2020–21 NBA Season Preview
By: Unculture Staff
Tags: NBA, Nba Preview, Sports

TEAM RANKINGS

Holds the Throne (Until Someone Takes it)

Los Angeles Lakers

Long suffering Laker fans finally had their epic title drought ended when the team triumphed over the Miami Heat in six games. Just think, there were 5th graders in L.A. who, until last October, had never seen their favorite team win a championship. The Lakers came into last season with a strong argument for best superstar duo in a league that was suddenly replete with them, and as it turned out, the two of them were simply too good for their opposition. With Anthony Davis anchoring the paint and defensive guru Frank Vogel on the clipboard, LeBron recommitted to playing tough and active perimeter defense, and the team’s identity was formed. On the other side of the ball, the Lakers struggled at times during the bubble, but the LeBron-AD pick-and-roll as well as Davis shooting an absurd 55% from midrange was a healthy enough engine for points. Their role players stepped up as well, including the much-maligned Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the genius playmaker Rajon Rondo, and fan-favorite Alex Caruso. With the Clippers and the Bucks cleared out of the way, the Lakers sailed fairly smoothly to the franchise’s 17th title.

Bad general managers fail to construct competitive teams, good general managers fail to turn momentary victory into sustained success, and great general managers are at their most aggressive right after they’ve won. Rob Pelinka, as it turns out, is a great GM. He filled every team need going into this season, and improved on every outgoing role player. He exchanged Danny Green for Wes Matthews. He replaced Javale McGee with Marc Gasol. He switched out Rajon Rondo for Dennis Schroder. And then, to cap it all off, Woj tweeted that he had stolen Montrezl Harrell from the Clippers, and the NBA world basically reacted like:

This Lakers team was tested off the court in ways we won’t understand for a long time, but on the court you got the feeling that they were never in dire straits. This team is the favorite to win it all, but they will likely have to go through an ascendant Nuggets team or a Clippers team that’s seeking redemption after going out in the most embarrassing fashion just to get back to the Finals. They face steeper competition, hungrier competition. In order to go back to back, they’ll need consistent outside scoring and perimeter defense from Kyle Kuzma, KCP, and Wes Matthews. They’ll need strong guard play from Schroder and Caruso. Strong interior defense against big forwards and centers from Trez and Marc Gasol. They might even need Talen Horton-Tucker to take the next step. The team looks set to improve on offense while potentially taking a half-step back on defense. They’ll be versatile. They can once again play ultra-big lineups, with LeBron at point guard and AD & Gasol playing at the four and five, or small ball with Schroder and Caruso at the guard spots and Kuzma at power forward. As mentioned, potential shortfalls might show up on defense, if Gasol is not able to replace Dwight Howard’s tenacious energy in the paint, or on the creative side, if Kuzma’s development stalls and Schroder’s play is not up to par.

Age comes for us all, and though he’s signed up to play Laker basketball for at least the next three years, LeBron James’s championship window is closing. Thankfully, his front office has made sure that the iron is red hot one more time. He’s playing with the best teammate he’s ever had, and on a roster that’s tailor-made for the game he’s crafted in the later stages of his career. Will he strike? I wouldn’t bet against it.

The Challengers

2. Brooklyn Nets

Nets fans had to take a gap year before they got to watch the fruits of their success in the 2019 free agent market pay off, but the wait is over, and it’s time to get excited. A team that made the playoffs largely without either of their marquee signings will finally have them back, and if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant play the way they’ve looked in preseason, it’s not hard to imagine them hoisting the Larry O’Brien at the end of this season. Despite his success at creating a winning culture in a team that had done a whole lot of losing, head coach Kenny Atkinson was fired four days before the season was suspended in March. He’s been replaced by Steve Nash, one of the most predictable eventual head coaches of anyone who’s played in the league. Nash will likely need some time to get his sea legs under him, but he’ll be buoyed by the presence of Mike D’Antoni and Jacque Vaughn on the assistant coaches’ bench. Irving made some odd comments about the organizational structure when the hire was announced, including his view that the team “wouldn’t have a head coach,” and it’s indicative of just how much Nash’s success in this job will be predicated on handling and balancing two idiosyncratic personalities.

