NBA Predictions! Here are 36 bold takes for 2024-25, including one for every team

Here are 36 predictions about this upcoming NBA season, including at least one involving every single team:

1. The NBA will break a 3-point barrier.

It’s no secret that the 3-point rate has soared over the past decade, but lately it hit a plateau. In the 2020-21 season, teams took 39.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. That went up to 39.9 percent during the following year, then dropped. Last season, the number nudged down to 39.5 percent. After years of rapid growth, the league reached a tipping point where the exponential rise started to level off.

Then the Celtics flipped the script. They stormed to an NBA Finals victory by hoisting nearly half of their shots from deep, making 3-pointers a central part of their winning formula.

Fast forward to this preseason, and the trend took another leap. NBA teams attempted a preseason record 44.1 percent of their shots from 3-point range:

NBA 3-Point Rate History

Season

Regular

Preseason

2024-25

TBD

44.1%

2023-24

39.5%

42.6%

2022-23

38.7%

40.8%

2021-22

39.9%

41.7%

2020-21

39.2%

42.8%

2019-20

38.4%

40.7%

2018-19

35.9%

35.6%

2017-18

33.7%

35.1%

2016-17

31.6%

30.3%

2015-16

28.5%

30.0%

2014-15

26.8%

27.3%

Percentages listed represent the share of total shots taken from 3-point range.

Given this trajectory and historical trends, I’m betting that the NBA’s regular-season 3-point rate will eclipse the 40 percent mark for the first time ever. Love it or hate it, this is a copycat league, and teams are always looking to emulate what works. More teams are going to join the Long Ball revolution, pushing the league’s 3-point rate into uncharted territory.

2. Three teams will win 60-plus games this season.

Boston, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City. The Celtics brought back their whole team and with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still improving, the ceiling is even higher. They’ve got depth, continuity, and motivation after last year’s Finals. The Timberwolves are built to win in the regular season. They’ve got lineup flexibility, a mix of size and defense, and a rising superstar in Anthony Edwards. OKC, meanwhile, has a legitimate MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the perfect blend of young talent…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-predictions-here-are-36-bold-takes-for-2024-25-including-one-for-every-team-172639855.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-22 17:26:00

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