The 2023-24 NBA season is about to begin, and with it comes questions about how everything will play out. In June, the Denver Nuggets captured their first championship in team history, but will they be able to make it back to the NBA Finals?
Perhaps the better question pertaining to the Nuggets revolves around the strength of the Western Conference and if they will be able to defend their title against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and others. And in the Eastern Conference, neither the Milwaukee Bucks nor Boston Celtics made the Finals last season, yet they are deemed the favorites entering the new year.
There are going to be teams that find a lot of success this upcoming season, while there are going to be those who are rebuilding with their focus on the future. One team ultimately needs to finish with the best record and one team will finish with the worst record in hopes of landing the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Throughout the course of the NBA preseason, ClutchPoints conducted a poll featuring media members from around the country, some of whom are official voters the league uses to determine the winner of their end-of-season awards. Some cover the league at-large, while others cover individual teams. Nonetheless, each media member was asked a variety of questions pertaining to the playoffs, NBA Finals, and individual player awards and accolades.
ClutchPoints' Full NBA Preseason Media Poll
Most Valuable Player | Rookie of the Year | Most Improved Player| Coach of the Year
Sixth Man of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | NBA Finals/Playoffs/season predictions
Most likely to be a first-time All-Star
Below features a series of result from the NBA media poll involving questions about which team will win each conference and who will finish with the best/worst records in the league, as well as an NBA Finals prediction.
To kick things off, here are the results from the voting that took place for who will win the 2024 NBA Finals.
ClutchPoints' 2024 NBA Finals Media Poll results
- Milwaukee Bucks – 40%
- Denver Nuggets – 24%
- Phoenix Suns – 20%
- Golden State Warriors – 16%
The battle for the 2024 NBA Finals
This season's race to get to the NBA Finals is going to feature some of the most competitive battles we have ever seen. There are at least 10 different franchises that you can point to right now and make a legit championship case for, which is why it is so hard to determine in the preseason who will be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy into the air about eight months from now.
After adding Damian Lillard in the offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks are viewed as the early favorite from the Eastern Conference. Led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks already have championship DNA and a terrific balance of offensive and defensive stars. The key question pertaining to them revolves around first-year head coach Adrian Griffin and his ability to lead the superstars on this roster deep into the postseason.
Milwaukee received 40 percent of the votes in the preseason media poll, and it would not come as a shock to see them once again finish with the best record in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA.
The defending champion Nuggets came in right behind the Bucks in the media vote, as they received 24 percent of the total votes cast. As long as Nikola Jokic is healthy, the Nuggets are going to be in the title picture. He is the best player in the world right now and somehow still getting better. Until they are defeated in the postseason, Denver will be the top team in the league.
Aside from the Bucks and Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors are the two other teams receiving consideration as preseason favorites to win it all.
With Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, the Suns look unstoppable offensively on paper. Over the course of the first handful of weeks, we will learn a lot about Phoenix's potential and their ability to win, especially on the defensive side of things. These three stars are extremely difficult to contain on their own, which is why the Suns may ultimately come out of the Western Conference.
They finished last in the media vote, but we have learned time and time again to never sleep on the Warriors. Since the 2014-15 NBA season, the Warriors have been a dynasty. The championship core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green still exists, and the Warriors added the title-level depth they were in desperate need of entering the offseason.
Chris Paul being on Golden State's roster may look weird, but he is going to open up their offense a lot more, allowing Curry and Thompson to run off screens for wide-open threes. The Warriors are motivated and hungry after losing in the Western Conference Semifinals, which is why they too are title threats.
ClutchPoints' 2023-24 Western Conference Champion Media Poll results
- Denver Nuggets – 48%
- Phoenix Suns – 32%
- Golden State Warriors – 16%
- Los Angeles Lakers – 4%
Can Nuggets get back to NBA Finals?
The Western Conference features several championship-contending teams this upcoming campaign. However, the Nuggets are the defending NBA champions and enter the 2023-24 NBA season as the team to beat.
Jokic led this team to a title last season, but he was not their only factor. Jamal Murray is an All-Star-level talent in his own right and really stepped up in the playoffs, and Denver was also able to win because of their depth. Although they no longer have Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, second-year guard Christian Braun figures to be a huge part of their rotations.
The Nuggets received 48 percent of the vote to win the West, which really shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as they've won over 63 percent of their games over the last five seasons.
The key to Denver winning the West again and getting back to the NBA Finals for a chance to repeat as champions is their bench. Besides Braun, can Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday, and even Peyton Watson step up into larger roles and take pressure off this team's starters? Rookie Julian Strawther also made waves in preseason and could make an impact. The Nuggets have arguably the best starting group in the entire league, but fatigue will set in if secondary talents do not answer the call with Brown gone.
As previously mentioned in the NBA Finals section above, the Suns and Warriors are two other title contenders in the Western Conference. Phoenix received 32 percent of the vote to make the Finals, while the Warriors received 16 percent.
Then we have the Los Angeles Lakers receiving a very small percent of votes. The Lakers shockingly made the Western Conference Finals last year and did so because of the depth GM Rob Pelinka built at the trade deadline. Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt all held huge roles for this team, and all three players are back. Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince, and Jaxson Hayes highlight the list of newcomers, adding to the depth the Lakers possess.
