Will the Nuggets go back-to-back?

By James Constan

The 2023-24 NBA season is finally upon us after an offseason that shook up the league. The Celtics, fresh off a loss in the ECF, acquired Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis while losing Marcus Smart in the process. The Bucks added Damien Lillard, a superstar to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Warriors traded for Chris Paul, sending Jordan Poole to the Wizards. With the first pick in the NBA draft, the Spurs selected the highly touted Victor Wembanyama, a rookie sure to make a difference right out of the gate. The Phoenix Suns added Bradley Beal to their roster, fitting him in with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

So how will these moves affect the NBA season? We’ll separate the league into 5 categories, pick two conference winners and preview a potential NBA finals matchup.

Category 5: Far from contending

30. Charlotte Hornets (22-60, miss playoffs)

The Hornets are a young team surrounded by controversy lacking a solid defensive ideology. The Hornets selected Brandon Miller with the #2 pick in the draft, and Charlotte will rely on him to provide consistent scoring next to Lamelo Ball.

29. Portland Trail Blazers (25-57, miss playoffs)

The Trail Blazers sent Damien Lillard to the Bucks, receiving Jrue Holiday and future picks. The Trail Blazers then flipped Holiday to the Celtics, receiving another impressive package of players and picks. The Trail Blazers have an extremely young team with a bright future ahead of them, but will have little success in the short term.

28. Washington Wizards (26-56, miss playoffs)

The Wizards traded away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, dumping salary cap and gaining picks and players in the process. The Wizards are officially in tank mode, though with Jordan Poole at the helm the Wizards could be a fun team to watch.

27. Detroit Pistons (28-54, miss playoffs)

Detroit lost their star player, Cade Cunningham, less than half of the way through last season. Cunningham’s health will be a key factor for the Pistons’ success this season along with the play of rookie Ausar Thompson.

26. San Antonio Spurs (29-53, miss playoffs)

In Victor Wembenyama, the Spurs drafted a 7 foot 4 center with the playmaking ability of a point guard and the versatility to block shots and stretch the floor. While the expectations for Wembanyama will be lofty, the Spurs lack depth and shooting and will struggle to keep up with the high-powered offenses that dominate the NBA.

25. Houston Rockets (30-52, miss playoffs)

The Rockets made a splash this offseason. They signed Ime Udoka as their new coach, added Fred VanVleet to bolster their back court, and drafted Amen Thompson out of OTE. The Rockets will be relying on big improvements from their young players, including Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Defense will be the biggest priority for Udoka to attend to, as the Rockets checked in as one of the worst defensive units in the league last season.

Category 4: Could sneak into the playoffs

24. Utah Jazz (32-50, miss playoffs)

The Jazz shocked the league last year, winning 49 games en route to the 5th seed in the west. The Jazz let go of Rudy Gay and acquired John Collins, but didn’t make any other noteworthy moves. This Jazz team lacks talent in a very competitive Western Conference, but a play-in berth is not completely out of the question.

23. Chicago Bulls (33-49, miss playoffs)

Demar DeRozan and Zach Lavine will lead the Bulls again this season, a team seriously lacking an identity. The Bulls don’t seem to be tanking, adding veteran free agents Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig. However, the Bulls also lack the depth and shooting to be a serious contender in the East, leaving them in a state of mediocrity.

22. Brooklyn Nets (34-48, miss playoffs)

Mikal Bridges, acquired last season in Brooklyn’s trade to Phoenix, will lead the Nets this season along with Ben Simmons. The Nets had a pretty lackluster offseason and will be relying on their young players such as Cam Thomas and Nick Claxton to take on larger roles this year.

21. Toronto Raptors (37-45, lose in play-in)

The Raptors lost Fred VanVleet in free agency and made only one meaningful move, re-signing Jakob Poetl. Poetl will form a formidable backcourt with Pascal Siakem, but lackluster guard play will limit their success.

20 . Indiana Pacers (38-44, lose in play-in)

Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner will be good enough to save the Pacers from a complete disaster of a season. In the offseason, the Pacers were part of a 4 team trade that led them to acquire Serge Ibaka and George Hill. The Pacers also added Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin, but they still lack another star and bench shooters.

Category 3: Solid playoff contenders

19 . Oklahoma City Thunder (41-41, miss playoffs)

In a stacked Western Conference, playoff and play-in spots will be hard to come by, leaving teams like the Thunder just on the cusp of the postseason. The Thunder will be bolstered by the return of Chet Holmgren, and have attained solid depth through the addition of Davis Bertans and Victor Oladipo.

