaging a career-low 8.5 PPG means that their bench has to provide a scoring punch.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans made a move for Dejounte Murray over the summer, and now after a horrible start mainly due to injuries, it’s definitely time for more trades. It’s no secret that they’ve been trying to move on from Brandon Ingram, but I think trading Zion Williamson becomes more of a reality by the day as he keeps missing games every year. Unfortunately for the Pelicans’ front office, I’d imagine getting the value you want back from dealing both of those guys isn’t the best right now.
New York Knicks
Adding Karl-Anthony Towns & Mikal Bridges to a roster of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, and Precious Achiuwa means that it’s time to start thinking about getting back to the NBA Finals (last appearance was in 1999). They have what it takes on both ends if those players live up to what they’re capable of, so these next 3-5 years are super important for the franchise.
Oklahoma City Thunder
With the additions of Alex Caruso & Isaiah Hartenstein to this already very talented roster, the ingredients are there for a deep playoff run. I trust Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Lu Dort as starters on both ends, so my biggest questions are if Chet can stay healthy, who that solidified 5th starter will be, and how their bench responds in the postseason.
Orlando Magic
Not only has Franz Wagner stepped up without Paolo Banchero (suffered a torn right oblique in late October), but so has the entire Magic roster. The group’s defensive intensity and selfless mindset continues to impress, as new veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has fit right in from those standpoints. Getting past the First Round would certainly mean a lot to their building process (lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games last playoffs).
Philadelphia 76ers
Tyrese Maxey is shooting a career-low 41.7% from the field, but still scoring the ball at a high level (25.9 PPG). Meanwhile Paul George & Joel Embiid have appeared in a combined 13 games. With their Big 3 out for most of this 4-14 start so far, I hope head coach Nick Nurse has figured out who deserves to be in the rotation and who doesn’t (I like what I’ve seen from rookie Jared McCain, Andre Drummond, KJ Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, and Ricky Council IV).
Phoenix Suns
The Suns hired another NBA champion head coach in Mike Budenholzer (fired Frank Vogel after just one season) and also filled their need for a true point guard by signing Tyus Jones. Offensive efficiency is there again from Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, so defense will mean everything as a whole.
Portland Trail Blazers
Two important questions for Portland I have are who will be their franchise players/how does upstairs currently view head coach Chauncey Billups? Based on their age/potential, you would probably want Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan to become those guys. As for Billups, the front office could view his tenure as him not winning enough or in a more realistic way of simply not having the rosters every year to win yet (hopefully they’re looking at it from my second point).
Sacramento Kings
Acquiring DeMar DeRozan gives the Kings an all-time great scorer, but is more offense really what they need? Defense, heavy starter minutes, and three-point shooting are definitely early areas of concern. Also keep an eye on Keegan Murray’s shooting numbers (41.5% FG/27.4% 3-PT so far) and how much of an impact rookie Devin Carter will make once he’s ready to play.
San Antonio Spurs
Witb veterans Chris Paul & Harrison Barnes joining the team/their younger players more experienced, making the play-in or just missing a top 10 seed has to be a goal now. The health of Devin Vassell & Jeremy Sochan/how much small forward Julian Champagnie and rookie Stephon Castle can develop will determine quite a bit for this Victor Wembanyama led team.
Toronto Raptors
For a young group trying to build, the combination of head coach Darko Rajakovic and a super competitive roster is fitting nicely. A lot of the roster isn’t old at all, but have played in many NBA games, which has done wonders for the group as far as leadership/teaching goes. The individual progression of RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick, and Ochai Agbaji has been great to see so far.
Utah Jazz
Lauri Markkanen & Walker Kessler might be the only players this Jazz organization feels good about going forward at the moment. Veterans like John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson are solid, but don’t seem to be a part of this team’s future. None of their rookies or sophomores have shown that they’re players you can trust to build with (Keyonte George looked exciting last year, but has been less efficient/turning the ball over more this season).
Washington Wizards
The growth of Jordan Poole & Bilal Coulibaly has proved that head coach Brian Keefe can develop young players, so it’s now time for the same with rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George. Obviously winning a lot of games this season isn’t realistic, but losing almost every game by double digits like they have so far can’t continue as the season goes on. Look out for veterans Kyle Kuzma, Jonas Valanciunas, and Malcolm Brogdon to possibly get traded as the losses pile up.
