A new NBA season is upon us, now a full six-going-on-five days away from next Tuesday’s tip-off. And to commemorate the ringing-in of the new year, we’re doing things a little different than previous years in giving you, the reader, full and extensive team breakdowns. In a succinct manner, we’ll take a look at where each team in each division will fare in the coming 6-8 days leading up to the adjusted NBA season. We’ll let you know what records each team in all six divisions will finish with, their playoff positioning (or lack thereof) as well as what’s to be admired as a strength, or what’s to be monitored as a weakness heading into the 2020-21 campaign.
Today’s division: the Pacific.
This might be the most unpredictable division in all of basketball this year. In a shortened season, it’s a matter of who gets hot and who stays on until May when the playoffs begin. 72 games for five of the most dominant teams in the West only means a dogfight will ensue, and as it pertains to the likes of the reigning champ Los Angeles Lakers, the fight to keep the rest of the division below them became that harder in one offseason.
Aside from LeBron and Anthony Davis, this Lakers team improved marginally, but significantly, landing Montrezl Harrell in free agency and Dennis Schroeder in trade talks. Harrell, the former Clipper and 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year will now be dressing in Purple and Gold for a franchise fresh off of their 17th title. There aren’t many weaknesses to attribute to this championship team, and as they danced in team-colored confetti in the Orlando bubble after vanquishing the rival Miami Heat in six games in the NBA Finals back in October, the champs transformed, shedding contracts belonging to Danny Green, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo and got better – not exactly something championship-winning teams do in their subsequent offseason.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Los Angeles Lakers (Finished Last Season 52-19, 1st Seed in Western Conference)
2020 Offseason Acquisitions:
- Dennis Schroder, PG (trade)
- Montrezl Harrell, PF (free agency)
- Marc Gasol, C (free agency)
- Wesley Matthews, SG (free agency)
Key Losses:
- Dwight Howard, C (free agency)
- Rajon Rondo, PG (free agency)
- Avery Bradley, PG (free agency)
- JaVale McGee, C (free agency)
- Danny Green, SG (trade with Oklahoma City)
Roster and Depth Chart:
PG: Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso, LeBron James
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wesley Matthews
SF: LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Alfonzo McKinnie
PF: Markieff Morris, Montrezl Harrell, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma
C: Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Markieff Morris
Strengths:
- Year two of the LBJ – AD Dynamic Duo. As if this even needed to be added here. Davis proved that he wasn’t just some stat-padding All-Star selectee whose numbers were inflated in a small market, but a big-time player who could handle his own in much more populated and media-saturated Tinseltown next to quite arguably the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes. And 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks in just the regular season is pretty good, I’ll say. King James claimed the “Washed King” moniker but looked anything but last season, accumulating the second-highest amount of Trip-dubs behind Luka Doncic and the title of assist leader in an MVP-competing season at age 35. Year 18 for the now four-time NBA Champion and four-time Finals MVP, as well as the Brow in his second year in Laker purple and gold, should entail more of the same.
- Rob Pelinka’s addressing of outside shooting in the offseason. Again, it’s rather a rarity for championship teams to flex their title-wielding muscle in the face of 29 other teams in one offseason, but that’s just what GM Rob Pelinka did. he treated this offseason of resting on Laker laurels as if his team was one in flux, concisely and deliberately approaching the offseason to address the most fervent of needs that could make an already-contending powerhouse into an untouchable shoo-in. Getting Montrezl Harrell as an energetic spark-plug off the bench was a positive, sure, as the big has an intangible skillset of muscle and dancer-like footwork on the block. But it’s the upgrade at the second unit guard spot from tempo controlling but inconsistent scorer Rajon Rondo (7.1 points off 42 percent shooting) to Dennis Schroder, a quick, creative guard who does both managing and scoring (18.9 points off 46 percent shooting) as if they were second nature. Additionally, the addition of ex-Buck Wesley Mathews, a prominent 3-and-D wing, is the perfect replacement for the departed Danny Green, who at times during the postseason, was wildly inefficient from downtown.