18. Orlando Magic (41-41, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

This year, the Orlando Magic have a great chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Magic signed Joe Ingles and had two first-round picks, selecting Anthony Black and Jett Howard. The Magic’s success will be centered around these two rookies as well as budding superstars Paolo Blanchero and Franz Wagner.

17. New Orleans Pelicans (42-40, lose in play-in)

The Pelicans’ season will rely entirely on the health of Zion Williamson. In December of last year, the healthy Pelicans commanded the number one seed in the Western Conference. However, Williamson went down with a hamstring injury and the Pelicans sputtered to a 42-40 record before winning in the play-in and losing to the Suns in six games.

16. Miami Heat (44-38, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The Heat are known as a post-season team, sleepwalking through the regular season in wait for the playoffs. This strategy has worked well for them in the past, starting in the play-in before making it to the NBA finals just last year. However, the Heat, after missing out on Damien Lillard, lack the firepower to keep up with the re-tooled Bucks and Celtics and will not be able to enjoy the same postseason success.

15. Minnesota Timberwolves (44-38, lose in play-in)

The Timberwolves boast an impressive big three of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl Anthony-Towns. Edwards is primed for a breakout season and a dark horse MVP campaign, but the rest of the team lacks shooting and defense and won’t provide sufficient production to compliment their star players.

14. Atlanta Hawks (44-38, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The high-powered scoring duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray will be enough to push the Hawks into the playoffs, but they lack a defense capable of competing with the powerhouses in the east. The Hawks most notable move was trading away John Collins to acquire 37 year-old Rudy Gay, a puzzling move by GM Landry Fields.

13. Sacramento Kings (45-37, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The Kings took the league by storm last year, but their 55 win campaign came to an unfortunate end at the hands of the Warriors in the first round. The Kings will look to build on this success by winning a playoff series this year, but a lack of offseason moves (Chris Duarte being the most notable signing) will curb their success.

12. New York Knicks (45-37, lose in R2 of the playoffs)

After a down year in 2023, Julius Randle will look to regain his stellar form from 2022 and lead the Knicks past the second round for the first time since 2000. The Knicks signed Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart to form an impressive backcourt around Jalen Brunson. However, these were the only transactions to note for the Knicks this off-season, and they still lack the depth needed to make a long postseason run.

Category 2: Top-tier contenders

11. Los Angeles Clippers (46-36, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

A fully healthy Clippers team is a juggernaut, mixing a dangerous offense with a shutdown defense. However, ever since Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have teamed up in Los Angeles, the two have not been able to consistently stay on the court together. The Clippers have all the right pieces allowing them to contend in the West, so bringing a healthy team into the playoffs will be their top priority.

10. Memphis Grizzlies (47-35, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The Grizzlies will be without high-flying point guard Ja Morant for the first 25 games, and newly acquired Marcus Smart will try to fill his role. Smart and Morant will form a dynamic backcourt with a mix of offensive and defensive prowess. The Grizzlies success will also be reliant on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr..

9. Golden State Warriors (48-34, lose in R2 of the playoffs)

As long as the Warriors still have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, they’ll be a threat to win in the playoffs. The Warriors acquired Chris Paul from the Wizards, as well as adding Cory Joseph and Dario Šarić in free agency. These additions will improve bench scoring, but the heavily scrutinized Klay Thompson will have to return to all-star form if the Warriors hope for another deep playoff run.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The Cavs bolstered their depth in the offseason, adding Ty Jerome, Georgies Niang, and Max Strus. These new additions will help take some of the scoring load off star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Jarrett Allen. Playing alongside Mitchell and Allen, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland help the Cavs create a stingy defense that will be key to their success in the East.

7. Philadelphia 76ers (49-33, lose in R2 of the playoffs)

Amidst offseason controversy between star PG James Harden and the GM Daryl Morey, the 76ers future is still up in the air. If Harden does play, he joins a team that added Patrick Beverly, Mohamed Bamba, and Kelly Oubre Jr in free agency. It remains to be seen whether this rift will be repairable, but a Harden and Joel Embiid led 76ers would form a solid contender in the East.

