The time has finally arrived. The 2020-21 NBA Season is here. Everything has been thrown off this year because of what has been going on, on a global scale. The NBA has finally stepped back on the court for a 72 game regular season. Lots of changes have been made around the league, new coaches and new faces in new places. At the end of the day, every team is targeting the same goal. Lifting the Larry O'Brian Trophy over their heads next summer as NBA Champions. Everybody is gunning for what the Los Angeles Lakers have. So lets get right into it. Here's some of the new faces in new places.
We have new head coaches in quite a few cities. Brooklyn (Steve Nast), New York (Tom Thibodeau), Philadelphia (Doc Rivers), Oklahoma City (Mark Daigneault), New Orleans (Stan Van Gundy), Los Angeles Clippers (Tyronn Lue), Indiana (Nate Bjorkgren), Houston (Stephen Silas), and Chicago (Billy Donovan) all have new bench bosses.
We also had some big player movement too. Chris Paul (traded to Suns), Danny Green (traded to Thunder), Gordon Heyward (traded to Charlotte), John Wall (Houston) and Russell Westbrrok (Washington) were swapped during the offseason. Dwight Howard (76ers), Jeff Green (Nets), Marc Gasol (Lakers), Jeff Teague (Boston), Tristan Thompson (Boston), DeMarcus Cousins (Houston) have all switched cities and are playing in new locations. It's going to make for interesting play in the NBA this year for sure. So here we go, the predictions for the 2020-21 NBA season.
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers (55-17, 1st Pacific Division)
The defending NBA Champions are going to be a tough act to knock off this season. There have been a few changes made to this team, but there are two things that are for sure. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are going to be the anchors of this team, as both guys signed big extensions to stay put in LA. This year supporting cast has changed. Los Angeles saw the departures of JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and Danny Green. In order to replace them, in came Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol and Wesley Matthews. There may not be as much talent as last year, but the depth is there to match and possibly come back in spades. Plus its very tough to try and bet against LeBron over anything. Should be a tough test to play against these guys night in and night out.
2. Los Angeles Clippers (51-21, 2nd Pacific Division)
Playing the second act in LA is a tough thing to do, but the Clippers have found a way to carve out their own place in the city. After the way they bowed out in the playoffs, blowing a 3-1 lead against Denver, Los Angeles is looking to take another huge step this season. You still have one of the best players in the game today in Kwahi Leonard, now you have to try and move the right pieces around him to build this team to the next level. Paul George is still here and they needed another talent to really work with those two guys. Enter Serge Ibaka. They also brought in a good role player in Luke Kennard to come in off the bench. They got star power and depth to go on a deep run here.
3. Houston (Rockets (49-23, 1st Southwest Division)
Looks like there might be a little trouble brewing in Houston with James Harden. They already got rid of one headache getting rid of Russel Westbrook, trading him to Washington for John Wall. They still got PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon to start with them and they got DeMarcus Cousins coming into games off the bench. Kinda expecting Cousins to play a bigger role with this team then just a bench guy. They were also able to get parts for Ariza when they traded him. What I really think could make or break the Rockets this season is going to be Harden. There's no denying how good at basketball he is. But, he missed the start of camp, and with his attitude sinking and his desire to be moved, who knows what this season holds for Houston. Should they be able to keep Harden in tact, then Houston could be in for big things.
4. Denver Nuggets (47-25, 1st Northwest Division)
This was a team that fought and clawed its way to the Western Conference Finals, before falling to the Lakers in five games. This team is striving to head in the right direction. They got Nikola Jokic leading the charge on offense, with Jamal Murray playing his number two. This team has higher expectations from Michael Porter Jr, expecting him to really take that next step to join Jokic and Murray as their running buddies. They have solid players to be able to come off the bench. Denver has the lineup right there to be a heavy hitter in this Western Conference. Give it time and they can take that next step to really hang with somebody like the Clippers and Lakers
5. Utah Jazz (40-32, 2nd Northwest Division)
This year is going to be a big learning curve season in Utah. After blowing a 3-1 lead in the opening round to Denver. Donovan Mitchell proved last he can go. Bojan Bogdanović is going to be expected to play a bigger role, as is Rudy Gobert. You also now had solid talent coming off the bench in Jordan Clarkson. Scoring might not be an issue for Utah this year, but what could end up holding the Jazz back is the outside defense. And while they have a solid and balanced team in Utah, lets be real here. Do you really see them making the big jump to the next level yet to really be able to challenge with the Likes of both LA teams, Houston or Denver? They not quite there yet until they fix their defensive play.
