In every NBA season, teams compete to be one of the top 8 seeds to make the playoffs. Sometimes a team shocks the league and exceeds expectations, and I believe I know what team that will be this year.For nearly all my life I have watched the NBA, watching every game of my favorite team. Throughout the season I have made my own predictions of what the upcoming season could look like and here are the ones for the 2023-2024 season.
Starting in the West, I predict the defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets, will secure the 1st seed. Their chemistry is amazing and is reflective in their ball movement on the court. If the Nuggets can stay healthy through the season, I can see them winning 55 games or more out of the 82. This take is also backed by many sports analyst networks including ESPN putting them also finishing as the 1st seed in the West.
Next, with the new addition of Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns will take the 2nd seed. Although they finished as the 4th seed last year, they have made big improvements to their team, adding 3 time All Star Bradley Beal to their roster. This huge addition should push them higher in the standings.
Moving onto a team that shocked the NBA last year, the Sacramento Kings will finish in the 3rd seed for the second year in a row. The Kings were a surprising team last year in how they exceeded expectations in climbing to the 3rd seed and I do not see them slowing down any time soon, especially with the duo of De’aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis reaching their full potential this season.
Finally, in the 4th seed, I have the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a controversial pick, but the Thunder have a great young core who are only going to keep getting better. The team has huge star power with Shai Gilgeous Alexander averaging a career-high of 31.4 ppg last year and Chet Holmgrem, a potential great, who missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury. Although this may seem like a bold take, I am not the only one that believes in the Thunder.
Moving on to the East, I have the Milwaukee Bucks taking the 1st seed. This is both due to their returning players and a new addition, Damian Lillard. Lillard has been regarded as one of the league’s best point guards and best shooters in recent years according to ESPN’s Stephen A Smith. Although they lost a premier defender in Jrue Holiday, I see the Bucks having one of the best offenses in the league with a top defense with Giannis Antetokunmpo having another MVP caliber season. I believe that the Bucks will finish with 50 wins or more.
The team following right behind the Bucks in the standing will end up being the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have shown to be a top team finish as the 2nd seed in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. With the addition of Kristap Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, they will be a real threat in the league and will definitely be championship contenders
. Next, I have the Cleveland Cavaliers finishing in the 3rd seed. The Cavs have had issues performing in the playoffs in recent years, but I still believe the potential of Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, Mobley becoming one of the best defenders in the NBA and Garland being such a dominant scorer at a young age, mixed with Donovan Mitchell being a current all star will be enough to push them to a top seed in the east.
Finally the Brooklyn Nets will finish the 4th seed. I foresee Mikal Bridges and Ben Simmons having All-Star Caliber years as they have shown their potential in the past. I see the Nets as a sneaky team that can stir up some problems in the East as a middle of the pack playoff team backed by underrated players such as Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
Some of these predictions may seem a little wild, but it is not just me who supports some of these predictions but also other sports media companies, including ESPN. In ESPN’s NBA predictions for the upcoming season, they had the Nuggets, Bucks, Celtics and Suns as the top 4 teams in the league. Looking into the upcoming season, there are really many teams that may come out of nowhere and shock the league.
