The 2020/21 season in the NBA is likely to begin on December 22, The Athletic reports. The players union will vote on this issue on Thursday or Friday. The players agreed that the start of the regular season in December is inevitable. Previously was considered an alternative start date – Martin Luther King Day on January 18 with a regular season of 60 matches. Previous reports suggested that the league could limit the championship to 50 games if it starts in mid-January. However, NBA players accepted the option in which the start of the league will take place on December 22. The NBA predicts that teams and players could suffer significant financial losses if it starts in January. The Christmas week traditionally brings the league significant income, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. 4rabet sportsbook company will provide the best odds for the new NBA season.
Let’s predict the top 8 teams of the Western and Eastern Conferences to make the playoffs in the 2020/2021 NBA season.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Where else should we start? Coming off a successful second season for LeBron James in Los Angeles in which he helped lead the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship, this is a group that will as soon as again be the favorites to win the NBA title.
In fact, you can make the case that the Los Angeles Lakers Roster this season will be better than they had been closing the year. And that’s a frightening reality for many different contenders. During the offseason, ESPN announced signing contracts with Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, and Wes Matthews – three players that will possibly play important roles on the team this season.
As lengthy as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, the Lakers are going to be the prohibitive favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the 2021 championship as a whole. There’s a very real danger that the Lakers repeat.
2. LA Clippers
After a disappointing showing in the playoffs final season in which they misplaced in the 2d round at the palms of the Denver Nuggets, I have a feeling that we may want to see a unique method to the 2020-21 season from the Clippers and new head coach Tyronn Lue.
Could we see less load management? Could we see a greater locked-in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all through the everyday season? Losing Montrezl Harrell will simply hurt, but the addition of Serge Ibaka ought to be a blessing. He’s arguably the excellent 3-and-D big in the NBA right now and is genuinely a higher fit for the team overall.
The Clippers will have a large chip on its shoulder this season and have lots to prove. I have a feeling that we haven’t considered the closing of the Clippers and they’re going to jump returned in a massive way this season.
3. Denver Nuggets
After a magical run to the Western Conference Finals a year ago, many will be looking ahead to the Denver Nuggets to replicate that equal success. Though, that will be difficult in the deep and top-heavy West. Still, the Nuggets will be a playoff group and a hazard assuming this team’s younger gamers proceed to make strides.
Jamal Murray proved that he could be a legit No. 1 and Nikola Jokic confirmed why he’s arguably the first-class offensive huge man in the sport today. Michael Porter Jr. continues to increase and the Nuggets endured to add to their roster with Zeke Nnaji and RJ Hampton.
The Nuggets will arguably be the deepest group in the West this season and now has deep playoff experience to go along with their talent. Believe it or not, however, Denver is an actual chance to knock off the Lakers to get to the NBA Finals.
4. Golden State Warriors
It’s a disgrace that we didn’t get to see the Golden State Warriors at full strength for the duration of the 2019-20 NBA season however we’ll see some type of return this season. Even though Klay Thompson was misplaced again for the season after another significant injury, Stephen Curry is healthy and equipped to damage the league.
The Warriors also drafted James Wiseman with the 2nd typical pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and brought Kelly Oubre Jr. with the aid of trade. Without Klay, the Warriors are going to want huge contributions from Andrew Wiggins and Oubre for this team to be successful and threaten playoff time.
Though many are doubting the Warriors, I have this sneaky belief that Golden State is going to surprise many people this season – which includes many groups in the Western Conference. As long as Steph is healthy, the Warriors will play some component in the West.
5. Dallas Mavericks
There may no longer be a greater exciting young participant in the NBA at the moment than Luka Doncic. Quite frankly, this might be the 12 months that we end calling him the most exciting young player in the league. At this point, he is arguably already a top 5 player in all the NBA.
And we noticed flashes of that at some point of the playoffs ultimate season, even though the Dallas Mavericks fell quickly off their upset attempt in the first round towards the LA Clippers. Depending on how healthy Kristaps Porzingis looks, the Mavs ought to be a dangerous darkish horse in the West once again in the subsequent season.
