B/R Staff: 10 Storylines That Will Shape the 2024-25 NBA Season
Professional sports are the best reality shows on TV. And even if they aren't scripted quite like your favorite drama or comedy, every NBA campaign tips off with plenty of storylines. More develop over the course of the season.
Today, Bleacher Report's NBA staff is identifying or forecasting both.
From Victor Wembanyama, to stars in new places, to the tank race for Cooper Flagg and everything in between, these are the stories that will shape 2024-25.
MVP Race
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Maybe it's the rivalry between Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid. Maybe it's Jokić winning three of the last four. American-born players being shut out since 2017-18 could be a factor, too. For whatever reason, in recent seasons, the NBA's MVP debate has taken center stage early and then refused to leave till the winner is announced.
In some cases, the debate has even raged beyond the votes being tallied.
Don't expect a dramatically different or calmer approach in 2024-25, especially with the number of bona fide candidates and players putting up MVP-like numbers in today's game.
Jokić will surely be in the conversation. If Embiid is on track to exceed the minimum games threshold, he will be too. And right now, neither of them is even the betting favorite. That's Luka Dončić. Add Giannis Antetokounmpo (who started the run of international winners with his back-to-back MVPs in 2018-19 and 2019-20) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (last year's runner-up), and you already have five distinct and invested fanbases ready to throw out stats, video, insults and whatever else they think might fuel their candidate's fire.
It's going to get heated. It's going to get heated fast. And the MVP debate is going to stay hot all season (even if you think your guy is way out in front).
—Andy Bailey
Paul George in Philly
2 of 10
Joel Embiid has faced expectations for most of his career. He was the foundation of a franchise rebuild (more than once, technically). He's won an MVP. He's been teammates with several All-Stars, including Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and James Harden.
Embiid has never made it past the second round of the playoffs, but that hasn't changed the perception around his teams, at least to a dramatic degree, at the outset of each postseason. Just about every year, there's at least some expectation of a deep run.
Having said all that, the pressure on Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers has likely never been as high as it'll be for 2024-25. Embiid has a robust injury history, and he's entering his age-30 season. There's no way to know how much longer the window will be open for a team with Embiid as its best player.
And after the front office turned over the entire roster, with the exception of Tyrese Maxey, for a new supporting cast headlined by Paul George, it's hard to come up with reasonable excuses for another disappointing spring and summer.
—Andy Bailey
Nuggets' Bet on Internal Development
3 of 10
Letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk over the offseason is not, despite any framing you may see or hear, something the Denver Nuggets had to do. Yes, the second apron is punitive and restrictive. But the Nuggets have a title favorite-type of window. You maximize that at all costs, and then figure out the rest later.
Denver is instead betting on internal development extending its championship timeline. Well that, or it's simply just cheaping out.
Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther are all intriguing—even proven–enough that it's not necessarily. (Though, the Nuggets could have simply paid KCP and continued grooming the youth, but I digress.) But are any of them good enough, right now, to optimize Denver's current window? Or will they not peak for years, plural—time the Nuggets don't necessarily have with Nikola Jokić entering his 30s and Aaron Gordon one season out from free agency (player option)?
That much remains to be seen. But we'll know soon enough. Because the Nuggets have now tethered both their short- and long-term trajectories to finding out.
—Dan Favale
Who Is No. 2 out East?
4 of 10
Even with Kristaps Porziņģis unlikely to take the floor before 2025, the Boston Celtics are universally considered the toast of the Eastern Conference. After them, there is no such clarity.
Are the Philadelphia 76ers in line to take up the No. 2 mantle following the addition of Paul George and the assemblage of actual depth? Or does the health bill of Embiid and George both render them combustible?
Should we default to the New York Knicks after they bagged Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns?
Do the Milwaukee Bucks deserve the benefit of the doubt because of how dominant we know they can be with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton on the floor? Or do they still not have the depth necessary to offset the inherent fragility of an aging top of the roster?
Is this the year everything finally comes together, at both ends, for the Cleveland Cavaliers? Or are they closer to what we saw last season—an awkwardly built roster even at full strength?
And is that it on second-best-in-the-East candidates? Or can the Orlando Magic cobble together enough offense to enter the fold? And what about the fast-as-hell Indiana Pacers following a summer of talent retention? Can the Miami Heat prove everyone wrong again? Is there a universe in which the Atlanta Hawks aren't exactly the mind-meltingly middling team they've previously committed to being?
Certain folks will paint the battle for second-best in the East as a one- or two-team race. Don't fall for it. The field of possibilities is much, much wider.
—Dan Favale
Tank for Flagg
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While 20 teams play past Game 82 due to the play-in tournament, this year, some may prioritize the other direction. Those who aren't going to compete at a high level have a clear goal: chasing Cooper Flagg via the NBA draft lottery.
The Duke guard/forward is still just 17 years old, but he's super talented. Unfortunately, only one franchise will be able to draft him, and the odds for the three bottom teams are 14 percent apiece (12.5 percent for the fourth-worst). The takeaway: The losing needs to start on day one.
Last year, the Detroit Pistons won 14 games, the Washington Wizards 15 and the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers each finished at 21. Oddly, the Atlanta Hawks (36 wins) won the top pick; for everyone else, the payoff for a lost season will fall short of expectations.
—Eric Pincus
The Post-Splash Warriors
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Stephen Curry looked incredible in the final two games of the Olympics in Paris. Maybe he didn't miss Klay Thompson while playing alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant. When the season starts with the Golden State Warriors, Curry will take on the league without his Splash Brother. The Warriors are must-watch hoops, primarily because of Curry, but the duo was the best shooting backcourt in NBA history.
