Projecting the Top 5 Contenders for the NBA Championship and the #1 Overall Pick in 2021…
By: Ball Eyes North
Tags: NBA, Knicks, Nets, Basketball, Lakers

Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

The 20–21 NBA season tipping off will begin what is sure to be one of the strangest seasons in history. Teams will play a condensed 72 game schedule with strict protocols to prevent COVID outbreaks. While there will likely be plenty of unpredictability, fans can count on a select few teams that will rise to the top and some that will filter to the bottom of the standings. Here are my projections for the most likely NBA Championship winners and the most likely teams to win the #1 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

NBA Championship Contenders

Los Angeles Lakers

The reigning champions would be the title favorites even if their team personnel stayed the exact same after last season. When you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, you are afforded the benefit of the doubt. However the Lakers did not keep the same personnel. They went out and got better players exchanging Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Javale McGee, and Dwight Howard for Dennis Schröder, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell, and Marc Gasol without giving up significant assets. Los Angeles may start the season slowly by their standards while new players gel together and James and Davis take time to ramp up their intensity. That should not be an issue in their chase for the title, as their two best players will turn it on when it counts.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have moved up in these rankings since Giannis inked his supermax extension removing a potential monumental distraction hanging over the Bucks’ season. With his contract firmed up, the team can focus solely on improving from last year’s second round playoff exit. The Miami Heat exposed every weakness the Bucks had, and now Milwaukee has had a chance to address those weaknesses. While they wildly overpaid in draft compensation for Jrue Holiday, they will be better off this year with Holiday in their starting lineup. Giannis is essentially a ticket to a guaranteed 1st or 2nd seed in the East, so hopefully this year home court advantage will actually matter and the Bucks will be heavy favorites to reach the finals.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

There has been a lot of drama and intrigue surrounding the Clippers since their surprising collapse in the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. There were reports of poor chemistry and favoritism in the locker room. These types of issues can certainly derail good teams, but the fact remains that the Clippers still have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who each have the potential to be the best wing players (outside of LeBron) in the league. While the team lost Montrezl Harrell and Jamychal Green in the offseason, they added Serge Ibaka and Luke Kennard to arguably make their rotation even deeper and more versatile. The Clippers may not finish the regular season with one of the top five records in the league, but when the playoffs start it is hard to bet against the talent and depth on this roster.

4. Brooklyn Nets

NBA fans are anxiously waiting to see Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant share the floor in regular season action. Two of the most polarizing yet exciting stars in the league are now paired up on a team that was already deep with NBA caliber players. They may take time to gel, and there is no telling what Durant will look like coming off of an achilles injury 18 months ago, but the talent is clearly there to get this team a top four seed in the East and make a run to the finals. There is also the added intrigue of a potential trade for James Harden during the regular season. This would prove tough to pull off, and the Rockets do not seem motivated to move Harden anytime soon, but the Nets will certainly make offers to try to acquire the superstar. Adding Harden to an Irving and Durant core may vault this team into “title favorite” status.

5. Miami Heat

The surprise team of the NBA bubble did not make any significant moves this offseason outside of resigning and extending their own players. The front office was likely maintaining flexibility for a certain Greek superstar that just signed a contract extension. With their hopes for Giannis dashed, the Heat could suddenly become very aggressive on the trade market early in the season or near the deadline to bolster their odds of winning a championship this year. They realized they did not have enough to get past the Lakers in the championship, and the Eastern Conference has only improved since last season. I would expect Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat, to exhaust all efforts to maximize his team this year to help Jimmy Butler and co. make a championship run.

Dark Horse Contender: Portland Trailblazers

After a disappointing regular season that saw missed time from key players up and down the roster, the Blazers were still able to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West. They even stole game 1 of their series with the Lakers before bowing out of the playoffs in the first round. The perennial problem in Portland has been their recent lack of quality wings that can shoot and defend. Injuries and player departures have kept that position from having any consistency during the tenure of their two best players, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. After an emergence from Gary Trent Jr. in the bubble and offseason acquisitions of Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr, the Blazers may finally have quality depth at one of the most important positions. They will also have Rodney Hood and Zach Collins returning from injury, further boosting their depth and versatility. With good health, this team could have the star power, quality coaching, and team depth to grab a high seed in the Western Conference and make some noise in the playoffs.