By 10th-Grader Oliver Martinez
We’re still somewhat early into the NBA season, and, now, with 2024 starting up, we have gotten a glimpse of what each team and individual players have to offer. So, here is my list of totally accurate predictions for the 23-24 NBA season.
Most Improved Player
I don’t think there’s a better answer for this section than Tyrese Maxey. Last season, I don’t remember hearing about him much. But, this season, he has been one of the spotlights for the 76ers. He has been averaging 26.2 points per game compared to last season’s 20.3 ppg; he has basically doubled his assists per game, now averaging 6.7 assists per game compared to last year’s 3.5, and this while playing 7.5 minutes less than last season (espn). There just isn’t anybody else who has improved as much as Maxey. I think the reason he has been improving so much is thanks to James Harden’s departure. He has gotten more chances, and since he is the point guard, he gets the ball more often.
Rookie of the Year (ROTY)
I firmly believe that Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs center, is going to win this award. The only other guy competing with Wemby for this award is Chet Holmgren, who isn’t actually a rookie as he was drafted last year. I find it ridiculous that the NBA is allowing Chet Holmgren to be in this contest since this is his second year in the League. I don’t think that’s fair since he has more experience than everyone else competing for this award. Even with Chet in the competition, I think Wemby will pull through and win Rookie of the Year; he’s been averaging a double-double with 19.2 pts, and 10.1 rebounds. This is subject to change, though, and I think Wemby is going to improve even more in the coming games (espn). He’s been the main man for the Spurs, and, for his first year, he looks really good.
Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
So this one is between Rudy Gobert (of the Minnesota Timberwolves) and Anthony Davis (of the Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs). I really don’t want Rudy Gobert to win it because he would be setting the record for most DPOY (he’s won 3 times already), and I don’t think he is a better defender than Dwight Howard (who also has 3 DPOY). I kind of want Victor to win it, but I think it’s unlikely he’d win both ROTY and DPOY. So, my prediction is that Anthony Davis will win the DPOY. He’s been averaging 12.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.2 steals (espn), and thanks to his height (6 ’10’’), he’s able to defend the rim properly and not let shots in easily.
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
This is a hard one. Last year Joel Embiid (playing for the 76ers) won it, and everyone hated that. However, this season, so far, Embiid’s been averaging Wilt Chamberlain level stuff. The fact he averages more points than minutes per game is absolutely insane; he also is averaging a double-double (espn). He also scored like 70 points in 35 minutes just days ago. This, while playing for a team that was greatly weakened support-wise thanks to James Harden’s departure. I think this will be a close, hard-fought MVP battle between Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but I don’t see a way that the other two could take away the MVP with the way Embiid has been playing. I predict Embiid will be the MVP again.
Western Conference Regular Season Champion
This one is not that easy because there are some teams competing–the Timberwolves, Nuggets and Thunder–that are neck to neck currently. But, I think that the Nuggets will win their conference; they’re just so competitive, and their team is a perfect balance of talent and experience. I just can’t imagine the Thunder or the Timberwolves taking a conference win away from the Nuggets.
Eastern Conference Regular Season Champion
This is a quick one–it’s between the Celtics and Bucks. As good as the Bucks are, I think the Celtics will remain at first place in the regular season thanks to their plethora of talent and depth around their team. They also are very consistent. They have improved massively since last season, and they are definitely contenders for the NBA Championship.
NBA Champion
It’s really hard to decide who will win the championship because there are some teams that turn up during the regular season, but their presence is little to none during the playoffs. A perfect example are the Clippers, who always do well during the regular season but continuously fumble during the playoffs. Considering this, I’m going to predict the NBA finals will be the Bucks (from the East) vs the Nuggets (from the West). And, I think that the Bucks will come out victorious. I think this because they have an elite duo with power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard.
The truth is, there just isn’t anyone that threatening during the playoffs in the West apart from the Nuggets and maybe the Lakers. I’m almost sure the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Clippers will just be invisible during the playoffs.
That’s it, that’s my list of My totally accurate predictions for the end of the NBA season; obviously, I didn’t cover all of the sections, but I did the most important ones. If you think I forgot any important sections or you disagree with any of my takes, let me know in the comments!
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