6. Dallas Mavericks (40-32, 2nd Southwest Division)
Luka Doncic is starting to run with being the face of this Mavericks franchise. Management knows that it really has to be able to build around its best player. They have Tim Hardaway Jr as a solid running mate with him. They brought in a third guy in Josh Richardson (and a draft pick they used for Tyler Bay) in exchange for Seth Curry, so it worked out pretty well for Dallas. The only thing that's going to put a cramp in things for Dallas is not having Porzingis until mid January at the earliest. When KP is on the floor, he's shown that he can be an effective player for the Mavs and help get them where they need to go to take that next step. The defense needs some work as they were a little below par last season. Once they figure it out, they could start heading upward in the West.
7. New Orleans Pelicans (39-33, 3rd, Southwest Division)
New Orleans has its healthy franchise cornerstone in place in Zion Williamson. Him and Brandon Ingram could make for a possible scary duo to face. They just added Lonzo Ball to the mix, and with his vision on the floor, fast breaks won't be much of a problem for the Pelicans. Eric Bledsoe was brought in to help out with the defensive side of the game, but it came at the cost of a New Orleans fan favorite in Jrue Holiday. There is enough talent here to be a playoff team, but its still a young club that needs to be able to grow and learn as a team and how to play the game
8. Phoenix Suns (37-35, 3rd Pacific Division)
Phoenix looks like they are set up to be in a good place. Devon Booker and Chris Paul are going to make one lethal combination this year. They also have a potential double double machine in DeAndre Ayton and you got a pretty good scorer coming off the bench in Jae Crowder. Adding Paul though was the biggest move for the Suns if they hope to take the big steps in the right direction. With the talent that's here they have enough to be able to make it as a playoff team. Maybe this team could surpass the expectations that I have for them in the wins department. I mean Booker has the makings of being a huge star in this game and if he can hit that level, watch out the Suns are going to be a very tough team to play against.
9. Portland Trail Blazers (36-36, 3rd Northwest Division)
This was a team that a year ago, just happened to catch fire at the right time. That was in large part to the play of Damian Lillard, who was playing like a man possessed and I'm expecting more big things out of him this season as well. There's also high expectations from C.J. McCollum, who has the talent to be able to play with Lillard and help lead this Portland tram. Adding guys like Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr are going to be key steps to improving this team down the line. They will be able to compete but not right now, not with some of the other heavy hitters in the West. I just have a feeling that last season was a flash in the pan.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (35-37, 4th Southwest Division)
It been a rough go of it in Memphis the last three years, with the teams win total going downhill. Ja Morat was a big impact for the Grizzlies at the end of the bubble season, and he looks like he could be the guy to do it again this year. I'm expecting him to get help in the impact department from Jonas Valanciunas. What could end up hurting Memphis out of the blocks is not having Jaren Jackson and Justince Winslow to start the season cause of injuries. Once they do come back into the lineup, its going to be a rough go of it for the Grizzlies to even close to a competative teams in this Western Conference
11.Minnesota Timberwolves (32-40, 4th Northwest Division)
Last season, the bottom pretty much fell out on the Timberwolves, failing to reach the 20 win mark. They have had made some changes from the end of last season to now, but one thing is for sure. They got a core to work with in Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell. All of whom can score and know how to make place. But it going to be different with a rookie in Anthony Edwards and a guy who just became a starter in the form of Juancho Hernangomez. Like I said, they got some pieces here, but lack of depth is going to kill them.
12. Sacramento Kings (32-40, 4th Pacific Division)
The Kings have hovered around the 30 win area the last couple of seasons and I'm not sure how much of that is going to be changing this year. They haven't been to the playoffs since 2006, and it going to keep counting this year. Sure the Kings have pieces to work with in Buddy Hield, Melvin Bagley, and Harrison Barnes in their starting lineup, but there isn't much here. Sure they have Hassan Whiteside coming off the bench to bring some veteran leadership, but lets be real here. The Kings are still a work in progress and it's not looking good for them to take that next step this season.
13. Golden State Warriors (29-43, 5th Pacific Division)
I'm sure my radar is going to be WAY off on this one, but I'm basing this on mostly what I saw and heard from Golden State last season. This was a team that won just 19 games last year4, after running rough shot over the league the last four years prior. I know not having both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson really did them in. Thompson going to miss this year too with another knee injury, but at least the get Curry back and healthy. They have Draymon Green and Andrew Wiggins who are going to be running the offense with Curry with Thompson out, but I'm still not seeing much on paper out of the Warriors.