Weaknesses:
- With Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee gone, where will the interior presence come from? The Lakers swooped in at the last minute to grab Marc Gasol from the Raptors, who many people speculated was going to take his talents back home in Barcelona, Spain to retire internationally. And while the pickup adds some floor-stretching with Gasol being an adept scorer from the mid-range and beyond the three-point line as an equally-gifted facilitator at the five, he’s getting up there in age and could struggle in the up-tempo pace Frank Vogel wants his guys to push the rock or get back in transition. Consider this slight nitpicking, with LeBron and AD already being a nightmare to get shots up from around two-five feet in the halfcourt, but still, the Lakers let two solid defenders in JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard go in the offseason, so it could be something to look out for.
- Kyle Kuzma, A Liability? Kyle Kuzma’s regression is probably a cause of limited touches with LeBron and AD coming to town, but it’s become more than something to monitor. As one of the longer-tenured Lakers, it’s safe to say the undrafted Utah Ute has vastly underperformed as the third most-trusted man to lead in Frank Vogel’s rotation. Another season of Kuzma being on the floor means consistently below-average scoring from downtown, iffy perimeter defense, and lost minutes if 2019 G-League standout Talen Horton-Tucker steals the show as the next man up.
Record Prediction: 54-18.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Los Angeles Clippers (Finished Last Season 49-23, 2nd Seed in Western Conference)
2020 Offseason Acquisitions:
- Serge Ibaka, PF/C (free agency)
- Luke Kennard, SG/SF (trade)
- Nicolas Batum, G/F (free agency)
- Doc Rivers, HC
- Ky Bowman, PG (free agency)
Key Losses:
- Montrezl Harrell, PF (free agency)
Roster and Depth Chart:
PG: Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Ky Bowman
SG: Paul George, Luke Kennard, Lou Williams
SF: Kawhi Leonard, Nicolas Batum, Luke Kennard
PF: Marcus Morris Sr., Patrick Patterson, Mfiondu Kabengele
C: Serge Ibaka, Ivica Zubac, Patrick Patterson
Strengths:
- Year two of the PG-13 – Kawhi Tag Team. Despite their horrendous collapse in the bubble during the Western Conference Semifinals’s game seven in which Paul George shot an abysmal 4 of 16 from the field for 10 points with five turnovers and Leonard, uncharacteristically, scored only 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting as the Los Angeles Clippers were out-coached, out-played and out-classed blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets, ultimately falling well short of their championship goals a round before even challenging their cross-hallway rival Lakers in the Conference Finals, year two will be noticeably better for the former teammates in Indiana at one point. A lack of continuity grew as a result of Kawhi and PG’s load management needs, costing former head coach Doc Rivers his job and with the recently implemented rule of teams not being allowed to have extended periods of resting players for load management purposes, chemistry in year two between the two immensely talented scorers will have the chance to finally be constructed the right way during this 72-game season.
- Rim Protection and scoring pickups in the offseason. Getting Serge Ibaka to help out a team that was dangerously anemic in bigs was more than a necessity for Michael Winger, Jerry West, and Steve Ballmer this offseason. Only having Ivica Zubac was a big red flag once Montrezl Harrell decided to play for the team across the hallway in Staples Center, so it was common sense they added someone to share minutes with at the center position. Also, the addition of underrated shooter Luke Kennard from Detroit and veteran Nicolas Batum, as well as the vital re-signing of Marcus Morris this offseason, should help the second unit led by Lou Williams produce when Kawhi and Paul George sit.
Weaknesses:
- Why didn’t the Clippers go after a creative guard who can make his own shot this offseason? Patrick Beverley is one of the most outspoken talents in the game, and widely galvanizes the locker room around him as their third-best on-ball defender. Problem is, he’s not the best scorer of the basketball (other than him being called upon as a spot-up shooter off the catch) and more surprisingly, the Clippers didn’t upgrade that starting position in the offseason, something required if they wanted to go down the route of taking pressure off of their main scorers in Leonard and George. They had free agents like Rajon Rondo go in their search, and turned up with virtually nothing other than Golden State’s Ky Bowman.
