The 2024-25 NBA regular season was exciting, and there have been a lot of improved teams this season.
The first seed for the Western Conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses. In second place is the Houston Rockets, with 52 wins and 30 losses. The third seeded team is the Los Angeles Lakers, with a well-improved record of 50 wins and 32 losses.
The Houston Rockets definitely stepped up their game from last season, when their record was 41-41. Their fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Amen Thompson, helped with his speed, strength and ability to lock down perimeter threats and snag rebounds as a guard.
A team that has been on a run for the past two seasons straight has been the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their MVP candidate point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has been having an outstanding season, averaging 32 points, six assists and five rebounds per game. He has definitely been the game changer for this team this season and could possibly take them all the way to Finals.
With the top seed in the Eastern Conference is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished the regular season with 64 wins and 18 losses. In the second spot are the 2023-24 NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, with a record of 61 wins and 21 losses. Finishing in third is the New York Knicks, who had 51 wins and 31 losses.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a great regular thanks to the duo of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell. Mobley’s ability to grab boards and dominate in the paint gives the team the advantage of getting the ball more consistently. Mitchell’s ability to shoot mid-range shots helped lead to him averaging 24 points, four rebounds and five assists a game.
For the league’s MVP conversation this year, there are two main candidates including Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
University Academy PE and health teacher Mr. Aaron Clark said, “Right now, I am giving the nod to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. What he has done this year is spectacular. This year he is averaging over 30 with multiple 40- and 50-point games. … While he has some teammates that have helped with the record, SGA is the main reason for the success.”
As a 6-foot-6-inch guard, Gilgeous-Alexander already has an advantage over most people who guard him. His ability to get past defenders quickly and his power to shoot from anywhere on the court are both skills that make him stand out. Also, his knack for drawing contact gives him lots of chances at the free throw line.
For the second main MVP candidate, according to the media and fans, Jokic definitely deserves a spot in the conversation this season. Averaging a triple double, Jokic has been going off this year in what seems like an effortless manner. He dominates in multiple aspects of the game, even at 6 feet 11 inches. What makes him different from most players is the way he’s able to score more than 30 points and also notch 15 assists and 15 rebounds in a single game.
Some fans might think that Lakers’ small forward LeBron James should be in the MVP talk for this season, mostly because of how he is keeping up and still averaging 24 points, seven assists and seven rebounds per game in his 23rd year in the league. Those are good numbers, but there are other players who are putting up better numbers.
UA senior Anonda Ford said, “I think that LeBron deserves MVP because of how much work he has been putting in.”
In the midst of everything, there have been lots of young players coming in and getting used to the feel of the league. A player who has been watched since he was drafted in 2023 is the San Antonio Spurs’ starting center Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is a 7-foot-3-inch center with an 8-feet wingspan who can dribble and shoot the ball like a guard, which is a rare talent not often seen for players his height .
Unfortunately, Wembanyama’s season came to an end early because of a shoulder injury a few days after the all-Star Game.
Mr. Clark said, “The player with the most upside is probably Wemby. He has the height and skills to be unstoppable. He plays both sides of the ball. Bigs can’t guard him at the three-point line, and guards are too small to hang with him in the post. Wemby is a cheat code. He is a created player on 2K.”
That is a recent update on the NBA season. The first round of the playoffs is now underway.
