Key Takeaways

• Draymond Green is close to breaking an NBA record for ejections but unlikely to achieve it this season.
• Joel Embiid’s injury history could hinder the 76ers’ title aspirations, but adding Paul George should help them out.
• Nikola Jokic will aim to tie LeBron James with his fourth career MVP award.

​​​​​​The 2024-25 NBA season is just around the corner, and as the league enjoys the most parity it has ever had since before the Michael Jordan era, small-market teams and international superstars will dominate the media landscape.

While big-name players like LeBron James and Nikola Jokic will continue to be at the center of the NBA world, up-and-coming teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder , Minnesota Timberwolves , and Orlando Magic will look to make their mark on the Association. The league is transitioning into a new era, and the same teams and players no longer have a chokehold on season-long narratives.

With a new-look NBA emerging, here are the 15 storylines fans should follow all season long.

15 Can Draymond Green Break an NBA Record?

Green is eight ejections short of breaking Rasheed Wallace’s record for the most in NBA history

During the 2015 playoffs, Draymond Green earned a reputation as a groin-kicker after sending Steven Adams to the floor. In 2016, he did the same thing to LeBron James. In 2022, he punched then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face, and last season, his rampage continued as he punched Jusuf Nurkic and choked out Rudy Gobert .

By the end of last season, Green had chalked up 21 career ejections, eight short of Rasheed Wallace’s record of 29. While it is unlikely that Green will break the record this season, the Golden State Warriors are far removed from their dynasty days, and even with an improved roster, they will struggle to make the playoffs, which will only add to Green’s frustration.

Last season, Green missed 21 games due to disciplinary action or suspension and is expected to miss some time this season for an inevitable outburst. As Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry try to keep control of the Warriors’ roster, expect pinning down Green to be their biggest battle.

14 Joel Embiid’s Never-Ending Injury Issues

Embiid’s health has kept the Philadelphia 76ers away from legitimate contention

Joel Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, League MVP, and two-time scoring leader, but he is yet to get past the second round of the playoffs. While there is no doubt that he is a top-five player in the world when healthy, he has never cracked the 70-game mark in his career and is often playing hobbled, if at all, in the postseason.

The Philadelphia 76ers went all-in on winning a title this summer, adding Paul George to an already solid starting lineup. With a big three in town featuring George, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey , the Sixers are still Embiid’s team, although he will need to stay on the court if they want to make a deep title run.

While Embiid plays more, albeit slightly worse, in the postseason, more often than not he is hobbled as he is quickly recovering from an injury, as was the case in Philadelphia’s first-round loss to the New York Knicks last season. With a limited window to win a title, the Sixers will need Embiid to be back in healthy, near-MVP form this season.

13 Can Stephen Curry Lead the Warriors On a Playoff Run?

Expect the aging Curry to put Golden State on his back

Somehow, LeBron James, Kevin Durant , and Stephen Curry are all playing elite basketball well into their 30s. Durant and Curry especially have dealt with injuries throughout their career, but have remained some of the best players in the NBA.

Curry once enjoyed the best-supporting cast in the NBA, but as players moved in free agency or aged out of their roles, he is the last quality piece standing from their dynasty of the 2010s. It’s clear that he is capable still of putting a team on his back, even as he is well past when his prime should have ended, but does he have enough support to make a deep run?

Even ten years removed from his first MVP award, Curry is still producing at the highest level and is playing nearly the same amount of minutes in each game, with a higher usage rate. While the Warriors are pretty far removed from their days as title favorites, Curry might be good enough to keep them afloat in a loaded Western Conference.

12 Will Paul George Be Enough to Get the 76ers Over the Hump?

George needs to right some playoff wrongs

Paul George was one of the best playoff performers in the NBA during his tenures with the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but his most recent stint with the L.A. Clippers was disappointing, to say the least. In the NBA’s Disney World Bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic, George and the Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, ending a season with legitimate title expectations.

During those playoffs, George averaged 20.2 points on 33.3 percent shooting from deep and 3.1 turnovers per game. Once dubbed “Playoff P,” George received the much less flattering moniker, “Pandemic P.”

The Sixers give George arguably his best teammate ever in Embiid, although his health is always a factor. Both George and Philadelphia will have a lot to prove in the postseason and expect all eyes to be on them as they lay the groundwork during the regular season.

11 Last Chance for Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat?

The NBA’s perfect marriage might fall apart this season

In 2020 and 2022, Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat on shocking runs to the NBA Finals, although they would fall short both years. As the Heat continue to promote their gritty, winning style of basketball known as “Heat Culture,” Butler and the Heat are still a perfect match on paper.

