NBA Notebook: A New Season Tips Off

The NBA season tips off on Tuesday night with a banner-hanging ceremony in Oklahoma City, as the defending champion Thunder host the Houston Rockets (7:30 PM ET, NBC). The road to the postseason is a long one in pro basketball, and the postseason itself is a long grind. As such, in this space we want to ease into the season gradually, focusing more on storylines to watch between now and Christmas as the landscape takes shape.

A CHAMPION ASCENDANT & A CHALLENGER LOST

Taking the longer view means that this overview will really not focus on the Thunder. This is a young team that came together last year to win 68 games in the regular season and then validated that success with a championship. They are absolutely the favorite to win a repeat title and there’s no point in pretending otherwise. We have plenty of time to focus on Oklahoma City.

For entirely different reasons, we also don’t have to focus on OKC’s sparring partner from last year’s Finals. The Indiana Pacers made a noble run through the Eastern Conference and then to Game 7 of the Finals. But Tyrese Halliburton’s torn ACL in that last game not only cost the Pacers a chance at a title, it cost them this season as well. Halliburton won’t be back until the 2026-27 campaign. Combining the loss of their floor leader with a notable free agent loss that we’ll get to in a moment, means Indiana is not a serious contender this year.

So what’s left? Do we just wait until spring and then watch the Thunder roll to another championship? Not so fast. There’s still a lot to keep an eye on in this early months.

EARLY STORYLINES TO WATCH

It may be a long season, but these teams don’t have the luxury of waiting around.

OPEN SEASON IN THE EAST

Can the Celtics hang in there? Boston also suffered a devastating injury to their star, losing Jayson Tatum to a torn ACL. Unlike Halliburton, there’s at least the chance Tatum could make it back by March. If—and it’s a big if—Tatum could return and be effective by playoff time, can a Celtics team now led by Jaylen Brown get into the top six in the East, avoid the play-in tournament and have a shot?

Can the Bucks find some chemistry? Milwaukee is wasting the prime of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The experiment of bringing in Damian Lilliard didn’t work. But the Bucks didn’t give up. Signing post man Myles Turner away from Indiana was the biggest free agent move of the offseason. Can a new-look Milwaukee lineup play with enough chemistry and defense to give Giannis a shot at a second title?  

Orlando goes all-in: The Magic were a team on the rise in 2024 and got to the 5-seed. Last spring was more of a disappointment, as they were consigned to the play-in tournament and ultimately the 7-seed. A young team made big moves this offseason—they sent two pretty decent players and four first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Desmond Bane. On the surface, it looks like a Herschel Walker deal. Unless of course it works out.

New York’s coaching change: Upsetting the Celtics and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t enough to save Tom Thibodeau’s job with the Knicks. It’s curious though, that one veteran retread was replaced with another, as New York hired Mike Brown. In particular, I’m interested to see if Brown can elevate the Knicks’ work on the defensive end.

Atlanta adds Porzingis: The Hawks have lost in the play-in tournament each of the last two years. They acquired Kristaps Porzingis from Boston, giving them a potentially explosive inside-out combo with Porzingis and point guard Trae Young. Of course that presumes Porzingis staying healthy and someone playing defense. But if it works, Atlanta could be a sleeper in a fluid Eastern Conference.

Can Cleveland set an early tone? The injuries to Halliburton and Tatum have disabled the last two teams to represent the East in the NBA Finals, which is why this conference is the most interesting to watch take shape. But it was the Cavaliers who won 64 games last year and got the 1-seed before flaming out in the playoffs. All of the pieces are back in place. If I was a Cleveland fan, I’d be looking to make an early statement that there’s no question who the favorite should be.

LEGENDS & ASPIRANTS IN THE WEST

California’s proud veterans: We have LeBron James in Los Angeles, along with Steph Curry with Golden State. Both were the beneficiaries of major trades in the middle of last season, with Luka Doncic joining LeBron and Jimmy Butler joining forces with Steph. Do these vets have enough gas left in the tank to make Oklahoma City sweat? And, just as important, can they manage their workloads during the regular season without badly compromising their seeding position?

Does Denver have any depth? Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the game, and Jamal Murray is still as a good a running mate as there is. But the Nuggets have faltered in their efforts to replicate the 2023 title run because the depth hasn’t been there. Seeing whether a combination can develop in the Rocky Mountains is worth keeping an eye on.

Is Minnesota’s time here? The Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals two years running, but can’t get over the hump. Anthony Edwards is already a second-tier star, and he has a lot of support, led by Julius Randle. We’d like to see Edwards put himself in the MVP conversation as a sign that Minnesota could take the next step.

Watching Houston: In a historic seven-team deal in the offseason, the signature move was the Rockets getting Kevin Durant and Clint Capela. While Durant is a shadow of his former self, he’s still a proud veteran joining a team who was missing that kind of presence in last year’s playoffs. Capela returns to Houston, where he was one of the league’s best rebounders before going to Atlanta in 2021.

LOOKING AHEAD – AND AROUND THE SPORTS LANDSCAPE

We’re at a time of year when football is in full-swing and baseball is hitting its grand finale. It can be easy to overlook the NBA. And at the highest level—Oklahoma City—there is, indeed, plenty of time to get up to speed. But the landscape that surrounds the champs still has to get sorted out and that’s worth keeping an eye in these early days.

Speaking of baseball, we have ALCS Game 7 tonight, with the Seattle Mariners visiting the Toronto Blue Jays (8:08 PM ET, Fox). Tomorrow in this space we’ll be here to reflect on both LCS matchups.

On Friday, the World Series begins. Our preview here will be posted then. While we get ready for the World Series, our LCS Chronicles collection revisits some of the sport’s most dramatic League Championship moments from 1969–80. It’s free to download here.