NBA Look Ahead 2023/2024

Wide Open League Hey , As the Denver Nuggets wrap up their title celebrations following their NBA Finals victory over the Miami Heat let's look ahead to next year’s NBA season.  As of now the 6 Finals Favorites for the 2023/2024 season are as follows Denver +450, Boston +550, Milwaukee +650, Phoenix +900, Golden State +1200, and Los Angeles Lakers +1200.  I will go ahead and fade Denver right away – yes, they are really good but they benefited from a wide open NBA this season – a 7 seed made the Western Conference Finals and an 8 seed made the NBA Finals.  This openness is something that I want to discuss because for the past 10 years the NBA had become very predictable – Lebron, Golden State, and San Antonio pretty much always made the Finals.  Now you can legitimately say that those top 6 teams mentioned above all have at least some chance of winning the NBA Title.  Not only that, but I don’t think you can genuinely say the Nuggets should be an overwhelming favorite – the keyword is parity – more teams have a genuine chance to win a championship.  This new territory for the NBA makes next years predictions that much more difficult.  I already touched on the Nuggets, so we move on to Boston.  Boston seemed to suffer from the Ohio State syndrome this year – have all the talent in the world but consistently fall short.  Top to bottom I really like Boston’s roster, especially defensively where they are long in the one through five positions.  Where they seemed to fall short is some cold shooting nights – especially from stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.  Perhaps a pure point guard, something they don’t really have, will help the Celtics get over the hump and win a title.  Next up we have Milwaukee who will be running it back with Giannis and company as they look to rebound from a shock first round exit to the 8 seeded Miami Heat.  The Bucks were beneficiaries of some timely injuries from the Nets in their 2021 title run and have since disappointed come playoff time.  Getting younger and getting an upgrade on Khris Middleton (perhaps Bradley Beal) should be Milwaukee’s focus this offseason. The last team I will discuss is my favorite, especially from an odds standpoint, the Phoenix Suns.  I was big on the Suns this past postseason, and though they failed to advance to the NBA Finals, they showed promise.  With a proper offseason to actually build a team (instead of a bunch of old veterans) around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker I think the Suns could be the team to beat next season.  After the Suns there are teams with an outside chance if they make a dramatic move.  Golden State, both of the Los Angeles teams, and Philadelphia come to mind when talking about teams that would need to pull off a dramatic trade to really get in title contention.  So that brings me to who I think will win the NBA Finals next season.  As I already mentioned I like the Phoenix Suns, so much so that I think they will win the NBA Title.  My reasoning is that they have already shown how good they are with a flawed roster, so if they can just get good compliments to Durant and Booker then I really think Phoenix will win it all.  Let me know who you have your eyes set on for the next NBA season! Best regards, Olin G. Head of Research at Juicy Wagers       JuicyWagers.com is a publisher and the information provided through its products and services are for informational purposes only. To the extent any such information is deemed to be advice, such information is impersonal and not tailored to the needs of any specific person. JuicyWagers.com and its affiliates are not responsible for any actions taken by a user of their published information. Headley Investment Analysis, Inc., 201 West Vine Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40507, United States You may [unsubscribe]( or [change your contact details]( at any time.