The 2023-2024 NBA season officially started on Oct. 24, with two games; one game was between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, while the other was between the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. With all four of these teams being high contenders, it was a great start to the season. Although the Nuggets and the Suns came out victorious that night, it’s compelling to think that the Lakers and the Warriors have high chances of making it to the playoffs as well.
As of July 6, not long after the 2022-2023 season was concluded, the Warriors acquired 12 time all-star, Chris Paul. With this addition to the team, the Warriors are predicted to have a very successful season. The Warriors starting five is made up of multiple all-stars: Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and now, Chris Paul. With such an exemplary starting five, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Warriors make it to the playoffs.
In addition, the Lakers have the debatable greatest of all time (GOAT) player, LeBron James. However, with his age increasing, currently sitting at 38 years old, it is apparent that star power forward, Anthony Davis, must start to elevate his performance to ensure a playoff run.
Moreover, the Milwaukee Bucks have been a common topic of conversation as well, with them just recently acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bucks won the NBA championship in 2021, and it will only increase their win percentage with such an admirable point guard being added to their team.
Furthermore, the Boston Celtics have been very successful in their most recent seasons. In the past five years, the Celtics have had a win percentage of .622. The Celtics have multiple valuable players that result in such a good win percentage: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and newly acquired Jrue Holiday from the Bucks. It’s a common conception of Holiday that he doesn’t have a lot of characteristics that an adequate point guard would have, however, shockingly enough he is one of the best defensive players in the league, which will be sure to help the Celtics win more games.
In other respects, there are other teams that have a big chance of making the playoffs as well. More specifically, the Philadelphia 76ers, who have arguably one of the best centers in the NBA, Joel Embiid. In addition, the Denver Nuggets also have key center, Nikola Jokić, who lead their team to be NBA champions in the 2022-2023 season.
Overall, there are a plethora of teams this season that have a high chance of making a playoff run, and it’s even a possibility that the Nuggets could win a back-to-back championship.