14. San Antonio Spurs (29-43, 4th Southwest Division)
This still feels weird to say about the Spurts being a bad team. For the longest time, they had been a model franchise. This was a team that had won 61 games just four years ago. There's talent here to lead the way in DeMar DeRosen and LaMarcus Aldridge. Patty Mills and Rudy Gay add some level of depth coming off the bench sure. But that's really it in the Lone Star State.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-46, 5th, Northwest Division)
Again this was another club who had been a solid 40+ win franchise the last five years that seems it has taken a big step back this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a very bright future ahead of him in leading this Thunder club. But that's really it. OKC has quite a bit of youth on its roster, but its also got older players who's legs aren't quite what they have been in years past
Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks (50-22, 1st, Central Division)
Milwaukee has the best player in this game, not named LeBron. The only knock, if there is one, you could make against Giannis Antetokounmpo is that he hasn't been able to get the big one to Milwaukee. The core is still there for the Bucks, so Giannis has his support system still in tact. Middelton, Lopez and Holiday are going to be key again for Milwaukee, as is Portis and Augustin coming off the bench. There's no doubt to anybody that this is a great regular season team. But what happens come spring time is a totally different animal. Milwaukee needs to be able to get it together come spring, otherwise this is going to be viewed as another major disappointment. Window looks like it starting to close on the Bucks
2. Boston Celtics (46-26, 1st Atlantic Division)
Talk about consistent. Boston has been that the last number of years. How last season ended for Boston left them with a bad taste in their mouth. Gordon Heyward isn't around anymore, but there still a lot of talent on this basketball team. Walker, Smart, Brown and Tatum can still carry the work load for the Celtics. What has me worried about this team is going to be its depth issues. Heyward leaving for Charlotte left a bit of a hole on this team, and they couldn't even get much of anything for him. But I still have high expectations for Boston to make a lot of noise in this Eastern Conference.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (45-29, 2nd Atlantic Division)
The team from the city of brotherly love has gotten leaps and bounds better over the last three season. The process is paying off. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are hitting their prime years in this league. They also have Tobias Harris and Danny Green, with a little more experience of Dwight Howard coming off the bench. It could also help the growth and development of this team by bringing in Doc Rivers as the head coach of this club. The only real thing that's holding the Sixers back from taking that big next step is a third man to run with Simmons and Embiid. But they're still good enough to be able to hang with the top talent teams and will be able to get out the first round.
4. Miami Heat (44-28, 1st Southeast Division)
They were the biggest surprise to come out of the league last season, making it all the way to the finals before losing to the Lakers in six. Jimmy Butler was a man on a mission in the playoffs, and can build off it again this season. Helping him out this year is going to be Bam Adebayo, who really started to come into his own during the playoffs. Him and Goran Dragic are expected to make a pretty impactful one two punch to help with Butler. This team returned twelve starters from last season, and adding in Avery Bradley and Maurice Harkless add another layer to this club. Miami might still be in trouble when it comes to hanging with the high power teams in the East. They are still very very good and are going to make a ton of noise.
5. Toronto Raptors (40-32, 3rd Atlantic Division)
There's going to be a sense of slipping in Toronto. Yes they've won fifty or more games in each of the last five seasons, but they were bounced in the second round last year. They lost two core pieces from their title team in Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, both of whom departed for the West Coast. They still have solid scoring with Ibaka, VanVleet and Lowery powering the starting five and Siakam is going to need to step it up. He is the best player on this team, but fell short of expectations in the playoffs. For Toronto to take that next step, they need Siakam to get back to his great form again. If Toronto needs to get back to title level again, the team needs to be able to gel better and find its stride again.
6. Brooklyn Nets (39-33, 4th Atlantic Division)
The new era in Brooklyn Nets basketball can finally be taken into full force. They made the playoffs finishing two games under .500 a season ago. They only had Kyrie Irving for 20 games and missed Kevin Durant all season. Now, both are back in the lineup and healthy. Those two guys are going to be really tough to play against this season. With them in the starting five are DeAndre Jordan, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris. They've got a little bit of depth with Allen and Dinwiddie coming off the bench. This is going to be a solid, and very interesting mix, for first time head coach Steve Nash to handle. On paper, this looks like it could be a good team and one that's going to be tough to play against. But only time will tell how that translates to play on the court.
