The Top Ten Storylines Heading Into the NBA Season

The NBA season officially tips off today with the Pistons hosting the Celtics, the Knicks hosting the 76ers, and the Spurs hosting the Thunder. The NBA is my favorite professional sports league to follow, and I am excited to see it continue to grow and attract more fans. A new season brings plenty of storylines and reasons to watch, so today I’m breaking down my top ten storylines for the upcoming season to get you excited and catch you up on anything you have missed.

Number 10: How will new rule changes affect the game?

As the league has evolved in the past few decades, it has become easier and easier for offensive players to score the basketball. Not only is the overall talent in the league greater than it has ever been, but the officiating has continued to make it easier for players to score. On-ball defenders have been limited in their physicality, while the offense has been seemingly free to initiate contact on their own and get rewarded for it. This season, the NBA released a few points of emphasis for their officials that could potentially help this issue. Offensive fouls will be called on players who are deemed to use “deliberate forceful contact” to create separation from their defenders. Officials will also be looking out for flopping and will be able to issue technical fouls to crack down on this. Although these calls are subjective and could be slightly inconsistent between officials, these points of emphasis should help to limit the advantage that offensive players have enjoyed in the modern NBA. I will be curious to see which superstars are most affected by these rule changes and whether we could see a slight dip in scoring at the beginning of the season as teams adjust to how the officials are calling the games.

Number 9: SGA and the Thunder try to reclaim the throne

Just one year ago, many expected the Thunder were going to win their second straight championship. The Thunder cruised their way to the number 1 seed in the West and the Western Conference Finals, where they faced an up-and-coming Spurs team, led by Victor Wembanyama. After an epic series, the Thunder would fall short at home in Game 7, sending them home earlier than expected. The Thunder were plagued by a few key injuries in the playoffs, with Ajay Mitchell sidelined and Jalen Williams playing through an injury in the Western Conference Finals. The ensuing offseason was fairly busy for Oklahoma City. They moved on from a few key role players and replaced them with some rookies, including Aday Mara from Michigan and Bennet Stirtz from Iowa. Nevertheless, the Thunder are entering the new season with championship aspirations again, and are the favorites to get the job done. The main reason for this is their star player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is coming off back-to-back MVPs and will be looking to become the 4th player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVPs, joining Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. With SGA looking to make history and the team fully healthy, we will see whether the Thunder can reclaim their place at the top of the NBA and bring home a second championship in three years.

Number 8: Giannis Antetokounmpo takes his talents to South Beach

The drama of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future has finally come to an end. After a few years of trade speculation, the two-time MVP has secured a move away from Milwaukee. Although Giannis publicly stated his desire to win another championship with the Bucks, the team was not good enough to compete, and a trade was in both parties’ best interests. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have long waited to land another superstar and have been linked to Giannis for multiple years now. The Heat completed the trade with the Bucks this summer, and had to give up a lot of valuable assets in exchange for the Greek superstar. With this move, Miami becomes another contender in a deep Eastern Conference that is hoping to make the NBA Finals. For this trade to be a success, Giannis will have to overcome the injury struggles that have hampered him in the past couple of seasons. A healthy Giannis is a top five player in the NBA, capable of leading a team to a championship, as he showed in 2021 with Milwaukee. It will be fascinating to see if Giannis can return to this form, and how dangerous the Miami Heat will be within the Eastern Conference.

Number 7: LaMelo + Ant, the most fun duo in the league?

Another interesting offseason move was the Timberwolves trading for LaMelo Ball. Ball was the third overall pick in 2020, the same draft that the Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards. Ball and Edwards are two of the most exciting guards to watch in the NBA, and have already provided us with many highlight plays so far in their careers. The fact that these two players are now on the same team is very intriguing, and when both of them are healthy, expect to see a lot of crazy plays and moments you weren’t anticipating. Whether or not this exciting style will translate to winning is another story. The Timberwolves have enjoyed a good amount of playoff success with Anthony Edwards, making the Western Conference Finals in 2 out of the last 3 seasons. However, questions have been asked about LaMelo Ball in his career about whether his electric style of play can be converted into winning. I have fairly high hopes for Minnesota this season, and even if they don’t have playoff success, I expect them to be a joy to watch, especially because of the star backcourt they have formed.

Number 6: A handful of returning stars

The main star whose return people are focusing on is Tyrese Haliburton, and for good reason. Haliburton returned from a 472-day absence in his first preseason game this year, following a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the 2024 NBA Finals. In the 2024 playoffs, Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers on a magical run, hitting countless clutch shots. He even hit three 3-pointers in the first seven minutes in Game 7 of the Finals, before getting hurt. He returns to a revamped Pacers team, who are looking to reestablish themselves as a real contender in the Eastern Conference. Haliburton is not the only star returning from injury this year, however. Kyrie Irving is coming back from a long absence and will pair up with Cooper Flagg in Dallas. Damian Lillard is making his Trail Blazers homecoming after missing a full year with an injury. Walker Kessler was the Lakers’ big addition in the offseason, and will make his debut after only playing six games last year. Several other NBA players are also making returns from injury this season, either at the start of the year or partway through. The storyline of these returning players is something to monitor this season, and I am very excited to get to watch these guys in action again after their time out.

Number 5: Can the Knicks repeat?

