A fresh look at which teams can challenge the Celtics this season
The NBA Cup has now come and gone. In its finale, we saw the Milwaukee Bucks, who started the season 2-8, face off against and ultimately beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, the #1 seed in the West, to become the second ever NBA Cup Champions. So, what did we learn about the state of the league through this short journey?
The Celtics are currently sitting at 2nd in the East with a record of 21-5. Kristaps Porzingis ended up making his season debut much earlier than expected. Jayson Tatum has kept himself steadily in the MVP conversation. Payton Pritchard has emerged as a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate, too. It’s safe to say that Boston looks like they’re in good shape so far.
As for the rest of the league, we’ve seen a decent amount of shakeup since we last took a look at the state of the league in mid-November.
Here’s how things stand now:
*Records and standings as of December 18, 2024*
Top Threats:
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Oklahoma City Thunder – 1st in West (20-5): The Thunder are sitting firmly in the driver’s seat out in the West, and have been doing so while missing arguably their second-best player for a significant amount of time. Chet Holmgren hasn’t played a single game since the last time we took a look at the league, yet the Thunder have gone 12-3. That’s been assisted by the fact that Isaiah Hartenstein finally made his debut for them, and he’s fit in seamlessly. They’re an extremely well coached team that plays very freely, and they’re a team that can really drop an avalanche on you when they get in a groove. The only thing working against them really is their inexperience, but talent-wise, they seem like they’re clearly the next best team behind the Celtics, and are surely the biggest threat to Boston’s championship aspirations this year.
New York Knicks – 5th in East (16-10 || 0-1 vs Cs): The Knicks got off to a bit of a slow start to the season at 4-5, but have since started to find more of a rhythm. That’s thanks in big part due to Karl Anthony Towns finding his role on the team and starting to look almost dominant at times. He’s averaging just under 25 points along with his near-14 rebounds per game. His performance has really been a game changer for this team, and Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Miles McBride all finding their complimentary offensive roles has the Knicks looking like real contenders. The Knicks are still expecting Mitchell Robinson to make his season debut at the end of January, too. Boston may have wiped the floor with New York on opening night, but I’d be willing to wager that all of the remaining games end up being much, much closer going forward.
Other Potential Challengers:
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Cleveland Cavaliers – 1st in East (23-4 || 1-1 vs Cs): The Cavs remain near the top of the list when it comes to threats against the Celtics. They’ve continued their stellar play so far, although they no longer hold the perfect record which they had the last time we looked at them. All indications point to them being an outstanding team, but I personally feel a bit less scared of them than I did previously. The Cavs and Celtics have split the season series so far, both games being decided by less than 5 points each. In the matchup, Cleveland has looked very beatable, though. I don’t think a series against them would be easy by any means, but I do feel as though the Celtics have the edge matchup wise. Respect has to be given where due, though, and as such, Cleveland will stay close to the top of the list of threats.
Dallas Mavericks – 4th in West (17-9): Dallas has been playing exceptionally well despite some lineup inconsistencies here and there. P.J. Washington seems to have solidified himself as the third most important player on that roster, and has done a great job of helping out Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Guys like Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes have also proven to be great additions for them, specifically on the defensive end of the court. Dallas seems improved from last year, and it’s not unrealistic to expect them to play with an extra chip on the shoulder after coming short in the Finals last year.
Denver Nuggets – 5th in West (14-10): The Nuggets have had an uglier season than they were likely expecting. Aaron Gordon missed significant time with an injury, and Nikola Jokic also missed several games due to personal reasons. What’s likely been a bigger factor, though, has been the underwhelming performance from Jamal Murray thus far. It’s going to be hard for Denver to compete with their second-best player playing sub-par, but Jokic has truly taken his game to another level, which is insane to say considering he already has 3 MVP trophies. The team lacks in depth and firepower at this point, but they can still go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league, and are reported to be active in the trade market to bolster up their roster again. Trade or not, Denver will undoubtedly be in the contender conversation as long as Jokic is playing at this level.
