Happy Tip-Off day! In light of the shortest offseason ever (or longest if your team didn’t qualify for the bubble restart), basketball is back into our living rooms as the 2020-21 NBA season starts tonight, on December 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on TNT! That feels great to say, and hopefully, this time around we don’t have to worry about a massive shutdown that sent the season into peril back on March 11.
This year is massively different, and an array of curveballs will be thrown at conventionality. That’s just the order of things. But sports are practically the quintessential microcosm of life itself; things never quite turn out how we predict. Case in point – back in October when the bubble playoffs and Finals concluded with the Los Angeles Lakers hoisting ol’ Larry OB above their heads while blanketed by purple and gold confetti, commissioner Adam Silver initially scheduled this NBA season to start mid-January or early February, if health coordinators and state officials across the nation even complied. But, we’re here. And this time, if all goes well and there aren’t too many COVID-19 cases throughout the league, this thing should go swimmingly.
That being said, should this abridged 72-game season go according to plan, there will be our usual 16-team postseason, and order of award winners ranging from League’s Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, and many more. What we already know, however, is just how impossible it is to get every award prediction correctly year-in and year-out. I took a stab at who won the MVP last year, and that looks like the only one that I and a bunch of content creators hammered correctly. But it’s always fun to try.
So without further ado, let’s hop into these predictions for who is winning hardware at the end of this season.
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1.) Executive of the Year: Rob Pelinka, General Manager, Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka talks about the team’s recent free agent signings at their training facility in El Segundo on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Staff Photographer)
Being quite honest, this is an award won in the weeks and months of the lengthy offseason, and while proven in year’s past where teams have had at least a 5-6 month lapse for determining how they want to approach their next season and how they want to mold their roster to achieve championship success, the defending champs were tasked with not only remodeling some core parts of this already exceptional team but in the stretch of only 61 days. So to me, Rob Pelinka seems like the safe pick, because it’s not often championship teams add even better pieces while bolstering their depth and locking down their most coveted two pieces in the manner that Pelinka has.
In one offseason, the former agent to the late great Kobe Bryant struck gold after taking Anthony Davis off of the free agency market, (as if he was really going anywhere else, right?) fully signing him to the Lakers on a five-year, $190M deal and extending LeBron James to a massive two-year, $85M deal that keeps the now four-time champ and Finals MVP through 2023.
And now for the “they got even better” clarification: they got 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year award winner Montrezl Harrell to switch uniforms in the Staples Center to play for the Lakers instead of the cross-hallway rival Clippers, “swooping in” to pick him up while contract talks between him and the Clips broke down. Also, they immediately addressed their fervent need for outside shooting by giving away Danny Green and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels to the Thunder and getting 6MOTY runner-up, shot creator, and sharpshooter Dennis Schroder in return.
Oh, and not to mention them getting Wesley Matthews from the Bucks via the bi-annual exception as well as extending Kyle Kuzma to a lucrative-yet-responsible deal that could be a bargain if he pans out in LA, and viable trade/draft capital if he underperforms. Should the Lakers get back to the NBA Finals in a suddenly weakening Western Conference and repeat, it seems like Pelinka will earn this honor.
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2.) Coach of the Year: Terry Stotts, Head Coach, Portland Trail Blazers
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Bit of a surprising pick here, but stick with me. Portland had one of the most disappointing regular seasons in recent memory for a team with that much talent on its roster, finishing eighth in the West after fighting to supplant themselves in the playoff picture by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first-ever play-in tournament for the final seed. Damian Lillard put on some historic performances both in the bubble during the season’s resumption and out of the bubble before the suspension, putting up streaks of 50+ point performances that rivaled the likes of Kobe Bryant’s MVP award-worthy slew of 40+ point games back in 2007 and alongside established bucket-getter CJ McCollum, willed his Blazers to a first-round matchup with the Lakers, ultimately losing in five games.
This offseason was different for Portland, who knew what they needed to add in order to really be taken seriously in the West. Robert Covington was as serious of a pickup that they could as for; defense was their focus (fourth-worst def. rating in NBA) and needed to be prioiritized, so they got the respected 3-and-D wing known for shutting down some of the most proficient slashers and outside scorers in the league. By shipping away Mario Hezonja and Trevor Ariza’s contracts, they got the uber-athletic bench piece of Derrick Jones Jr., reliable backup center Harry Giles III and stout rebounder Enes Kanter in return, and also re-signed Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood.
