Every year, tapping into my extensive, peerless network of front office wags, team executives, workout guys and in-the-know agents, I provide expert, high success-rate predictions for the upcoming NBA season, in what has come to be known, globally, as 24 Questions. It is, as certain as Nostradamus, the absolute go-to read to impress your friends and future paramours about your knowledge of the league, and ability to read the tea leaves with uncanny accuracy.

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Who do you think you are? I am!

First, though, fairness requires that I go back — what they call “self-scouting” in sports — and see how incredibly prescient I was last season, when I asked and answered the 24 questions posed to me going into the 2024-25 season.

Among the many questions answered accurately last year:

• Can the Knicks beat Boston in the East? (Yes!)

• Who would be the best French lottery pick? (Zaccharie Risacher!)

• Who’s moved by the trade deadline? (Jonas Valančiūnas!)

I am Legend.

But, David, you also gave answers to these questions:

• So, Risacher gets Rookie of the Year? (No, Reed Sheppard!)

• New coach who’ll have the greatest impact? (Mike Budenholzer!)

• Who’ll win it all this season? (The Mavericks!)

Shut up.

At any rate, I have been renewed for another season of wildly successful guessing! Let’s roll!

1. Can the Thunder repeat?

Hell, yes! Oklahoma City is supremely built to run it back, with a 27-year-old finals MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, wildly talented and versatile co-chairs of the juggernaut in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren and the best supporting cast this side of “Succession.” (I originally typed “Hill Street Blues,” before realizing that almost no one reading this has the slightest idea of who Daniel J. Travanti was, much less Veronica Hamel.) Only injuries can slow the Thunder this year and they’re no more impervious to that than any other defending champion. But if OKC stays relatively healthy, its swarming defense can take it right back to playing in June.

1a. Will they?

See below.

2. OK, how is the NBA’s Aspiration-Kawhi Leonard investigation going to impact the Clippers this season?

Honestly, I don’t think all that much, at least not during the regular season. Kawhi barely talks when everything’s going great. The other Clippers players and the coaches have nothing to do with it one way or another, so they won’t have much to add, other than “How’s Kawhi holding up?” questions, which will be dismissed with quickness. And for all the concern about how next February’s All-Star Game in L.A., with the Clippers serving as the weekend’s host at their Intuit Dome, might be affected if the investigation is still ongoing, the reality is that the owner of the host team is rarely centered publicly during All-Star. It’s not as if Steve Ballmer’s going to have daily press conferences. The only time you see the owner of the host team during the weekend is when he or she “hands off” the game to the owner of the team in the next city that will host All-Star, and that’s almost always an in-house, between-quarters deal that isn’t seen on national TV.

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It may be a little sticky if Leonard becomes an All-Star, and has to do media on All-Star Saturday. But, again, Kawhi isn’t exactly pouring out his soul during the best of times. Now, if the Clips make a deep playoff run, or get to the Finals, which could be happening just as the investigation is nearing its conclusion? There might be some angsty moments.