BY: JAKE MAJKA
Denver Nuggets
2019-20 record: 46-27; lost in Western Conference finals
Additions: F JaMychal Green (two years, $15M); G Facundo Campazzo (two years); F/C Isaiah Hartenstein (two years); F Zeke Nnaji (first round, 22nd pick overall); G R.J. Hampton (draft rights acquired from Milwaukee)
Subtractions: F Jerami Grant (sign/trade with Detroit); 2023 first-round pick (traded to Oklahoma City); C Mason Plumlee (signed with Detroit); F Torrey Craig (signed with Milwaukee)
Returning: F Paul Millsap (one year, $10M)
Projected Starters (via RealGM)
Last season in the Bubble, some of the NBA’s incredible young stars took gigantic leaps into unexpected levels of superstardom. Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, and Bam Adebayo all raised their status as elite NBA players during their playoff runs. But no player in the Bubble did more for their stock than one Jamal f’ing Murray. I’ll let his play do the talking for how much of a dog this guy was throughout the 2020 playoffs.
The dude is a baller. I’m not going to lie, I was not a huge believer in Murray before the 2020 playoffs. Sure, he had an impressive run in 2019 when they snuck by the Spurs in the 1st round and then were ousted in 7 games by Damian Lillard and the Blazers. But that streakiness was still there and I thought overall he was inconsistent. And it seemed like it came and went not game by game, but quarter by quarter. So when you ask the question;
What will make them successful?
The clear answer to me is Jamal Murray stepping into superstardom.
His first year in the playoffs, he averaged 21 ppg and had disappointing outings in some key moments for the Nuggets, including a 4 for 18 performance in their Game 7 loss. Last year, however? He averaged 26 including two 50-point performances against the Jazz in the first round. Murray is trending upward. Can he continue to elevate his ceiling? As long he does, and Jokic maintains his MVP level play while avoiding the slow start he got off to last year, the Nuggets will be in a great position to return to the Western Conference Finals this year.
Biggest question mark?
What is this team going to get out of their wings, especially Michael Porter Jr.? Losing Jerami Grant and Torrey Craig may not seem like a huge loss in the grand scheme of things, but those losses are going to hurt the Nuggets’ defensive versatility. Grant and Craig were their best options as wing defenders in a league where everyone is searching for them.
JaMychal Green was a solid defender at his position for the Clippers last season, but he doesn’t have the same kind of flexibility as Grant had to guard the likes of Lebron or Kawhi in the West. (Not that Grant had a ton of success against Lebron anyway.) Green will bring more shooting than Craig or Grant offered, and maybe the idea is to have a more solid interior defense to take on the Lakers. Harenstein is a replacement for Plumlee. That’s all I can say about that.
Gary Harris also had a ROUGH bubble experience. Usually, you can count on him to defend 1’s and 2’s but he got cooked during the playoffs. He needs to play a lot better than that this year because they can’t count on Murray or Malik Beasley to be in that position.
Breakout Player – Michael Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. is going to have to show a lot more promise on the defensive end or it might affect his playing time. Coach Mike Malone has been reluctant to give Porter minutes in the past because of that lack of defensive intensity. But don’t get it twisted, Porter can be special on the offensive end. He showed flashes last year, and if he buys in and consistently puts in the effort on both ends of the floor, he could have a special year.
Best bet: Michael Porter for Most Improved Player +1000 (betonline.ag)
Prediction – 2nd place in the West; Advance past the first round
Minnesota Timberwolves
2019-20 record: 19-45; did not make playoffs
Additions: G Anthony Edwards (first round, first pick overall); G Ricky Rubio (acquired from Oklahoma City); F/C Ed Davis (acquired from New York); F Mathias Lessort (acquired from Clippers); G Leandro Bolmaro (draft rights acquired from New York); F Jaden McDaniels (draft rights acquired from Oklahoma City)
Subtractions: F James Johnson (traded to Oklahoma City); F Omari Spellman (traded to New York); G Jacob Evans (traded to New York); 2024 second-round pick (traded to Oklahoma City); F Aleksej Pokusevski (draft rights traded to Oklahoma City); G Immanuel Quickley (draft rights traded to New York); C Daniel Oturo (draft rights traded to Clippers)
Retained: G Malik Beasley (four years, $59.7M); F Juancho Hernangomez (two years, $13.5M)
Projected Starting Lineup (via RealGM)
Before anything else, I want to take the time to send my best wishes to Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns suffered an extreme personal loss this offseason, losing 7 family members including his mother to COVID-19. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be for him to even try and think about playing basketball while the pandemic is only getting worse. Prayers to him and his family. We’re all rooting for you this year KAT. Stay strong my friend.
