This Friday, the NBA restarts down its long-awaited calendar with the tip-off of the 2020-21 preseason, exactly 11 days before the real thing takes place for the upcoming regular season that’s sure to be different from its predecessors. And of course, just like how any offseason has gone since forever, there are new faces in new places. Trades and free agency shook the league to its core just a few weeks ago and by the looks of it, transactions probably won’t be finished until the opening tip.
From factions being split in groundbreaking trades, discontent players looking elsewhere for new pastures in free agency signings, shocking draft selections, and more, it’s worth the mention that everyone’s favorite teams will look slightly different once Friday comes. These exhibition contests are limited, understandably, due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only two to four games will be played and the schedules of each team mentioned in this article will be posted.
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5. Minnesota Timberwolves (Finished Last Season 19-45) – A Blast From The Franchise’s Past Joins Forces With The Organization’s New Cornerpiece
Preseason Schedule
- vs. Memphis Grizzlies – Saturday, December 12
- vs. Memphis Grizzlies – Monday, December 14
- vs. Dallas Mavericks – Thursday, December 17
The owners of the first pick in November’s 2020 NBA Draft, Minny selected Guard/Forward Anthony Edwards and will see after their coveted first-round selection that he can mesh well with the main core of newly-acquired guard D’Angelo Russell and top-tier big man Karl Anthony-Towns. Daily reminder that there was not a Summer League, so fans and scouts alike who haven’t gotten the chance to witness the 6-5, 225-lb 19-year old who averaged 19.1 points per game in one year at Georgia will have the opportunity.
Additionally, Ricky Rubio’s return to the Minnesota Timberwolves shouldn’t fly under the radar. After departing in 2017, Rubio emigrated from his starting spot he played in from the start of his career back in 2011, and after spending nearly three years away in other sites like Utah and Phoenix, Rubio was traded back to the Twin Cities’ team as a result of the three-team trade that sent Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns, and Ricky Rubio (as well as the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels from the Thunder) to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Head coach Ryan Saunders and the prolific Spanish playmaker that garnered a massive fan following during his first stint with the T’Wolves have a well-documented relationship with each other, and Saunders’ belief in Rubio’s impact spans far past the stat sheet.
“Ricky does things that don’t always show up in the box score, and he impacts winning in a way where he can help young players grow.”
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4. Charlotte Hornets (Finished Last Season 23-42) – “Ballin” In The Queen City
Preseason Schedule
- vs. Toronto (Tampa Bay) Raptors – Saturday, December 12
- vs. Toronto (Tampa Bay) Raptors – Monday, December 14
- vs. Orlando Magic – Thursday, December 17
These first two years of James Borrego’s tenure as Head coach of the Charlotte Hornets are predicated on fulfilling the growth and projected potential of CHA’s young and inquisitive parts that will someday compete for a playoff spot. The postseason was not quite a realistically attainable goal, but more of a further incentive if the ‘Nets had enough on the table to open some eyes across the league.
While it didn’t really show in the record box, numbers in other prioritized statistical areas told otherwise. Devonte Graham ended his regular season in 2020 shooting over 37 percent from deep, earning himself an invite to the Three-Point Contest at All-Star weekend and multiple Most Improved Player votes. PJ Washington and Miles Bridges made significant strides to improve their games, but in addition to shedding aging and regressing players like Nicolas Batum, the 2020 offseason might be the most impactful adjustment to this roster for this year and beyond.
The third overall selection in 2020 belonged to Michael Jordan’s Hornets, and with it picked point guard LaMelo Ball from Chino Hills, California/Lithuania/Spire Academy/Illawarra, Australia. It’s been a long journey to the pros for Ball, the second of the three Ball brothers (oldest brother LiAngelo just got signed to the Pistons and second-oldest Lonzo still with the Pelicans) who are all now in the NBA. Ball was by far the purest shot-creator in the draft and also, the most equanimous decision-maker with the ball in his hands.
