The NBA Regular Season is finally back! After what felt like the longest hiatus ever, the most hyped NBA season in over a decade is finally here! For the first time I can remember, there is no definitive favorite to win the NBA Finals because Big 3s are dead and duos now rule the league! Some duos are obviously better than others, but this season there are legitimately six different teams that can win the NBA Championship this year. Some teams are favored like the Clippers and Bucks, others are a contender ankle roll away (The Jazz and Nuggets). No matter how this season plays out, I am glad to say that both the journey and the destination will be as unpredictable as the league has ever been. So with that preamble out of the way, I have previews for every NBA team this season, starting with the West and then heading East.
Before we begin the previews though, I have to give y'all a key so you understand the previews. The first number is the position where I think the team will land at the end of the year. Basically who makes the playoffs and which seed they get. The next number is that teams overall tanking compared to the rest of the league. Think of it as their Power Ranking position to start the year. I don't think it's where they'll end up, but its where I think they begin the season.
In terms of the actual previews, I have the 12-man (probable) roster for each team along with their offensive stats from last season. Players in bold are returning, players in the box are rotation players (projected), and players in italics are rookies. For statistical purposes, I cut their stats in half because some of their college stats are inflated and won't translate to the league - at least immediately.
Finally, at the end, I have my NBA Finals prediction and my NBA Awards prediction.
Let's get the season underway!
Western Conference
1. Nuggets
They have one of the most well-rounded rosters in the NBA and they have an MVP candidate. You also have to expect another leap from both Gary Harris and Jamal Murray as they look to take on even more of a scoring load from Jokic. Ideally, Jokic, and Denver, would have him average like 10 points per game on 15 assists per game. This team is stacked from top-to-bottom. Heck, Mason Plumlee is their 10 man coming off the bench and the addition of Jerami Grant gives them a defender who can guard 3s and rebound against 4s. This team is incredibly versatile and an obvious title contender for this year.
2. Jazz
Like the Nuggets, this team is just straight up stacked. Mike Conley Jr is expected to take away a lot of the playmaking responsibilities from Donovan Mitchell which will make his life easier and his game better as a result. Because of Gobert and their solid overall rotations and defensive chemistry, this team will get stops when it matters and make many teams' lives miserable on offense. Additionally, all of their players off the bench know their role and three of them can create their own shot which means the offense won't go stagnant if Conley and Mitchell are both on the bench for some reason. This Jazz team will be a lot of fun to watch, and if they can secure homecourt in the playoffs, they will be a tough out in the playoffs.
3. Rockets
Harden and Westbrook are going to be so much fun to watch. There were some doubts about how Westbrook would fit into the Rockets' offense and it seems like he's going to be just fine - at least shooting the ball. In only two career games, Westbrook is shooting 8.5 threes per game - three more than all of last year. Defenses will never get a possession off with both Harden and Westbrook being on the field at all times and they both have all the right complementary players around them to help them succeed. I am a little worried about Gerald Green's leg injury because that means more Austin Rivers, but having one of the two superstars on the floor at all times should decrease the number of Austin Rivers "takeover times".
4. Clippers
I am incredibly high on the Clippers as a team overall…as much as I don’t like to admit it. While I think they are absolutely title contenders, I just think they don’t care at all about the regular season and their peak is the 3rd seed this season. Paul George is set to miss the first few weeks of the regular season (at least) and Kawhi Leonard will almost certainly be on his load-management plan again. The only way I could see Kawhi playing more than 65 games this year is if he decides that this is the year to go for the MVP. I mean he has done just about everything else in his career. If he could somehow pull of an MVP award in LeBron's city then he could propel himself into a top 10 player of all time pretty easily. If I were him I'd go for it, but I think he values championships and winning too much to care about regular season awards.
5. Lakers
The Lakers start the season with the 29th ranked schedule at the beginning of the year which is perfect for them to get their team chemistry going and get off to a hot start before their schedule gets difficult. However, I think there are too many other good teams in the West, and I think once the Lakers start off strong, they'll begin to give Davis and LeBron time off so they could slump to end the year. This team is definitely a top 5 team in the West though. Maybe even top 5 in the league. Them being here is not a hot take.
6. Trailblazers
Dame and CJ are both too good to not make the playoffs no matter which conference they're in. Also, according to some respectable NBA sources, Anfernee Simons is the next coming of Jordan. He won't be that good, but if he's a backup guard who can run the offense without them then he'll be enough to help the Blazers make the playoffs. I'm also high on Zach Collins and I think Hassan Whiteside will be on his best behavior for most of the season as he tries to get another big contract. Finally, if Nurkic returns and is healthy, (which is no guarantee), then this team could be fighting for a top 5 seed.
