NBA at Christmas: requests for the closure of 2024 and the beginning of 2025

These are some of the points we expect to see in the NBA during the last days of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

December is special. Christmas, New Year’s, and everything that entails. It is time for wishes in the form of hope.

I close my eyes and imagine scenarios as I raise the glass. What should happen at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025?

Here, then, is my NBA wish list for what’s next. Some of players, others of teams and others general.

Ready to meet them? Ho, ho, ho!

Congratulations!

1. A serious rival for the Boston Celtics

Yes, I know, it may sound disrespectful to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but… Have you seen the Celtics play? Staying only with the triples (51.3 per game) is not understanding modern basketball: it is not about the shots behind the arc, but about the way in which the points are joined to reach that treasure. Five open shooters, hybrid players capable of doing it all and a system that works. Pass, pass, pass and shoot. For much of the season they did not have Kristaps Porzingis and the structure did not suffer. Payton Pritchard stepped forward. In short, coach Joe Mazzulla has a multipurpose knife on his roster: for each need he has a different tool to use.

The last champions look more solid than ever and it is difficult to think of anyone who can win a seven-game series. Logic has already played its cards, but the playoffs, we already know, are the territory in which the wonderful happens. Our wish then? A much more serious series than what we saw in each match of the last postseason. With teams like Boston, the regular season looks too predictable.

2. An interesting destiny for Jimmy Butler

The NBA needs a shake-up in time and that big change could be Jimmy Buckets. He is not the only star who can change franchises, because many also watch Brandon Ingram and Zach Lavine, but we all know that Butler can cause change in any structure to go towards the Larry O’Brien trophy. Some possible destinations for Butler if the Heat decide to trade him: Warriors, Suns, Mavericks and Rockets.

Jimmy is now 35 years old and doesn’t have too many bullets left in his career. We are facing the last years of basketball for a special player. Who doesn’t want to see him go for big things? One of the best narrative lines in recent years came from Butler in the Heat. We want, we wish, we need that timely hit on the board.

3. A third sword to accompany LeBron James and Anthony Davis

They can’t do it alone. Sooner or later, the crack will occur. Davis is playing at an MVP level, LeBron is a basketball demi-god but will turn 40 on December 30, and the god Cronos forgives no one. Time devours everyone, including those who resist. Austin Reaves? An excellent player, but he is quite a bit behind James and Davis. A forward with good defensive capabilities is required to accompany the wonder duo.

Be careful: JJ Redick’s Lakers are in the playoffs today, but with this outlook the risk is huge. Making a move in time can be the difference between playing in the postseason, falling to the play-in or succumbing to being a lottery team.

Everyone is duly notified.

4. A new individual rivalry for the NBA

The League needs a duel that drives it like water in the desert. As once happened with Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain, or Larry Bird-Magic Johnson, a head-to-head of stars is needed to make the audience jump out of their seats. Sport is feeling, it is emotion, and without morbidity, without narrative, it withers little by little. The situation is worrying because we are facing the last chapters of LeBron James-Stephen Curry. It was once LeBron-Kevin Durant. The new generations need to know these kinds of emotions. Ja Morant-Anthony Edwards perhaps? Luka Doncic-Nikola Jokic? They are just hypotheses, plot paths, but today the poster of the NBA’s primary rivalry is vacant.

The desire is to find that natural grief as quickly as possible.

5. The people’s team: more prominence of the New York Knicks

I still remember what Tom Thibodeau’s team did during the last playoffs. Emotional, mobilizing, sacrificial. The town team. This was that wonderful path, which did not materialize with something transcendental but which moved all his fans. The arrivals of Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony-Towns for Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein improved their quality but removed a part of their soul.

Can Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and company regain that share of drama? There is still a long way to go to reach the playoffs, third place in the East is correct, but to go for the championship that has been denied since 1970 they are going to need that extra. The desire is to find it again and, why not, shout with them when necessary.