The team is built around two of the best individual scorers in the game today, who are surrounded by a motley crew of quality centers, strong perimeter shooting, and some very athletic (but raw) wing talents. Many see GM Sean Marks pursuing a trade to convert long-term prospects in that latter camp like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Rodions Kurucs into a veteran third contributor. It’s hard to predict what kind of offense Steve Nash is going to run, but if the preseason is an early indication, it seems predicated on off-the-ball movement even when Kyrie or KD are breaking a defender down one-on-one as well as taking advantage of DeAndre Jordan’s strengths as a screener to create open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Ultimately, this team’s ceiling will be determined by KD and Kyrie’s level and whether their supporting cast can manage to be stars in their roles. Both Durant and Irving seem to have a chip on their shoulder: KD’s championships in Golden State didn’t earn him the adulation he was seeking, and Irving’s is clearly trying to expand his winning legacy beyond his time as second fiddle to LeBron. The talent is there, the motivation is there, all that is left is for them to learn to maximize their potential on the court together. If they can, they will be the team to beat in the East.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

Perhaps no team is coming into the 2020–2021 season with more to prove than the Los Angeles Clippers. After their shocking second round exit at the hands of the Nuggets, those murmurs about the Clippers flaws suddenly became gospel. Maybe the Clippers do need an elite playmaker. Maybe it is a problem that Kawhi isn’t a vocal leader. Maybe Doc simply isn’t the answer. All these questions and more were asked for the entire offseason, but only some got answered.

The Clippers made the right choice by firing Doc Rivers, and we’ll see if they made the right choice with his replacement. Despite being at the helm of a team that many picked to win the finals, Rivers came dangerously close to losing in the first round to Luka and the Mavs. One wonders if that series goes differently with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis. He then proceeded to blow a 3–1 lead to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. While there was plenty of blame to go around, one of the more dumbfounding decisions was Rivers choosing to keep Montrezl Harrell on Jokic, who feasted on the mismatch for several games. Ty Lue will need to avoid obvious tactical mistakes like that to break the franchise’s conference finals curse.

In one of the more savvy moves of the offseason, the Clippers picked up Serge Ibaka. While Montrezl Harrell left for the Lakers, Ibaka provides defense and spacing that Harrell could not offer. However, the Clippers still lack an truly capable playmaker which can be a serious liability on offense. The duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard is an elite one, but neither have the playmaking ability of, say, Lebron James or Chris Paul. The Clippers also lack a vocal leader, as Kawhi Leonard famously keeps to himself. Perhaps Ty Lue can take on that role, but that is yet to be seen. The Clippers are one of the most talented teams in basketball, but they leave us asking a lot of questions that were being asked last season as well.

4. Milwaukee Bucks

And now, the fun begins for Milwaukee. In an offseason filled with ups and downs, the Bucks ultimately won the offseason by signing Giannis to a five year supermax extension. But before all that, Milwaukee was still making moves. They caught many in the league off guard when they traded Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and picks for two-way star Jrue Holiday. The move undoubtedly made them better, but they parted ways with three first round picks and two pick swaps to make it happen. The consensus seemed to be that while it was necessary if that is what Giannis wanted, it would basically ruin the franchise if Giannis ended up leaving. No pressure!

Of course, the Bogdan Bogdonavić sign-and-trade that never happened is also worth mentioning. Milwaukee’s trade for the talented guard was reported by Woj, until it became clear that the Bucks violated the league’s tampering protocols in the process. It is not entirely clear who reported what or what exactly happened, but the important information is that the trade fell apart and Bogdonavić is very much not a Milwaukee Buck. However, this clearly did not phase Giannis as he signed his supermax extension on December 15th.

At this point, Milwaukee could go undefeated in the regular season and people would not be convinced that they are the real deal. And this wouldn’t be irrational! For the second year in a row, Mike Budenholzer led Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference’s top seed, only to have a disappointing end due in no small part to Coach Bud’s inability to adapt. There is no shortage of elite coaching talent at the top of the East that will be able to exploit this should Budenholzer remain stubborn as ever. Milwaukee will remain competitive for the near future with Giannis secured, but questions remain about their ability to get to the next level.

Always the Bridesmaid

5. Denver Nuggets

Denver stunned everybody when they came back from consecutive 3–1 deficits to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, Denver has always been a great team. Led by passing savant Nikola Jokic and rising star Jamal Murray, the unique duo was just too much of a problem for the Jazz and the mighty Clippers to handle. Now that Denver is officially on the radar, the NBA will watch to see if they can duplicate last year’s success. Whether or not they can depends on a few factors.

Losing Jerami Grant hurts, especially when it was reported that Denver offered him the exact same contract Detroit did. Grant is a very capable wing defender who provided some offensive spark in the playoffs. Denver clearly valued him, given that they offered him $20 million annually for three years. They also lost a few role players to the free agency market, but were able to add JaMychal Green and Argentinian point guard Facundo Campazzo. Campazzo will surely see many of his flashy passes end up going viral and also provide Denver with playmaking off the bench.

