Although it hasn’t even been 24 hours since the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign, plenty of teams are already expected to be among those battling for a spot in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday night, officially closing the book on this season.
But a four-plus-month hiatus isn’t going to stop us from looking at who will be under the microscope throughout the summer.
Here are five teams facing the most pressure this offseason:
Milwaukee Bucks
Injuries derailed Milwaukee during its playoff run, but even during the regular season, it never really felt like stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard fully clicked.
Back in February, Lillard even went as far as to say that he doesn’t “have much of a life” in his new city, a statement he made just five months after being traded from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Growing pains are a very real thing, but if Antetokounmpo and Lillard don’t have the Bucks at least contending for a title in their second year together, doubters of the star duo are going to start coming out of the woodwork.
Minnesota Timberwolves
After coming within three wins of its first Finals appearance in franchise history, Minnesota is now going to be expected to be right back in the mix in 2024-25.
But where the Timberwolves go from here is to be determined. A lot of people jumped on the Anthony Edwards hype train this postseason, but the star guard is still only 22, so don’t be surprised if he doesn’t live up to the lofty expectations that are going to be set for him next season.
Not to take anything away from Minnesota, but what it did in the playoffs may have been more of a Cinderella story rather than a coming-out party for the league’s next best thing. Still, a lot of eyes are going to be on the Timberwolves, and it’ll be interesting to see if they’re up for the challenge.
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix put all its eggs in one basket heading into this past season, building what, on paper, looked like a generational starting five.
To have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all on the floor at once should have wreaked havoc for opponents, but all three members of the trio were rarely ever healthy at the same time. And then there was the bench. Good lord.
The Suns’ second unit had Eric Gordon — who was playing during the Bush administration — headlining it, and it only got worse from there. It just goes to show how important depth is, something Phoenix will need to focus on before taking the court again.
Boston Celtics
Winning a championship gets you on this list. It just has to.
Boston is coming off its league-record 18th title, and with the Celtics considered to be a super team by many, banner No. 19 will likely be expected next season. So, does Boston do anything this offseason? Does it try to run it back with the same roster?
Arguably no team is more well-rounded than the Celtics, who really could be in the early stages of a dynasty. Every season is championship or bust for Boston, and don’t expect it to be any different once the fall rolls around.
Golden State Warriors
Speaking of dynasties, is this one really over? Or does it have one hurrah?
Golden State had to settle for a play-in spot this season. It never made it to the actual playoffs, losing to the Sacramento Kings in an elimination game between the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds in the Western Conference.
But as long as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are in the Bay Area, Warriors fans are going to expect this team to make a run.