In practice, maybe not so much.

Butler, the defensive mastermind who plays an in-your-face game, is perfect for Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley’s vision of how to build a winner, but public disagreements might result in Butler’s exit from South Beach without a ring to show for it.

As Butler spent the entirety of Miami’s first-round exit last season out with an injury, he was chirping with the Boston Celtics . This prompted a blunt response from Riley.

“If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.” -Riley

Butler is in the last season of his contract and has a player option for 2025-26, although Miami is not eager to extend him, which could signal the end of this era of Heat basketball.

10 NBA Rookie of the Year Watch

Unlike last season, there is not a clear-cut candidate to win

Last year, for much of the season, it was pretty clear that Victor Wembanyama would win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Behind him, with a sizeable gap, was Chet Holmgren , and Brandon Miller was a distant third.

Heading into this season, there is no runaway favorite to win the award, although Zach Edey is the current favorite.

Unlike the 2023 NBA Draft or the 2025 NBA Draft, there is not a ton of eye-popping talent, which will lead to one of the closest ROTY races in recent seasons, which is exciting in its own right.

9 Next Superstars to Be Traded

Julius Randle, Trae Young, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the trade block

As the New York Knicks struggle to pay Julius Randle , and the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans have the same issues with Karl-Anthony Towns and Brandon Ingram , the NBA trade market will likely be very busy this season.

Trae Young has been one of the most common names included in trade rumors, as the Atlanta Hawks appear not to have a successful future with him as the number one option. He was linked to the San Antonio Spurs for much of the summer, although recent reports suggest that the Spurs, and other teams around the NBA, are not interested in making a move for the three-time All-Star.

“The simple fact of the matter is if there was a real market for Trae Young, he’d be somewhere else right now…There wasn’t a real market for him.” -ESPN’s Tim MacMahon

As the Milwaukee Bucks struggle to compete in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the first star to ask for a trade. He is one of the best players in the NBA, but the Bucks have not done a good job of building around him for the vast majority of his prime.

8 Can the New York Knicks Rival the Boston Celtics?

The Knicks had one of the busiest offseasons in the NBA

Last year, Jalen Brunson emerged as a superstar. Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart both brought talent to the Knicks, and they managed to trade for defensive stopper OG Anunoby. This summer, they let Isaiah Hartenstein walk in free agency but re-signed Anunoby and added fellow Villanova alum Mikal Bridges into the fold.

Assuming that Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy, the Knicks will be one of the better teams in the NBA, although the Boston Celtics are still the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Knicks boast one of the best defensive lineups in the NBA, although Boston has already proven that they can win an NBA championship.

It’s hard to bet against the loaded roster the Knicks have, and their depth matches Boston’s, although the defending champions are favorites to repeat for a reason.

7 Can the Oklahoma City Thunder Finally Break Through?

OKC stands to be the next big thing in the NBA

Between the star-studded rosters of the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks , the Western Conference will be the most competitive it has ever been. Even teams like the L.A. Lakers , Sacramento Kings , L.A. Clippers, Phoenix Suns , and New Orleans Pelicans , which are incredibly talented, won’t be able to make a deep run in the conference.

However, the next team up is the Oklahoma City Thunder . After finishing 57-25 last season, the best in the West, the Thunder only got better, adding Hartenstein and Alex Caruso . Chet Holmgren , Jalen Williams , and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all expected to be even better than they were last season, making the Thunder incredibly dangerous.

The Thunder have not made the NBA Finals since 2012 and have never won an NBA championship. Their last Finals roster featured three future NBA MVPs and Serge Ibaka , who was one of the league’s best defenders. The new-look Thunder seems just as talented and entertaining.

6 Will the Boston Celtics Repeat?

The NBA has not had repeat champions since the 2018 Warriors

It’s been six seasons since the NBA last had a repeat Finals winner, with the Warriors winning in both 2017 and 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers . That six-year streak is the second-longest of the 21st century, so the league is entering an era of parity some fans haven’t even seen before.

Currently, the Boston Celtics have the best odds to win the NBA title, although they are not the runaway favorites. Even though most fans agree that the West is much better than the East, three of the top five favorites all come from the worst conference.

While Boston is expected to repeat, their journey to the Finals this season should be harder than last year.

5 Longtime Teammates Face Off For the First Time

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be opponents

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both played for the Warriors together for 11 seasons. After Thomspon signed with the Mavericks this summer, the “Splash Brothers,” the greatest shooting duo the NBA has ever seen, will no longer be teammates. Thompson is expected to thrive in Dallas, and Curry is going to continue his run of dominance.