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Milwaukee Bucks – 5th in East (14-11 || 0-3 vs Cs): Milwaukee has had a solid turnaround from their horrid 2-8 start to the season. Giannis is playing at an MVP level, Dame is still an offensive assassin, and they’ve ben getting solid role-player contributions out of guys like Taurean Prince and A.J. Green which has been making a huge difference for them. Khris Middleton also recently made his season-debut for the team, though he hasn’t exactly looked like him best self. Given that the Celtics already swept the season series it may not be the toughest matchup, but if they get clicking at the right time, I wouldn’t put it past the Bucks to upset the Celtics.
Phoenix Suns – 6th in West (14-11): The Suns got off to a hot start to the season, but things started to go awry after Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal started missing time due to injury. When everyone is active, the team certainly does look scary. The defense isn’t exactly stellar, but as everyone expected, the offense between KD, Beal, and Devin Booker is lethal, especially since adding in an experienced and established ball-handler in Tyus Jones to lighten their loads and conduct the offense. While the two teams haven’t matched up yet, I’d imagine the Celtics would have the edge considering they can keep up with and maybe even outperform Phoenix offensively, and will almost certainly have a better defense. If it comes down to a 7-game series, it could come down to who’s hotter, though.
Memphis Grizzlies – 2nd in West (18-9 || 1-0 vs Cs): The Grizzlies have finally started to see the kind of success they can have when their best players are all healthy. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. may not be at the very top of the list when it comes to big 3s, but they’re certainly very solid, and have an equally solid supporting cast to help push the team along. Guys like Santi Aldama, Jay Huff, Scotty Pippen Jr., Marcus Smart, and rookies Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells have all consistently been key contributors that have helped to bring Memphis so much success this season. They’re a young and relatively inexperienced team so far, but their depth can help push them over the edge.
Sneaky Teams to Watch:
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Minnesota Timberwolves – 7th in West (14-11 || 0-1 vs Cs): Minnesota hasn’t really shown us too much to this point. Anthony Edwards has certainly been on a tear offensively, but overall the team hasn’t seemed like too much of a threat as of yet. Julius Randle is a great player, but doesn’t feel like the best fit for the team. Rudy Gobert will likely never win another DPOY trophy, but is still one of the best pain protectors in the league. They’ve gotten some good play out of guys like Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jaden McDaniels too, but not on a consistent enough basis to where I would put Minnesota in the same league as the true contenders, though they aren’t far off.
Houston Rockets – 3rd in West (17-9): The Rockets are a very interesting team. The way they’re playing this year, it doesn’t seem like they have a clear-cut best player night in and night out. They’ve been winning games by committee, and a big part of that is their defense. They currently rank 2nd in the league with a defensive rating of 105.6. Guys like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr. seem like they’ve been playing at a lower level than last year, but the team has been pulling out wins left and right. They’re not very experienced, so we’ll have to see how that affects them later down the line, but they’re winning games, so Houston is definitely a team to monitor.
Orlando Magic – 4th in East (17-11): Orlando has looked really solid so far this season, especially considering they’ve been without Paolo Banchero since late October. Head coach Jamahl Mosley has his guys playing their tails off, especially on the defensive end. They currently have the 3rd best defensive rating in the league at 106.6, and it’s kept them in nearly every game considering they have the 25th ranked offense at 110.2. Unfortunately, budding star, Franz Wagner recently suffered the same injury which has sidelined Paolo, a torn oblique. Now almost 2 months post-surgery, Paolo still isn’t that close to returning. A similar timeline for Franz could have the team slipping without its two best players. We’ll have to see how far they drop, if at all, but once both guys are back, Orlando could be a formidable opponent.
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Atlanta Hawks – 7th in East (14-13 || 1-1 vs Cs): Atlanta has been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far. They’ve somehow lost two games to the 3-21 Wizards, but managed to beat the Celtics, Bucks, the Cavs twice, and the Knicks twice as well. They’re a bit of an inconsistent team at this point, but it’s clear they have what it takes to win games against strong competition. As the season progresses, I’d imagine they only get stronger as the younger players develop and get more comfortable in their roles. They could easily be one of those dark horse teams to cause an upset or two come playoff time, and the Celtics shouldn’t take them too lightly.