If how LaMelo fared against grown men competing in the Aussie league known as the NBL was any indication of how he’d do in an equally physical league, Hornets fans are in for a treat. Charlotte’s biggest strength is their backcourt play and Ball will be coached and developed to accompany Graham and Malik Monk as he gets his first bearings of NBA action this Saturday.
Alongside him will be the newly-signed Gordon Hayward, the intelligent playmaking wing who signed for four years worth $140M. He is looking to find a second wind for his career after a turbulent three years in Boston.
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3. Washington Wizards (Finished Last Season 25-47) – The Brodie To The Nation’s Capital: Boom Or Bust?
Preseason Schedule:
- vs. Brooklyn Nets – Sunday, December 13
- vs. Detroit Pistons – Thursday, December 17
- vs Detroit Pistons – Saturday, December 19
What a whirlwind of an offseason it’s been for Wizards fans, both in good and bad ways. What seemed to kick off draft and trade season in an unforeseen turn of events: highly-coveted first-rounder Deni Avdija fell to them in the draft at No. 9, and it looked as if the duo of the recovered John Wall and Bradley Beal were to finally reunite in the Nation’s Capital.
And then the eve of Wednesday, December 2, 2020 happened. The prodigal son of Washington, D.C., John Wall was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook, meaning the union between Wall and Beal was broken, and another All-Star was to be added to a young roster choc’ full of potential.
So now, Russell Westbrook is in the third destination of his career and, per his request, will likely be within the same role he was in when he was dominating and winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2017. Moreover, it’s the established chemistry between he and his Head coach, Scotty Brooks, whom he started his NBA career with before Billy Donavan took over coaching responsibilities in Oklahoma City in 2016.
But even with the numbers Russ has put up in his career, it’s purely a TBD over who won this trade considering that his offensive productivity has taken a severe dip in the past two seasons. It could very well be a mechanics and confidence fix, and if so, Russ’ return to MVP form only says good things for a team growing in depth. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be odd seeing Westbrook not only wearing a Wizards jersey, but reverting back to wearing No. 4, his old Olympia High School number.
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2. Brooklyn Nets (Finished Last Season 35-37) – How Will KD and Kyrie Look In Their Return?
Preseason Schedule
- vs. Washington Wizards – Sunday, December 13
- vs. Boston Celtics – Friday, December 18
As if there was any different reason that you’d honestly be watching the Brooklyn Nets in the preseason, the obvious being stated is that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both returning to the hardwood since thier injuries, and are looking to make BK Town’s team the entire state of New York can get behind, since the Knicks are a ways away from contending.
We’ve yet to see what post-Achilles tear KD really looks like in game speed besides some short Twitter clips of getting runs in gyms with trainers and fellow NBA collegues, but from word of mouth of coaches and fellow trainers, “he’s back”. Seeing Durant come back healthy, even at 80%, is still frightening to guard, considering that KD has never been known to utilize that untethered athleticism and rely on just pure basketball skill.
As for Irving, who returns from a handful of ailments ranging from shoulder impingements to knee issues, his role and responsibilities in Brooklyn’s offense is going to be something worth making a note of remembering to tune in to. New Head coach Steve Nash has shared with the team the general consensus of there not being a true point guard (at least that’s how Irving explained it) so in terms of how the guards in Nash’s system operate, fans will get a sneak peak into how Brooklyn’s revamped backcourt and frontcourt will mesh within Nash’s offense.
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1. Houston Rockets (Finished Last Season 44-28) – Will The Off-Court Drama’s Noise Drown Out The Progressive Strides Of A Contender?
Preseason Schedule
- vs. Chicago Bulls – Friday, December 11
- vs. Chicago Bulls – Sunday, December 13
- vs. San Antonio Spurs – Tuesday, December 15
- vs. San Antonio Spurs – Thursday, December 17
This is not the ideal position Stephen Silas wanted his Rockets to be in.
The first-time Head coach and son to the legendary Paul Silas, consider these “occurrences” his initiation to the theatrics and dramatics that come with the job, to put it euphemistically.
