The Celtics are the heavy favorites to repeat as NBA champions, but behind them are some serious contenders. Here’s a look at the top five favorites to win the 2024-25 NBA championship.
A new NBA season is upon us, and a lot has transpired since the confetti fell at TD Garden following the Boston Celtics' NBA Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.
Free agency saw some familiar faces land in new places. In Paris, some of the NBA's biggest stars joined forces to earn a gold medal with the red, white and blue. Then there was a blockbuster in the Big Apple shook things up just weeks before opening night.
Who will come out on top this season? Here's a look at how each team stacks up entering the new campaign.
30. Detroit Pistons
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2023-24 record: 14-68, missed playoffs
C'mon, Cade. Get this team moving in the right direction.
29. Brooklyn Nets
2023-24 record: 32-50, missed playoffs
Life comes at you fast. The Nets went from a KD-Kyrie-Harden Big 3 to the Cam Thomas Show in a matter of years. At least they can finally look forward to a lottery.
28. Portland Trail Blazers
2023-24 record: 21-61, missed playoffs
Meet the doormat of the Western Conference.
27. Washington Wizards
2023-24 record: 15-67, missed playoffs
Alex Sarr is in the nation's capital and now gets to experience Year 2 of the Wizards' Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole experiment up close.
26. Charlotte Hornets
2023-24 record: 21-61, missed playoffs
If LaMelo Ball stays healthy, the Hornets could compete for a chance at another blowout play-in loss. At worst, it can be another lost season in Charlotte.
25. Chicago Bulls
2023-24 record: 39-43, lost in Play-In Tournament
Lonzo Ball is back! DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso are not, though. This could be the beginning of the end in Chicago.
24. Toronto Raptors
2023-24 record: 25-57, missed playoffs
The Raptors finally got their fire sale out of the way last season. Now, it's time to see which players will stick alongside Scottie Barnes moving forward.
23. Utah Jazz
2023-24 record: 31-51, missed playoffs
Are the Jazz closer to the .500 team from the first half of 2023-24 or the one that slid in the second half? Even with Will Hardy coaching this team up, it's likely the latter.
22. Atlanta Hawks
2023-24 record: 36-46, lost in Play-In Tournament
The Hawks finally split the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt and got a stroke of lottery luck, even if it was a year after the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Top pick Zaccharie Risacher adds some intrigue in Atlanta.
21. San Antonio Spurs
2023-24 record: 22-60, missed playoffs
Speaking of Wembanyama, the Spurs' prized phenom is a true one-of-one. It might take one more year before fans get to witness Playoff Wemby, though.
20. Houston Rockets
2023-24 record: 41-41, missed playoffs
The Rockets ran out of gas on their ride to a potential play-in berth last season. If Ime Udoka's squad doesn't get there this time, it could be time to package some of their young studs into a proven commodity.
19. Los Angeles Clippers
2023-24 record: 51-31, lost in first round
The Clippers are entering a new era in L.A., one that will not include Paul George. The burden will still be on the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard, who is already sidelined with a lingering knee injury, and things could go downhill in a hurry if he's not on the court sometime soon.
18. Golden State Warriors
2023-24 record: 46-36, lost in Play-In Tournament
The Warriors are another team entering 2024-25 without one of the faces of their franchise. Their other Splash Brother, Steph Curry, showed at the Olympics that he is still capable of putting a team on his back.
17. New Orleans Pelicans
2023-24 record: 49-33, lost in first round
The Pelicans can ascend to an elite ceiling in spurts. It's all about getting the pieces to fit -- and keeping Zion Williamson on the court. After a 70-game campaign in 2023-24, the NBA's most powerful highflier may have finally turned a corner.
16. Orlando Magic
2023-24 record: 47-35, lost in first round
I fully acknowledge this is too low for Orlando and could very well be the lowest the team sits in any power rankings for the foreseeable future. Paolo Banchero will be even better, as will Franz Wagner if he rediscovers his shooting stroke. The other teams ahead of them are just further along in their paths to competing for a championship.