Golden State Warriors – 8th in West (14-11 || 1-0 vs Cs): The Warriors have cooled off a bit since their hot start to the season, coming back to reality in my opinion. Their roster isn’t especially strong, but they do have half-way decent depth, and recently acquired Brooklyn’s Dennis Schroeder without giving up any assets that have any effect on this season for them. We have yet to see how he’ll fit in, but it seems as though he’ll be starting next to Steph Curry. The trade only strengthens their depth, and Schroeder has also been known as a great leader, which could help to get more out of their younger players like Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trayce Jackson Davis. It’s also rumored that the Warriors aren’t done making trades, and are pursuing some more star talent to bring in. If they manage to get it done, depending on the cost they could certainly be a team to monitor as a threat.
Los Angeles Clippers – 9th in West (15-12 || 0-1 vs Cs): The Clippers have also leveled off a bit due to some unfortunate injuries to guys like Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr. and Terance Mann. Powell has since returned, but the other two will be out for at least a couple weeks each. It will be hard for James Harden to keep this team playing at a high level without them, but reinforcements may be on the way. Kawhi Leanord has been progressing in his ramp-up to get back on the court, and the team is hoping that he can stay on the court when he does come back. He could potentially make his debut within the next week or two if all goes well. If the Clippers can get a consistently healthy Kawhi, they could easily jump up into the contender category, but as of now that’s a big if.
Wouldn’t Worry:
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Miami Heat – 6th in East (13-11 || 0-1 vs Cs): Miami continues to be one of those teams that just won’t go away. Their roster isn’t very strong, but Tyler Herro has taken a big step up, and could potentially be an all-star this year. It also took Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo some time, but they’ve started to look more like their usual selves lately. There have been rumors that Butler could be moved by the deadline, and that he prefers to go to a contender. If that comes to fruition, I would think that would be an indication that Miami is looking to push their competitive aspirations out by at least a year or two, but we can’t really judge that until it happens, if it does at all. As it stands Miami probably doesn’t have a strong enough roster to challenge the Celtics, but I’ll never count the Erik Spoelstra devil magic out completely.
Los Angeles Lakers – 10th in West (14-12): It’s another year of the Lakers looking like an incomplete team, riding on the coat tails of Anthony Davis and soon to be 40-year-old LeBron. The only consistent support they have seems to be from Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, both of which have missed time this season. The formula hasn’t been enough to get it done since 2020, and unless they can make some moves to improve their depth and overall roster strength, I wouldn’t expect it to be any different this season.
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Indiana Pacers – 8th in East (12-15 || 1-0 vs Cs): Indiana has been a bit of a disappointment this season after their Eastern Conference Finals run last year. Tyrese Haliburton simply had an insane peak last season which set expectations unreasonably high, and he hasn’t come close to replicating it yet this year. The Pacers have still managed to get some big wins against good teams, the Celtics included, so I won’t count them out completely. That being said, they currently look worse than the team that the Celtics swept in the ECF last year, so I wouldn’t worry just yet either.
Sacramento Kings – 12th in West (13-14): Sacramento feels like a team that should be much better than they are. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are legitimate stars, and it feels like Demar DeRozan should be too, but he hasn’t been carrying as much of the load as the team has hoped for after signing him this offseason. The Kings have dropped a lot of winnable games, and haven’t proven that they can really compete just yet. They have the potential, but they’re going to have to stack together some wins before I buy in.
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Detroit Pistons – 10th in East (11-16 || 0-3 vs Cs): Cade Cunningham is bringing real hoops back to Detroit. He’s been playing like an all-star, and has kept the Pistons relevant for the first time in years. He has an okay supporting cast to help them compete for a play-in spot, but this likely isn’t going to be the year for them to make any real noise. They have their moments, but they still have a long way to go before I would bet on them to beat any real competition consistently.
Philadelphia 76ers – 12th in East (8-16): Philly is one of those teams that has been rampant with injury this year, though many fans expected it out of their stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George. Jared McCain, their 1st round pick from this year’s draft has been a lone bright spot thus fur, although he unfortunately tore his MCL in their last game. This season for Philly feels very similar to what happened in Phoenix last year, and they’re going to need a big turnaround before I consider them a threat, though they certainly have the potential on paper.