Still, this group appears one large contributor away from in reality being a championship contender. The addition of Josh Richardson will help the subsequent season, specifically the versatility that he ought to deliver on the protective side of the floor.
6. The Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are one of the most intriguing teams in the Western Conference heading into the 2020-21 season. Even before they obtained Chris Paul, there was once going to be plenty of intrigue surrounding the Suns after the overall performance they put on in the NBA’s restart bubble closing season.
En route to an 8-0 record, which nevertheless wasn’t adequate to qualify for the playoffs, Devin Booker and the Suns put on a show. Add in Paul to this already gifted and interesting team and the sky’s the limit for this squad this season.
Paul will not only have an impact on Booker and his management but he’ll additionally have a sturdy effect on young big man Deandre Ayton, who has already shown notable strides in his recreation via his younger career. The Suns could be a hassle and they ought to end up finishing greater than sixth in the West when the season is all stated and done.
7. The Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers quietly had a notable offseason. Even even though they didn’t have any splash acquisitions, the Blazers will nonetheless be a thing in the Western Conference subsequent season. Plus, as long as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are on the roster, the Blazers are continually going to be a headache to deal with.
The Blazers added Robert Covington at some stage in the offseason and did nicely via re-signing Carmelo Anthony, who played well for the group final season. Even though the group lost Hassan Whiteside in free agency, the Blazers changed his depth with Harry Giles.
The Blazers would possibly not have the intelligence that some of the pinnacle contenders in the West may additionally have, but this is a group that can play with everybody in the playoffs if their top two get hot. And that’s now not something any high seed wants to see in a playoff series.
8. Utah Jazz
While there are nonetheless questions about this team’s ceiling (and they clearly didn’t tackle that at some point of the offseason), Donovan Mitchell is nonetheless one of the most prolific offensive gamers in the league and Rudy Gobert is nonetheless arguably the first-class rim-protector in the game.
Bojan Bogdanovic is anticipated to be again when the season resumes and the Jazz did properly with the aid of re-signing Jordan Clarkson and adding to its depth throughout the free organization period. The massive question is whether or not this team can take another step as presently constructed.
I have issues about that and whether or not this group has already maxed out as a core. Falling a few spots in the standings, I suppose the Jazz, with how the relaxations of the Western Conference groups have improved, is a borderline playoff crew in the West.
The obvious leaders of the Eastern Conference, I would like to single out from the list:
1. Milwaukee Bucks
After an offseason in which they received Jrue Holiday and added to their depth (even though they lost Wes Matthews), the expectation is that the Milwaukee Bucks will be a top seed in the Eastern Conference again. Led via Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Holiday, the Bucks will nonetheless be considered the classification of the East.
Even even though this team used to be disappointing in the playoffs, it would be pretty a surprise if the Bucks didn’t make a deep run in the playoffs. They’re going to have a chip on their shoulders in 2020-21 and they’ll be a favorite to make the NBA Finals.
2. Brooklyn Nets
Along with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets will be the other prohibitive favorite in the Eastern Conference. And a massive reason why is the predicted return of both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Kyrie performed sparingly in 2019-20, however, Durant will be making his Nets debut with the team considering signing with them by free employer remaining summer.
Even without a healthful Durant and Kyrie throughout the 2019-20 campaign, the Nets nevertheless managed to make the playoffs. As long as the crew can mesh quickly, the expectations for Brooklyn will be sky-high. The ceiling for this group is an NBA Championship. What makes this crew so specific is their low floor.
If Kevin Durant is even 90 percent of his former self, the Nets are going to be a massive hassle in the Eastern Conference. Health permitting, I’d be extremely surprised if the Nets didn’t end the 2020-21 NBA season as a top two or three group in the Eastern Conference.
3. Boston Celtics
At the beginning of the 2020 NBA offseason, many wondered whether the Boston Celtics were falling at the back of the rest of the conference, as each the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers made improvements. However, even after dropping Gordon Hayward, the Celtics still managed to enhance the roster.
At the 2020 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected arguably the quality shooter in the class, Aaron Nesmith, and introduced one of the pleasant protecting facilities in the NBA today, Tristan Thompson. Those two areas had been large desires for the Celtics heading into the offseason and they addressed each area.