7. Indiana Pacers (38-34, 2nd Central Division)
This Pacer team has hit above 40 wins each of the last five season and manages to hang around the playoff race every year. Victor Oladipo is the face of the team still and he's got a solid run mate in T.J Warren. Warren did have a breakout of sourts in the bubble, so there's higher expectations on him from the Pacers this season. Miles Turner is expected to try and step up and play a bigger role on this club this season, as is fellow big man Domantas Sabonis. At least that's the hope coming out of Indiana. Lets face facts they have some good pieces, but it doesn't look like they're going to be much higher then a lower end playoff team
8. Atlanta Hawks (36-36, 2nd Southeast Division)
The last three years have been a rough go of it for a rebuilding Atlanta team, but now its time to take the training wheels off. Trae Young is the go to guy in Atlanta, and he's got some solid help in the form of John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Solid three guys to be able to build your starting lineup around. Oh and you got a great player coming off the bench in Danilo Gallinari, somebody who can do a little bit of everything for the Hawks. There's been a lot of change to the Atlanta dressing room since the end of last season. Young and Collins have a lot to live up and they should be able to. It won't be treat, but it will be good enough for a playoff spot in the top heavy East.
9. Washington Wizards (35-37, 3rd Southeast Division)
Here's where things start taking a turn in the Eastern Conference.Washington was a pretty good team three years ago, but each of the last two seasons have seen the win totals dip below .500 in the nations capital. They have an outside shot of possibly slipping in as an 8th seed, with an impressive one two punch in the back court of Bradley Beal and the newly moved Russell Westbrook. This is a chance for Westbrook to get a fresh start on things compared to what was going on for him in Houston.. Teaming him and Beal together could really work well for both guys. If both of them can stay healthy, they can stay in the mix in the East. If either one misses extended periods of time, we will see the lack of depth really come into play for Washington and that's what could hold them back from possibly making it to the playoffs this year.
10. Orlando Magic (30-42, 4th Southeast Division)
There's plenty of young talent to really be excited about in Orlando, but how much of it will be seen on the court this year is to be determined. Jonathan Issac was supposed to take that next step with Mo Bamba and Markelle Fultz, but Issac is hurt and looks like he could be out for the season. And now Cole Anthony is going to be inserted into the lineup with DJ Augustin having been shipped out during the offseason, its putting even more pressure on this young core. They got into the playoffs last year, by the skin of their teeth. This year, the story wont be the same. Injuries have already hit this team and there's virtually no depth in Orlando to really speak of. Its going to be a long season for the Magic.
11. Charlotte Hornets (29-43, 5th Southeast Division)
Things have been going downhill in Charlotte the last few seasons, and it might not look like its going to get any better this year. Gordon Heyward came into town after leaving Boston, and this is a good move for both him and the Hornets. Its a fresh start for Heyward and gives a major pieces for Charlotte to try and build around. He's got a couple of good young guys around him in the starting five of Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier but its a gamble with those two guys. Plus your throwing in a rookie with a lot of pressure on him in the form of LaMelo Ball. Too many variables for this team to really convince me, as of yet, that the Hornets are going to be that major a threat in the East.
12. Chicago Bulls (29-43, 3rd Central Division)
Things in the Windy City have been on a major decline the last couple of seasons, but with new coach Billy Donovan now in place in Chicago, hopefully they can start to turn things around again. They have a stud to center around in Zach LaVine. he's got something to go with in the form of White and Clark Jr in the starting five and maybe, just maybe, get a little something out of the veteran presence in Thaddeus Young. in order for the Bulls to really surprise people, this team has got to exceed the expectations and then some. On paper, it doesn't look like its going to happen
13. New York Knicks (26-48, 5th Atlantic Division)
This once proud franchise has now become the step sister if you will of basketball in New York. Brooklyn maybe drawing some of the names, but the Knicks are trying to do it through the draft. They haven't had a winning season in over five years and have been downright bad the last couple of seasons. But there is hope with some of the young talent that is being assembled on Broadway. Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett are primed and ready to be the ones to take the Knicks where they need to go. Only thing now is can they have the right supporting cast around them? Sure you have guys in Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr who are fringe players as to whether or not they can stick around. Next six months will really be a tell tale sign for this team and what new coach Tom Thibodeau has to work with going forward.
14. Detroit Pistons (22-50, 4th Central Division)
Playing Basketball in the Motor City was a rough go of it last year, and this year sadly doesn't look like its going to be much better. There's veteran name recognition on this team with Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose and Jahlil Okafor. You also have some young talent in mason Plumlee and Jermai Grant. Now what do you do with it. Going to be a long season trying to find the right mix to work to win games in Detroit.
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-52, 5th Central Division)
The last two seasons have been a disaster in Cleveland. They haven't yet been able to find that one guy to be able to replace LeBron in that lineup since he left for Hollywood two years ago. Collin Sexton has proven he can score, but that's really all he's shown at this level. They have good veteran presence with Andre Drummond and Kevin Love and you got a possible trade chip off the bench in Larry Nance. Given the mix that's been assembled in Cleveland, its going to make for interesting basketball that's for sure.
NBA Finals: Lakers over Celtics
