On Oct. 24, 2023, the 2023-24 NBA season will tip off, and the intense struggle towards the NBA Finals will begin. This season is shaping up to be one of the best yet, with exciting new trades and up-and-coming rookies giving the league a whole new look. As the NBA’s 78th season quickly approaches, The Tower will delve into its predictions for the year, analyzing how teams and players will perform on basketball’s biggest stage. Without further ado, here are Team Tower’s NBA season predictions.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division Winner: Boston Celtics
The last two seasons have been very successful for the Boston Celtics, as they made it to the Conference Championships both times, and even made it to the finals in 2022, where they ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors. However, this offseason, the Celtics have taken many steps to improve their roster, including the two key additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Although Porzingis’s last couple seasons have not reached the fans’ expectations, he seems to be playing at the top of his game. Porzingis fits into the Celtics offense more, as it runs very smoothly with a lot of players who are willing to pass to find the open shot, so the addition of a seven foot center with the ability to shoot threes will help the Celtics a great deal. Holiday has a very similar play style to Marcus Smart, who the Celtics traded away in order to receive Holiday, in that they are both successful two way guards. However, Holiday has shown that he is not only a more capable scorer, but a more consistent one as well. Additionally, the Celtics still have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the two stars that helped to lead the Celtics deep into the playoffs. With these additions to their starters and bench, the Celtics have solidified themselves as one of the most well rounded teams in the league.
Central Division Winner: Milwaukee Bucks
Similar to the Celtics, the Bucks managed to make it fairly deep into the playoffs the last three NBA seasons, even winning it all in 2021. Throughout the offseason, the Bucks kept the majority of their key players, although they did lose one of their leading scorers in Jrue Holiday. However, near the end of the offseason, they managed to get their hands on Damien Lillard, who despite being 33 years old, averaged 32 points per game over the course of last year’s season. The Buck’s bench is riddled with consistent shooters and strong forwards. Additionally, their starting lineup still possesses Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Although Middleton did not have the most efficient season last year, he showed that despite injuries in the past he is still capable of being another scoring option. Lopez is another key player in both the Buck’s offense and defense, as he is incredibly capable of shooting threes and defending some of the NBA’s top centers. Finally, the Buck’s former MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is showing no signs of slowing down. With the addition of one of the best shooters of all time, the league’s defenses will have to decide whether they want to put their focus on Antetokounmpo in the paint or Lillard from beyond the three point line.
Southeast Division Winner: Miami Heat
Although the Heat did not acquire too many new faces for this offense, and instead lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, they are still likely to win the division. Not only have they made the NBA Finals two times in the last four years, but they are still one of the most well rounded teams in the NBA. Led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who are both efficient on the offense and defense,Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Love played very well last year, as well as Thomas Bryant, who will fill the role of the dominant center off of the bench for Adebayo. All of these players are capable shooters who aren’t afraid to make contact in the paint, and due to the fact that, for the most part, they have played together for the last few years, the chemistry on the team is very good. Finally, the rest of the division has not improved much this offseason either. The only other team with a roster capable of keeping up with the heat is the Hawks, but as we saw last year, their chemistry is not the best, as there are too many different play styles in the starting lineup.
Western Conference
Northwest Division Winner: Denver Nuggets
Coming off an NBA Finals victory last season, and showing no signs of slowing down, the Denver Nuggets are the clear favorites winning the Northwest division and obtaining one of the best records in the league. While their team did not significantly improve in the offseason, it certainly did not get worse, as they have arguably the best player in the league in two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, as well as one of the best number two options in Jamal Murray. The Nuggets team is a well-oiled machine, both offensively and defensively, and if they can stay healthy, the team is shaping up to be a once again dominant team. The Nuggets also have to fill the spots in their roster left by small-forward Bruce Brown and veteran Jeff Green, but with a mix of young talent in Peyton Watson, and experience in Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets maintain a solid overall rotation.
Pacific Division Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
While they were a seventh seed in last year’s playoffs, the Lakers managed to make it to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the soon-to-be champion Denver Nuggets. Reeling from the loss, the Lakers put together a stellar offseason which included the extension of eight time all-star Anthony Davis, as well as the re-signing of D’Angelo Russel, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, all integral parts of their post-season success last season. The Lakers’ bench is also one of their strongest assets, through the free agency acquisitions of Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, and Christian Wood. The Lakers are a team that should not be underestimated, and recently crowned “oldest player in the league,” Lebron James will surely lead the team to victory.