While Curry and Thompson reportedly parted ways on good terms, their first matchup as opponents will be must-watch TV.

“It’s one of those hard things to kind of process just because I never imagined this would kind of be the reality.

I always wanted to ride out in the sunset with those two guys and have an opportunity to stay relevant from a winning perspective while we did it.” -Stephen Curry

Thompson will return to the Chase Center on November 12, marking the first time the duo will go against each other. It should be a bittersweet moment, and despite Thompson’s rocky relationship with the Warriors’ front office, expect him to be greeted with cheers from the crowd in San Francisco.

4 Bottom Feeders Will Tank for Cooper Flagg

Flagg is expected to be a generational prospect

The term “generational prospect” has been thrown around a lot recently, especially in the 2023 draft cycle when Wembanyama was the consensus number-one pick, but both he and Flagg deserve the label.

Flagg is an elite two-way prospect who spent the summer working out with the best players in the world as a part of Team USA’s Select Team, and he apparently was already one of the best players on the floor, even at 17 years old.

Flagg is well worth tanking for, and teams will try to lose games down the stretch to get the 14 percent chance of drafting him. As he plays his college season for the Duke Blue Devils, expect Cameron Indoor Stadium to be packed night in and night out as fans try to catch a glimpse of the future of the sport.

3 How Fast Will Victor Wembanyama Take Over?

Expect him to finish the season as a top-five player

Much like Flagg, Wembanyama is expected to be the best player in the NBA before he turns 25. During his rookie season, he led the league in blocks and was the first rookie to ever be named to an All-Defenisve Team. After the Spurs added point guard talent in Stephon Castle and Chris Paul , San Antonio is all-in on Wembanyama.

The 20-year-old led France to a silver medal in the Olympics and is back in Texas working on his game before the season starts. As he continues to excel on defense and adds to his offensive arsenal, he is expected to leap, at the very least, into All-Star territory. He has already issued a warning to the NBA that he is coming.

While the NBA is likely going to continue to be dominated by Doncic, Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, and Gilegous-Alexander, Wembanyama is holding himself to a high standard, and with his unique skill set, he could be coming for the throne sooner rather than later.

2 Nikola Jokić Can Win His Fourth MVP Award

It would tie him with LeBron James and Bill Russell

Nikola Jokić has won three NBA MVP awards, tying him with Moses Malone, Larry Bird , and Magic Johnson . Somehow, he is still vastly underrated at all-time. His unique blend of passing, rebounding, and scoring–all of which he can do at an elite level–has set him apart from the rest of the NBA. At only 29 years old, he has three MVPs under his belt and is one of the favorites to win the award this season.

With an NBA Finals, a Finals MVP, and three MVPs to his name, Jokic can make a case that he is already a top-20 player of all-time, and he is likely to keep soaring up that leaderboard.

If Jokic can wrap up his career with four MVP awards and two Finals wins, assuming he wins FMVP one more time, it would be hard to keep him out of the top ten. He has not faced any major injuries in his career, and his playstyle owes itself to longevity. Jokic is making it clear that he is not just one of the greatest players of his generation, but that he is a legitimate all-time great to ever play the sport.

1 LeBron and Bronny Take on Hollywood

LeBron James will become the first NBA player to ever play with his son

Call it a publicity stunt or a desperate attempt to keep their superstar happy, but the L.A. Lakers drafted Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Realistically, the younger James will be a middling role player at best, but his father is the biggest star the NBA has ever seen, and the Lakers’ front office decided to keep their star happy and put more fans in seats.

Bronny will not live up to the hype, but as far as second-round picks go, using a late one to keep an all-time great player happy is not a bad gamble. When the two share the floor for the first time, expect the moment to join Jordan’s Last Shot, Kobe’s Farewell Game, and LeBron breaking the scoring record as some of the biggest moments in NBA history.

“Having your son work with you, it’s like the greatest thing. I can’t wait for this moment. I really cannot wait to hit the floor; it’s going to be pretty surreal for me.” -LeBron James

Unlike super clutch moments or dramatic finishes, Bronny stepping out on the court for the first time will not alter the league, nor will it be unpredictable, but it will be a defining moment of the NBA season, even if there are more interesting or important stories to be told. The NBA is a star-driven league, and its biggest star will have a moment full of emotion, attention, skepticism, and family success all at once. There’s a reason the Lakers are playing Minnesota in L.A. on primetime to kick off the season, broadcast on TNT.