- Can PG-13 get the playoff yips out of his system? Perhaps the most infamous of narratives following Paul George throughout his career is his inability to rise up come playoff time, and surely by this point, it’s begun to seep in mentally for the Fresno State export. In a win-now situation as the tandem of George and Leonard will hit free agency situation, it’s yet to be seen what Tyronn Lue and his coaching staff troubleshoot the plague of the George shooting slump in big games; could it be a problem of keeping George in an off-ball role, meaning that they should slide Paul George into more of an on-ball role as a creating point forward, a job he did well enough in Indiana to garner multiple All-Star visits and consistent trips to the Eastern Conference Finals?
Record Prediction: 52-20.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Golden State Warriors (Finished Last Season 15-50, 15th Seed in Western Conference)
2020 Offseason Acquisitions:
- Kelly Oubre Jr., G/F (trade)
- James Wiseman, C (draft)
- Kent Bazemore, SG (free agency)
- Brad Wanamaker, G (free agency)
Key Losses:
- Klay Thompson (injury)
- Ky Bowman (free agency)
Roster and Depth Chart:
PG: Stephen Curry, Brad Wanamaker, Jordan Poole
SG: Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee, Jordan Poole
SF: Kelly Oubre Jr., Kent Bazemore, Juan Toscano-Anderson
PF: Draymond Green, Eric Paschall, Kelly Oubre Jr.
C: James Wiseman, Marquese Chriss, Kevon Looney
Strengths:
- Wardell Stephen Curry Jr. returns to the hardwood. The NBA is twice as fun when Steph Curry is healthy and playing professional basketball. Don’t kind yourself, regardless of the reservations anti-Warriors fans may have of the 6’3,180-lb marksman, games are more enticing when he’s actively making plays for the Warriors whether it be whizzing around screens and launching 40-footers with pinpoint accuracy, or catching opposing defenders lacking with that crisp handle of his. A broken hand at the beginning of last season kept Curry out of the rotation until March, but should he be healthy for all of this season, the Warriors will always be in the postseason loop.
- Youth is ready to make a splash right away. James Wiseman was selected with the second-overall pick in this year’s draft and when he’s recovered from his bout with COVID-19, he is more than ready to contribute to a team that’s been apprehensive to pick big men in the draft ever since 2008 when they selected Andrew Bogut first overall. In fact, Golden State hadn’t emphasized the center position during their dynastic 3-ring-winning run, mainly because they never needed one good enough to command such a large role next to Steph and Klay Thompson. Yet on draft night, they took James Wiseman, who was by far the best big man prospect. He’s a dynamic big that isn’t afraid to shoot the ball from deep, but isn’t a center who’s considered franchise-changing, and won’t need to do a whole lot to impact the game for the Warriors. However, returning young talents like Eric Paschall, who posted 14 points and 4.6 rebounds on around 50 percent shooting from the floor his rookie season, will see an increased role in the wake of Klay Thompson’s season-ending Achilles injury.
Weaknesses:
- Is Klay Thompson’s absence in the starting five too injurious to GSW’s Playoff hopes? Easy answer – probably not. Obviously, it’s nearly impossible to replace what Klay does for your basketball team on a nightly basis, mainly because he’s the other half of the best backcourt in the history of the game. Not to sound dramatic and say it’s like Jordan being without Pippen during the Bulls’ escapades in the 90s, but it’s around that. However, we know the Warriors will be orbiters around the postseason picture come May, but can the transition for Oubre and the slashing Andrew Wiggins be smooth in not only affirming their comfortability in Steve Kerr’s offensive and defensive gameplan but by filling in for arguably the most consistent 45/41/80 guy in the NBA, all while trying to stay afloat in the Western Conference?
- What will Stephen Curry’s minutes look like? Chef Curry’s health is the key for Golden State to even remain close to the playoff picture at year’s end, and they need to hope and pray that another Aron Baynes freak injury doesn’t happen again. Because what the Warriors can’t withstand is for their other pillar in the backcourt to come crumbling down again for another year. By what it sounds like, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr don’t envision this season as a try-it-all-over-next-year thing now that they’ve been thrown for a loop during this Klay Thompson injury saga. To give you an idea of just how handicapped the Dubs are without Curry; even with him coming back in March, the Warriors finished with the worst offensive rating in the league (104.4 points per 100 possession) and a league-low -8.6 net rating in the worst year in Warriors basketball in nearly 15 years. Not having the greatest shooter and off-ball scorer in NBA history is too much of a mountain to climb, and from a minutes standpoint, that’s frightening for a team that can’t score without him and for an agile-but-aging star in Curry who has displayed playing 45+ minutes isn’t great for his health.
