Outside of Denver, LeBron James made headlines too as he broke the all-time scoring record.
2024 will be no different in that there will be plenty of shocks to upsets the NBA odds and a whole stream of unexpected headlines. Whilst trying to predict the outcome of anything in the NBA is usually a fool’s errand, that hasn’t stopped us.
We’ve analysed the trends and spoken to a number of much more informed analysts than ourselves in order to bring you our 5 top predictions for the NBA in 2024, read on to find out what they are…
Sacramento Kings Making Moves
From the outside looking in, it looks like a real fun if not chaotic time to be a Sacramento Kings fan. After a ropey 2-4 start to the season, the Kings went on to win 18 of their next 27 and at the time of writing boast a 22-14 record after their recent demolition of the Detroit Pistons.
As things stand they are on course to hit 50 wins and score a lot of points along the way too. Rumours abound about additions coming in to bolster the squad and if that’s the case, the Kings could be an outside shout to finish in the top three in the Western Conference.
Joel Embiid Will Win Another MVP
Okay so this one is somewhat of a safe bet. Last season Joel Embiid was the top scorer in the NBA and won the MVP award, so saying that he’s going to do that again this time round isn’t exactly earth shattering news, but it is true.
At the time of writing he is posting around 35 points per game and is the leading candidate in the sportsbook odds for the MVP award. Which is even more impressive when you consider that the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t realistically in the running for the Championship.
The Lakers Drop Off
Another glaringly obvious one to anyone that has watched even a tiny amount of basketball this season is that LeBron James and the LA Lakers are dropping off a cliff. Just moments before we started writing this article they limped past the Toronto Raptors 132-131 to take their record for the season to 19-19.
This is a team that should be in the running for the Championship. This is a team that has arguably the greatest of all time in their ranks. This is a team that is currently 10th in the Western Conference and this is a team that we think will be going on vacation when all of their nearest rivals are planning for the playoffs…
Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama to Win Rookie of the Year
Four or five years ago we were asked to write an article highlighting the top youth talents in Europe that were destined for the NBA. Top of our list at the time was the 7 foot 4 Frenchman Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama.
Now, unfortunately for Wemby he just so happens to be playing for the worst team in the Western Conference and the second worst team in the NBA right now. The downside of that is that he’s going to struggle to post the type of numbers that some of his rivals for Rookie of the Year might post.
The upside though is that he will be head and shoulders – both literally and metaphorically – above his teammates and will really stand out. He has all the ability and the physicality to do just that, so we’re willing to stick our neck out on this one and predict Wemby to win the Rookie of the Year award.
The Pistons Keep on Losing
There’s not much to motivate the Detroit Pistons right now, other than a desire to write themselves into the history books for all the wrong reasons. That’s because if they continue on their current appalling trajectory they’ll be in line to secure first pick in the Draft.
That would see them add either Ron Holland or Matas Buzelis to their roster and both come with extremely good recommendations. That in combination with the fact that their season is already a write off will likely see the Pistons tighten their grip on the title of “2024’s Worst Team”.
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Author: Team Dunkest
January 15, 2024 | 1:00 pm