Stotts rebounded from his horrendous start to the 2019-20 season on the defensive end when Zach Collins came Jusuf Nurkic returned in the bubble for the first time since March 2019 when he broke his ankle, and the Bosnian shot-blocker helped them get into the playoffs for the third-straight time. Don’t look now, but if health is on their side unlike how it wasn’t last year, Portland could upset a lot of teams in the stacked Northwest division and the West as a whole. They’re best equipped to challenge the likes of the Clippers and Lakers with the roster they’ve pieced together right now, and that’s not being stated lightly. If they end up destroying preseason Finals picks, it’ll be Stotts’ award to lose.
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3.) Sixth Man of the Year: Spencer Dinwiddie, Guard, Brooklyn Nets
Harry How/Getty Images
You’d figure someone in that Steve Nash was going to be awarded for their efforts if all goes well for the new top dog in New York City. While Kevin Durant or his new teammate Kyrie Irving are likely candidates to contend for the Kia Most Valuable Player award this year, Spencer Dinwiddie is quite possibly the best choice to own hardware on this team that’s sure to put up a lot of points this year. And a couple of things point to that possibility.
For starters, the second unit the Nets will have this season is just as good as a lot of teams’ starting five, and the tandem of Caris LeVert and Dinwiddie, who already have a manufactured chemistry with the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris, will be frightening to guard on any given night. And as the leader of that second unit, Dinwiddie’s already proved he is capable of manning the lineup when their stars sit. When Kyrie Irving was sidelined for the rest of the season, Dinwiddie put up numbers worthy of All-Star consideration in his first 16 games as the Nets’ starter, putting up 24.3 points, 7.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds. Now imagine him doing that for an entire season as the secondary hybrid guard off the bench.
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4.) Kia Most Improved Player: Michael Porter Jr., Power Forward, Denver Nuggets
Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. is rapidly asserting himself as the team’s third franchise cornerstone. It’s time for him to become a permanent fixture in Denver’s starting lineup. GETTY IMAGES
Porter’s gradual development has been noteworthy ever since his NBA debut back in 2019 for the Nuggets, who drafted him 14th overall in the 2018 draft and saw the 21-year old at the time as a project that could one day compete with the pros as a result of believing in the intangibles that the 6’10 wing with a 7.25″ wingspan had. It was only worth taking a chance with as soon as he configured his bothersome issues stemming from a back surgery that forced him to redshirt his freshman season at Missouri. A choppy rookie season in 2018-19 showed flashes of just how good this kid could be, and the fearlessness to pull up from anywhere and cash out told the simple truth to Nuggets staff officials and executives: this kid is for real.
And, promptly, MPJ made the seismic leap. In the Orlando bubble, Porter exacted that tenacity in seven of the eight season restart games for the Nugs, averaging 22 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 42 percent from deep the field. Most notably from those games where those crazy averages were determined: two back-to-back games of Porter dropping 37 against the Thunder and 30 against the Spurs, both of which he posted double-doubles in for a total of four straight games with that stat.
His numbers dipped in the playoffs, (11.4 ppg, 6.7 rebounds) mainly due to the dip in minutes and touches since Mike Malone looked to his most prominent pieces of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to run things, but his upward trajectory is promising. The former Gatorade Athlete of the Year fits into any lineup and automatically gives the five on the floor a boost as an exceptional three-point shooter. As he enters his third season, he could very well be the third-best player on this team behind two All-NBA talents he can further develop his game with and around, especially now that Jerami Grant, their former star ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.) Rookie of the Year: Obi Toppin, Power Forward, New York Knicks
Daily Knicks – Brad Dressler/FanSided
Lo and behold NYC – star power has finally returned to the Madison Square Garden.
The growth from being the lowest spotted team in the East to the “top of the heap” will be slow and gradual, but worth it as the Leon Rose in Knickland is off to a pretty good start, offseason-wise. This might not sound like the sext pick for ROY, but results and volume are the determinant for this award and there will be plenty of opportunities for the highest picked Dayton Flyer in school history to make his mark on this league in what should be another reboulding year that will sort out who needs to be built around. Toppin’s offensive skillset resembles a former Knick and legendary household name who donned orange and blue legend, subjectively speaking: Amar’e Stoudamire.