6. Let Luka Doncic take the next step

I am a fan of Luka Magic, but he played 20 of 28 games, the Mavericks have not yet found the consistency of a contender and that is worrying, especially since they played in the last NBA Finals. In the 2023-24 season they took the next step, they broke a limit and now they should be up to the task, with the arrival of Klay Thompson, of repeating and being even more competitive in decisive instances. That, at the moment, is not happening. Dallas is still a step behind the League’s top teams and needs a change of skin after the All-Star season. PJ Washington is establishing himself as one of the best role players in the NBA, but here everything happens and will happen through Doncic. MVP? He has four competitors ahead of him today: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum. We ask Luka, we demand him, we motivate him, because we know he has what it takes. It is my wish and that of many fans of this sport.

7. Victor Wembanyama’s final jump

The ten caps against the Blazers on Saturday are an example of the sporting tsunami that someone like Wemby means. “I don’t want to be pigeonholed into one role,” he said when he arrived in the NBA. And, to tell the truth, it is impossible to do so. Because he plays any position he wants. Today he is already shaping up to be the Defensive Player of the year thanks to his infinite arms that allow him to block shots, deflect others and cause errors. He is close to 25 points per game, with a three-point shooting percentage close to 35% and more than a dozen rebounds per night. The evolution is significant, clear, and that is seen in the standings: the Spurs stopped being a lottery team to be a play-in franchise. The arrival of Chris Paul and Stephon Castle helped a lot at the point guard position. The wish for this holiday season is that Wemby continues to improve, does not fall into untimely injuries and matures to be the player we all hope he will be. It’s still missing, but the direction is correct.

8. Less load management, more competition

Welcome to the era of athlete care and sports medicine. The regular season was too long for everyone: players, coaches, medical staff. But there are no solutions in sight, because collective bargaining agreements set the calendar. Fans perceive that the regular series is one thing and the playoffs another, and they are not wrong. There is an excess of rest and frustration is a constant: you pay a ticket to see Giannis Antetokounmpo and maybe you end up seeing Thanasis. I understand the need for rest, but my wish is that the NBA finds a solution to this so that these types of decisions, understandable for the pragmatism of a franchise that takes care of its assets, are not so evident.

9. A different proposal for the All-Star Game

And then, they changed again. Now there will be three teams made up of 24 NBA All-Star selections, and a fourth team that will come from the winner of the Rising Stars event that will take place on February 14.

The main event will be played on February 16: the four teams will play two semi-final matches, with the winners advancing to the championship. Each winner must score 40 or more points to advance.

I’m going to venture that this proposal is not going to work. The novelty may be attractive, but in the long run it means continuing to dwell on the same thing. I propose, then, three modifications as a wish to improve competition:

1) The main match must be between Internationals against Americans. This would make it attractive inside and outside of North America.
2) Sabrina Ionescu’s contribution last year in the duel with Stephen Curry was excellent. My triples tournament, however, has changes: in addition to adding girls like Sabrina, legends should compete. Former NBA players (e.g. Reggie Miller, Peja Stojakovic, Manu Ginobili) and some three-point specialist who represents international basketball and has not played in the NBA. We can all shoot from behind the arc, age is not an impediment here.
3) In the Slam Dunk Contest, NBA stars have to participate. It’s not just about what is done, but about who participates. Mac McClung is not the same as Ja Morant. My solution? Players who are among those chosen for the All-Star will participate in this competition. This way we guarantee spectacularity and interest.

10. A dream as a necessity: two short tournaments with playoffs and a super champion

The regular season may seem very long today. My last wish for these Holidays is a change that is difficult to happen but that would raise the interest of audiences and fans. Goodbye the marathon of 82 games, welcome two 100-meter dash races with an explosion. Two short tournaments with a postseason, separated by the All-Star. At the end of the second tournament, the superfinal between the two champions of both competitions. We want to see the best compete and make every game matter. Times have changed and the NBA must adjust to the habits and trends of content consumption.