San Antonio Spurs – 11th in West (13-13): The Spurs seem to slowly be figuring things out as the season goes on, despite some spotty availability from their star, Victor Wembanyama, who has occasionally missed time with back issues. Chris Paul and Stephon Castle seem to be making a world of a difference for this roster, and while I don’t expect them to be a threat this year, they could very well be priming themselves for a real shot next year.
Pritchard Takeover Nights:
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Toronto Raptors – 14th in East (7-20 || 0-1 vs Cs): Toronto has been a surprisingly fun team to watch this year, and it feels like their record isn’t a great indication of how they play. They’re one of the few teams that’s slowly on their way back up from the tank (although they may be making an exception for this year’s draft class), but with Scottie Barnes missing time for a range of freak injuries it’s hard to see what they’re really capable of. They seem like a team that can give you a hard night, which they already did to the Celtics, but are ultimately very beatable, and shouldn’t be favored in many matchups.
Chicago Bulls – 9th in East (12-15 || 0-1 vs Cs): Chicago continues to remain as one of the most “mid” teams in the league, although from the sounds of it, they may finally be ready to embrace the tank. Zach Lavine has been heavily involved in trade rumors, and once he’s gone it’s likely that Nikola Vucevic could be on the move too. I’d imagine almost every player in Chicago is up for grabs outside of Coby White and rookie Matas Buzelis. Whether the front-office finally has the guts to pull the trigger is a different question, though. They have a shot at the play-in if they stay pat, but even then, I’d say it’s a low chance.
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New Orleans Pelicans – 15th in West (5-22): The Pelicans have been absolutely devastated by injuries this year. Dyson Daniels, who was traded away from New Orleans in the offseason and has since emerged as a Most Improved candidate, made comments saying “That organization’s cursed. Every year there’s something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore.” The injury luck has been so bad, that it seems like they’ve made all but 3 players available for trade, with none of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, or Dejounte Murray in that untouchable list. If they manage to get fully healthy, they may have a shot at clawing their way back to relevancy, but I would be more likely to believe that they’d blow it up than continue on this path of wishful thinking.
Brooklyn Nets – 11th in East (10-16 || 0-2 vs Cs): Brooklyn has quickly become sellers, recently shipping probably their best player, Dennis Schroeder, out to Golden State in exchange for a bundle of 2nd round picks along with DeAnthony Melton who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Rumor has it that they’ll be shipping out Cameron Johnson, and possibly Dorian Finney Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic soon as well. Cam Thomas has been out for a considerable amount of time, and he too could be on the trade block. All signs point to Brooklyn preparing to fully buy in to the “Capture the Flagg” race this season, so don’t expect to see them win too many more games this year.
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Charlotte Hornets – 13th in East (7-19 || 0-2 vs Cs): The Hornets continue to be the Hornets of years past – no real on-court leadership or consistency. LaMelo has been playing like an all-star when available, and Brandon Miller seems to have taken a step up as well, but it’s not enough to see them as a threat to anyone anytime soon.
Portland Trail Blazers – 13th in West (8-18): Portland has had some interesting upsets since our last look at the league, beating the Timberwolves in back-to-back games, as well as the Hawks, Rockets, and Kings. It seems as though they have the ability to turn it up on occasion and catch teams by surprise, but they are wildly inconsistent, and likely won’t be much of a threat.
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Utah Jazz – 14th in West (5-20): Utah hasn’t shown anything since the last edition to make me believe they’ll be anything other than the bottom team in the West. They will likely be sellers at the trade deadline as well, shopping guys like Colin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins. Depending on which young guys they get in return they could be a fun team to watch, but they certainly aren’t competition to most of the league.
Washington Wizards – 15th in East (3-21 || 0-3 vs Cs): Out of the 16 games the Wizards played since the last edition, they’ve only won a single game. They’re certainly the worst team in the league, and are currently on track to be the worst team in NBA history. To quote Kyle Kuzma, “At this point, it’s like, don’t be that team.”