The 2024-25 NBA season is almost here! The slate is officially wiped clean on Tuesday, October 22, with a number of new contenders eying the Larry O’Brien trophy. In this roundtable, Oddball’s Charlotte Wilder joins three DraftKings Network analysts to make their NBA predictions for the 2024-25 season.
Which new addition will make the biggest impact for their team?
Charlotte Wilder
Definitely Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks needed a center more than anything, and they got one of the most incredible big men in the league. He’s already out there sinking threes in preseason games!
Jeff Pratt
While I anticipate the duo of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein bolstering Oklahoma City’s defensive efforts, Karl-Anthony Towns will make a larger impact on the Knicks, simply out of necessity for front-court production. The aforementioned Hartenstein and Julius Randle are no longer there to serve as bruisers for New York, and Mitchell Robinson is set to miss at least a few months (and likely more, because the guy simply cannot stay healthy). That leaves KAT as the only true available big man — apologies to Precious Achiuwa, but he’s 6’8 — for Tom Thibodeau to utilize. Towns won’t have to be the No. 2 scoring option every night behind Jalen Brunson, but I have a feeling that’s how it will shake out more often than not. The Knicks’ season could very well ride on his ability to show up when it matters.
Julian Edlow
I’ll go a little contrarian here and say the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein for OKC. The Thunder got the top-seed in the west with tremendous young talent last season, but it wasn’t enough to even reach the conference final. All the talent is there, but adding a pair of selfless vets that are going to defend and make winning plays could be the different in sending a more matured Thunder team to the NBA Finals.
Nick Friar
There are much flashier names that moved around this offseason, but Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein were quality additions for Oklahoma City. A back-to-back NBA All-Defensive selection at guard and another rim protector? The Thunder are making all the right moves and continue to grow.
Which team will most exceed expectations?
Charlotte Wilder
I think people forget how good the Grizzlies are when Ja Morant is playing. Keep an eye on Memphis…
Jeff Pratt
I like a couple of young Texas teams this year, with the Rockets firmly on my radar of potential breakout campaigns. That said, I’m picking the Spurs here. San Antonio’s game plan this offseason was clearly to add veteran talent to supplement Victor Wembanyama, without bolstering the roster enough to create actual pressure to succeed. Gregg Popovich wants to give Wemby another year to figure things out before landing a big fish as the No. 2 option. All of that said, I think Victor and this team take the next step sooner rather than later. Chris Paul is the perfect playmaking mentor for Wembanyama — and he’ll actively feed him the ball, unlike his teammates last year — and Harrison Barnes is an established two-way presence on the wing. Meanwhile, between Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, there’s plenty of young talent to work with. I expect Wemby to take a monstrous Year 2 leap while the rest of the roster follows suit as San Antonio pushes for a playoff spot.
Julian Edlow
The public can’t stop heaping their cash onto Victor Wembanyama to win practically every award in the NBA. While they might be investing in the wrong markets, I think the Spurs have room to make a massive jump. Adding veterans in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes should really help get this team on track, already in good shape with other young stars in Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. If Wemby makes the year-two jump we think he will, this could be a playoff team despite a win total set at just 36.5.
Nick Friar
The Magic are -155 to win the Southeast Division but have longer odds than the Heat and five other teams to win the East? I’m not saying I expect them to make it to the NBA Finals, but this team is ahead of schedule. Paolo Banchero is entering his third year. He’s learned quite a bit about finding NBA success. This team won’t merely settle for a playoff berth this season.
Which team will fail to live up to the hype?
Charlotte Wilder
The Lakers — I just don’t see this being a championship roster. But, having said that, betting against LeBron James is generally a terrible plan!
Jeff Pratt
Until proven otherwise, I will continue to fade the 76ers. While I’m incredibly high on Tyrese Maxey, it’s hard to imagine him being as productive as last year with Joel Embiid holding one of the highest usage rates in the league and Paul George entering the equation. The Sixers are talented, and they added a couple of nice depth pieces this offseason, but their path to victory remains giving Embiid the ball and slowing things down in the postseason. That hasn’t worked in the past, and I don’t think it will work this year against high-caliber East squads like Boston, New York, Indiana, and possibly even Milwaukee or Cleveland.
Julian Edlow
I have a handful of considerations here. I think the Sixers and Nuggets are both solid bets to go under their win totals, but I really think the Clippers are headed in the wrong direction. Paul George and Russell Westbrook have departed, and know the core of the roster revolves around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Banking on those two to stay healthy and give their all to a roster than lost significant talent is a tall order.
Nick Friar
The Knicks (+800) having the third-shortest odds to win the NBA Finals sure is something. Karl-Anthony Towns is an improvement in talent from Julius Randle, but can he handle the bright lights of New York? Personally, I don’t think so. That may not cause New York to take a step back. The Knicks have a nice mix of talent and chemistry. But they aren’t going to take the step forward that some may expect them to after their surprise 2023-24 run and addition of KAT. (Also want to note that Sacramento and Dallas were the other teams I considered.)
Who will win MVP?
Charlotte Wilder
As a Celtics fan, I gotta go with my guy Jayson Tatum — he’ll have a big chip on his shoulder after the way people talked about him this summer when he didn’t play in the Olympics. And Joe Mazzulla loves it when his guys get disrespected. Book it.
Jeff Pratt
Records are meant to be broken. In the year following Derrick Rose’s retirement, someone will overtake him as the youngest MVP in NBA history. That man is Victor Wembanyama. The 7’4 phenom was figuring things out on the fly in his rookie campaign and still managed to average 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The league has never seen anything like Wemby, and I expect those numbers to skyrocket after a full offseason to hone his skills with a better supporting cast. The Spurs will be a playoff team, and Wembanyama will become the league’s youngest-ever MVP at 21 years old.
Julian Edlow
OKC gets the No. 1 seed again, but this time they are taken seriously as a contender. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP.
Nick Friar
Nikola Jokic (+350) is understandably the favorite. Some voters will continue to vote for him because he’s the best player on the planet right now. But, we know when others frequently come close to matching him, voters will slip. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+500) finished a distant second behind Jokic in the voting last season. But if he can maintain or elevate his play from last season — maybe throw in a helpful narrative — SGA will earn some new hardware this season.
What is your NBA Finals prediction?
Charlotte Wilder
Celtics vs. Nuggets — Celtics repeat. Had to do it to ’em!
Jeff Pratt
I’m taking the Celtics to beat the Thunder. History suggests that you need a future fringe top-10 player of all-time on your team to repeat, with the ’89 & ’90 Pistons being the most recent example of a squad doing so without meeting that qualification. As incredible as Jayson Tatum has been up to this point, it’ll be an uphill battle for him to make that case when he calls it a career. However, few teams in NBA history have been as talented top-to-bottom on both sides of the ball as Boston. While there are a few other strong contenders for the Celtics to deal with, their championship experience puts them over the top. I expect the Thunder to have an incredible season en route to a Finals appearance, but the Celtics will clinch Banner No. 19.
Julian Edlow
The Celtics might be even better than they were last season. More of their issues over the last few years have been mentality related, so we still need to see how they handle being the defending champs. But this team has had a target on its back for years. As long as the Celtics stay healthy, they are the best team by a wide margin. Boston Celtics repeat over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nick Friar
It’s hard to go against the Celtics when they won without their best player being at his best. This season will be a tougher road, with Denver poised to return to the NBA Finals, as well. But, the Celtics have an amazing mix of chemistry, combined with talent and just the right amount of motivation to repeat.
Those are Charlotte Wilder, Jeff Pratt, Julian Edlow and Nick Friar’s predictions for the 2024-25 NBA season!
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
