The NBA offseason has come and gone and the 2024-25 season is upon us as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves for Opening Night on Tuesday.
It should be a fun NBA season as parity is at an all-time high across the league, making it tough to predict where the Lakers will land and how the campaign will play out as a whole.
As is tradition though, our staff went on record and predicted who would win the 2024-25 NBA Championship as well as all the major awards and L.A. predictions in the latest Lakers Nation Roundtable:
Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane):
NBA Finals: Thunder over Knicks
MVP: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
It’s finally his year to win it after the bigs have battled over it for the past few years.
DPOY: Anthony Davis, Lakers
It’s long overdue.
ROY: Zach Edey, Grizzlies
Having the starting job locked up in Memphis will give him the opportunities he needs to put up some impressive numbers and make a difference for a really good Grizzlies team.
MIP: Jalen Johnson, Rockets
He missed a chunk of last season due to injury but in the 56 games that Johnson played for the Hawks he was electric, putting up 16 point, 9 boards, and 4 assists. He’s about to make a name for himself.
6MOY: Malik Monk, Kings
He’s going to be a major weapon for the Kings and is going to score a ton of points, which is usually a requirement to win 6th Man.
COY: Ime Udoka, Rockets
This award typically goes to the coach of a team drastically exceeds expectations and the Rockets may be poised to do just that.
Lakers Record: 48-34
Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):
NBA Finals: Nuggets over Celtics
Picking a champion is tougher than ever this year, but these are still the two best teams in my opinion and I think Nikola Jokic will be back for revenge.
MVP: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
It feels like it is finally Doncic’s time to break through and win MVP after being in the mix the last few years.
DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Anthony Davis should have won this award multiple times, but at the end of the day it’s up to the media to vote for him and they never do. Most of the media already seems that have their mind made up that it’s Wembanyama’s to lose in his second season.
ROY: Dalton Knecht, Lakers
He is gonna be getting rotation minutes from the jump and we all know he is capable of big scoring numbers. In a subpar rookie class, that could be enough to take home ROY.
MIP: Keyonte George, Jazz
I’m a big fan of George’s game and if the Jazz give him the keys to their offense, he could take a big leap in his second season.
6MOY: Malik Monk, Kings
Monk is starting to develop into the modern day Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams: an undersized guard who comes off the bench and just gets buckets. We definitely miss him in Lakerland!
COY: Mike Budenholzer, Suns
I think the Suns will be better than people expect this season and if that is the case, Budenholzer will get a lot of credit in his first season at the helm.
Lakers Record: 46-36
The Lakers have the same roster so their will be counting on JJ Redick being an upgrade over Darvin Ham for the team to improve. The issue is that the Western Conference is loaded, so I’m expecting them to finish in a similar spot as last year barring a significant trade to improve the roster.
Matthew Peralta (@_MatthewPeralta):
NBA Finals: Knicks over Timberwolves
Why not let New York double up on basketball titles? I’ll take the Knicks over the Timberwolves because we hate the Celtics here at LakersNation.com and because their roster is legitimately very good. Also, KAT revenge title series?!
MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Let’s go with Gilgeous-Alexander because he got a taste of the playoffs last year, and is poised to take another step with an even better supporting cast around him.
DPOY: Bam Adebayo, Heat
A bit against the grain, but I’ll take Adebayo over Victor Wembanyama. Adebayo had a strong Olympics run, and should be leaned on even more this upcoming season.
ROY: Reed Sheppard, Rockets
As much as I would love to pick Dalton Knecht, I’ll take Sheppard from the Rockets. He already looks ready to play now, and should have a role for an up-and-coming Rockets team.
MIP: Jalen Johnson, Hawks
Johnson is going to have a good year, and with Dejounte Murray gone should have more opportunities to contribute.
6MOY: Malik Monk, Kings
MP: Let’s go with our old friend Monk, who should go back to being a spark plug scorer off the bench with the Sacramento Kings.
COY: Tom Thibodeau, Knicks
Sticking with the Knicks title run, I think Thibodeau is in the driver’s seat for this award if he gets his team to play up to its potential.
Lakers record: 47-25
Oddsmakers might be down on the Lakers, but not “The Optimist”! I think with better coaching and good injury luck, the Lakers will be around 47-35 when the regular season is over.
Matthew Valento (@matthewvalento):
NBA Finals: Thunder over Celtics
It goes without saying that the Thunder are the best team in the Western Conference given the addition of former Laker Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Plus, Gilgeous-Alexander continued to be a 30-point per game scorer, in addition to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren continuing to take steps. Boston is the reigning champion and while the Eastern Conference has a bit more competition at the top, unfortunately, the Celtics are still the best team.
MVP: Luka Doncic, Mavericks
After an unexpected Finals run, Doncic is primed to be front and center of the MVP conversations. This was my pick last year and I’m sticking to it again because it is only a matter of time until he gets this award. Dallas needs to be a top-five seed in a competitive conference in order for Doncic to get consideration.
DPOY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
As much as I want to put Anthony Davis here, Wembanyama nearly won this award last season due to his absurd defensive stats. By averaging 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals last year, it feels crazy saying that those numbers could go up. I believe the Spurs big man is only going to get better and his confidence heading into his sophomore year should be extremely high.
ROY: Dalton Knecht, Lakers
This is going to be my first homer pick. Knecht impressed me in his 35-point performance against the Phoenix Suns during the second to last preseason game. L.A. truly got a steal with Knecht and with head coach JJ Redick empowering him as a scorer, the sky’s the limit. If Knecht is able to hit the ground running, this award should be his easily.
MIP: Cam Thomas, Nets
While the Brooklyn Nets may be near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Thomas is going to be a name I’m watching as the team’s No. 1 option. Despite being a streaky scorer at times, I believe he could truly blossom with the ball more in his hands because he can put up some crazy scoring numbers once he gets hot.
6MOY: Bobby Portis, Bucks
Portis has been in the mix for this award the past few seasons, finishing third last year. I expect Malik Monk and Naz Reid to be in the mix once again, but Portis could propel Milwaukee into the top half of the Eastern Conference. After averaging 13.8 points last season, I think it is reasonable to see him average 15-plus this year.
COY: Jamahl Mosley, Magic
The Orlando Magic were one of the surprising teams last year as they made the postseason as a fifth seed. Mosley has his young team playing hard, specifically defensively and it would not surprise me to see them contend for a top three seed in the East.
Lakers Record: 50-32
Last season was deemed a disappointment and yet the Lakers were able to win 47 games despite flaws from Darvin Ham. Now bringing in Redick, he is pushing the right buttons so far, specifically by revealing his starting lineup before training camp. There are going to be bumps along the way, but Redick has looked promising with his schemes, particularly offensively.
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