NBA 23-24 Season Preview

 

Another season in the books.

I had high hopes that my Season Preview would prove accurate, with the Miami Heat grinding out their first championship of the Jimmy Butler era. But it was not to be. The Denver Nuggets are champions, a team that I said would be "inferior in the playoffs" in the preview. My Heat vs Warriors Finals prediction was 50% right, and my Luka MVP choice was not right at all. I was correct that the lauded Clippers would be devastated by injuries once again.

But the season is now officially behind us, and now it's time for a new preview - but with even less information than was available last time! Before, I wrote the piece just before the first regular season games. This time, we write just after the Finals; not even the draft has happened yet! The only significant developments since the Nuggets won have been the announcement of Ja Morant's 25-game suspension, and the Suns getting Bradley Beal. With that being said, let's dive in.

Individual Awards

MVP - Giannis Antetokounmpo 

The odds in my book are pretty even between Giannis and the Joker. I give the Greek Freak the edge because more than Nikola, he has something to prove this upcoming season. That was an embarrassing first round exit to the Heat. Antetokounmpo also probably cares about individual accolades a little more than Jokic, who doesn't care at all it seems. That may lead to him making a little more of an effort to pursue an award like this, which would be the third in his illustrious career.

Rookie of the Year - Scoot Henderson

Scoot over, Victor Wembanyama! I need at least one highly questionable pick in this preview. As great as Wemby is likely to be, 7-footers are highly injury prone. Meanwhile, the man pictured above is built like in absolute tank, has a great work ethic, and is ready to thrive in the big leagues from day one. My prediction is that Wembanyama spends significant time this season resting and injured, leading to Scoot stealing the trophy (likely with the Trail Blazers).

Coach of the Year - Darko Rajakovic

The Serbians are taking over the NBA. Enter my dark horse candidate for Coach of the year - Darko Rajakovic (get it?) Another pleasant Serbian personality poised to throttle the hopes and dreams of his opponents. I think Darko will take the Raptors back to their former glory as one of the top 5 teams in the East. He has a fascinating background - no apparent playing experience, just coaching nonstop since he was a teenager! I think he might provide an interesting and game-changing shakeup for the Raptors.

The Battle for the Title

I would say the realistic title contenders for the 23-24 season are the following teams, in no particular order:

• Miami Heat
• Denver Nuggets
• Boston Celtics
• Milwaukee Bucks
• LA Lakers
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Sacramento Kings
• Phoenix Suns
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Dallas Mavericks

Obviously not every team on that list is actually going to pan out and have a great season. But this is just a fun exercise in making our best guesses! I will narrow down my title favorites for the following teams to come out of the East and the West.

Western Conference Champs - Denver Nuggets

Scrolling through the list of teams out West, there is no team that I trust more, or that seems more reliable than Denver. I may have a recurring habit of picking the defending champs to win the West, as I did it last year and ended up wrong. But I'll do it again, with what I believe to be a much more solid and less hot-and-cold Nuggets team, compared to the 3-dependent and aging Warriors.

Eastern Conference Champs - Milwaukee Bucks

I think this season was an aberration in the Bucks' excellence, not the expectation. They have already proven they can win before, and new head coach Adrian Griffin may provide some helpful fresh perspective on how best to use possibly the best basketball player in the world to full advantage. Look for the Bucks not only to have another impressive regular season, but shine this time around in the Playoffs.

NBA Champions - Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are my pick to win it all this season. I am not a Bucks fan, but like my prediction with the Heat last season, I just think it's their time again. Antetokounmpo is just as skilled as Jokic (albeit in different ways), but plays with greater fire and passion. When his teammates are locked in and healthy, I would give the Bucks the edge. The Finals will go to 6 games, with the Bucks winning their 3rd title in franchise history.

What about the Cavs?

This has all been very fascinating, but the real question is: How will Cleveland basketball perform this season? In 22-23, as we all remember, the Cavs exceeded regular season expectations, then laid an egg against the Knicks in the first round. I think that in the long game, this is an excellent result. Guys who know what it's like to totally screw things up are going to be more motivated not to do so again. It will still be a few years before the Cavs have a shot to reach the very top, but as long as the ownership and other top brass is willing to have some patience, Cleveland has an exceptionally strong core of young men to develop into world-beating basketball players.

I think this season will be another step in that multi-year learning process. The Cavs will finish 55-27, staying a little more consistent with their performances in the regular season, taking the 3 seed in the East. They will then pull of a win in their first-round playoff series, before falling in a hard-fought second round.

Other Miscellaneous Predictions

1. LeBron will fade. It's time. Not for LeBron to retire! He still needs to follow through and play with or against his son, which would potentially be one of the coolest moments in NBA history. No, it's time for LeBron to become something he's never been in his career: a role player. Not the main guy, not the center of gravity. Just an excellent contributor. I don't know if he wants to end his career in LA, Cleveland, or elsewhere, but these last couple seasons will look very different for the man who once took 8 consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.

2. The Raptors will rise. Behind Coach of the Year Darko Rajakovic and inspired play from Pascal Siakam and others, the Raptors will break into the Top 5 of the Eastern Conference standings. This is another year where the Raptors will defy all expectations and find a way to be good again.

3. California will fall. Maybe not all of California. But I don't see the Clippers, Lakers, or Warriors being legitimate title contenders this season. The Kings might have a shot, but they still need some more time to mature and develop. The Warriors dynasty ended in the summer of 2022, I've already touched on LeBron, and I don't know when people are going to realize that the Clippers "super-team" was never going to come to fruition.

4. The Mavericks will stick together - for now. Hopefully the showrunners in Dallas realize that they have something really good happening with the Luka-Irving pairing. Hopefully Kyrie realizes it too, because he has proved that he's not afraid to up and leave a franchise. Just ask the Cavs, Celtics, and Nets. Once the Mavericks starting stringing together some wins, I can see their group figuring things out and turning in a solid season, if not a spectacular one. But everyone will be starting to get nervous about when they can get into title contention while Luka is in his prime.

Ranking - The 5 Best Players in the NBA

Reading rankings of all kinds on the internet is always fun, so I'll conclude with one of my own: the five players in the league who I believe to the best at the game called basketball. For context, the last 5 MVPs in reverse chronological order have been Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

5. Jimmy Butler - Please watch the first 3 rounds of the Playoffs this year and come back and tell me this is wrong. (I didn't watch a single game beyond some highlights, but you get the idea).

4. Luka Doncic - The guy is an absolute offensive savant, and I hope he can find a good team and win with them. "Hello, is this a 216 number? Yes, Luka is available! You can have him for free..." I can dream.

3. Joel Embiid - A deserving MVP with the complete offensive and defensive skillset, a true dominator of the game. He has just a little mental gap to close up when the lights are the brightest.

2. Nikola Jokic - This postseason proved to the world that this guy is legit - a guy I thought was just a numbers guy but not a winner until these playoffs happened. He is truly amazing to watch.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo - I really think Giannis represents such a unique and lethal combination of skills. He just keeps working on his game, and is at the point where any team with him on the roster is a threat to win it all every year, kind of like it was with LeBron for a while.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the preview! Please check back in a year from now, and we'll see how we did!