With the most stacked Western Conference in recent history and heavy hitters in the East, the 2024-25 NBA season will be an exciting one. To get into the basketball spirit, here are some hot takes on the upcoming season.
Victor Wembanyama will make the All-NBA First Team
Wembanyama certainly didn’t disappoint during his rookie season. Averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and a whopping 3.6 blocks last year, he’s already proved to be worth the hype.
However, making the All-NBA First Team — in other words, being one of the top five players in the league — is nearly impossible for a player to achieve in the second year of their career. In fact, only four players in NBA history have ever made the All-NBA First Team in their second season.
Regardless, Wembanyama will prove an exception. His freak height and athleticism make him nearly unstoppable offensively, and on defense, he’s a freak of nature. In his rookie season, he already averaged the most blocks in the NBA, finished second for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was voted best defender in The Athletic’s poll of 132 NBA players.
Wembanyama’s only weakness is his frame. He doesn’t have quite enough muscle mass to be the dominant presence he needs to be in the post. However, this off-season, Wembanyama worked to address this flaw, putting on weight in preparation for this season.
He can shoot, dribble, drive, and play some of the best defense the NBA has ever seen. With the adjustments he’s made this off-season and the improvement NBA players make as they gain experience, I have Victor Wembanyama making the 2024-2025 All-NBA First Team.
The Golden State Warriors will make the Western Conference Finals
After a disappointing Warrior’s season last year, ending in a loss in the Play-In tournament to the Sacramento Kings, there’s urgency in the air to squeeze success out of Stephen Curry’s last years in the NBA.
The team experienced some significant changes in the off-season, losing Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks and Chris Paul to the San Antonio Spurs. In the wake of Thompson’s departure came the additions of elite shooter Buddy Hield and veteran role players De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson.
These changes, however, are absolutely for the better. As much as we all want to see Thompson succeed, there has been a noticeable decline in his effectiveness in recent years, going 0/10 shooting in his last game as a Warrior. In direct contrast, Hield has made the most 3-pointers in the NBA over the last five seasons, and Melton and Anderson provide solid defense, great decision-making, and quality 3-point shooting — exactly what a winning team needs.
In their first two games, the Warriors looked amazing, blowing out the Portland Trail Blazers 140-104 and the Utah Jazz 127-86.
Right now, most power rankings have the Warriors finishing this season with a mediocre record, slightly below average. However, people are quick to forget that the Warriors won the championship in 2022, and much of that core group remains intact.
The last time fans doubted Curry and his Golden State Warriors, they won it all. This team’s legitimacy has been questioned since the beginning of its dynastical run. While the era of dominant Warriors basketball is behind us, that doesn’t mean there’s no life left in them.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