If Anthony Davis can stay healthy, the Lakers have what they need to replicate the championship success they found in 2020.
ClutchPoints' 2023-24 Eastern Conference Champion Media Poll results
- Milwaukee Bucks – 80%
- Boston Celtics – 20%
Bucks the clear Eastern Conference favorite
Ever since they traded for Damian Lillard this offseason, the Bucks have been favored to win their second championship since 2021. It's no surprise they finished at the top of the voting for who the media thinks will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
Receiving 80 percent of the vote, Milwaukee is the clear favorite to win the East over the likes of the Celtics.
Aside from their three stars in Giannis, Dame, and Khris Middleton, the Bucks were able to retain Brook Lopez this offseason and still have Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis as well. Both Lopez and Portis have created an excellent one-two punch next to Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt from a rebounding and defensive standpoint.
As talented as their starting group appears to be, the Bucks did lose Jrue Holiday this offseason. How this affects their overall defensive ability will be a key storyline to follow, especially since Lillard has never been known to be an impactful defender.
Speaking of Holiday, he went from the Bucks to the Celtics this offseason. Boston received the other 20 percent of the vote for who the media believes will win the Eastern Conference.
Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have revamped their roster with the additions of Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Replacing Marcus Smart with Holiday is an upgrade, as is moving Robert Williams III for Porzingis. This is the best roster the Celtics have had in quite some time, which is why they very well could meet the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Both teams have high title aspirations entering the 2023-24 season, which is why anything short of reaching the conference finals will be viewed as a major disappointment.
ClutchPoints' 2023-24 NBA Worst Record Media Poll results
1. Washington Wizards – 72%
2. Portland Trail Blazers – 20%
T-3. Charlotte Hornets – 4%
T-3. Toronto Raptors – 4%
Wizards' rebuild begins
Unfortunately, as many teams look to find success during the 2023-24 season, there are other organizations that will end up losing games and finishing near the bottom of the league standings. While they could wind up being competitive, especially given some of the young, dynamic talents they have on their roster, the Washington Wizards are viewed as the most likely team to finish at the bottom of the league standings during the 2023-24 season.
The Wizards received 72 percent of the vote in the preseason media poll to finish with the worst record in the NBA, which is understandable seeing as they are going through a rebuild. Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Monte Morris were all moved this offseason as the Wizards brought in future draft picks and youthful talents to experiment with.
Bilal Coulibaly, the team's lottery pick from this year's draft, has a chance to develop into a terrific two-way presence on the wing, but it is going to take a lot of time and effort to get the most out of him. The focal points for Washington are Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, and Tyus Jones. Poole, who came over from the Golden State Warriors, is an electric scorer who has already shown flashes of what he can do in a Wizards uniform during the preseason.
Overall, though, the Wizards lack leadership and top-end talent right now, which is why they will be in contention for the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Portland Trail Blazers are another tea projected to regress following their offseason trade involving Damian Lillard. The Blazers received 20 percent of votes to finish with the worst record in the league, which is a little surprising. Believe it or not, Portland appears to have a better roster now than they did with Lillard, as Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and Scoot Henderson are all going to hold huge roles for this team.
While some believe they could finish with one of the worst records, the Blazers may wind up being one of the most shocking teams of the 2023-24 NBA season, contending for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors were the two other teams to receive votes. Both teams missed the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last season and did not make any significant additions to their rosters in the offseason.
ClutchPoints' 2023-24 NBA Best Record Media Poll results
1. Boston Celtics – 48%
2. Milwaukee Bucks – 36%
3. Phoenix Suns – 8%
T-4. Denver Nuggets – 4%
T-4. Cleveland Cavaliers – 4%
Celtics to reign over 2023-24 NBA regular season
Just like they were projected to win the Eastern Conference, both the Celtics and Bucks are the two favorites to finish with the best record in the NBA based on the preseason media poll. The Celtics received 48 percent of the vote, while the Bucks received 36 percent.
Boston's additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis appear to be at the forefront of everyone's mind as the 2023-24 NBA season is about to begin. With Tatum and Brown leading the charge offensively, the Celtics appear to have the best starting five in the league, and it would not come as a shock to see them finish inside the top-five in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
The Celtics have four All-Star-level scorers, they have rim protection with Porzingis, they have arguably the best perimeter defender in the NBA with Holiday, and they still have 2022-23 All-Defensive Team member Derrick White in their backcourt.
The depth Boston has is a lot better than many are giving them credit for right now, which is why Brad Stevens deserves a lot of praise for the job he did reinventing this roster around his two All-Stars this offseason.
The Celtics have their best chance to contend for a title in recent memory, which is why it wouldn't be surprising if they end up with the overall 1-seed in the NBA entering the playoffs.
Shifting the focus to the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets obviously received consideration for this top spot, but one interesting team to consider is the Phoenix Suns.
With Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the Suns have arguably the best scoring trio in the league right now. Also possessing a handful of key secondary talents on their bench, Phoenix is a team that could very much be in contention for the top spot in the Western Conference. This could directly result in them contending for the NBA's top overall record during the regular season.
Injuries will help determine which organization claims the best record, but as things stand right now, it seems like the Celtics hold the title as the best team in the league … at least in the regular season. The other polls still suggest Boston isn't ready to hang banner No. 18.
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