NBA 2020/21 Regular Season Preview
By: Adrian Holman
Tags: Regular Season Preview, NBA, Regular Season, Basketball, Nba Regular Season

With the NBA regular season beginning tonight, let us take a quick look at the NBA landscape.

Image from Pixabay.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics. Finally, the Celtics figured out in the bubble that Jayson Tatum should be taking the most shots every game. He is about to become an even bigger star this season. Brooklyn Nets. Having Kevin Durant return back to play should add about ten wins to Brooklyn’s record throughout the season. However, having Kyrie Irving will ensure that he will do something stupid to ensure that the Nets do not end up in first place. Toronto Raptors. Not resigning either Serge Ibaka or Marc Gasol is sort of a problem. Not having a proven consistent center could cause for the Raptors to take a step back this season. Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers finally added some three-point shooters to the roster in Seth Curry and Danny Green, but this division is so loaded that Philadelphia may drop back this season. New York Knicks. The Knicks are in rebuilding mode once again, but the future is a little bit brighter now.

Central Division

Milwaukee Bucks. Resigning Giannis Antetokounmpo to a multi-year contract ensures that the Bucks will remain in first place once again. Indiana Pacers. No major changes were made except for at head coach, which means that the Pacers will still remain a middle of the road contender this season. Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers will be more improved solely because John Beilein is no longer coaching the team. The Cavs also have one of the best front-court duos in the NBA in Andre Drummond and Kevin Love. Chicago Bulls. Fortunately, the Bulls made Billy Donovan their new head coach after he was inexplicably fired from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls have the feel of a team that is about a year away from playoff contention. Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have gone into full rebuilding mode this season.

Southeast Division

Miami Heat. The Heat had one of the best playoff runs in quite some time before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Washington Wizards. The new back-court of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal will be electrifying. Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks should see some improvement after adding veterans Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanivic to a young squad. Orlando Magic. The Magic have made the playoffs over the past two seasons, but Washington and Atlanta really improved their teams during the offseason, while the Magic stayed about the same. Not being able to lure free agents to sunny Florida is a problem. Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets will be entertaining to watch this season, but they are a year away from being a contender.

Western Conference

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic is poised to have an even better season than last season. Houston Rockets. As long as James Harden is there, the Rockets will remain competitive. New Orleans Pelicans. Zion Williamson will not be on any minute restrictions this season. Memphis Grizzlies. The NBA will find a way to job the Grizzlies out of another playoff berth. San Antonio Spurs. All five of these teams in this division could potentially be in the playoff hunt all season long. However, the Spurs were not able to add a major piece in free agency.

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets will continue to maintain their dominance upon this division. The duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic will be looking to reach an even higher level after the Nuggets became the first team in NBA history to overcome two 3–1 deficits in the playoffs. Portland Trail Blazers. If the Blazers can overcome the injury bug from last season, then the team will be even stronger this season. Utah Jazz. Losing that series to Denver could affect Utah this season. Minnesota Timberwolves. Adding Anthony Edwards to the team makes the Timberwolves more interesting, but Minnesota is still in rebuilding mode. Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder went into full rebuilding mode this season after making the playoffs even though they were in rebuilding mode last season.

Pacific Division