7. Pelicans
This is not an exaggeration. This team is the deepest team in the NBA besides the Kings. Their best player isn't in the top 20 (although Zion could finish there by the end of the year), but their worst rotation players are still guys every other NBA team would take. If the Baby Lakers make a jump to becoming the superstars we expected them to be in LA this will be the year as well. They have all the motivation in the world to prove everyone wrong and all of the talent around them to make this leap happen. Plus they have veterans like JJ Reddick and Derrick Favors, both players who are incredibly good at the positions they play. I also want this team to be really good because I think it'll make the league so much more fun to watch overall if they're really good.
8. Kings
I really like the Kings' roster. Check them out top to bottom. There isn't a single bad player (besides maybe Trevor Ariza) on this team. There aren't any superstars who can carry a franchise, but all of these players know who they are and they play fast. The Pelicans are getting all of the buzz as the young, fun team to watch, but I guarantee that the Kings will be a more fun night-to-night than the Pelicans. Also, if Harry Giles stays healthy this year (I feel like health is a big caveat for me) then this team will easily be a playoff team in the West.
Mavericks
The best part about Porzingis being in the West is that we can watch him match up with other great Western centers like Towns and Jokic more often. This was one of the biggest debates among NBA Twitter two seasons ago and I can't wait to see this matchup play out three times a year rather than maybe once or twice (because Porzingis sat out a bunch of them). Porzingis and Luka will be a great pair, but they don’t have much depth besides the two. This team needs one year to season and then one offseason to fill out the rest of the roster, then they'll be in the playoffs. I'm also interested to see if there is a Luka correction this year. Will he be even better? Will he plateau? Will he get worse? I can't wait to find out.
Spurs
The Spurs have the same roster as last year plus Dejounte Murray. Having them not make the playoffs like not picking the Patriots to make the AFC Title Game…but I'm gonna do it!! I'll be happy to let the Spurs prove me wrong and they beat bad teams, but there aren't enough bad teams in the West for them to beat up on. They just shoot too many (bad) mid-range jumpers and don’t play good enough defense to make the playoffs this year.
Warriors
I think the Warriors drop out this year. I think the injury to Klay is really tough for them and they have some serious depth issues at guard they'll need to address even before he returns. I know it's only preseason, but their guard defense has been really, really bad in basically every game they played. And it's not like they were playing scrubs out there all game. The Warriors were playing guys who will be rotation players for them. They have three great guards with Klay, Steph, and D'Lo, but after that, it's Jordan Poole and Glen Robinson III off the bench. If Russell doesn’t have it going some nights, I'm worried about how their second unit will fare and it there will be certain nights in the West where their bench squad will play them out of the game with their lack of scoring.
Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns is the best big man in the Western Conference. I feel very comfortable making that statement. Towns is one of the best offensive big men ever as well. Unfortunately, his team is not good at all. He has a couple good, young defensive wings in Okogie and Culver (rookie out of Texas Tech), but I just don’t like the overall fit of their team around him. They need more shooting and more players who can get him the ball every time on offense. This is a team that needs to trade for a player like Kyle Lowry or Chris Paul to give Towns the point guard he deserves. Unless they just make KAT the point guard…which isn't outside of the realm of possibility.
Thunder
I like the idea of this team, but they just don’t have the firepower to win in the West. The Thunder clearly signaled they were in rebuild mode this season when they unloaded George and Westbrook, and they will get rid of Adams and CP3 as soon as they have the chance as well.
Grizzlies
I wan to give Ja Morant a chance to win Rookie of the Year, but I think, like last year with Doncic, this race is already over. Zion has the media on his side and I don’t think the Grizzlies have more than three nationally televised games this year - for a reason. As this team grows throughout the year and the rookies like Brandon Clarke and Morant develop, this team will be a sneaky tough out to end the season - they could even play a bracket-buster like role for playoff-hopeful teams.
Suns
I Like DeAndre Ayton and I like Devin Booker. I don’t like anyone else on this roster though. Ricky Rubio is good if he's your fifth-best player. Unfortunately here, he's your third. This team will have some fireworks displays on certain nights when Booker and Ayton are both cooking, but it will translate to just over 20 or so wins.
Eastern Conference
1. Bucks
I love the composition of Milwaukee's overall roster. Having two Lopez brothers on the same team (and please be on the court at the same time at some point) is perfect for anchoring their defense, Middleton has proven he can be a go to scorer when Giannis is on the bench, Giannis is on this team, and they are going to be well coached and play hard because of Coach Bud. This team also has better chemistry than Philly will have out the gate so I think this team gets the one seed because they'll rack up more winners earlier on in the year.