The New York Knicks are the reigning NBA champions, having ended the 53-year-long drought that has plagued generations of fans. The Knicks’ Finals run was a massive cultural moment in the city of New York, with the team becoming somewhat of an icon. Star player Jalen Brunson even hosted Saturday Night Live, with help from a few of his teammates. The Knicks brought back most of their roster in pursuit of a second straight championship, including their entire starting five. The concerns for the Knicks this season are a slightly weaker bench and the contract disputes between the team and Karl-Anthony Towns. In a much stronger Eastern Conference, the Knicks are still favorites to reach the Finals, but they will face a lot more obstacles on the way. Being the defending champions isn’t easy either. The Knicks now have a big target on their back, and opponents will be even more focused when playing them. Last season, the Knicks had an impressive 30-10 record at home, a number that could also regress this season. Overall, the Knicks are still the deserving favorites in the Eastern Conference, but they have a few more challenges they will have to overcome this year.

Number 4: Tanking is gone…

The NBA introduced a rule change this offseason that will fundamentally change team strategy throughout the year. Before this change, NBA teams were intentionally losing games to increase their odds at landing a top draft pick. The NBA knew that this “tanking” problem was hurting the quality of the league, and therefore they made a change. Starting this season, the bottom three teams in the league standings at the end of the year will get a penalty in the draft lottery odds. This means that teams will have an incentive to win games at the end of the year to get out of the bottom three. This change will truly be felt late in the season, when in previous years, it would be hard to watch. Many games became difficult to watch when both teams had the same interest in the outcome. Although this change is controversial because the worst teams will get penalized, it could make the NBA more exciting to watch late in the regular season, something I think we would all be grateful for.

Number 3: The best rookie class of all time?

It’s a widely held belief that this incoming rookie class is one of the best we have ever seen. This was evident during last year’s college basketball season, which in my opinion, was one of the best of all time. This draft class was highlighted by 4 prospects, all of whom are projected to be future superstars. AJ Dybantsa was drafted #1 overall by the Wizards, followed by Darryn Peterson to the Jazz, Cam Boozer to the Grizzlies, and Caleb Wilson to the Bulls. Not only does this draft class feature some of the best top-end talent in recent history, but it is also thought to be one of the deepest drafts ever. Darius Acuff was drafted #7 by the Sacramento Kings and is already being hailed as the franchise’s potential savior. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, both from the University of Michigan, already look ready to contribute to teams with high expectations this season. There are many more rookies that I could highlight, proving how deep this draft class is. Make sure to keep track of the rookies this season, as we could be witnessing the greatest rookie class in the history of the NBA.

Number 2: Victor Wembanyama’s ascent

Victor Wembanyama was viewed as the most hyped up NBA prospect since LeBron James, and he may already be exceeding expectations. Wembanyama took a major leap last season, at the age of 22, leading the Spurs through the juggernaut of Oklahoma City to win the Western Conference. The Spurs were only projected to win around 44 games last season, but instead won 62 and reached the NBA Finals despite very little playoff experience on their roster. Much of that success was thanks to Wembanyama, who picked up Defensive Player of the Year, and finished third in MVP voting. The Frenchman is possibly the greatest defensive player in the history of the sport, with his eight-foot wingspan able to affect entire offensive possessions completely on his own. However, it was his offensive game that took a big step forward, as he started taking more shots closer to the rim, utilizing his towering frame to score in the paint. He still has a deadly three-point shot, which seems unfair for a guy his size, and is also becoming a better passer as the years go by. Wembanyama enters this season as the favorite to take home the MVP trophy, which would make him one of the youngest in NBA history. The Spurs are also one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals, just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference. Wembanyama will be 23 years old come playoff time, meaning that if the Spurs were to win the championship, he would be the youngest player considered ‘the best player on a championship team’ this century. However, I am willing to say that Wembanyama is an outlier in the history of the NBA, and I would not be surprised if he leads his team to a championship this season.

Number 1: Can LeBron James complete “The Process”

Finally, the biggest headline going into this NBA season is LeBron James. Somehow, a 41-year-old LeBron is still one of the top players in the NBA, and is joining the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and newly acquired Jaylen Brown. LeBron is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, and is looking to win his fifth championship before potentially retiring after this season. LeBron is coming off a very impressive playoff performance last season where he led the Lakers to a series win over the Rockets, despite missing Luka Doncic. LeBron is joining a Philadelphia team that hasn’t made a conference finals appearance since 2001, which is one of the longest active streaks in the NBA. The biggest question about the 76ers this season will be whether they can be healthy for the playoffs. Joel Embiid has struggled with injuries throughout his career that have often limited him come playoff time, and it’s hard to know if a then 42-year-old LeBron will be 100% come the postseason. This team could also face some early struggles as its talented roster learns to build chemistry with one another. I don’t expect the 76ers to be one of the highest seeds in the Eastern Conference, but I still expect them to be very dangerous in the postseason. If the 76ers are fully healthy, they seem to be the team most likely to challenge the Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals. The 76ers’ team success is only part of the story, however. This could potentially be LeBron James’ final season in the NBA, and could mark the end of one of the greatest careers in NBA history, if not the greatest. This will be LeBron’s 24th NBA season, and he is already the all-time leader in career points, playoff points, games played, playoff games played, All-Star selections, All-NBA selections, and many more categories. Whether or not this turns out to be LeBron’s last season, the fate of the 76ers will still be one of the biggest storylines throughout this NBA season.

What a Season It Will Be

With so many cool storylines, from new player acquisitions to rule changes, there is a lot to be excited about in the NBA. This season could be the most entertaining of all time, and I can’t wait to see how these storylines unfold over the course of this year.