The canine days of the NBA offseason are formally right here, however there’s a lightweight shining on the finish of the proverbial tunnel. The 2024-2025 NBA schedule was launched on Thursday afternoon for all 30 groups. The NBA might be again earlier than it, and the WNBA has basketball followers lined till then.
Most of the NBA will host media day on Sept. 30 and start coaching camp on Oct. 1 (the Nuggets and Celtics start each every week earlier). Boston and Denver play the league’s first preseason video games in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6. Opening evening for the common season is Oct. 22, with Celtics internet hosting the Knicks, and the Lakers internet hosting the Timberwolves.
The commerce deadline is Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET, and 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend begins Feb. 14. The play-in event begins April 15, and the NBA Playoffs formally begin April 19.
With their schedule now out, listed here are some enjoyable info, tendencies, and oddities that caught our eye.
The Nuggets have the best schedule
The Nuggets have the NBA’s best power of schedule, based on @presidual, which components in house/street relaxation benefit, journey, altitude, and so on.
Denver has 10 video games with a relaxation benefit, 12 video games with a relaxation drawback pic.twitter.com/0UpD1PeJ6P
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) August 15, 2024
It’s arduous to take something away from preseason power of schedule metrics within the NBA, however the Nuggets main this formulation is smart. Denver all the time has a powerful house court docket benefit enjoying at altitude (5,280 toes above sea stage, as their jerseys say), and it’s centrally situated sufficient to keep away from horrible journey. What’s fascinating right here is that the opposite 4 groups are within the a lot simpler Japanese Convention. There’s no such factor as a straightforward schedule for a Western Convention heavy hitter just like the Nuggets, however no less than their schedule is a bit more tolerable than a few of their prime convention foes.
The Lakers have essentially the most nationwide TV video games
High 5 most nationwide TV video games for the 2024-25 season:
1) Lakers: 39
2) Warriors: 36
T3) Celtics: 34
T3) Knicks: 34
T5) Mavericks: 30
T5) Suns: 30 https://t.co/igejprP4Nf— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 15, 2024
The Lakers usually are not top-of-the-line groups within the NBA, however they are going to be on TV essentially the most. LA has 39 nationally televised video games between ESPN/ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. If you wish to watch LeBron James in his age-40 season play along with his son Bronny, you’ll get loads of alternatives. Let’s hope James and Anthony Davis can keep wholesome this season, in any other case there are going to be loads of nights when the nationally televised video games are duds. It might be good to see some youthful and higher groups get extra shine, however LeBron will all the time put up numbers on the court docket and in tv scores.
The Suns’ schedule is hard
Phoenix is all-in this season round Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker with all of its future draft picks and wage cap area out the door. The Suns are hoping to construct on a 49-win season and first spherical sweep final yr, however their common season schedule seems to be powerful. Whereas the Portland Path Blazers have the toughest schedule within the league by the numbers, Phoenix isn’t far behind with the fourth most troublesome schedule. The Suns “play 4 much less occasions with a relaxation benefit than they do with a relaxation drawback,” based on RealGM, which is essentially the most within the league. Phoenix additionally has an NBA-high 16 back-to-backs this season, although it shares that honor with 10 different groups. The Suns are dealing with as a lot stress as any staff within the league this season to go on an actual championship run, and it seems to be just like the chips are stacked towards them primarily based on the schedule.
Raptors, Path Blazers, Pistons have the fewest nationwide TV video games
These groups solely play on nationwide TV 4 occasions every all yr. That is smart for the Pistons coming off a 14-win season, and the Blazers coming off a 21-win season. The Raptors aren’t essentially rebuilding and determine to be the Japanese Convention play-in combine, however nationwide audiences gained’t get many seems to be at Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Co. this yr.
3 ‘revenge video games’ to circle
- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors on Nov. 12, 10 p.m. ET, TNT: Klay Thompson goes again to the Bay for the primary time. The gang will go bonkers for an all-time nice Warrior, and the tribute video ought to activate the waterworks within the constructing. Klay is both hitting eight three-pointers on this recreation or taking pictures 0-for-15. It’s going to be must-see TV both means.
- Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Sixers needs to be thanking the Clippers day by day for refusing to supply Paul George a fourth-year on a possible contract extension. PG is in Philly now, and this feels prefer it’s going to be an odd homecoming.
- Brooklyn Nets at New York Knicks on Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET: Mikal Bridges was traded from the Nets to the Knicks to finish their Villanova reunion. The Nets don’t need to win at a excessive stage this yr as they eye Cooper Flagg within the draft lottery. The Knicks suppose they’ve sufficient to win the East. This might be a 30-point blowout.
NBA’s key dates for 2024-2025 season
- Common season opens: Oct. 22
- NBA Cup (in-season event) championship recreation: Dec. 17
- Commerce deadline: Feb. 6
- 2025 NBA All-Star Recreation: Feb. 16
- Play-in event begins: April 15
- 2025 NBA Playoffs begin: April 19
- 2025 NBA Draft lottery: Might 2025
- 2025 NBA Finals begin: June 5