What will make them successful?
This year is about building good habits for a young team. There is a lack of leadership on this roster. Signing Ricky Rubio was huge for them to bring a steadying presence into the locker room, but most of the onus will be on Ryan Saunders to build a culture that the young guys buy into.
I’m optimistic. Saunders has been a really impressive young coach so far in his career and his players rave about him. He is an excellent communicator and at the very least has the ear of his young star.
This team has the potential to be special offensively. The Russell-Towns combination will flourish together during their first full season together. Rubio is an underrated pickup and will make life easier for everyone on the second unit, and also will be able to slide into a lineup with Russell and be effective if Saunders wants to play D’Lo off the ball some.
Malik Beasley has a flamethrower and will be an efficient scorer as a starter or off the bench. Anthony Edwards is going to be rough around the edges to start, but his athleticism is going to allow him an opportunity to shine in the fast break next to the playmakers on this roster. Imagine this dude running on a fast break next year Wolves fans and yes it’s okay to be excited.
Biggest Question Mark?
Uhhhh, is this team going to be able to play any defense? Josh Okogie showed some flashes of an elite defensive player but asking him to cover the other team’s best player game in and game out might be a bit too much responsibility for the young wing. But is there anyone else that can even possibly thrive in that situation?
I truly don’t see the answer on the roster right now. Maybe Jaret Culver plays up to his #6 selection. They will have trouble guarding all over the floor regardless. Beasley, Russell, and Rubio are weak defenders and will get torched on a nightly basis against the dearth of talented guards in the West.
KAT has an opportunity to be a plus defender but has yet to show it in his career. That’s been more about effort level than anything else, and maybe after another long offseason, he will buy-in on that end of the floor.
Breakout Player: Karl Anthony Towns
It might seem weird to include him here since he is the Franchise player and is widely believed to be one of the most talented big men in the NBA, but he has yet to put together a complete season on both ends of the floor.
This year, KAT will at least be respectable defensively and show effort on that end of the floor. And as good as he has been offensively in his career (26.5 career ppg, 10.8 career rpg), the opportunity is there for him to have his best year yet.
Best Bet: Minnesota over 28.5 wins
Prediction: 14th in the West, but fun!
Portland Trail Blazers
2019-20 record: 35-39; lost in first round
Additions: F Robert Covington (acquired from Houston); C Enes Kanter (acquired from Boston); F Derrick Jones, Jr. (two years, $19M); F/C Harry Giles (one year, $1.6M); F C.J. Elleby (second round, 46th pick overall)
Subtractions: C Hassan Whiteside (signed with Sacramento); F Trevor Ariza (traded to Houston); G Mario Hezonja (traded to Memphis); protected 2021 first-round pick (traded to Houston); F Isaiah Stewart (draft rights traded to Detroit)
Retained: F Carmelo Anthony (one year); F Rodney Hood (two years, $21M)
Projected starting lineup (via RealGM):
Can we just take a moment to appreciate Damian Lillard’s bubble run once again before the rest of the preview? Yes, this is partly an excuse for me to watch Dame highlights. You should use it as one too.
Thank you for indulging. Onto the rest of the preview.
What will make them successful?
Health. Man, if this team was fully healthy all year long how dangerous could they have been in the Playoffs? Zach Collins is hurt but expected to make a return at some point during the season.
Jusuf Nurkic came back from injury in the bubble and balled out (14 ppg, 10 rpg) and brought them the inside presence and secondary playmaking that they sorely missed throughout the season. This year they will have a fully healthy Nurkic to start the year and Enes Kanter will replace Hassan Whiteside as the backup big for the Blazers. That’s an upgrade in my book, Kanter is a great rebounder and can get buckets. Whiteside… Yeah, he’s pretty tall. So like I said, an upgrade.
