NBA insider Brian Windhorst ranks Top 5 teams in NBA ahead of 2024-25 season
ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently ranked the NBA's top five teams ahead of the 2024-25 season. Projected Western Conference powerhouses comprised 80% of the league insider's list.
With training camp less than two weeks away, most squads appear done making offseason moves, with a few seemingly separating themselves from the pack.
On ESPN's "NBA Today" Thursday, Windhorst gradually unveiled his rankings of the league's premier teams in a segment titled "Windy's Tower of Power."
At fifth, Windhorst had the defending West champion Dallas Mavericks. He cited their "continuity" around superstar guard Luka Doncic and his co-star Kyrie Irving.
Windhorst noted that sophomore center Dereck Lively II could expand his range, adding "a whole other dimension" to the team. He also briefly touched on Dallas' free-agency addition of veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
Coming in fourth, Windhorst chose last year's West finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves, calling them "one of the best defensive teams in the league." The veteran analyst added that rising superstar wing Anthony Edwards "could become an MVP candidate this year."
The 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets placed third on Windhorst's list, with the insider attributing their high ranking to their star power. He said if superstar center Nikola Jokic and his co-star Jamal Murray are "right," they remain a tough matchup in any best-of-seven playoff series.
Windhorst positioned last year's No. 1-seeded West squad, the OKC Thunder, second. He raved about their offseason acquisitions of big man Isaiah Hartenstein and defensive-minded guard Alex Caruso. He also predicted another "dominant" season for superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Perhaps least surprisingly, Windhorst ranked the defending champion Boston Celtics as the league's top team entering this season. He said the Celtics are "deep, young and equipped to compete," projecting them to have another 60-plus win campaign.
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Brian Windhorst says Boston Celtics are likeliest repeat NBA champions in years
As for how confident Brian Windhorst is in Boston, he said the team is the likeliest to win back-to-back titles in many seasons. The last to do so was the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led superteams in 2017 and 2018.
"This is the best chance we've seen to repeat in years," Windhorst said.
Windhorst noted that "the East is gonna be harder for [the Celtics] to dominate this year." Last season, they secured a league-best 64-18 regular-season record before coasting to a 16-3 postseason mark.
However, judging by Windhorst's rankings, it appears Boston will have a far easier path to the NBA Finals than the West's top contenders.
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