The NBA season is just about here, so I decided to do an article about it. Here, I’ll give my standings predictions in each conference, conference finals/NBA Finals predictions, award predictions, and some notes on each for this upcoming season, which is shaping up to be one of the more unpredictable seasons in recent memory. Here we go.
EASTERN CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS:
- Boston Celtics
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami Heat
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Atlanta Hawks
- Indiana Pacers
- Brooklyn Nets
- Toronto Raptors
- Chicago Bulls
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons
- Washington Wizards
A few notes on this: I am a big fan of Cleveland this season. Another year with Donovan Mitchell under its belt should only make this team better. Orlando is going to be the team that takes a big step forward this season for me. Paolo Banchero will take a leap after a sensational rookie season, and Franz Wagner had a great FIBA tournament this summer. I think the Bulls are easily the biggest candidate to blow things up, starting with DeMar DeRozan who is a free agent next Summer. Washington is going to be awful this year, maybe the worst team in the entire league.
WESTERN CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS:
- Phoenix Suns
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Golden State Warriors
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Sacramento Kings
- Dallas Mavericks
- New Orleans Pelicans
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz
- Houston Rockets
- Portland Trail Blazers
A few notes on this: This conference is absolutely stacked once again, and this is probably the year the West regains the better conference crown over the East. I think this is finally the year OKC takes the jump fans have been waiting for with their fun and young team. The Kings had a magical season last year but had unrepeatable durability with their most important players and role players, making them much lower this season in the standings for me. Dallas is going to struggle, their lack of depth behind Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic is very real. It feels like the Nuggets and Suns are in a tier above everyone else, but with how loaded this conference is, it’s very unpredictable. Oh, and the Spurs are going to be fun.
AWARD PREDICTIONS:
MVP: Jayson Tatum
ROY: Scoot Henderson
DPOY: Evan Mobley
6MOY: Norman Powell
COY: Mark Daigneault
MIP: Josh Giddey
A few notes on this: I might be a little biased, but the Celtics should be the best team in the NBA and Tatum will put up monster numbers yet again, making him my MVP going into the year. Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama have been dubbed the two-man race to win ROY, but don’t forget about Scoot Henderson in Portland. With all the opportunity in the world to put up numbers, I’ll go bold and say he’s the ROY. 6MOY and MIP are impossible to predict going into a season, but Powell should get around 28 minutes a night while leading the Clippers’ second unit, and Josh Giddey has star written all over him. Mark Daigneault leading a young OKC squad to the playoffs gets him my COY vote, and Evan Mobley will take another jump defensively to capture his first DPOY award.
CONFERENCE FINALS AND FINALS PREDICTION:
EAST: Celtics over Bucks
WEST: Suns over Lakers
FINALS: Celtics over Suns in 6
A few notes on this: I like the Lakers to upset Denver in the second round, setting up a KD-Lebron conference finals that NBA fans dream of, but this Suns team (if they remain healthy) is just better than everyone in the West. Celtics over Bucks would be an awesome conference finals, but I think the Celtics have a bit more firepower over the top-heavy Bucks, and Jrue Holiday would be extra motivated for that series. In the Finals, this is finally the year for Boston. The offseason moves will provide that bump needed to get over the hump, and Boston fans will be celebrating on Causeway Street in late June with Banner 18 soon to be headed to the rafters. I can’t wait for this NBA season, as a Celtics fan and as a fan of the league entirely, it should be a fantastic season all-around.