Five takeaways from the NBA's schedule release

After teasing particular matchups for weeks, the NBA finally released its full schedule for the 2024-25 season. From players returning to their old teams to rivalry week to the allocation of nationally televised games, there's a lot to glean from the details of next season's matchups.

Here are five takeaways from the schedule release.

1. The NBA is embracing young Western Conference teams

Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had eight nationally televised games on TNT, ESPN or ABC. After they captured the top seed in the West last season, that number has jumped to 15. The San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama have 13 games on TNT, ESPN or ABC. The Thunder have 10 additional NBA TV games while the Spurs have eight on the lesser-known cable network, meaning young centers Chet Holmgren and Wembanyama — the No. 1 and No. 2 finishers in Rookie of the Year voting — are getting a big national spotlight.

It's no surprise that the most nationally televised games are going to star-studded large-market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. But the new schedule shows that the NBA knows its future may lie with cities in the south-central United States — especially since the Dallas Mavericks are tied for the fifth-most national TV games.

2. The Orlando Magic get no respect

Most of the teams with limited national TV games are among the worst in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets all have five or fewer nationally televised games, probably because they're likely to be tanking. But the Orlando Magic have only nine games broadcast to the whole country, and only five on TNT and ESPN.

That's an improvement from last year's lone primetime game, but it feels disrespectful for a team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season and boasts former No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, who made the All-Star team last season. The Magic added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to their talented young core, but still won't be on TV much. Plus, the start of their schedule is brutal with seven of their first nine games on the road, including five against last year's playoff teams.

3. 'Rivals Week' is still a work in progress

The NBA designated the stretch of schedule beginning Jan. 21 as "Rivals Week," with 10 games featuring rivalries of various degrees of authenticity.

Three of the series are rematches from the playoffs with the Dallas Mavericks facing both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, and the Wolves hosting the Denver Nuggets. It's hard to argue with the Lakers playing the Celtics, or Lakers-Warriors, while the Warriors and Kings have a regional rivalry and have knocked each other out of the playoffs the last two years.

But do the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies really have anything in common besides playing near the Mississippi River? The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets share a city, but the Knicks have all the fans, making the rivalry flimsy.

We do enjoy that the online sniping about MVP voting between fans of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid has turned 76ers-Nuggets into an actual rivalry. However, the game is in Denver, a place Embiid hasn't played since 2020, so we'll see if there's really bad blood if he sits again — or if he racks up another massive fine .

4. Homecoming games are big for TV

Klay Thompson's return to San Francisco to play the Warriors is going to air on TNT on Nov. 12, as well as kick off the start of the Emirates NBA Cup. It should be an emotional return for Thompson against the team that he played for over the first 13 seasons of his career. As an added bonus, he'll be doing it on a network where Charles Barkley has been calling him washed-up for the last two seasons.

Paul George's return to Los Angeles on Nov. 6 is somewhat less emotional, considering he was on the Clippers for eight fewer years and won four fewer titles than Thompson. But it'll be a primetime ESPN game anyway. Then, Kevin Durant will return to his old college town on Feb. 20, when the Suns play the Spurs in Austin as part of the I-35 series.

5. The NBA is leaning into its international game

The Spurs will also leave home for two games in Paris in January, when Wembanyama will return to his native country where he won a silver medal this month. They'll play on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 against the Indiana Pacers, meaning Olympic benchwarmer Tyrese Haliburton might actually take the court in Paris for once.

Continuing the French theme, both games between the Hawks and Spurs will be on basic cable, featuring the last two No. 1 picks in Wemby and Zaccharie Risacher. The young Frenchmen will face off Dec. 19 on TNT and Feb. 5 on ESPN. The NBA will also send fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in June, south of the border for its Mexico City game on Nov. 2 against the Miami Heat. And in the preseason, the last two NBA champions will play in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and 6 when the Celtics and Nuggets visit the Middle East.