15. Miami Heat
2023-24 record: 46-36, lost in first round
The Heat seemed bored by the regular season last year and had to settle for the No. 8 seed in the East. They will need to pick up the intensity to avoid settling for the play-in again.
14. Los Angeles Lakers
2023-24 record: 47-35, lost in first round
LeBron James and Anthony Davis proved they are still two of the best players in the world in Paris. With JJ Redick and Bronny James entering the fold, will the team be more LakeShow or sideshow?
13. Sacramento Kings
2023-24 record: 46-36, lost in Play-In Tournament
Sacramento will need DeMar DeRozan to be a difference maker to keep up out West. By putting him alongside De'Aaron Fox, the Kings now have two of the league's most reliable closers.
12. Indiana Pacers
2023-24 record: 47-35, lost in Eastern Conference finals
They may not have won a game in the series, but the shorthanded Pacers opened some eyes with their Eastern Conference finals performance last season. Unless they make major strides on defense, it's hard to see them making it quite as far in this year's playoffs.
11. Memphis Grizzlies
2023-24 record: 27-55, missed playoffs
Memphis is one of the biggest wild cards in the entire NBA. Just like Ja Morant's vertical, the Grizzlies have an incredibly high ceiling if their superstar is available. Can he recapture the magic from two seasons ago after a tumultuous 2023-24?
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
2023-24 record: 48-34, lost in second round
Donovan Mitchell may have signed an extension this summer, but Cavs' core four is once again on the clock. If Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen run into more chemistry issues, expect the same old questions after the season.
9. Phoenix Suns
2023-24 record: 49-33, lost in first round
The Suns went 26-15 last season in regular season games where Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all played. That didn't stop them from getting swept out of the playoffs, though. It's now or never for the trio to lock in.
8. Milwaukee Bucks
2023-24 record: 49-33, lost in first round
The Bucks need this to be the year that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard put it together. If not, the East could very well pass them by.
7. Philadelphia 76ers
2023-24 record: 47-35, lost in first round
Another year, another superstar teammate for Joel Embiid. Tyrese Maxey rose to that level last season, and Paul George has entered the mix. The biggest win the Sixers can get in the regular season is a healthy Embiid and George in April.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
2023-24 record: 56-26, lost in second round
The Timberwolves got a wake-up call in the Western Conference finals and answered by trading one of their best players in Karl-Anthony Towns. Anthony Edwards skyrocketed between the 2024-25 season and the Olympics, and he'll keep rising with a new supporting cast.
5. New York Knicks
2023-24 record: 50-32, lost in second round
New York decided to pass on the full "Nova Knicks" experiment and instead turned Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo into Towns. The Knicks are clearly coming for the Eastern Conference crown and are loaded enough to make a real run at it.
4. Denver Nuggets
2023-24 record: 57-25, lost in second round
The Joker's title defense turned into a Folie à Deux after the Nuggets blew a 20-point lead in a home Game 7 during the second round. This is a three-time MVP we're talking about, though, so expect Nikola Jokic to pull more greatness out of his sleeve.
3. Dallas Mavericks
2023-24 record: 50-32, lost in NBA Finals
The Mavericks dominated the team that knocked out the defending champs last season. If Luka Doncic can learn from his 2024 Finals downfall and Klay Thompson can reignite his career in a new environment, this team is poised to be the best in the West once again.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
2023-24 record: 57-25, lost in second round
OKC was ahead of schedule when it claimed the top spot in the West last season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are more experienced, while the team added even more defensive prowess with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein.
1. Boston Celtics
2023-24 record: 64-18, won NBA Finals
The 2023-24 NBA champions are taking "run it back" to a new level. With the Celtics' top nine from their dominant, title-winning season back -- and some extra motivation for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- they are the clear team to beat in the NBA.