Record Prediction: 45-27.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Phoenix Suns (Finished Last Season 34-39, 10th Seed in Western Conference)
2020 Offseason Acquisitions:
- Chris Paul, PG (trade)
- Jae Crowder, PF (free agency)
- Jalen Smith, C (draft)
- Langston Galloway, G (free agency)
- E’Twaun Moore, G (free agency)
- Abdel Nader, F (trade)
Key Losses:
- Aron Baynes, C (free agency)
- Kelly Oubre Jr., G/F (trade)
- Ricky Rubio, PG (trade)
- Frank Kaminsky, C (free agency)
Roster and Depth Chart:
PG: Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Langston Galloway
SG: Devin Booker, E’Twaun Moore, Jevon Carter
SF: Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Abdel Nader
PF: Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, Cameron Johnson
C: Deandre Ayton, Jalen Smith, Damian Jones
Strengths:
- Hello, Chris Paul. CP3 is officially one of the #ValleyBoyz and is, reasonably so, the most experienced and tenured NBA pro in that locker room. Paul, a ten-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA mainstay is joining another young and developing roster filled to the brim with potential, and a team that’s growing in talent can learn a thing or ten-thousand over his expertise of the game and what’s to come in the process of being an NBA superstar. The 35-year-old showed he has plenty in the tank to impact the game in a positive way in the same fashion during his days of running an entire team as a Hornet, Clipper, Rocket, and Thunder(er?). He’s dubbed a top-3 point guard ever by a wide majority, and his intelligence and ability to raise the ceiling of any young player he’s playing and mentoring are second-to-none, which only means great things for folk like DeAndre Ayton, the former first-overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft who’s sorely needed a separation-creating guard who runs PnR with ease. Oh yeah, and that Devin Booker kid has a 20/10 guy with him in the cockpit to take the offensive and defensive pressure off of him – something he hasn’t had in his NBA career.
- Mikal Bridges might take a huge step in 2020-21. The once-a-time-ago darling at Villanova dazzled fans and opponents as part of the “Bubble Suns”, a Phoenix team that went undefeated in the Orlando bubble during the restart season and nearly became the first Suns team since 2010 to reach the playoffs, and led by D. Book who played out of his mind (31 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game!) showed Suns fans no longer what “could be” for the Suns, but what is to come in the not-too-distant future. As the starting small forward of that bubble team that’ll likely live in Sun lore, Bridges showcased that 7’1 wingspan as a prototypical 3-and-D wing that every team wants to have. Equally annoying in the passing lanes as well as on the perimeter, he’s a smothering defender and he’s quickly putting it all together as a viable piece the Suns will need if they’re to make the playoffs this year. Bridges is entering his third season in the NBA with the chance to break out. But, the Suns are littered with talent, and while Bridges may not get to shine as much offensively, he’ll be considered a definite 4th option behind CP3, Booker and Ayton. And just like the rest of Monty Williams’ useful pieces, if Bridges gets more 3-point opportunities, he could flourish playing with Paul.
Weaknesses:
- Losing Kelly Oubre isn’t the end of the world, but it’s still a rather significant loss. From a scoring standpoint, that’s an entire 18 points by your versatile stretch wing that won’t be on the board. and from a coaching perspective, you lose in Oubre what was the most reliable slashing and above-rim finishing forward on your team. Oubre was a casualty of the Chris Paul trade, and in the broad scale of things, it seems as though that could possibly be overcome with the tandem of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, but you’re talking an entire dynamic of the offense circling around Oubre and his floor-stretching presence and replacing that is easier said than done.
