The UCSD Guardian is celebrating the start of the 2024-25 NBA season with a collection of “hot takes” from around the league. Read more to find out if your team can — or can’t — win this year’s NBA Finals.
Dallas Mavericks don’t repeat 2024 run, fail to make it past first round
Three seasons ago, the Dallas Mavericks had an impressive playoff run, cruising through the first round before upsetting the No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns on their way to the Western Conference Finals. The following year, they finished No. 11 in the West and missed the postseason.
Last season’s Mavericks bucked the trend yet again. Led by Luka Doncic, who nearly averaged a triple-double on his way to being an MVP finalist, Dallas went 50–32 and entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. Thanks to Doncic and trade deadline acquisitions PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, the Mavericks navigated their way through the loaded Western Conference on their way to the NBA Finals, where they were thwarted by the Boston Celtics.
If history repeats itself, the Mavericks will miss the playoffs again this season after overachieving in 2024. While I don’t believe that will happen — they’re too talented to miss the playoffs entirely — don’t expect them to have the same success they had last year. Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are shells of their former selves, and Doncic can only do so much on his own. The Mavericks will likely sneak into the playoffs, though against young superteams like the Thunder and Timberwolves, they’re destined for a first round exit.
— Ryan Kirton, Staff Writer
Minnesota won the KAT trade, will make Finals
The Minnesota Timberwolves swept Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns and dethroned Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets in back-to-back playoff series last year. This offseason, the T-Wolves moved on from four-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, improving their team through the unsung “addition by subtraction” methodology. Towns often fouled-out in postseason games and would drift to the three-point line when his team needed him in the post.
Minnesota received significant compensation for Towns, including Julius Randle, who averaged 24 points and nine rebounds per game last year, and Donte DiVincenzo, a marksman who averaged 15.5 points per game last year. Minnesota also reloaded in the draft, where they added elite guards Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. Furthermore, the T-Wolves are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA and can switch one-through-five when Rudy Gobert is off the floor. Naz Reid will fulfill Towns’ vacated role as a stretch big, and the T-Wolves will cruise through the West.
Ultimately, Minnesota improved its starting lineup and added depth to its bench. Having already proven that they can contend with the powerhouses in the West — and with the Mavericks expected to take a step back this season — look for Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves to go the distance in this year’s playoffs.
— Wyatt Bose, Associate Sports Editor
The Knicks won the KAT trade, will make (and maybe win) NBA Finals
Au contraire, mon frère. It’s the New York Knickerbockers, not the Timberwolves, that are now poised for a Finals run.
Last season, the Knicks won 50 games — only the second time they’ve done so this century — en route to an Eastern Conference semifinals loss. New York’s flashy, all-in offseason began with trading for Mikal Bridges, adding yet another defensive star to the likes of OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. However, it’s the Knicks’ trade for Karl-Anthony Towns that has their fans dreaming of a 2024-25 NBA Championship banner hanging in the barren Madison Square Garden rafters.
Towns replaces the much-maligned Julius Randle, injecting a healthy dose of stardom to the Knicks’ young core. He shot 41.6% from beyond the arc last season, demonstrating a three-point prowess that New York has lacked from its recent big men. Towns’ ability to stretch the floor both lessens and perfectly complements Jalen Brunson’s offensive load. While DiVincenzo will be a sizable loss, his starting role was already supplanted by Bridges. If the Big Purr can avoid injury in Tom Thibodeau’s grueling system, New York becomes a legitimate contender in the East.
— Kurt Johnston, Sports Editor
The Year of Kuz Beckons
Kyle Kuzma is a name that many in the NBA community are familiar with. The former Lakers power forward immediately earned a place in the starting lineup in his rookie season, before winning the NBA finals with Lebron James and Anthony Davis. But after he was cast away to Washington, the Wizards have not achieved much of anything.
Two mediocre seasons were followed by a season that saw Washington finish with the worst record in franchise history, winning only 15 games. Yet in the midst of this disappointment, Kuzma saw his best season yet, averaging 22 points per game and finishing with an above-average player efficiency rating for only the second season in his career. With veteran additions such as Saddiq Bey and Jonas Valanciunas joining Washington via free agency, and the team retaining existing talents such as Richuan Holmes, the Kuz finally has the weapons around him to become a bona fide superstar and lead the Wizards to glory.
— Alan Zhang, Senior Staff Writer
