Discussing the Most Competitive Groups for the 2024-25 NBA Cup
During the 2023-24 NBA season commissioner Adam Silver introduced NBA fans to the In-Season Tournament/NBA Cup. The tournament was put in place to incentivize players to take the regular season more seriously. The past couple of years have been mediocre for the NBA in terms of meaningful regular season games. The NBA Cup did great numbers last season and has the opportunity to drive in even more viewers this coming season. Since LeBron James took the tournament seriously and won, it is safe to say that all the NBA stars will be trying to win the Cup next year. To win the NBA Cup you have to win your group. Some groups are elite, others not so much. Let’s go over which groups will be the most competitive next season.
In the Western Conference “West A'' will be one of the most competitive groups in the league. This group has the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers and Timberwolves were both playoff teams the previous year and the Timberwolves made a Western Conference finals run. The Rockets didn’t make the playoffs but they were only five games back from a play-in spot. With the Rockets getting a leap from Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson I believe they will be a play-in team. The Timberwolves will be led by Anthony Edwards, a top 10 NBA player who captivates fans with his play. The Clippers will be led by hall of famers James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Besides the Portland Trail Blazers, this group will be competitive and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Let’s stay in the Western Conference and discuss the “West B” group. This group should do the best numbers because of the teams/players involved. This group has the Oklahoma City Thunder led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Los Angeles Lakers led by future hall of famers Lebron James and Anthony Davis, the San Antonio Spurs led by their generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, and the Utah Jazz. The Spurs weren’t a good team by any means last year but with the addition of Chris Paul and the growth from Wembanyama, they will be a hard team to beat. Three out of four of these teams are playoff contenders with the top 20 players scattered throughout the rosters. As long as everyone is healthy, West A will be one of the most competitive groups in the NBA.
Before I finish up here I would like to talk about the best group in the Eastern Conference, “East A.” This group has the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Hornets. No one expects the Hornets or the Nets games to be competitive but the three other teams have NBA title potential. With their new big three of Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid the Sixers will be hard to beat. They also have a former NBA finals-winning coach Nick Nurse who is great at neutralizing opposing teams' number one options. The Orlando Magic have the duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner who are nowhere near their primes and are already superstars. The New York Knicks are the best or second-best team in the Eastern Conference. With Jalen Brunson asserting himself as an NBA superstar and the best point guard in the NBA, the Knicks will be a formidable team. The Knicks have surrounded Brunson with great shooters and defenders like OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. They also have former All-NBA talent, Julius Randle. These three teams will carry this group, and honestly carry the Eastern Conference part of the bracket.