The Harden drama has been nothing but nauseating to fathom if you are a Rockets fan, and just as toxic and demoralizing to the organization if you are behind the scenes of this mess. It’s unnecessary to commentate on a play-by-play basis what’s transpired between Harden and Tiliman Fertitta, the Rockets’ owner (Twitter seems to be pretty good at doing that) but to put it succinctly – James Harden has behaved in such an insubordinate, conducive and unprofessional manner just to imply that he wants out of Houston, preferably before the season begins.
So what does that mean for a Rockets team that, barring their little “small ball” experiment, would’ve been favored to reach the conference finals and possibly play for a championship when both recently departed Russell Westbrook and Harden were referred to as the highest-scoring backcourt in the game?
Either one of two things, exactly:
A. New trade acquisition Christian Wood fits into Silas’s system like a puzzle piece John Wall balls out in Westbrook’s place and other notable FA signing DeMarcus Cousins (who rejoins Wall for the first time since their days as Kentucky Wildcats) regains the monomer of top-3 unstoppable big man in the league, thus convincing Harden to wise up a little and realize what’s homemade is much better than what’s out there.
B. Harden can’t even stand the thought of staying in the city of Houston for another second, bails on the team and demands a trade before December 22’s opener against Oklahoma City while Wall looks as if he’s lost a step (or two) and Boogie Cousins remains a non-starter while Wood scarcely puts up respectable numbers but numbers not good enough to keep Houston competitive, prompting a clean house and top-down rebuild.
So what’s the scoop on turning on the television to witness the 2020-21 Houston Rockets? It’s not a question of who will be on the floor to start the preseason for Houston – it’s a matter of who won’t be.
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Other honorable mentions include…
- The Boston Celtics, who will be without Kemba Walker for the start of the season and will have to rely on one of the best stretch wing duos in the league in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (and Jeff Teague as their starting guard) to operate the offense.
- The Golden State Warriors, a team that’s severely maligned by the injury to Klay Thompson and is searching through their options to find his viable replacement for the near future. Additionally, the NBA debut of James Wiseman (now postponed due to both he and Draymond Green recently catching the Coronavirus) should be a sight to see.
- The Los Angeles Clippers, who enter year two with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, will have their plays called by former Cavaliers Head coach Tyronn Lue with new signees Serge Ibaka and Nicolas Batum getting introductory minutes in their new home stadium.
- The Tampa Bay (not Toronto) Raptors, not playing in front of 19,000 people inside ScotiaBank Arena, or in the country of Canada at all for an entire season due to the team not being allowed back into the country until the pandemic ends.
- The Phoenix Suns, now with Chris Paul controlling the floor and sharing it with suparstar two-guard Devin Booker.
- The Milwaukee Bucks, now in the final year of the Persuade-Giannis-to-stay-in-Milwaukee challenge, did a decent job of surrounding the Greek Freak with talent in swapping Eric Bledsoe with New Orleans for former All-Star Jrue Holiday. We’ll see how he adjusts to a new spaceous system ran by Mike Budenholzer.
- The Atlanta Hawks, now complete with a reliable backup/mentor to Trae Young in Rajon Rondo as well as budding offensive dynamo Bodgdan Bogdanovic.
- The Portland Trail Blazers, who stocked up on the defensive end by signing Robert Covington as a star 3-and-D guy opposing defenders don’t want to leave open.
- The Denver Nuggets, who A.) had arguably the best time of anyone on draft night picking up RJ Hampton, B.) Picked up Buddy Hield during the opening of the trade market to bolster an already dangerous lineup that upset the #2 seed Clippers in last year’s playoffs and C.) Look to build off last year’s success on their way to a franchise-first NBA championship.
- And the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champions who got even better in the offseason by signing sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell, 6MOTY runner-up Dennis Schroder, and locked down both L.A. staples (pun intended) LeBron James and Anthony Davis to lucrative extensions that go past 2023-25.
As training camp officially starts with the regular season right around the corner, the anticipation for basketball back on home floors with some – not a lot, clearly – fans in the stands and some normalcy back on television screens across the globe couldn’t come sooner.
Photo Cred: ClutchPoints – David Bernal