The NBA season is less than a day away. The most star studded sports league returns with movement of players and power shifts throughout the entire association. The 2020-21 Season brought a laundry list of injuries that very well could have had a butterfly effect as to how the post season played out. In a league where drama is always certain, here is my attempt at predicting what the upcoming NBA season will bring.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Final Standings: Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Toronto
The deepest division in the Eastern Conference, yet still has a clear cut favorite. If healthy, Brooklyn should win this division quite easily. The real battle will be for second place which Boston, Philadelphia, and New York should all be in the running for. I’m counting on a very good Boston team with a healthy Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum continuing to take himself to the next tier of NBA superstardom. Philadelphia has internal issues with Ben Simmons, but should still be one of the toughest teams night in, night out in the league. The Knicks are in a prove it year, but have enough young depth that they should make a return to the playoffs. Toronto could get all of five teams in the division into the playoffs, but they are the biggest uncertainty.
Central Division
Final Standings: Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana, Cleveland, Detroit
The defending champion Bucks will win the division. Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday are just too good. That being said, Chicago’s additions of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso to the talents of Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic should make Chicago an exciting team and get the Windy City back to the playoffs. Indiana was underwhelming last season, but with Rick Carlisle now in place as head coach, hopefully the Pacers will be competing as well as a team with their roster should. Cleveland could be sneaky with their young guards and the dynamic rookie Evan Mobley. Detroit won’t compete, but should be excited about the potential that Cade Cunningham brings.
Southeast Division
Final Standings: Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, Orlando
Miami hopes to improve upon last season’s disappointment and potentially return to the NBA Finals like they did during the 2020 bubble season. I’m not sure they can get to the finals, but they should return to being one of the East’s elite teams with the addition of Kyle Lowry to an already well balanced team. Atlanta was a great surprise during the playoffs and Trae Young became a superstar (and super villain if you are a Knicks fan). The Hawks have young talent everywhere and if certain players take another step, another Eastern Conference Finals run wouldn’t be crazy. Charlotte is in a similar position although probably another year or two away from being a serious playoff problem. Washington will take a step back without Russell Westbrook to help Bradley Beal, who should compete for the scoring title once again. Orlando will need all of the magic of a Disney fairy godmother to avoid finishing as one of the worst five teams in the NBA, but rookie Jalen Suggs should have a great opportunity to showcase his skills and become a leader right out of the gates.
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Final Standings: Utah, Denver, Portland, Minnesota, Oklahoma City
Say what you will about Utah’s postseason success, but they dominate during the regular season. The Jazz are still deep as hell and play an in sync form of basketball that hasn’t been seen since the Duncan/Parker/Ginobili Spurs teams. Denver will have to play without star guard Jamal Murray for an undetermined amount of time, but if he can return to form with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets could beat anybody. Portland should be playoff team with Damian Lillard filling the cup every night, but not much more. The Minnesota Timberwolves have enough talent from Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell to be a playoff team if they stay healthy, but the bench depth will be a problem. From a futures standpoint, maybe no team is more exciting than Oklahoma City and their Scrooge McDuck vault of draft picks, but they should be bottom feeders for now.
Pacific Division
Final Standings: Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix, Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento
The best division in the Western Conference and could be home of the top two teams in the West. I’m not sure how the Lakers will look with Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook but that’s just simply too much star power to not be the favorites in the West. Phoenix should be right back in contention, but the most important question is how Chris Paul responds after such a long playoff run. Golden State’s improvement relies heavily on the inevitable return of Klay Thompson and how he returns from being away for so long. If anywhere near to his previous form and joining forces with my MVP favorite, Stephen Curry, Golden State could be one of the best in the NBA. With the unknown of Kawhi Leonard, it’s hard to know what to expect from the Clippers. Paul George led a great playoff run, but can they hold up without their best player for potentially the entire season? Sacramento is a fun, young team, but they are playing in a division with giants.
Southwest Division
Final Standings: Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston
Dallas should be the clear cut favorite, plainly because they have the best player in Luka Doncic. Few players, if any, can take control of a game and just kill an opponent. He is truly must see TV for basketball fans. Memphis should be a borderline playoff team once again with hopes that Ja Morant starts to go from elite prospect to NBA All Star. New Orleans is a tough team to read with the Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram duo. The loss of Lonzo Ball with little gained will not help their chances in making the playoffs. San Antonio appears to be in No Man’s Land for the first time in decades. Houston, well, there’s only one direction a Rocket can go. Okay maybe that’s not entirely true, but Jalen Green should be good and the Rockets should be better than their abysmal last season.
NBA Awards
Sixth Man of the Year: Kevin Huerter, Atlanta
Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Utah
Rookie of the Year: Jalen Suggs, Orlando
Coach of the Year: Steve Nash, Brooklyn
Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State
Playoff Seeds
Eastern Conference
1. Brooklyn
2. Milwaukee
3. Miami
4. Atlanta
5. Boston
6. Philadelphia
7. Chicago
8. New York
9. Charlotte
10. Indiana
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Utah
3. Phoenix
4. Denver
5. Golden State
6. Dallas
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Portland
9. Minnesota
10. Memphis
NBA Finals: Brooklyn Nets vs Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Champion: Los Angeles Lakers