NFL
The 2020-21 NBA season starts in just a few days and it’s time to preview the always-competitive Western Conference. Can anyone dethrone the Lakers? Are the Clippers in turmoil? It’s time to see who’s in and who’s out in the Wild West.
Written by: Jordan Vitkauskas
We are less than a week away from the 2020-21 NBA season, a year that promises to be one of the most unique in recent memory. With the COVID-19 virus still hampering travel and causing day-to-day risk, commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of the league has put in place several protocols to help keep players and teams safe. Additionally, teams will be playing a 72-game schedule (separated into two parts) before a Play-In tournament between the 7-10 seeds will take place prior to the start of the playoffs. You can find all information regarding the 2020-21 NBA season here. Now let’s review my predictions for the Western Conference playoffs in the upcoming season.
1. Los Angeles Lakers (51-21)
Key Offseason Moves: Traded for Dennis Schroeder, signed Montrezl Harrell, and signed Marc Gasol
Top-3 Players (in order): LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dennis Schroeder
Storyline: The Lakers’ story is simple. They’re the defending champs coming off of just 71 days off heading into opening night, and they have two of the six-best players on the planet in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Additionally, general manager Rob Pelinka swapped an aging Danny Green for Dennis Schroeder, signed Wes Matthews (for a quarter of Green’s contract), and brought Marc Gasol back home to the team that had his draft rights. Oh, and they nabbed Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell from the rival Clippers. In summary, that’s a pretty good offseason for a team with aspirations of repeating as champs.
Los Angeles’s stars might open a little slow given the short period of time off between the last Finals game and now, but they have more than enough pieces to hold down the roster until they get into midseason form. Additionally, the emergence of Talen Horton-Tucker (23 ppg in preseason) has given the coaching staff confidence to play the second-year forward more minutes moving forward and really give the Lakers a 10-man unit.
Ideally, LeBron and Davis should be rounding into peak form over the final 25 regular-season games and this roster should be good enough to win 50 games for the second consecutive season. It’s really not even an issue of whether or not they can get the one seed, it’s if any team in the West can beat them four out of seven games in a postseason series. They are the favorites to repeat until we see evidence otherwise. By the time things open up in Los Angeles post-COVID, there could be two titles to celebrate.
2. Denver Nuggets (46-26)
Key Offseason Moves: Signed JaMychal Green, Drafted R.J. Hampton, re-signed Paul Millsap
Top-3 Players: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.
Storyline: The Nuggets had an interesting offseason after stunning the Clippers and making the West Finals two months ago. Their main core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Gary Harris remained intact. Denver also brought back Paul Millsap and drafted R.J. Hampton who was once thought to be a top-five pick. However, they enter this season without versatile defender Jerami Grant, who left the same money on the table to go to Detroit for… a bigger offensive role?
Either way, Denver is hoping to overcome the loss of one of its best defenders and three-point shooters by adding former Clipper JaMychal Green (39.4% 3PT) to the rotation. Additionally, Harris and Will Barton should be returning healthy to the Denver lineup, as the former missed five postseason games while the latter failed to make a postseason appearance due to injuries.
Adding all of those pieces together around an improving Murray and Jokic duo should have the Nuggets at the top of the standings once again. Those two each upped their overall play and scoring in the most recent playoffs and should look to continue that strong play early in the year.
and NBAE/Getty Image.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (45-27)
Key Offseason Moves: Signed Serge Ibaka, re-sign Marcus Morris, re-signed Reggie Jackson
Top-3 Players: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Serge Ibaka
Storyline: Where to begin with LA’s little brother? For starters, the Clippers were a lot of people’s pick (including mine) to win the Finals last season. That crashed and burned in an epic 3-1 blown series lead to the above-mentioned Nuggets in round two amid extremely poor play from Paul George, Monterzel Harrell, and others. Doc Rivers was shortly fired and the other Los Angeles squad was left to pick up the pieces.