6. Dallas Mavericks (49-33, lose in R1 of the playoffs)

The addition of Grant Williams filled a much-needed hole for the Mavs, a wing that could shoot the three and space the floor for Kyrie Irivng and Luka Doncic. However, the Mavericks still lack the center play capable of defending the NBA’s best, such as Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. The Mavs have a good chance to boast the league’s highest scoring offense, but will likely need to add a center at the trade deadline to improve their defense and give them a real shot at winning the West.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (50-32, lose in R2 of the playoffs)

The additions of Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent should add some much-needed bench scoring for the Lakers. However, the Lakers also made some puzzling moves like giving underwhelming PG D’angelo Russell a 36 million dollar contract. Still, as long as Anthony Davis and Lebron James are healthy, the Lakers can match up with anyone in the league.

Category 1: Title favorites

4. Phoenix Suns (51-31, lose in WCF)

The Suns went out and made a splash in the offseason, trading away Chris Paul and adding star guard Bradley Beal. Beal will form a lethal scoring trio with sharpshooters Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Durant, Booker, and Beal will be enough to turn this Suns team into a powerhouse, but to win the championship the Suns will need strong center play capable of slowing down Nikola Jokic. It is unclear where that center play will come from, as the Suns traded away Deandre Ayton to Portland. The main candidate to fill this vacancy at center will be newly acquired Jusuf Nurkic.

3. Denver Nuggets (52-30), advance to NBA Finals)

Looking to become the first repeat NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets had a rather lackluster offseason, losing Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and Thomas Bryant. Despite these losses, the Nuggets were still able to hold onto their entire starting lineup, putting them in prime position to make another deep run into the finals. No one could guard Nikola Jokic last year, and if that stays true this year beating the Nuggets in a seven game series will be a hard if not nearly impossible task.

2. Milwaukee Bucks (54-28, lose in ECF)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damien Lillard will form the best superstar duo in the league this year. The Bucks were also able to keep Khris Middleton in the transaction that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland, a solid third piece for Milwaukee. A Bucks-Celtics ECF seems inevitable, and the matchup could easily go either way. However, if the Bucks, anchored by Brook Lopez, are able to pair a dominant defense with their potent offense, the rest of the league will be at their mercy.

1. Boston Celtics (56-26, advance to NBA Finals)

Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristpas Porzingis form the most complete starting five in the NBA this season. Holiday and White will form one of the league’s best defensive backcourts, and the newly-acquired Porzingis will be blocking shots underneath. After getting the biggest contract in the history of the NBA, the Celtics will look for Brown to make the jump from star to superstar, solidifying himself as a top 15 player in the NBA. Tatum will look to build on his already stellar NBA career by putting his name into MVP conversations, and the Celtics as a whole will look to capture that elusive 18th championship.

Predicted Playoff Bracket

NBA Finals Preview

#1 seed Celtics vs #1 seed Nuggets

Unfortunately for the Celtics, they have started to build a reputation of a dominant regular season team who can’t seem to put the pieces together in the postseason. Tatum and Brown have appeared in the playoffs every year that they have played together, frequently as a top-two seed in the East. However, these appearances have only mounted to one Finals berth and zero NBA championships. GM Brad Stevens tried to fight this trend in the offseason, breaking up the beloved trio of Brown, Tatum, and Marcus Smart in hopes of a new-look team in Boston. The additions of Porzingis and Holiday will be key to the Celtics finally getting over the hump this season, and Porzingis’s health down the stretch will be key to the Celtics limiting Nikola Jokic’s dominance.

The Nuggets, vying for back-to-back titles, match up extremely well with the Celtics. Jamal Murray will be able to utilize his explosive first step and extremely accurate three-point shot to give Jrue Holiday fits. Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon are lengthy wings who will be able to stop Brown and Tatum from getting to the rim at will. Kristaps Porzingis will have the task of guarding Nikola Jokic, and although he has the height advantage on the Joker, Jokic is the far superior passer and playmaker with footwork and vision capable of making Porzingis’s head spin.

The Celtics, after losing to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals will be determined to avenge their loss. However, Jokic might simply be too much for the Celtics to handle. In what would be second-year head coach Joe Mazzulla’s first NBA finals appearance, the task of slowing down one of the most dominant centers in NBA history will be daunting. Unless Tatum and Brown can both take a step up from their normal regular season play (instead of their usual step down) the Nuggets, with a stifling defense and fluid offense, will overpower and outlast the Celtics.

Official Prediction: Nuggets over Celtics in seven games