The 2020-21 Season Has A Chance To Be Great
The 2020-21 season has a chance to be very good because of all the talent in the league and all the uncertainty. With all the star-studded duos and ascending young teams surrounding the league, the 2020-21 season has a chance to be an all-time great season.
There is so much uncertainty heading into next season, it has a chance to be very good. So I’m going to break it down by conference and then see the top storylines heading into the 2021 season.
Western Conference
The Western Conference has reigned over the East for the past few years, and this will continue this season. You have the Lakers with AD and Lebron, by far the best duo in the NBA. Along with a decent supporting cast, the Lakers should be the favorites to win the 2021 NBA Title as of right now.
The Clippers still have Kawhi and PG along with a new coach. They might have Morris and Harrell back next season and they want revenge for the disastrous way their season ended in the bubble. I still believe that this team can be great, or at least a solid contender in the West.
The Denver Nuggets keep ascending in the West with their duo of Jokic and Murray. Jokic is the best center in the league and Murray is a top-10 point guard and still has room to get better. They need to retain Jerami Grant and with Michael Porter Jr. developing, the Nuggets will be a serious threat in the West in 2021.
The Warriors will be back as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be returning to action. The Warriors have the #2 overall pick as well as they will be back in contention this season. Look out as they might give the rest of the league headaches.
The Blazers need to stay healthy as they have a superstar in Damian Lillard. If they stay healthy, they will remain a threat. With McCollum, Nurkic and maybe Carmelo Anthony the Blazers can remain a competent team in the Wild West.
The Jazz have two All-Stars in Mitchell and Gobert as well as Bojan Bogdanovic. If they can stay healthy they will remain a threat. Mitchell showed out in the playoffs and along with veteran Mike Conley, the Jazz look to make it to the playoffs healthy this time.
The Rockets still have a star-studded duo with Westbrook and Harden and although the rest of their roster is flawed, they will likely a remain a playoff team based off of sheer talent.
The Mavericks have the future ruler of the league in Luka along with Kristaps Porzingis. This team will be good for a long time with their high powered offense. Jaylen Brunson and Dwight Powell will make this supporting cast better and the Mavs should be another threat.
The Thunder could remain competitive as they have CP-3 and Shai still on the roster. They might be rebuilding, but as we saw last season, don’t count them out.
The Grizzlies have their duo in Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. and they have a bright future ahead of them. They have their underdog mentality and they also have a solid supporting cast.
The Suns have Devin Booker and they finally have a competent team and coach, so they might have a chance at the playoffs. With Ayton, Bridges, Saric, Oubre and a underdog mentality the Suns are on the way up in the West.
The Spurs are still a very solid team with DeRozan and a bunch of solid guards like Dejounte Murray. The Spurs have quietly been one of the better teams in the West for years as they continue to frustrate teams with their system.
The Pelicans have Zion, Ingram, and Lonzo Ball. They will also have a new coach so the future is bright. Zion needs to stay healthy and Lonzo needs to keep his confidence. They need some size down low to become very good.
The T-Wolves have KAT and D-LO along with the #1 overall pick, so as long as they don’t screw it up, they will be fine. If they get Anthony Edwards who will be a two-way star, the Timberwolves could be great.
The Kings still have a lots of young talent with the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, so as long as they don’t manage to somehow screw it up, they will be fine. (They will probably screw it up).
So every single team in the West is pretty talented and it wouldn’t be surprising if these teams made the playoffs. The West is as tough as ever and whoever makes it out will be a very good team.
Eastern Conference
While the Eastern Conference is not what it used to be, there are some very good teams in this conference, some teams that could pose a threat to the top teams in the Western Conference.
The Boston Celtics have 4 All-Stars with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, and Gordon Hayward. The Celtics just need to sort out their hierarchy on the team and they will be fine.
The Raptors are still a solid team, with VanVleet, Lowry, and Siakam leading the way. While they likely won’t win a title until Siakam becomes a star, this team will be a solid playoff team.
The Milwaukee Bucks have their dominant star in Giannis, now a 2x MVP and DPOY. They need to get Giannis more shot-creators and make an actual offense that isn’t just stand around and watch Giannis. If they can do that they will be much better than the prior two seasons.
The Miami Heat surprised everybody my making the NBA Finals with their team brand of basketball. Led by Jimmy Butler along with All-Star Bam Adebayo and a very young core, the Heat will be good for a long time in the East.
The 76ers again disappointed this season, getting swept in the first round. They got Doc Rivers as a coach, although I doubt that it does much. The 76ers have the talent, they just need to find an identity that works.
The Pacers have been a solid playoff team the past few years, they just run into injuries. They have a very good team with the likes of Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis. Hopefully they can find the right coach and make progress in the East.
The Nets will finally get to see KD and Kyrie in action next season and they have some serious potential. They also have a great supporting cast with Levert and Dinwiddie. Look out for the Nets next season.
The Hawks, Bulls, Knicks, and Hornets all have some promising young talent, and they might be getting better this season. Well, maybe not the Knicks.
So while the East is a lot worst than the West, there are some teams that could make some noise. The East has a lot of teams that haven’t proven themselves, so maybe 2021 is the year.
Storylines
There are a lot of possible storylines that could come from this season. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have a chance to show the world how good they are, with Durant trying to prove that he is still the same player. Irving can prove that he isn’t a cancer on a team and a great 2nd option on a championship team.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson can help revive the Warriors from the depths of the West, once again trying to haunt the league with their incredible shooting. The Lakers can show that the bubble title wasn’t a fluke and again dominate with AD and Lebron.
The Pelicans can show that they are coming in the West and fast with new coach Stan Van Gundy (which I called by the way). Zion can show that he is a real superstar and Brandon Ingram can show that he is a real All-Star.
The Suns can show that their 8-0 in the bubble wasn’t a fluke and that they can be a playoff team behind the All-Star level play from Devin Booker. The Mavs can show that they can be more than a playoff team, and led by Luka Magic the future is very bright.
The Blazers need to stay healthy and with the 2nd best PG in the league along with a solid supporting cast, the Blazers can return to a upper-echelon playoff team.
Jamal Murray and the Nuggets can show that the bubble wasn’t anything different and continue to assert their dominance. Jokic can continue to prove anybody who says Joel is better than him wrong, and along with MPJ and Jerami Grant, the Nuggets can make another run for a title.
The Celtics can rebound from their disappointing end to the season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can continue to blossom into stars and the Celtics will continue to be great.
The Heat can continue to build on their incredible bubble run as Jimmy Butler shows the teams that he was abandoned by that they were wrong. Along with their young core, the Heat can be great.
The 76ers need to get their things together or maybe the Process is officially over.
So, the 2020-21 season has a lot of question marks. A lot of things will have to be seen. And that kind of plays into the mystery of the season. Will there be a bubble? Will there be fans? Will injured stars comeback the same? Which teams will be great and which will disappoint? This season has a chance to be very good, like one of the best in a long time (since 2016 at least). So this season will be one that everybody should pay attention to.
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