Despite all of this, Denver’s success, both in the regular and postseason, will ultimately come down to three players: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. Jokic has notoriously slow starts to the season, and a repeat could doom Denver’s hopes of getting a high seed in the hyper-competitive West. However, if he hits the ground running, Denver could once again get a top 3 seed. Jamal Murray impressed the basketball world during his playoff run, but the question about him is the same as it’s always been: can he keep it up? That Jamal Murray has shown up in the past, but the Nuggets need that on a regular basis to remain in the top-tier of the West. Finally, Michael Porter Jr. seems to be the trendy pick for MIP (we are guilty of following the trends), and for good reason. With the departure of key players and another year of development for the 22 year old, many see MPJ getting a much bigger role in the offense. The Nuggets are counting on him to elevate his game to the next level, and the flashes he showed last season make that seem likely if he can stay healthy.

6. Miami Heat

You have to respect this rebuild. Pat Riley, the consummate winner, overcame one of the toughest problems any front office can face: being the team that LeBron just left. The Cavs didn’t qualify for a single playoffs until his return, and haven’t since. They earned a few #1 overall picks along the way, which netted them Kyrie Irving and the assets they needed to trade for Kevin Love. The Heat on the other hand rejected tanking, never finishing a season more than eight games under .500. They played the draft incredibly well, turning mid-first round picks into Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro and signing undrafted free agent Duncan Robinson to a Summer League contract. They put themselves in position to sign a max player in the 2019 feeding frenzy and landed Jimmy Butler, a perfect culture fit with the Heat. Of course, it was still a poetically harsh outcome for Riles, as he fell to the LeBron-led Lakers in the Finals, but it’s hard to look at the Heat as anything other than the post-Spurs gold standard for running a basketball organization.

Unfortunately for them, they didn’t have many pathways to improve from their result last season, and it doesn’t look like they have. Jae Crowder became an incredibly valuable 3-and-D player for them in the playoffs, and Derrick Jones Jr. looked like he had the potential to be an X-factor going forward. They lost both, and while the Avery Bradley addition is a solid one, the net result is a team that will lean mainly on improved chemistry and big steps forward from their budget version of the Splash Bros™, who I have decided to call The Seasoningless Siblings. This team will be good again, but with a new addition to the upper echelon in the East (not to mention a healthy Philadelphia team), they face an even tougher climb back to the top.

7. Philadelphia 76ers

Much like the Houston Rockets, the history of the Sixers will now be marked by the notations “B.M.” and “A.M.”, as in Before Morey and After Morey. The mercurial GM made his mark almost on the first day of the job, jettisoning Al Horford and Josh Richardson in order to add needed outside shooting to a roster that should once again contend in the East. Will Ben Simmons survive the overhaul with his GM’s favorite player available on the market? Only time will tell.

8. Boston Celtics

It seems like Jayson Tatum’s ascent to superstardom isn’t a matter of if, but when. If he can truly break out this season, Boston might finally get over the ECF hump that’s gotten the best of them three out of the last four years. Their success will also rely on the team’s ability to stay healthy and the performance of recent acquisitions and draft picks.

9. Dallas Mavericks

The sky’s the limit for Luka and the Mavs. The MVP candidate has had another year to develop both his own game and his chemistry with co-star Kristaps Porzingis and the rest of his returning teammates. If they can solve the late-game woes that plagued them last season, don’t be surprised if Dallas is a top-3 seed.

Playoff Locks

10. Utah Jazz

Utah locked down their two stars. Both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert agreed to massive extensions, keeping them both in Salt Lake City for the near future. Gobert is a generational paint defender, but he leaves much to be desired outside of that, making his contract a potential issue for the Jazz if they’re serious about winning a championship.

11. Portland Trail Blazers

This year’s Blazers look a lot like last year’s Blazers, but then that’s been the story of the team under Neil Olshey. They brought back Enes Kanter to fill out their depth in the big spots, added Robert Covington to improve their paltry defense, and took flyers on Derrick Jones Jr. and Harry Giles. It’s likely not enough to make it past the second round in the West, but if the team (read: Nurkic) can stay healthy, they’ll be a tough out yet again.

12. Golden State Warriors

The Warriors seem to have been cursed by the basketball gods for their four year reign of terror. With Klay Thompson out for another season, it will take a Herculean effort from Stephen Curry, a renaissance from Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins, at long last, taking the leap to All-Star level play to put this team in contention in the West.

13. Toronto Raptors

It’s hard to see the silver lining to losing Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, two cornerstones of the Raptors 2019 title. Though Head Coach Nick Nurse has solidified himself as among the NBA’s elite, they’re currently relying on Pascal Siakam to be their franchise player, and so far, it looks like he’s not built to handle that load.

14. Phoenix Suns

The darlings of the bubble got an upgrade at point guard. With the addition of Chris Paul, Phoenix could have three stars if Deandre Ayton takes the next step this season which seems much more likely with CP3 running the offense. With no shortage of solid role players surrounding those three, Phoenix is looking to end their decade-long playoff drought.

