The Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets cracked the bottom-half of the Top-10 of The Daily News’ 2024 NBA Power Rankings.
The sixth and final installment covers the top-five, where the reigning NBA champions retain their throne as the best team in basketball for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The reigning Western Conference champions also make an appearance in the top-five, albeit not as the projected best in the West, and a former NBA champion out East makes his return to the top-five after a disappointing season crashed and burned amid a coaching change and an injury to a former league MVP.
The Top-5 NBA teams for the 2024-25 season are below.
5 – Milwaukee Bucks
- Additions: F Taurean Prince (via LAL), G Delon Wright (UFA), F Gary Trent Jr. (via TOR)
- Subtractions: G Malik Beasley (via DET)
- Best 5: Lillard, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Portis, Lopez
- Next 5: Wright, Connaughton, Beauchamp, Trent, Prince
As long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor, the Bucks are contenders in the East. Consider last season an anomaly: Plagued by a mid-season coaching change and a devastating injury to their superstar just before the playoffs, the Bucks never really had a chance once Antetokounmpo went down.
This season, however, will be a different story. With the benefit of a full training camp with Doc Rivers, the Bucks will finally unlock the true potential of the Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard duo.
When healthy, this pairing is nearly unstoppable.
While the Bucks bolstered their roster with seasoned veterans, their fate rests on two critical factors: the health and sustained dominance of Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee’s ability to lock down defensively in clutch moments.
The latter has been a point of concern since the trade of Jrue Holiday for Lillard. With the road to a championship now running through Boston, where Holiday has taken up residence, the Bucks must prove they’re the best-equipped to dethrone the reigning champions in a high-stakes series.
Better or worse?
Better.
4 – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Additions: G Rob Dillingham (#8 via SAS), G Terrence Shannon Jr. (#27)
- Subtractions: F Kyle Anderson (via GSW)
- Best 5: Edwards, McDaniels, Reid, Towns, Gobert
- Next 5: Conley, Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, Shannon Jr, Ingles
Imagine this: The best of Anthony Edwards is still ahead.
Fresh off an Olympic gold medal run, Edwards returns to Minnesota with sky-high confidence and the endorsement of future Hall of Famers like his idol, Kevin Durant.
Now, he’s on a mission to bring the Timberwolves their first NBA title.
Edwards is more than capable of rising to the occasion, and he’s backed by a smothering Minnesota defense that provides the perfect stage for his talents. While Rudy Gobert’s playoff defense remains a question mark, the Timberwolves have established themselves as a regular-season powerhouse. The addition of the shifty Rob Dillingham from Kentucky could give Edwards a long-term backcourt partner, ensuring the Wolves stay competitive for years to come.
Better or worse?
About the same, which was tied for the best in the West last season
3 – Dallas Mavericks
- Additions: G Klay Thompson (via GSW), G Quentin Grimes (via DET), G Spencer Dinwiddie (via LAL), F Naji Marshall (via NOP)
- Subtractions: F Derrick Jones Jr. (via LAC), G Tim Hardaway Jr. (via DET)
- Best 5: Doncic, Irving, Thompson, Washington, Lively II
- Next 5: Dinwiddie, Hardy/Grimes, Marshall, Kleber, Gafford
The Mavericks are a paradox: a team that could struggle in the regular season yet be a nightmare matchup in the playoffs. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving form an explosive duo, and the team, fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, made significant upgrades over the summer. The additions of Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, and Spencer Dinwiddie bolster a squad that was already contending for a title.
But which version of Thompson did the Mavericks sign to a three-year, $50 million deal? Is it the sharpshooter who helped the Warriors win four NBA titles, or the player whose decline left Stephen Curry without a playoff berth last season? Thompson’s shooting gravity alone will create open lanes for Doncic and Irving, setting the stage for another deep playoff run, though opponents will sell out to stop Doncic, which means a playoff run could hinge on Thompson’s ability to make clutch shots at this stage of his career.
Better or worse?
Better.
2 – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Additions: C Isaiah Hartenstein (via NYK), G Alex Caruso (via CHI)
- Subtractions: G Josh Giddey (via CHI)
- Best 5: Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, Jal. Williams, Holmgren, Hartenstein
- Next 5: Wallace, Wiggins, Joe, Dort, Jay. Williams,
The Thunder enter the season as the best team in the Western Conference and are favored to claim the conference crown.
Last season, they finished with the West’s top record before Dallas pulled the upset in the second round. This offseason, they addressed their needs by shoring up the center position with Isaiah Hartenstein and acquiring Alex Caruso, one of the league’s elite 3-and-D wings, in exchange for Josh Giddey.
Chet Holmgren is poised for a breakout season, likely entering the conversation for Most Improved Player and possibly earning his first All-Star nod. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains a perennial MVP candidate, driven by a desire to erase the sting of an early exit from the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Hartenstein-Holmgren frontcourt will face some growing pains, but with SGA leading the charge, this young, deep, and well-coached Thunder team is primed for the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in 2012.
Better or worse?
Better.
1 – Boston Celtics
- Additions: F Baylor Scheierman (#30), Lonnie Walker IV
- Subtractions: N/A
- Best 5: Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis
- Nest 5: Pritchard, Hauser, Scheierman*, Kornet, Horford
Despite a turbulent summer, the Boston Celtics enter the 2024-25 season as the best team in basketball, poised to defend their NBA title. The Celtics’ only offseason addition in free agency was Lonnie Walker IV. With the final pick in the first round of the NBA Draft, the team added Baylor Scheierman, a talented rookie out of Creighton. But the real drama unfolded with USA Basketball, where egos were bruised in the quest for Olympic gold:
- Jaylen Brown was snubbed from the Team USA roster, while Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday were selected.
- Then after Kawhi Leonard’s injury, Derrick White was chosen over Brown as the replacement, a slight that didn’t go unnoticed with Brown calling the omission a conspiracy from Nike.
- Team USA head coach Steve Kerr then benched Tatum for much of the Olympics, favoring Holiday and White in the rotation.
Don’t be fooled: Despite these international tensions, the Celtics’ championship culture remains intact.
Boston’s starting five is stacked, and the Celtics are well-positioned to repeat as NBA champions. However, their path to the Finals last season was softened by injuries to key rivals. Tatum proved capable of faltering under pressure, but Brown stepped up, and until someone dethrones the reigning champs, Boston holds the crown as the No. 1 team in the NBA for the 2024-25 season.
Better or worse?
About the same.