The dust has barely settled on the Boston Celtics’ historic 18th NBA title and attention is already turning to what may or may not happen when the next campaign gets underway in fall 2024. Among a whole host of unknowns, what we do know is that the 2024-25 season promises to be another epic one.
The 2024-25 NBA regular season tips off on October 22nd with the champions hosting the Knicks, and the Timberwolves travelling to LA to face the Lakers. And with the schedule already whetting the appetites of NBA fans, it’s never too soon to start speculating about who will do what in the season. Indeed, the best betting sites are already offering up lines on a bunch of outcomes, so we’ve decided to take a deeper dive into what we can expect from another exciting season on court.
June 17th saw the Celtics clinch a record-breaking 18th NBA crown, surpassing the Lakers, who themselves equaled the Celts record back in 2020. The Celtics did it in five over the Dallas Mavericks, with Jayson Tatum starring in that final victory, and teammate Jaylen Brown named Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP. With that kind of talent on their roster, most wouldn’t bet against the team from Boston bagging a record-extending 19th title next summer. And it’s no surprise to see the franchise leading the lines among the sports betting sites. According to the experts, the team’s potential closest rivals hail from Oklahoma, with star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the main reason for that, ably supported by center-forward Chet Holmgren. Gilgeous-Alexander is, of course, a Canadian superstar, and he proved during the 2024-25 season that there is no limit to his ceiling. An elite scorer and defensive player all in one, we are sure the Ontario-born player is a future MVP.
Who else might take the Celtics’ crown? Well, vanquished finalists Dallas Mavericks might have something to say, especially with superstar Luka Doncic still spearheading the franchise. Doncic leading the team to no fewer than three victories over 50-win teams with home court advantage, all without being at his best physically, tells us all we need to know about the staying power of the Slovenian, and we are hardly alone in reckoning the Mavs will be there or thereabouts once again. Then we’re looking at the Joel Embiid-led 76ers or regular season MVP Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. As always there’s a whole host of contenders, and no team has retained the title since the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors in 2018.
Most sites have their lines set on Jokic securing another regular season MVP crown, his third in four seasons no less, but there are plenty of contenders here too, of course. And what a list of superstars it reads. Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Embiid, Giannis, Anthony Edwards, Steph, LeBron, Morant, Durant. It’s why it’s the greatest basketball league in the world.
A look at last season’s numbers is enlightening here. Jokic claimed the regular season MVP award with some serious figures, finishing first for Value Over Replacement Player (VORP), first for BPM and behind no other player in a host of other important metrics. And his baseline stats of 26.7 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 8.9 apg meant he didn’t finish far off a season average of a triple-double. Phenomenal, and it’s no surprise to see the Serb leading the lines to retain his crown, and by a long margin. Luka Doncic follows on most other lists, but Canadians will be happy to see Gilgeous-Alexander up next. The young man proved he was an MVP-level player last time around. This new campaign could just be the time he gets there.
If you wanted to take a punt on something other than outright NBA champion or Regular Season MVP, you’re in luck, as top sports betting sites offer up a ton of options. Division winners, conference winners, regular season awards such as 6th man and clutch performer, to make the playoffs, NBA Cup winners, seeds, rookie of the year – they are all there. So with time still to go before the 2024-25 regular season gets underway, the chance to debate and even wager on who you think will do what in another terrific season of NBA is already available.