Knicks fans experiencing Obi’s rookie season should be a bit of a throwback to witness: the 6’8 power forward largely does his work under the basket, and he has a knack for bruising opposing defenders on the glass as an adept rebounder and strong-yet-fluid skilled scorer on the block. A polished scorer with exceptional footwork, burst, the mentality and confidence to stretch the floor with a consistent jumper from outside, above-the-rim athleticism and equally damaging off-ball scoring intelligence should be the reason “Obi1” lights up the scoreboard betwixt a rookie class that’s without a true standalone team transformer on both the offensive and defensive end.
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6.) Defensive Player of the Year: Bam Adebayo, Power Forward/Center, Miami Heat
Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo isn’t going to let a shoulder injury prevent him from playing in Game 2. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It’ll only be a matter of time until the Kentucky product gets one, right? Makes sense for him to win one this year. The pesky, lanky, and high-energy shot-blocker (and alterer) will be at the top of the NBA All-Defensive first team voting results at year’s end, if his 2019-20 season was any indication. Another third-year player of high skill proportions, Adebayo earned his first All-Star berth, averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5 assists and an impressive 1.3 blocks on the way to helping the Miami Heat earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since the LBJ-Wade-Bosh days.
He was named to the All-Defensive Second team this year, but would’ve definitely earned his spot on the first team had his efforts in the postseason been added to his cumulative resume. While he showed where he had to grow during the Finals against Anthony Davis, who ended up averaging 25 points, 10.7 rebounds against the third-year big man, he earned his stripes in the playoffs and was responsible for earning the moniker of the “Giannis Stopper” by walling up and neutralizing the reigning MVP, clamping him in the halfcourt and keeping him to an average 21.8 points on 50 percent shooting, while also forcing 2.8 turnovers per game (decent stats, but if you were watching it was as if he couldn’t do a thing against Adebayo) as the Heat gentleman’s swept and upset the top-seeded Bucks in a 4-1 Conference Semifinals victory.
His versatility, improving all-around game, and tireless attitude to never take possessions off combined with the fact that he has eyes on him now from the outstanding shows he put on the bubble might get him into a spot where voters can’t refuse giving him the DPOY this year.
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7.) Kia Most Valuable Player: Luka Doncic, Point Guard, Dallas Mavericks
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 23: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates a game winning three point basket against the LA Clippers during overtime in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 23, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Slovenian walking Triple-Double might finally crack the league’s hierarchy for the first time in 2020-21, and there isn’t much anyone objecting to his rise that can do anything about it.
Luka Doncic is slowly transforming into a player of his own caliber, a rare, transcendent blend of the finesse and vision of Magic Johnson with the ballhandling skill of James Harden mixed with a sprinkle of can’t-miss marksmanship from Larry Bird. He truly is a world-class talent, and for one who’s reeled in Most Valuable Player accolades on a separate continent with the EuroLeague’s Real Madrid, earning one here in the states at the tender age of 22 just seems destined to happened.
Sure, factor in his struggling 3PT shooting (31.6 percent in 2019-20) but admit it, it’s hard to gameplan for a player like Doncic. He can do everything you ask of him. At 6’8, he can play at his own pace, and though he’s only three years in his NBA tenure, he has the knowledge, skillset and confidence of a ten-year NBA vet. He plays with an indelible level of craftiness and is always head-up when creating for others off the bounce, collapsing defenses and subsequently flinging wild passes to bigs and corner shooters, and going to the rim slashing as he’s rarely, if ever, afraid of drawing contact and getting more points at the stripe. He’s a fresh face and the future of this league.
He was a finalist for the MVP award last year, and with the numbers he put up last year, how couldn’t he be? There was only one man that had more trip-dubs LeBron James (13) last year in his MVP-contending season that obviously ended in a championship: Luka Doncic, who accumulated 17 full stat sheets in only his second year as an NBA player.
Looking at the current field of fellow MVP candidates, James (and probably Kawhi, too) may not play as many minutes in the shortened regular season with the new anti-load management rule set in place, James Harden has his own “episodes” and different motivations this year, Kevin Durant winning the league title off a torn Achilles seems shocking, at the very least, Giannis’ voters may have a little voter’s fatigue keeping him as the MVP for a third straight season, which designates a presumptuous league’s Most Valuable Player nomination and award for the Mavericks star who, along with his team, could knock off some high-up Western teams in the playoffs if they can stay healthy.
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