With the 2024-25 Nationwide Basketball Affiliation (NBA) season quick approaching, the NBA’s 30 groups are making closing preparations forward of what guarantees to be one of the vital aggressive seasons ever.
Right here is all it is advisable to know concerning the upcoming season:
When does the 2024-25 NBA season begin?
The brand new NBA season opens on Tuesday, October 22 with the New York Knicks visiting the defending champions the Boston Celtics, beginning at 23:30 GMT (6.30pm native time) at TD Backyard Area in Boston.
What’s the format?
- Within the common season, the 30 groups play 82 video games over a interval of seven months.
- On the finish of the season, the highest six groups from the Japanese and Western Conferences will routinely qualify for the postseason.
- The subsequent-best groups – ranked 7-10 from each conferences – will enter right into a play-in match to safe the remaining seventh and eighth postseason positions in every convention.
Who’re the favourites to win the title?
- Within the Japanese Convention, the NBA champion Boston Celtics are the consensus choose by bookmakers and league executives to once more win the convention, and are additionally the favorite staff to repeat as champions. The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are thought of by many basketball commentators to be the most important threats to Boston within the east.
- Within the Western Convention, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have the shortest odds to win the convention. Shut behind them are a number of sturdy title contenders: The Denver Nuggets, final season’s NBA runner-up Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns.
What are the important thing dates on the 2024-25 NBA schedule?
- October 22, 2024: NBA common season begins
- November 2, 2024: NBA Mexico Metropolis Sport 2024 (Miami Warmth vs Washington Wizards)
- November 12, 2024: Emirates NBA Cup (the in-season match) begins
- December 17, 2024: Emirates NBA Cup Championship
- January 23 & 25, 2025: NBA Paris Video games (San Antonio Spurs vs Indiana Pacers)
- February 6, 2025: NBA commerce deadline
- February 14-16, 2025: NBA All-Star Sport (held in San Francisco, California)
- April 13, 2025: NBA common season ends
- April 15-18: NBA Play-In Event
- April 19: NBA Playoffs start
- June: NBA Finals (precise dates TBD)
Three trending storylines to comply with this season
#1. LeBron and Bronny James: The primary father-son duo to play collectively on an NBA staff
The countdown is on for when the NBA’s main scorer of all time, LeBron James, turns into the primary participant to share the court docket together with his son.
LeBron’s staff, the Los Angeles Lakers, play their opening match of the common season on Tuesday, October 22 towards the Minnesota Timberwolves. Will this be the day when father-son historical past is made, or will it drag on effectively into the season?
#2. The race for the MVP: SGA vs Luka
The oddsmakers are predicting that Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic would be the two principal contenders for the NBA regular-season most respected participant (MVP) award.
Final season, each gamers put up outrageously spectacular numbers: SGA averaged 30.1 factors, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 75 video games; and Doncic averaged 33.9 factors, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds in 70 video games.
Including to the attractive MVP race between this pair, the 2 superstars play in the identical convention and their groups have an rising rivalry after they went six video games in a feisty, Western Convention, second-round match-up final season with Doncic’s staff prevailing.
#3. NBA groups tanking for the Cooper Flagg draft
Flagg may be essentially the most hyped small ahead rookie prospect since Lebron James was drafted approach again in 2003.
Flagg, 17, just isn’t even within the NBA but and has lately dedicated to play for US faculty powerhouse Duke College for the 2024-25 season.
However with the two.06m (six-foot, nine-inch) native of Newport, Maine thought of the consensus primary choice in subsequent yr’s draft, a number of NBA groups are anticipated to tank – a standard apply whereby already-struggling groups are incentivised to lose extra – to extend their odds of touchdown the 2025 primary draft choose.
With Flagg a possible franchise-saving star on the horizon, the 2024-25 NBA season may very well be outlined as a lot by the race to the underside of the standings, as it’s to the highest.
Which key gamers moved groups within the offseason?
#1. Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers
Lengthy thought of an archetypal small ahead in in the present day’s NBA – tall, nice shooter, and possessing sturdy passing and defensive abilities – George signed as a free agent with the 76ers within the off season after spending the final 5 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nicknamed “PG-13”, George is a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the All-NBA Staff, in addition to a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Staff.
The 34-year-old’s arrival in Philadelphia completes maybe the NBA’s most deadly “Huge Three” mixture coming into the 2024-25 season, with George becoming a member of forces with former NBA Most Useful Participant (MVP) Joel Embiid and the league’s most improved participant from final season, guard Tyrese Maxey.
#2. Karl Anthony Cities to the New York Knicks
The two.11m (6-foot, 11-inch) forward-centre was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the New York Knicks, the place he’ll hyperlink up with mercurial level guard Jaylen Brunson as one of many league’s most deadly 1-2 mixtures.
Cities, a four-time NBA All-Star, is one in all 10 gamers in NBA historical past to have averaged a minimum of 22 factors and 10 rebounds per sport over their profession (minimal of 500 complete video games).
The 28-year-old’s arrival on the well-known Knicks franchise elevates them to one of many NBA title favourites for 2024-25.
The Knicks are hoping Cities’s arrival at Madison Sq. Backyard will ship their long-suffering followers a primary NBA title since 1973.
The place did the 30 groups end final season?
NBA Standings 2023-24 (Japanese Convention) and win-loss report:
Boston Celtics 64-18
New York Knicks 50-32
Milwaukee Bucks 49-33
Cleveland Cavaliers 48-34
Orlando Magic 47-35
Indiana Pacers 47-35
Philadelphia 76ers 47-35
Miami Warmth 46-36
Chicago Bulls 39-43
Atlanta Hawks 36-46
Brooklyn Nets 32-50
Toronto Raptors 25-57
Charlotte Hornets 21-61
Washington Wizards 15-67
Detroit Pistons 14-68
NBA Standings 2023-24 (Western Convention) and win-loss report:
Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 57-25
Denver Nuggets 57-25
Minnesota Timberwolves 56-26
Los Angeles Clippers 51-31
Dallas Mavericks 50-32
Phoenix Suns 49-33
New Orleans Pelicans 49-33
Los Angeles Lakers 47-35
Sacramento Kings 46-36
Golden State Warriors 46-36
Houston Rockets 41-41
Utah Jazz 31-51
Memphis Grizzlies 27-55
San Antonio Spurs 22-60
Portland Path Blazers 21-61
Easy methods to watch the 2024-25 NBA season?
The NBA League Cross continues to supply out-of-market video games, stay entry to NBA TV, and on-demand replays of each sport. Please seek the advice of native TV guides for cable/satellite tv for pc companies in your area.
You’ll be able to comply with the motion on Al Jazeera’s devoted basketball page with all of the information and options, in addition to occasion build-up and stay textual content commentary on chosen NBA matches through the 2024-25 season.