The 2024–2025 NBA season is all but underway. Like seasons past, it isn’t short of fascinating and compelling storylines that are sure to spice up what is guaranteed to be an exciting year for the world’s most popular basketball league. Aside from the games themselves, these storylines are something every NBA can look forward to as the season unfolds day after day, week after week.
These storylines, in particular, are something to watch out for this season:
1. The championship race is wide open.
The Boston Celtics arguably have an inside track to the Larry O’Brien trophy, having retained their championship core from last year for some much-needed continuity.
But contenders are out to get them, and there are a handful of NBA teams who can be considered legit title hopefuls starting with the retooled Philadelphia 76ers, the reinforced New York Knicks, and the intact Milwaukee Bucks in the East. Meanwhile, out in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso in the mix, the Dallas Mavericks, with the addition of Klay Thompson, and the Phoenix Suns, with Tyus Jones brought in to run the show, look capable of dethroning the Cs.
So, will the Celtics win back-to-back, or will another team hoist that prestigious trophy at season’s end?
2. The MVP race is just as open.
While the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic may have won a third MVP award last season, it doesn’t mean the MVP race isn’t going to be interesting this season. If anything, it might be the most compelling in recent years.
Jokic will likely be among the frontrunners once again, with fierce competition from superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (the 2018–19 and 2019–20 MVP), Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (last year’s MVP runner-up), and even Joel Embiid, the 2022–23 MVP (assuming he stays healthy).
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards (see more below) might be in contention for MVP, too, as could the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant (if he stays healthy), and Anthony Davis (assuming JJ Redick gives him a bigger role).
3. Wemby taking over the NBA is imminent.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama took the league by storm right in his rookie year last season, posting per-game norms of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
Put simply, Wemby is already a special player. But with Year 1 under his belt, an Olympic stint over with, and veteran Chris Paul coming in, Wembanyama is primed to take things up a notch this 2024–2025 season. How much better he will be is something fans will have to keep an eye on all season long.
The safe bet here is that Wemby will have a takeover tour of sorts and turn from a great player to a superstar. He might even lay claim to Face of the NBA status if things go his way.
4. Klay’s play might make or break the Mavs.
After losing to the Celtics in the NBA Finals last season, the Dallas Mavericks retooled, bringing in Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes for added depth and playmaking.
But the Mavs’ biggest and splashiest addition is one-half of the famed Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson. The four-time champ, though, has looked nothing like his prime Splash Bro self, shooting under 40% from downtown for only the second time in his illustrious career and looking a step or two slower on defense. And for a team with title aspirations, the Mavs will need more from their prized acquisition.
In other words, Thompson’s play might determine how the Mavs’ season will play out. If he can be vintage Splash Bro, a title might be within reach; otherwise, Dallas might be staring at heartbreak.
5. LeBron and Bronny’s father-and-son act continues.
LeBron James and Bronny James made history in the preseason when they became the first father-and-son duo to play in an official NBA game in a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
They will make things officially official during the regular season as the first father-son combo to play in a game that actually counts. And, for sure, prying eyes will be on this father-and-son duo, mostly because of the novelty of it all and because Daddy Dear is, well, the self-proclaimed King himself.
The Lakers are touting Bronny as a possible defensive specialist, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will actually play meaningful minutes alongside his father.
6. Splash Brothers 2.0 all set for the Warriors.
The Splash Brothers of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry helped bring four titles to the Bay Area, but that era ended for the Golden State Warriors when Thompson signed with the Mavs.
The Warriors, though, got themselves another shooter in Buddy Hield, a career 40% shooter from Longball with 1,924 treys made. Granted, Hield isn’t the player prime Thompson was, but he is nonetheless a lockdown shooter and has fit right in with the Dubs, making over three triples a game in for them in the preseason.
A Curry-Hield backcourt might well turn out to be Splash Brothers 2.0, but less prolific and with less defensive chops than the original. Warriors fans might just take it, though.
7. Anthony Edwards could leapfrog to superstardom.
Edwards is arguably one of the top shooting guards today in the NBA. The next leap for the high-flyer is to become one of the league’s very best regardless of position.
After averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season, Edwards is primed for even greater things moving forward, especially after a stint for USA basketball in the Olympics. Minnesota, not to mention, has seemingly hedged its future on the 23-year-old two-guard, trading away longtime franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Edwards will now be the Timberwolves’ unquestioned leading man, and it will be interesting to see what he has in store for the rest of the league.