Southwest Division Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
Having placed second in the Conference last season, with the addition of missing their star player Ja Morant due to off the court issues, the Memphis Grizzlies will likely to repeat that feat a second time and win their division, especially with the acquisition of former Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics. This acquisition couples Marcus Smart with reigning DPOY, Jaren Jackson Jr., resulting in one of the most dangerous defenses in the league. Along with the return of Ja Morant, who will hopefully be staying out of trouble, the Grizzlies are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the West. In addition to all of this, the Grizzlies picked up solid rookies in the NBA draft, and they will definitely be a team to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
NBA Finals: Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Lakers
The Celtics and Lakers are two of the most well rounded teams in the NBA. The Celtics is led by Jayson Tatum, who was in the race for MVP last season, Jaylen Brown, who averaged 27 points per game last season, and Jrue Holiday, who averaged 20 points as well, alongside Porzingis, who will help spread out the defense and set the teams scorers up for open shots. Derrick White also showed the league what he was capable of, specifically in the playoffs last year, where he averaged 14 points per game. Additionally, over the last few seasons, Al Horford has proven that he is one of the most efficient centers in the NBA, averaging just under 10 points per game. The Lakers on the other hand, have made many improvements to their roster of the last year. Last season, they picked up Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell, who both showed elite skills throughout their games on the Lakers. The Lakers are still going to be led by their stars, Lebron James and Anthony Davis, both of whom averaged 26+ points per game last year. Additionally, they picked up Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, and Taurean Prince, who are all players that can put up 10+ points in a game, which helps to take pressure off of the team’s leading scorers. However, The Tower predicts that the Celtics will win in seven games, assuming both teams are fully healthy throughout the series. The Celtics have a younger, more energetic team, which aside from a few new additions, have great chemistry together.
MVP: Nikola Jokic
Over the course of the last four years, Jokic has proven that he is one of, if not, the best all around players of all time, from his inside scoring, his shooting ability, and his passing skills. He won the MVP award in 2021 and 2022, and many believe that he deserved it again last year, but lost to Joel Embiid due to voting fatigue. Last year, he averaged 25 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and 10 assists per game, as well as 1.3 steals per game, which helped lead the Nuggets to beat the Heat in the Finals in five games. There is no reason to believe that his stats will decline at all, so as long as voting fatigue does not play a role again this year, he will win another MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year : Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is coming off his first Defensive Player of the Year win, and all signs are looking towards the fact that he will achieve it again in this coming season. Last year, Jackson Jr. averaged 6.8 rebounds, one steal, and three blocks per game, and if he is able to repeat this statline, he will be the definite favorite for winning the award. In fact, Jackson Jr. is likely to improve on his stats due to the Grizzlies signing of Marcus Smart, another highly-skilled defensive player, who will be able to pass his defensive knowledge onto a young Jaren Jackson Jr. Marcus Smart will also complement Jackson’s defensive play, inevitably causing the both of them to improve.
Rookie of the Year : Victor Wembanyama
There has perhaps never been a more clear choice for Rookie of the Year at the beginning of the season than there is for Victor Wembanyama. Arguably the greatest NBA prospect since Lebron James, Victor Wembanyamais set up perfectly for an incredible rookie season. Coming off a dominant career in France, leading the league in scoring, blocks, and rebounds, Wembanyama is now preparing for his NBA debut with the San Antonio Spurs under the expert guidance of one the greatest coaches of the past 20 years in Gregg Popovich. Wembanyamais the perfect combination of shooting ability, driving power, and size, as he is able to drain three-pointers from behind the line, and also make a powerful drive towards the basket. Combined with his stellar defensive ability, Wembanyamahas the potential to play one of the best rookie seasons of all time, practically guaranteeing him the Rookie of the Year award.
Sixth Man of the Year: Chris Paul
Despite his age, Chris Paul, over the last few years, has shown that he is still a very capable scorer and distributor. Last year, he averaged 14 points per game, nine assists per game, and two steals per game. Now that he is on the Warriors, he will likely play the sixth man behind Curry, but he will still play a large number of minutes per game. If he is able to keep playing at the same level, there are not many other players capable of winning the award over him.
Most Improved Player: Evan Mobley
Evan Mobley is perhaps the player best setup to have an astounding breakout season. Finishing his sophomore season last year as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist and a member of a team with the best defensive rating, his skill on the defensive side of the ball is unquestionable. However, he has struggled offensively in past years, but this will all change as the Cavaliers have a game plan that will ensure Mobley is utilized more offensively, and give him more room to shoot due to the additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang to the team. The Cavaliers are sure to put a lot of trust in their rising star, resulting in his a Most Improved Player victory.
