The professional basketball world’s undivided attention will be on the court when the NBA’s 2024-25 season begins exactly one week from now on Oct. 22: The league’s all-star starters all stayed put during a relatively quiet offseason, the thrilling Paris Olympics are in the rearview mirror, and there are no trade demands cluttering the airwaves. Meanwhile, the NBA reached a long-term labor agreement with the players’ union last year and a comprehensive media rights deals with its broadcast partners this summer.
Here are 10 defining questions to consider as another championship chase begins in earnest.