As the winter season approaches, it’s finally time to light it up on the hardwood once again for the 2024/25 NBA season. The sport’s biggest stars coming back for all the latest and greatest dunks, slams, blocks and shots; rookies aching for their professional debut and rivalries fueling up once more to the intense roar of die-hard fans in those stands. A league like no other, this is the NBA.
The NBA season kicked off on October 22 for its 79th annual season of professional basketball and, at first glance, this could be one of the most entertaining seasons the league has had. Current stars are going head-to-head against the fierce competition of NBA veterans and rising stars, bringing the tension higher and higher. The pressure is definitely on for some teams this year, as well as the pressure on some of the top players to perform at their highest level.
Out of both conferences are teams such as the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and the 2024 reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. These are a handful of the teams that are absolutely loaded with talent after the recent offseason acquisitions. This, however, puts all the pressure on their backs to perform well.
The Knicks just traded for Minnesota big-man, Karl-Anthony Towns, this past offseason, having to let go of NYC star, Julius Randle, after just five seasons with the team. They also traded break-out star Donte DiVincenzo after just one season in the Big Apple. Having such a large and dynamic center for their team is just what the Knicks were shopping for, for years. Of course, this came at the cost of breaking apart the “Nova” Knicks type roster after sending DiVincenzo to Minnesota.
Another team that will be taking on immense pressure this season is the Milwaukee Bucks. Having the dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, it is expected that the Bucks start making waves in the league very quickly. The opposite of that happened last season when Milwaukee went down in the first round of the playoffs to Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
A team that has faced repeated challenges in recent seasons is the San Antonio Spurs. In terms of “star-power,” there isn’t much to work with; however, 2023 NBA Draft first-overall pick, Victor Wembanyama has had the “star player” label slapped on since last season. The 7 foot 5 inches prodigy has now been partnered with NBA veteran, Chris Paul. With such large size and shooting ability coming from Wembanyama, and the NBA experience and passing ability that comes with Chris Paul, the Spurs are now serious contenders to be a very good team this season. The adversity runs strong in San Antonio and the pressure is only increasing as the season starts.
Who can forget the 2024 NBA World Championship winners, the Boston Celtics. Led by 5-time NBA All-Star, Jayson Tatum, and three-time NBA All-Star, Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have been burdened with serious tension, and being crowned NBA champs will only add fuel to that fire. Despite having their playoff run labeled as a “Mickey Mouse” run, they still are faced with intense pressure come this season.
From reigning champions, to top-notch teams, to the unfortunate that rest at the bottom of the standings, all can change this season. As the season gets started, expect the obvious, but keep a sharp eye on the teams that are rising and the teams that are on a sharp decline, no matter how they are projected to end up this season. This is the NBA: a game with stars, legends, kings, dark-horses, heroes and villains.
