Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images With the 2024-25 NBA season upon us, it’s time to place teams into tiers. After long four months, the NBA is back! In order to prepare for the inevitable drama and shenanigans that will ensure, it’s time to place teams into tiers. As usual, these are guaranteed, fool-proof predictions - as long as we don’t revisit them at year end. Without further ado, let’s start out west. Note: teams within each tier are placed in alphabetical order and not ranked. The favorite Oklahoma City Thunder How much will Isaiah Hartenstein change OKC’s offensive identity? OKC’s biggest issue last year was their lack of rebounding, especially on the offensive end. The addition of Hartenstein solves that problem, but his lack of shooting will now force the Thunder to change their offensive identity since they can no longer play five-out. Surprisingly, iHart actually shot 22/67 (32.8%) from deep between 2021-2023, so perhaps Mark Daigneault will empower him to bomb away. Regardless, Hartenstein’s rebounding and passing will still bring a new dimension to OKC’s offense, but it remains to be seen if their new versatility can make up for an attack that was bogged down during their second round loss to Dallas. Legitimate contenders Dallas Mavericks Can Derrick Lively III provide any spacing? Following a sensational rookie campaign, shooting now seems to be Lively’s next main focus. It’s unprecedented for a non-shooting big to become a threat from deep over the course of just one offseason, but perhaps we could see him attempt more mid-rangers this year. Such a scenario can make the Luka-Lively pick and roll even more dangerous, and the Mavs would be in a better position to content both this season and for years to come. Denver Nuggets How much can the young guns contribute? Christian Braun made a surprising 38.4% of his threes last year, but on just two attempts a game - less than half compared to KCP’s volume. If he struggles in a starting role, players such as Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, and Peyton Watson could get more looks, but none of them are deadeye shooters from deep. For a team that was last in 3-point attempts last year, the Nuggets will need at least one of their young guns to make a leap if they hope to make another deep playoff run. Minnesota Timberwolves Can Jaden McDaniels take an offensive leap? With an offense that looks clunky at the best of times, Minnesota’s attack could get even more bogged down this year following the KAT trade. Donte DiVincenzo will provide a nice boost off the bench, but Jaden McDaniels needs to be the one who takes a leap if the Wolves hope to have a real title shot. Any improvement to his shooting and/or off the dribble game will open up more room for Ant to operate, or else opposing teams will continue to clog the lane due to the presence of Gobert and Randle. Playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies How big of an impact can Zach Edey make? Due to the departure of Steven Adams, Memphis will now lean on Zach Edey to grab offensive rebounds and protect the rim on defense. That’s a lot to ask a rookie big who possesses a throwback game, though it’s hard to ignore Edey’s impressive preseason. If he manages to exceed expectations, the Grizzlies have a good chance of regaining their status as a regular season machine and emerge as OKC’s biggest threat in the conference - assuming their medical report doesn’t look like the end credits of a movie again. New Orleans Pelicans Who the heck plays center? The Pelicans somehow still haven’t been able to acquire a starting center even with a deep roster and a prime trade chip in Brandon Ingram. Zion is strong enough to do it, but his knees will collapse under the constant banging against behemoths - and his own weight. Luckily for him, Herb Jones is the rumored starting 5, although the team will likely opt for a center by committee approach given Jones’ slim frame. Something will give eventually, so enjoy this unintentional small ball experiment while it lasts. Phoenix Suns Can Mike Budenholzer propel them to a top four seed? Every year, a surprise team supplants an expected contender as a top seed, and the Suns seem best positioned to do that this season. Phoenix managed to win 49 games last year amid turmoil, and their offense already looks much better under Mike Budenholzer. Given Bud’s history of coaching regular season machines, it’s very possible for Phoenix to grab a top seed in the West and thus play a weaker opponent in round one. Frisky play-in teams Golden State Warriors What does the rotation look like? Despite the lack of top talent outside of the forever-beautiful Wardell Curry, this team is deep. That’s not always a good thing, though, since the abundance of