After some other run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics shouldn’t be ignored as a contender in the conference. This crew has all the equipment to win a championship and if Jayson Tatum maintains developing, the sky’s the restriction for this group.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
In a few quick weeks, Daryl Morey has already left an impact on this roster. The Philadelphia 76ers traded away Al Horford and Josh Richardson and delivered in shooters in Seth Curry and Danny Green. Plus, they also traded Tyrese Maxey with the No. 21 standard drafts in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Ultimately, the 2020-21 season for the Sixers will come down to how cohesive this roster can play together, particularly how well Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid continue to mesh. It’s beginning to become do-or-die for this core and they need to produce playoff success. With Doc Rivers now in the fold, all eyes will be on the Sixers this season.
Still, besides every other acquisition or two, I’m no longer positive I can put the Sixers above any of the top three groups in the Eastern Conference at the moment. The Sixers have all the brains in the world however till they prove they can be lethal on the floor, they’re still just the four-best team in the East.
5. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat rapidly became the discussion of the NBA in the course of the restart after they (pretty much) ran via the playoffs, beating the Indiana Pacers in four games, the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games, and the Boston Celtics in six games.
The Heat ultimately misplaced the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, however, this group proved it can play with all people in the convention and on the brightest of lights. Jimmy Butler proved that he’s a legit No. 1 alternative and Bam Adebayo is one of the brightest stars in the NBA.
If the Heat’s younger players (Bam and Tyler Herro, specifically) can proceed to grow as gamers and boost getting into their fourth and 2nd seasons, respectively, Miami is going to be an aspect in who comes out of the East. I’m no longer certain if they’ll be a pinnacle 4 crew in the normal season, but they’ll be challenging out in the playoffs.
6. Toronto Raptors
Falling one spot shy of an Eastern Conference Finals look after winning a championship and then losing its best participant (Kawhi Leonard) is nothing to be ashamed about if you’re the Toronto Raptors.
But heading into 2020-21, there’s no query that this crew is going to want some actual heavy-lifting from its dynamic trio of Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam to play an issue in the Eastern Conference.
Losing Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol will genuinely hurt. This crew has a couple of matters that sincerely work for them, however. The Raptors are deep (even after dropping Gasol and Ibaka) and are one of the best-coached teams in the East. That is a recipe that will keep this crew in the playoff window.
I’m no longer positive this is a pinnacle 5 team in the East, however, I also believed that closing season and they fell one sport quick of the Eastern Conference Finals.
7. Indiana Pacers
On paper, there is plenty to like about the Indiana Pacers. They will return their core 4 of Victor Oladipo, TJ Warren, Malcolm Brogdon, and Domantas Sabonis. Myles Turner is also a certainly true participant that rounds out this team’s pinnacle 5 however should be on the move faster as a substitute than later.
The Pacers are proficient and are incredibly a good deal a toss-up until we see how they play below new head coach Nate Bjorkgren and how healthful Oladipo looks. When Oladipo is healthy, you may want to make the argument that this group is a top 5 team in the conference.
When he isn’t, it’s tough to choose this group as a whole. Either way, with the talent and depth that the Pacers have on their roster, the Pacers are not the group that any contender in the East needs to take lightly. They’re a playoff team.
8. Washington Wizards
Many are expecting the Washington Wizards to soar again in the subsequent season (assuming that John Wall appears extra like his historical self than not), however, I have my issues about this team’s depth. If Deni Avdija can emerge as a rotation piece for the Wizards next season, there’s a hazard that the Wizards ought to be a shock in the East.
Bradley Beal has been a standout participant besides Wall’s ultimate season and it’ll be interesting to see how the crew appears with Wall returned in the fold. If Beal continues to be an All-NBA player subsequent to Wall, the Wizards will have a chance to make the playoffs.
This team’s general success will subsequently come down to how impactful Rui Hachimura and Avdija can be in the frontcourt. With the lack of depth, there’s an exact hazard that these two young gamers will have to be advantageous and productive for the Wizards to make a real playoff push.
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