Additionally, there have been rumors of poor team chemistry and favoritism toward Leonard and George, and a new report that the league is investigating Jerry West and the Clippers for how they recruited and signed Kawhi last offseason. Factor in the losses of Harrell and JaMychal Green and the Clippers have some work to do if they want to put together a complete team for this season. With all that said, they still have Leonard (second-best player in the world), George (talented two-way guard), and the newly-signed Serge Ibaka on the roster. That in itself should be good enough for a top-4 seed, but it will come down to their role player’s ability to step up if they are to make a deep postseason run.
4. Utah Jazz (44-28)
Key Offseason Moves: Re-signed Jordan Clarson, signed Derrick Favors, drafted Udoka Azubuike
Top-3 Players: Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic
Storyline: The Jazz started out last year as everyone’s favorite sleeper pick to make the Finals… and then Mike Conley struggled mightily out of the gate forcing Utah to play catch up the rest of the season. Fast-forward to the playoffs in the bubble and the Jazz built a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets thanks to some incredible play by Donovan Mitchell (36.3 ppg in the series), before ultimately blowing the lead and coming one three-pointer from Conley away from advancing to the second round. Heading into this season though, Utah should have all the pieces in place for a close-to-elite team out West.
They have rising star Donovan Mitchell, defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert, and a healthy Bojan Bogdanovic (20 ppg last year before injuries kept him out of the playoffs) on the front line, with the ability to go big or small against teams depending on the matchup. Utah will flank them with solid role players in Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Royce O’Neal, Joe Ingles, Derrick Favors, and Georges Niang. That’s one of the better 9-man rotations in the entire league and head coach Quinn Snyder is more than capable of putting out successful rotations each night. Utah may have been too trendy of a pick last year, but they should be on the rise in 2021.
5. Dallas Mavericks (43-29)
Key Offseason Moves: Traded for Josh Richardson
Top-3 Players: Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Josh Richardson
Storyline: Dallas has between 13-15 other players on the roster this season, but there’s really only one name that matters – Luka Doncic. The Slovenian star aptly nicknamed “Wonder Boy” is one of the five best players in the league at just 21 years of age. The list of past players in that conversation at such a young age includes Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tim Duncan. That’s extremely high praise for a kid barely able to drink legally, but for Doncic, it’s appropriate given his play in the NBA over his first two seasons.
Doncic averaged 29/9/9 on 46% shooting last season, earning All-NBA First Team honors and finished fourth in MVP voting while leading Dallas to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Like the historic names mentioned above, he raised his game in the postseason, averaging 31/10/9 on 50% shooting in a hard-fought loss to the Clippers in round one. Doncic did not go quietly though, as he had 42 points in game one, and culminated with a 43-point triple-double that included 17 rebounds and 13 assists in a game four win. Oh, and he did this to end that game-
What does all of that praise above mean for Dallas this season? Well, if Doncic continues on the path of the great before him, year three should see Doncic raise his efficiency and defense (his only two weak areas) and thus, see Dallas rise in the standings. Not to mention if running mate Kristaps Porzingis can maintain health for a full year, they will be one of the toughest duos to defend in the entire league. Head coach Rick Carlisle is an excellent coach at getting the most out of his players, so look for the Mavs to be an extremely tough opponent each night. The future is bright in Dallas.
6. Houston Rockets (39-33)
Key Offseason Moves: Traded for John Wall, signed DeMarcus Cousins, signed Christian Wood
Top-3 Players: James Harden, John Wall, Christian Wood
Storyline: No team in the NBA has more questions heading into the season than the Houston Rockets. Can John Wall return close to his all-star caliber form after a 500+ day absence? Does DeMarcus Cousins have anything left in the tank? And of course – will James Harden be on the team for the entire year? The last one is the biggest one for Houston fans, as their disgruntled star has been vocal about wanting a trade for the last few weeks. Throw in the big story broken by ESPN about how the organization has bent the knee to its’ superstar over the last few seasons and you have a recipe for a wild and unpredictable season.
With all of that said, the Rockets still have a competent team that can win a major of the games on the schedule. They have a roster based around Wall (who has looked very solid physically by all accounts so far), Harden, Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker (also disgruntled and wants out), Cousins, and also the newly-signed Christian Wood from the Pistons.