- Phoenix might have a backup guard dilemma. Losing Ricky Rubio during trade season won’t be the easiest thing to adjust to, regardless if he was sent to Phoenix for a year to be a transitional facilitatator and not a second scoring option. CP3 is a definite improvement at guard, but after him comes Cameron Payne and JeVon Carter, who are both competing for the rights to the sixth man role. Neither of those names stand out, but both are decent at scoring the ball and are well-versed in scoring the rock. It’s more of a “to be determined” thing as to who assumes the position of manning the second unit.
Record Prediction: 40-32.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Sacramento Kings (Finished Last Season 31-41, 12th Seed in Western Conference)
2020 Offseason Acquisitions:
- Hassan Whiteside, C (free agency)
- Tyrese Haliburton, G (draft)
- Frank Kaminsky, C (free agency)
Key Losses:
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, G/F (free agency)
Roster and Depth Chart:
PG: De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Cory Joseph
SG: Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, Jahmi’us Ramsey
SF: Harrison Barnes, Glenn Robinson III, Buddy Hield
PF: Marvin Bagley III, Nemanja Bjelica, Harrison Barnes
C: Hassan Whiteside, Richaun Holmes, Frank Kaminsky
Strengths:
- The Kings bolstered their guard department. The Kings are sticking to what’s already worked for them in the past, especially evident in their 2020 draft class. Building and developing guards is their m.o; take De’Aaron Fox’s massive extension for five years that’s worth $163 Million. Sac-Town is in the business of finding their third option to compliment the just-as-lucratively signed Buddy Hield who reconstructed a deal in the offseason of 2019. Those were the two biggest areas of need to make sure there was a foundation to start from, and during the 2020 draft in November, they were pleasantly surprised to select multifaceted combo guard Tyrese Haliburton out of Iowa State with the eighth-overall selection. Fox, the 2017 first-round selection, is coming off a career year averaging 21.1 points, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 48% from the field. Hield, on the other hand, got some coaching issues settled with Head coach Luke Walton and will look for a more prominent role in the offense now that new GM Monte McNair decided to not match the Atlanta Hawks’ offer for budding talent Bogdan Bogdanovic, letting him sign with the Hawks in free agency.
- Front line depth is there for cheap. Another positive outcome of this offseason: the Kings got some depth in their frontcourt for an affordable price. One of the bigger errors made during former GM Vlade Divac’s tenure was selecting Marvin Bagley II while Luka Doncic was still on the board, and as history would foretell, Doncic was selected one pick later in that 2018 class. Bagley’s only suited up for a combined 13 games over two seasons. Possibly a wasted pick, but there was a temporary workaround that McNair found before the preseason began. Acquiring leading shot-blocker Hassan Whiteside (again for his second stint, was selected in the second round by Sacramento in 2010) and improving stretch big Frank Kaminsky Jr. went under the radar as two of the smarter pickups this offseason for a team that’s not only in the business of acquiring more notable names in the league, but more next men up in case Bagley’s injury history arises again this season.
Weaknesses:
- The organization is still going through a massive period of both growth and misfortune. While it’s fine and all that the Kings are secure in their process of building homegrown talent in their backcourt, they’re very much an organization banking on good luck in regards to 1.) the Marvin Bagley pick not being a miss if he stays healthy and develops into what he was at Duke, 2.) Harrison Barnes not losing his luster as a solid small forward and not regressing to the point of Sacramento having to eat that bad contract while they find trade partners for the 28-year-old playing on his third team, and 3.) Hield not wanting to play elsewhere as he’s withstood the turbulent times with this organization. Only one of those 3 scenarios could work out in the end for Sac-Town, or possibly none of them at all.
- The West is too stacked. The Sacramento Kings haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006 when Doug Christie, the last player for the organization to be named an All-Star, got the Kings to 44 wins. The Western Conference looked drastically different than it does today, when the Spurs stomped out everyone on their path to facing the Detroit Pistons in that year’s NBA Finals. The West is an absolute bloodbath and, being as nice as I possibly can here, the Kings’ chances of making it to the postseason while simultaneously surviving in this division are very slim.
Record Prediction: 29-43.
Photo cred: WorldInSport.com/ronnybasketball
Recent Comments