On the Bubble

15. New Orleans Pelicans

If David Griffin is lucky, and his first NBA lottery as GM of the Pelicans would suggest that he is, this team will be contending very soon. Not this year, but soon. It all depends on two people: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, both of whom have All-NBA potential. If they reach it, the sky, much as with Zion’s vertical leap, is the limit.

16. Washington Wizards

Well, this’ll be fun! The Wizards were already 5th in Pace in the league last season, and they just added Russell Westbrook into the mix. Reunited with Scott Brooks and playing alongside yet another generational offensive talent, Westbrook will get to be his typical bull in a china shop self on a team lacking ball-handlers and spark plugs.

17. Houston Rockets

It seems like James Harden’s departure is all but a guarantee, so Houston will have to start getting used to life after the Beard. On the bright side, John Wall has looked much more like the old John Wall than anybody expected and Christian Wood could have a breakout season next to the former Wizards point guard.

18. Indiana Pacers

If you can tell me one thing about new Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren without Googling, you shouldn’t be reading this (in fact, you should probably be writing it). The former Raptors assistant will command a fairly deep roster that is lacking a true superstar talent, and might lose the closest thing he has to that in Victor Oladipo. If T.J. Warren can sustain his form from the bubble and Sabonis stays healthy, this team could be feisty, but that’s about it.

19. Memphis Grizzlies

Getting to the playoffs will be difficult for Memphis given the West’s abundance of great teams. However, if Ja Morant can take The Leap™ and their other young players like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke also continue to develop, Memphis could find themselves in the hunt.

20. Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta’s success depends on how well their veteran additions fit next to Trae Young. They aren’t a lock for the playoffs, but if Trae continues to improve they could be a headache for a higher seeded team that ends up playing them.

21. Orlando Magic

The Magic have been the whipping boy of the East for the past two seasons, and it’s hard to see how their playoff fate is any different this year. With Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vucevic locked up for the next three years, the next task on GM John Hammond’s list must be to find a second star to take this team to the next level.

Outside Looking In

22. Sacramento Kings

The Kings locked down franchise point guard De’Aaron Fox with a max extension, but the team is still in purgatory. They have some nice pieces in Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley (if he can stay healthy), but they will probably be on the outside looking in until they can get a real co-star for Fox. It might end up being rookie Tyrese Haliburton, who many saw as one of the draft’s biggest steals.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves

This team is built to win games 136–120. They have multiple creators and scorers, most notably their stars, Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell, but not a lot of players known for their defense. Along with first overall pick Anthony Edwards and sophomore Jarrett Culver, there is a plausible future for the Timberwolves project, but this year will be about progress, not pride.

24. San Antonio Spurs

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. San Antonio will likely not be in playoff contention this year with their duo of DeMar DeroZan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Devin Vassell will be a great two-way rookie, but the Spurs are a long way from their big-3 era level of dominance.

25. Charlotte Hornets

The perennially boring Hornets decided to make a highly uncharacteristic move with the second pick in the draft: choosing the most exciting player in the whole class. Then they made another by signing Gordon Hayward to a max deal. The team has a vein of raw young assets in Ball, Malik Monk, Devonte’ Graham, and Miles Bridges, but ultimately no real hopes even in a weaker Eastern conference.

Praying for Cade

26. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have a lot of interesting young pieces. They almost certainly aren’t a threat for the playoffs, but the performance of players like Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Coby White will say a lot about where Chicago is heading with their young core.

27. Detroit Pistons

I don’t know what direction Detroit is going in, and I’m not sure if they know either. If Blake Griffin can stay healthy, they might not be the worst team in the league this year, but that’s a big if. Rookie Killian Hayes could be fun to watch, but the Pistons’ front office did not give him much to work with.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

A year after blowing it up, the Thunder went ahead and took the debris from that previous blowing up, and blew that up as well. The roster is now clear of all veterans, and the keys have been handed to Oklahoma City’s young talent. They’ll get the chance to embrace their growing pains into NBA maturity as they wait for the front office to convert the genuinely laughable amount of draft capital they’ve acquired over the last two seasons into quality players.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs will be pretty awful this year. However, Colin Sexton is already a talented scorer and could become a solid piece if he adds another dimension to his game. Darius Garland could also see a bigger role to potentially shine in, and rookie Isaac Okoro has flashed serious two-way potential in the preseason.

30. New York Knicks

A year after the most disappointing offseason (relative to expectations) in NBA history, the Knicks kept a lower profile, opting for hires and signings that hewed towards stability and competence rather than glitz and glamour. They have some decent young talent (Barrett, Robinson, Toppin), but at MSG, the rebuild continues under Leon Rose, and they would probably be best served by another sub-30 win season.