That should be a 40-win team minimum just based on Harden’s ability to win many games on his own. The reason I have them at 39 wins is based on the questions at the beginning of this section. All it takes is another injury for Wall/Cousins or Houston actually giving in and trading Harden for their season to become considerably worse. Only time will tell what happens from here.
7. Phoenix Suns (39-33)
Key Offseason Moves: Traded for Chris Paul, re-signed Dario Saric, signed Jae Crowder
Top-3 Players: Devin Booker, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton
Storyline: The Suns are relevant again! It’s been a full decade since Phoenix last made the playoffs, but the addition of Chris Paul to a roster featuring Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton has them primed to play past the regular season once again. Paul is another year older, but he showed last season that he is capable of leading teams to the playoffs (OKC had a 0.2% chance at the beginning of the season) with his talent, IQ, and heart. Now, he gets to play alongside one of the best shooting guards in the game in Booker (27/6/4 on 49% FG last year), a rising two-way big man in Ayton (18/12/2 on 55% FG in 2020), and a bevy of complementary players such as Dario Saric, Jae Crowder, and Cam Johnson.
Paul’s leadership in the locker room and on the court should help mature a young Phoenix squad, and they have a well-respected coach in Monty Williams to help set rotations and matchups nightly. Imagine trying to stop a Paul/Ayton pick and roll while worrying about Booker curling off a back screen with Crowder sitting as a sniper in the corner. That’s what defense will have to deal with every night against the Suns, and it should lead to a good amount of victories. The defense will be the biggest issue as Booker, Ayton, Saric and other young players all have room to grow on that end. But Paul will lead the way there as well.
We once thought of Paul as almost done in the NBA, destined to be playing out his career on mediocre teams. He’s proved us wrong once again, and now we get to sit back and watch him lead his most talented team since the 2013-14 Clippers.
8. Portland Trail Blazers (37-35)
Key Offseason Moves: Re-signed Carmelo Anthony, traded for Robert Covington, signed Derrick Jones Jr.
Top-3 Players: Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic
Storyline: Portland maintained their typical offseason standard of not moving any of their big pieces and adding great role players to fill out the depth chart. The trade for Robert Covington from Houston fills the defensive gap on the wing that was missing all of last season. Additionally, adding back Carmelo Anthony and signing Derrick Jones Jr. will provide extra bodies and perimeter spacing for Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to operate within at all times.
The Blazers’ main issues are still there though, with their biggest one being defense at the guard position. For all their amazing abilities on offense, the duo of Lillard and McCollum is constantly getting beat on the other end. In the East, they would be able to get away with it more due to playing teams like the Hornets, Magic, Cavs, Pistons, and Knicks. In the West, however, almost every team all the way down to the Kings and Wolves have guards capable of making big plays.
Portland will be fun to watch once again this year and Lillard will remain one of the 12-best players in the league. In the end though, unless they are able to move McCollum and other assets for a more complete two-way type player, their chances at a deep postseason run are slim.
Just missing out / in the Play-In game:
New Orleans Pelicans (35-37) – Will definitely be a League Pass team to watch each night, but may still be a year or two away from a postseason berth. It really depends on the growth (and health) of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram’s ability to play alongside him. Individually, the two are definitely talented enough to have big nights on offense. Stan Van Gundy’s task as head coach will be to get everyone to commit on the defensive end in order to compete with the best in the West. Adding Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams will help with that mindset, but it will take a commitment from the entire team if they are to make real noise. If they do though, they could be humming at the right time near the end of the season, just in time for the Play-In games.
Golden State Warriors (33-39) – If Klay Thompson was healthy I would have Golden State as a top-six seed easily. He provides excellent defense and is well-known as one of the ten-best shooters in league history. But with him out for the year due to his Achilles injury, I’m not sure if Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Kelly Oubre (an underrated pickup) can shoulder enough of the load to make it in a crowded Western Conference. However, if Curry can show us a sprinkle of that 2015-16 magic and Green can stay healthy/in shape all year, this will be a dangerous team in the Play-In games.
Also missing out (in order): Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Feature image courtesy of Joe Murphy / NBAE.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com / Basketball-reference.com
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