2. 76ers
This team is huge…maybe even too big? Ben Simmons shoots threes now and Embiid is in shape so this team should be the favorites in the East to go to the finals. To win the regular season though? Probably not. This team has a bunch of new pieces and I think they'll get off to a slow start as a result. Embiid has also talked about how he wants to play 75ish games this season which is a nice idea, but I doubt the 76ers management will let him actually do that. Thus, a solid second place finish in the East suits them this year.
3. Celtics
This team is going to be awesome on offense because of all the playmaking they have combined with Brad Stevens's creative play-calling. On the defensive end this team could have some struggles because their starting point guard and center both don’t play it. I actually think though, because there's not Kyrie drama this season, despite the Celtic's roster top-to-bottom being worse, they will actually have a better record and a more positive season overall.
4. Nets
This year is really just a pause year for the Nets' franchise. Yes Kyrie is on the team now, but KD is out for the entire year so you'll have him Irving be the focal point of your offense this season. This Net's roster was solid defensively last year (not great, but good enough in the East) and Kyrie had his best defensive season ever last year so the Nets can still rely on that to win games for them. I still don’t think they have the size and talent to beat any of the teams above them (maybe Boston), but when KD returns in a year this narrative will be entirely different.
5. Heat
The Heat finally got their superstar and his name is Tyler Herro! Nah I'm just kidding, it's Jimmy Buckets. He is a legitimate MVP candidate this season because he's going to be playing 38 minutes a night and working hard on both sides of the ball. Even without Josh Richardson, this team still has good length on the perimeter so they can play defense and they are well-coached by Erik Spoelstra. He got this team fighting for playoff spots without a superstar, just think what he can do with one now!
6. Magic
Defense, awesome. Size, awesome. Coaching, great. Shooting could be better. The Magic is not a team to be overlooked this season which is why I have them making the playoffs. They have a well-rounded roster and will be a tough out every night. Last year they caught a bunch of teams off guard when they played them because no one expected them to be good. This year that won't happen, but I don’t think it'll make too much of a difference. Nikola Vucevic is a great offensive big-man and Aaron Gordon is ready to become a superstar (according to him). I also almost forgot about Markelle Fultz! If he can be the same player he was at Washington with literally no improvement at all, then he will easily be the backup guard all season long for this team. If he develops the way he should have over the past two years, then he will be the starting guard for this team by Christmas.
7. Pistons
The Pistons are one guard away from being a lock for the playoffs. Blake Griffin has a three-point shot now and Andre Drummond is a nightly double-double. Derrick Rose has had a good preseason, but until he stays healthy for another season I can't count on him. Reggie Jackson is a black-hole on offense but can still have nights where he gives you 20-25 points. If the Pistons can manage to figure out a trade for Chris Paul or Kyle Lowry, then this team is ready to make the second round of the playoffs.
8. Bulls
Don’t make me regret this pick Bulls. Every year we see one team make the leap before we think they're ready to. In the West I see that team in Sacramento and out in the East I think Chicago will be that team. I favor talent and youth to exceed expectations and I think that is what will happen in this case. Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr are already one of the most talented front-lines in the NBA and Zach LaVine can go off on literally any night. The additions of veterans Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young only help to fill out their bench as well.
Raptors
This season is going to go one of two ways for the Raptors. It'll either be a bunch of wily veterans fighting for a playoff spot and upsetting a higher seed in the first round or it'll be a massive sell-off of all their talent and Toronto moves in a new direction. I think it'll be option number two. Kyle Lowry will miss the first month of the season with a thumb injury which makes me think they'll get off to a slow start. If their GM thinks that this team doesn’t have what it takes, he is no stranger to selling off parts for future assets. I don’t think the outcome of this season will affect Pascal Siakam though. He proved he's legit last season and he'll prove it again this year as the focal point of their offense.
Pacers
I don’t know the extent of Oladipo's injury and when he'll return, apparently Malcolm Brogdon's foot is a ticking time bomb (?!?) and I don’t think Myles Turner can carry an offense on his own. If he could then we would have seen it by now. One X-Factor that could change this is what Sabonis looks like as the number two option for the Pacers this year. Last year in the playoffs against Boston, their offense was great for three quarters, but consistently fell short for four games in a row. Have they learned from that and can it translate to this season? I'm skeptical, but I've been wrong before.
Hawks
Next year this team is going to be awesome. Trae Young is already one of the best passing PGs in the game, but he doesn’t play defense. De'Andre Hunter will be a good pro and Cam Reddish needs to get healthy before I can make a decision on him. Trae Young and John Collins will be one of the most fun pick-n-roll combinations to watch this season, but Atlanta won't have the defense necessary to win enough games and make the playoffs this year. Unlike my other predictions though, I kind of hope this one is wrong. It would be fun to watch them throw everything that got at a Bucks/76ers team in a Round 1 playoff matchup.