options could lead to an unhappy locker room and overthinking from the coaching staff. Outside of Steph and Draymond, the other three starting spots are all up for grabs. Does Wiggins and Kuminga both get the nod despite their odd fit? And who gets the call at center? If Steve Kerr takes too long to figure this out, Golden State will be a play-in team at best. Houston Rockets What version of Jalen Green shows up? Jalen Green looked lost for most of last season before exploding to average 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 45/37/81 shooting in the last month. Expecting him to put up those numbers for an entire season is unreasonable, but what if he continues to score efficiently while improving his playmaking? The Rockets will then be put in an enviable position where they have too many good young players: Green, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard could all be building blocks, but they can’t afford to keep them all. Los Angeles Lakers How good of a coach is JJ? Darvin Ham was the biggest scapegoat in LA last year, and JJ Reddick is now in position to prove if that criticism was warranted. No first year head coach has revealed their philosophy as much as Reddick, and his progressive, analytically driven approach is a stark contrast to Ham’s more rigid style. This Laker team isn’t talented enough to make a deep run regardless of how good the coaching is, but the inevitable drama that will ensue will provide plenty of entertainment. Sacramento Kings How will DeMar DeRozan fit? On paper, replacing Harrison Barnes with DeMar DeRozan is an enormous upgrade, but I’m not sure how it will actually play out. DeRozan needs the ball to be effective, which applies to both Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox too. None of the three are particularly good shooters or defenders, and without that off-ball value, the on-court product won’t work as well as one might expect. Still, talent is talent, and perhaps their individual firepower will solve any clunky fit issues. The “Wemby is tall” and “Intuit Dome has toilets” tier Los Angeles Clippers Can Harden keep the ship afloat? Perhaps the saddest current NBA team, the Clippers’ success all hinges on James Harden now that Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely. Whether or not Harden can turn back the clock has massive implications for the future of the league, though, as the Thunder has LA’s unprotected 2025 first round pick. Can you imagine if the Clippers unintentionally finish the season in the basement, giving OKC a potential top five pick in a loaded draft? It seems inconceivable, yet Cooper Flagg joining the Thunder because of the Paul George trade is so quintessential LA that it should be an end credits scene in Clipped. But hey, if that happens, fans can cry privately in one of over 1400 toilets in the Intuit Dome. San Antonio Spurs How high can Wemby ascend? Kareem. Shaq. Duncan. LeBron. Wembanyama. Arguably the five greatest prospects in NBA history, the first four names on that list are all amongst the 10 greatest players ever. Only time will tell if Victor Wembanyama can reach those heights, but if there’s one thing we learned from his rookie season, it’s to never put a limit on his potential. Given the trajectory of previous generational talents, it’s entirely possible that he will start the season as a top 10 player, and end as one of the five best. Wemby’s ceiling isn’t the sky, or even the moon: it’s whatever alien planet he’s from, and that might be an understatement too. Sag for Flagg Portland Trail Blazers How much can Scoot improve his stock? One of the most hyped point guard prospects of the last decade, Scoot Henderson had an extremely disappointing rookie campaign. The 20 year old often seemed lost on the court, but it’s important to remember that he played most of the season as a 19 year old. Point guard has historically been the hardest position to figure out for young players, which is why I’m buying Scoot stock if anyone’s selling them at a low price. His combination of athleticism, work ethic, and feel for the game remain sky high, although his media day presser was a tad concerning… Utah Jazz Is Keyonte George their point guard of the future? Outside of Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George might be the only long-term keeper for Utah. The young guard started his rookie season red hot and showcased his scoring and playmaking potential, before struggling for much of the second half. Still, George showed enough flashes to think that he could be a running mate for Markkanen, and if he makes enough of a jump, it’s possible that the Jazz could push their chips in earlier than expected to be competitive during Markkanen’s prime. Check in the next few days for the Eastern Conference preview.