NBA 2024-25 Season Update: Three Major Storylines and Surprises So Far

The 2024-25 NBA season is a couple of weeks in and already there have been some surprises and trends to look for, as fans follow the action and betters look for the best action to lay something on.

(Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

Brooklyn Nets Are Playing .500 Ball

Don’t look now, but the Brooklyn Nets are 4-4 entering Friday’s contest at the Boston Celtics. This is a team we projected to go 19-63 in the preseason. They have beaten the Memphis Grizzlies twice and took the Denver Nuggets into overtime.

There are many positives so far, such as the production of their three top scorers,

1. Cam Thomas
2. Dennis Schroder
3. Cam Johnson

All three of them are shooting over 81 percent from the free throw line with Thomas (who is averaging 24.9 ppg) shooting 92.3 percent from the line while shooting 6.5 attempts per game.

• Johnson is at 20.0 ppg in his last three games while looking to keep up the positive momentum on the upcoming three game road trip versus major contenders

Next Six Games Will Tell Nets’ Story

Brooklyn wasn’t expected to be anything but a lottery team, so the next six games will tell us plenty about this team. Coach Jordi Fernandez’s club travels to play the defending champions Celtics on Friday, unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday and the injured-ravaged New Orleans Pelicans on Monday to complete its three game road trip.

After that, the Nets host the 7-2 Celtics on November 13 then play at Madison Square Garden two games in a row vs the New York Knicks. That stretch will be telling, as Brooklyn likely won’t be a betting favorite in any of those games with the possible exception of the game at New Orleans on Nov. 11 depending on the Pelicans’ injuries.

1. Can Brooklyn keep up its surprising competitive play, giving up roughly as many points as they are scoring (-0.3)?
2. Or will the Nets fall back in the Eastern Conference pack with a glut of 11 teams that have losing records so far?

The contributions of point forward Ben Simmons (5.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.2 apg) is something to monitor as he rests on back-to-backs as is the health of forward Noah Clowney, who is out indefinitely with a hip injury.

Knicks Are Not World-Beaters

Speaking of the Knicks, New York went 2-2 on its latest road trip to bring its overall record to 3-4 heading into Friday’s home game with the reeling 1-6 Milwaukee Bucks. It’s part of a seven game stretch where New York will face all Eastern Conference foes before traveling to face the 7-1 Phoenix Suns on Nov. 20.

We projected the Knicks to be a 53-win team, so this stretch of games will be quite important.

1. Newly acquired Mikal Bridges leads the team in minutes per game (37.2 ppg), but his impact on this championship contending team has not been carved out.
2. Point guard Jalen Brunson is ball-dominant and the Knicks’ offense can get stagnant, so this team has to figure it out soon before fans and media begin to question if mortgaging the team’s future was worth it to acquire the former Villanova star.

New York’s depth is not what it was last season and if it doesn’t start piling up wins, the questions surrounding just how serious of a title contender this team is will begin to surface.

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Can The Knicks Cover?

The Knicks likely will be favored in all their upcoming seven games, with the exception of the Nov. 10 contest at the Indiana Pacers.

Sure, New York is not completely healthy on its front court with Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa out with injury, but the Knicks have to look at going 5-2 or 6-1 in their upcoming stretch of games to feel comfortable in keeping up with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings.

Those are two clubs New York has already lost to at the start of the season. New York is 3-4 against the spread this year, so far, and will be a shaky cover bet until it gets its front court pieces back and figures out how to mesh on offense with its new pieces.

Warriors Play Well On Both Sides

Many are counting out Golden State as a true championship contender because of their aging core, but the Warriors are now tied with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference at 7-1. Why? Mainly because the Warriors’ defense has been lights out so far this season.

Golden State is a league-leading +15.8, scoring 121.1 ppg while giving up 105.3 ppg.

Star guard Steph Curry had a big night in Wednesday’s 118-112 road victory over the defending champ Boston Celtics with 27 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

• We projected the Warriors to win 45 games in the preseason, and so far are on pace to do better than that because of that team defense and the outstanding bench play of Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuuminga.

Held, who hit a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes vs Boston to seal the victory, is averaging a team-leading 21.9 ppg through seven games, while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range, while Kuminga is averaging 13.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg.

Big Games On Tap

Even though Curry has missed three games, the Warriors have been able to manufacture wins by coach Steve Kerr playing a multitude of players in order to keep the team’s defense fresh.

Second year standout Brandin Podziemski did not play vs. the Celtics, but 11 players contributed 13 minutes or more and having a bench with plenty of experience will help down the line as the Warriors fight for playoff positioning.

• Golden State is riding a five game winning streak with huge upcoming games that will further show how real of a contender this team is.

The Warriors face the league’s lone unbeaten team on Friday in Cleveland vs. the Cavaliers, travel to once-beaten Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and then will get Klay Thompson and the Mavericks at home on Tuesday. Thompson, of course, helped the franchise win four NBA titles between 2015 and 2022.

Cleveland Offense vs Golden State Defense

The 9-0 Cavs are averaging 123.2 ppg and Golden State is giving up 105.3 ppg, so something will have to give.

Not only will the over/under be something to look for in this contest, but the individual scoring props for key players such as Cleveland’s Darius Garland, a point guard averaging 20.5 ppg and 6.5 apg, and perennial all-star Donovan Mitchell, who is netting 23.1 ppg and 4.3 apg.

Can Golden State hold the Cleveland backcourt under their season averages?

Golden State developing into a legit Western Conference contender would be one of the storylines of the 2024-25 NBA season, if it happens. It’s still early, but the early returns are favorable.

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