Knicks
This team is confusing. On paper all of their players are good, but I just have this feeling it won't translate to wins. This team won't be and can't be as bad as last year, but they still won't make the playoffs. They'll be fighting for one until the very end of the season though. What intrigues me about this team is how Julius Randle will handle being the number one option on offense each night. I think he has the skillset to handle it, but I am most excited to see casual NBA fans who haven't watched his development in NOLA (on offense, not defense) see just how special he is.
Cavaliers
It's okay if we skip these next three teams right? I think the Cavs will be one of the top three spots for a lottery pick this year, but there are still some interesting things to watch for with this team. First, how will Sexton and Garland play together? They are actually pretty complimentary of each other. Garland is a good shooter and Sexton is a good penetrator and defender. Secondly, what will the Cavs do with Kevin Love? He signed a massive extension last season, but as we've learned this offseason, no one is unmovable. Will a team like the Clippers (who are one trade away) try to get Kevin Love to solidify their front line? I'd say yes.
Wizards
Well, Bradley Beal is locked up! That's cool. John Wall may be back this year? That's cool. At least he looked skinny again at the NBA Awards this summer. Despite how bad the Wizards will be, I am interested to see how Rui Hachimura's game translates to the NBA? He had an unstoppable post and mid-range fade away in college, will he be able to keep getting those in the NBA? Will the coaching staff let him shoot those? Can he shoot more threes and still contribute on offense? He is a guy who had a very obvious skill-set in college and so it is easier to track his development than it is with other players. Thus, he's a good rookie to watch if you have League Pass.
Hornets
Even the projected worst team in the NBA still has a good reason to watch them. PJ Washington is a lot like Rui where he had a defined skill set and I think it will translate to the league. Also, Malik Monk will finally be unleashed on the league! After three years of me begging the Hornets (via Twitter and mail) to get him more playing time, this is the year it will finally happen! Go off Monk!
NBA Finals Matchup
Los Angeles Clippers vs Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are the favorites to come out of the East and understandably so. Barring injury, their starting lineup is the best of all the playoff teams and when their guys all play 40 minutes per night no one will stop them on their path to the Finals.
The Clipper also, in every Playoff series they find themselves in, they will have one of the two best players on both roster and two of the top five guys in each series. Because of that, I don’t think any other team in the West has the ability to beat them in a seven-game series. I hate making this pick, but my basketball brain has to be separated from my Lakers brain which is just so hard to do.
How does this series end?
I think it ends with the 76ers being crowned champions and we finally see why the process works. I also can't stand declaring the Clippers NBA champions. The 76ers almost beat Toronto last year with Kawhi on the roster as well so it's not like they can't beat him. If not for his miraculous buzzer-beater who knows what happens in OT. Their size is also the perfect counter to the Clippers because they can defend them perfectly and they can keep Harrell off the glass. Josh Richardson can defend Paul George or Lou Williams and Tobias Harris/ Ben Simmons can do their best to make Kawhi's and Paul George's lives miserable on both sides of the ball. Finally, Joel Embiid can dominate any big man the Clippers throw at the 76ers. That's why they are my champions.
Award Predictions
MVP: Anthony Davis
If the Lakers want to make the playoffs and finish with a top 4 seed in the West, Anthony Davis needs to be an MVP. He'll have the spotlight and he'll have the numbers. Thus, I think he'll win it.
DPOY: Rudy Gobert
He wins it every year. Utah's defense will probably be the best in the league and he anchors it.
ROY: Zion Williamson
He's expected to miss a few weeks to start the season with a knee injury, but even with that, he'll still have enough highlights to capture the national media's attention.
COY: Mike Malone
I think the Nuggets will have one of the best records in the NBA, but they won't have an MVP winner to show from it. Naturally, the writers will reward Mike Malone to make up for it.
MIP: Jayson Tatum
Historically the most improved player is a future All-Star and a second-tier superstar. So basically when you're deciding this award you need to look at who's young, who will have more opportunities, and who do you think will be a potentially elite player one day. Picking this award mainly comes down to luck. I think it'll be Tatum because he had a down year last year and he will be able to dominate more of the offense this year which means his stats will go up.
Sixth Man: Jarrett Allen (if the Nets commit to bringing him off the bench)
If he comes off the bench all season long then I don’t see why he won't win it…unless a dark horse candidate comes out of nowhere. He's a better center than DeAndre Jordan and he should be finishing every close game for Brooklyn. He'll also have one or two huge blocks on nationally televised games this year which will propel this narrative of Sixth Man of the Year.
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