Now, Thompson is on the Dallas Mavericks as the Warriors chose to go in a different direction. Will Buddy Hield, one of the best shooters of his generation, easily step into Thompson's role? How will the Warriors' identity change?
While this isn't entirely new ground, as the Warriors lost Thompson for a couple of seasons with serious leg injuries, the Warriors weren't competitive over that stretch. When Thompson returned, albeit not quite at the same level, Golden State won another title.
That's not to say it wasn't time. Thompson's mobility hasn't been the same since the injuries, but watching the Warriors forge a new identity beyond the Splash Brothers will be fascinating throughout the 2024-25 season.
—Eric Pincus
Wemby Year 2
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Victor Wembanyama is the best prospect the NBA has seen since LeBron James and more than lived up to the hype as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
So, what will Year 2 look like?
The San Antonio Spurs wisely monitored Wembanyama's workload last season, limiting their star rookie to just 29.7 minutes per game. As a result, Wemby became the first player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in less than 30 minutes per game.
A leap from Wembanyama could mean his first All-Star Game, a Defensive Player of the Year trophy and even some MVP votes if the Spurs earn a spot in the West play-in tournament.
We should also see an improved all-around offensive game from the 20-year-old, as Wembanyama ended the year shooting 35.7 percent from three on 6.5 attempts per game over his final 28 contests (29.7 percent on 4.9 attempts in his first 43).
He should greatly benefit playing alongside one of the greatest point guards in history in Chris Paul, and Harrison Barnes provides Wembanyama with a proven floor-spacer at forward.
Years from now when James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and others have retired, Wembanyama will become the face of the NBA. Watching him grow in Year 2 will be a major storyline in 2024-25.
—Greg Swartz
OKC's Ascension
8 of 10
Given their absurdly deep collection of 25-and-under talent, organic growth may have been enough to get Oklahoma City over the championship hump. After all, those many up-and-comers played prominent roles in this past season's success, when the Thunder won 57 games and snagged the West's top seed.
The Thunder didn't have to look outside the organization for help this summer, in other words, yet they did it anyway. Those few taps of the fast-forward button—acquiring all-league defender Alex Caruso and signing steady (and sturdy) as a rock center Isaiah Hartenstein—could have major implications on the upcoming championship chase.
This defense was plenty stingy already, but Caruso will still improve the protection while also being far easier to integrate into the offense than the player subtracted to get him, Josh Giddey. Oklahoma City needed more size and rebounding up front, and the 7'0", 250-pound Hartenstein checks both boxes. His passing and floater touch could also perk up the pick-and-roll attack.
Now, the Thunder didn't add any stars per se, but they did find a couple of proven veterans who can star in their role. Plus, they might be in great shape on the star front anyway. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already an MVP candidate, and it's entirely reasonable to hope for (or even expect) an All-Star-level leap from either Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren.
Oklahoma City might have a team-of-tomorrow feel given the sheer number of draft picks and prospects at its disposal, but the trade for Caruso and signing of Hartenstein were very much win-right-now moves. The championship window is wide open, and the Thunder could burst through it this season.
—Greg Swartz
Anthony Edwards' Next Step
9 of 10
Down the stretch of 2023-24 and through the playoffs, the desire to anoint Anthony Edwards as "The Next Big Thing" was palpable.
Maybe the fact that no American player had finished among the top three in MVP voting since 2021 fueled part of that desire. Maybe it had more to do with Edwards himself, whose obvious talent, charisma and aesthetically arresting game deserved such breathless treatment. It's also worth noting that Edwards, despite performing at an All-NBA level while leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to one of the best seasons in franchise history, still showed obvious flaws.
Those were indications that, as good as he looked already, something even greater was ahead as he moved into his prime.
Well, we're here now. Edwards is entering his fifth season, and expectations for him couldn't be higher. If he justifies the hype, he could actually become the face of the league—and the NBA would have no problem with that, as so many of yesteryear's superstars—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant—are aging out.
That'd obviously be great news for the Wolves, but the repercussions of an Edwards ascent would extend beyond his impact on a single team.
—Grant Hughes
Grizzlies' Bounce Back
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Rather than go down the laundry list of suspensions and injuries that produced a 3-13 start last year, eliminating the Memphis Grizzlies from relevance by Thanksgiving, let's just agree they were hibernating.
Now fully recuperated, the expectation should be for the Grizzlies to emerge from last year's extended slumber and reassume their place among the West's elite. Memphis was a rising power in the two seasons prior to 2023-24, totaling 107 wins and advancing to the West semifinals in 2022.
Ja Morant enters his age-25 season ready to better the seventh- and 12th-place finishes in MVP voting he earned in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane both dramatically expanded their games with Morant out for all but nine contests last season, and those gains in playmaking and self-sufficient scoring will make Memphis' offense more dangerous than ever. If 2021-22 DPOY Marcus Smart is healthy, he'll join Jackson, the 2022-23 winner, to form what should be a surefire top-five defense.
The Grizzlies are a clear threat to displace one of the West's projected top-four playoff seeds, but they're even worse news for teams further down the ladder. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans know Memphis' return to prominence could bump one of them out of the play-in spots they had to settle for last season. The reeling LA Clippers are ripe for getting leap-frogged in the standings, and up-and-comers like the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs should fear the more established and experienced Grizzlies will keep them from realizing their own postseason dreams.
Memphis is back, potentially better than ever and a real threat to everyone in the West.
—Grant Hughes
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