But besides health, the biggest need in the offseason for the Blazers was finding defensive help at the forward position and they did just that. They traded for Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets and signed Derrick Jones Jr. who will have a bigger role with Portland than he did in Miami where he was scrapping for minutes in the playoffs.
They also took a low-risk flier on Harry Giles and if he can stay healthy brings another big with exceptional playmaking ability. The Blazers knew their weaknesses compared to the other contenders in the West and went out and made moves to contend while Dame and CJ McCollum are still in their prime.
Biggest Question Mark?
Will the offseason moves be enough? Covington, Kanter, Jones, and a healthy Nurkic will help take Portland from a fringe playoff team to a top-4 contender in the West. The moves provide them with the necessary size 3-5 to compete with the likes of the Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets. But will it be enough? As much as it improves their defensive ceiling, I still think they could be lacking in plus defenders. That could come back to haunt them in a seven game series.
They have the talent and the depth to consistently play with the top tier of this conference. It will be a bloodbath between them and the Nuggets in the race for this division. Only time will tell how they will fare against the other elite teams in the West.
Breakout Player: Gary Trent Jr.
Trent had a bit of a renaissance in the bubble and shot a 41% clip from 3 while playing 30 minutes a game. He’ll have to work to find playing time unless they are considering using him as more of a 3rd guard behind Lillard and McCollum. I think that’s the role that suits him best. He won’t be a great on-call creator, but playing off of CJ and Dame with less defensive responsibility will let him do his best work.
Best Bet: Damian Lillard MVP +1200 (betonline.ag)
Prediction: 4th in the West, advance past the First Round
Oklahoma City Thunder
2019-20 record: 44-28; lost in first round
Additions: C Al Horford (acquired from Philadelphia); G George Hill (acquired from Milwaukee); F Trevor Ariza (acquired from Detroit); F T.J. Leaf (acquired from Indiana); F Justin Jackson (acquired from Dallas); G Vasilijie Micic (acquired from Philadelphia); G Ty Jerome (acquired from Phoenix); C Vincent Poirier (acquired from Boston); G Admiral Schofield (acquired from Washington); G Frank Jackson (contract terms unknown); F Aleksej Pokuševski (draft rights acquired from Minnesota); F Jaden McDaniels (draft rights acquired from Lakers); G Vit Krejci (draft rights acquired from Washington); F Zylan Cheatham (acquired from New Orleans); G Joshia Gray (acquired from New Orleans); F Darius Miller (acquired from New Orleans); F Kenrich Williams (acquired from New Orleans) protected 2021 first-round pick and two 2021 second-round picks (acquired from Golden State); protected 2022 first-round pick (acquired from Phoenix); protected 2025 first-round pick (acquired from Philadelphia); protected 2023 first-round pick and 2023 and 2024 second-round picks (acquired from New Orleans); protected 2028 second-round pick (acquired from Atlanta);
Subtractions: G Chris Paul (traded to Phoenix); G Dennis Schröeder (traded to Lakers); G Danny Green (traded to Philadelphia); G/F Terrance Ferguson (traded to Philadelphia); F Abdel Nader (traded to Phoenix); F Danilo Gallinari (sign and trade with Atlanta); C Nerlens Noel (signed with New York); F Kelly Oubre, Jr. (traded to Golden State); F James Johnson (traded to Dallas); G Jalen Lecque (traded to Indiana); G Immanuel Quickey (draft rights traded to New York); G Theo Maledon (draft rights traded to Philadelphia); G Cassius Winston (draft rights traded to Washington); protected 2021 second-round pick (traded to Boston);
Retained: None
Projected Starting Lineup (via RealGM):
This team is gonna suck.
What will make them successful?
Being as bad as possible and hoping that they hit on stars with their 900 first-round picks over the next 5 years. Look at all those departures. Every single productive player besides Shai Gilgeous Alexander from last year’s surprise 5 seed is gone, including superstar Guard Chris Paul.
Seriously this team has up 17 first-rounders between now and 2026. Sam Presti is also the GM who selected James Harden, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka and almost built a super team from scratch before famously trading Harden for a ham sandwich and a Diet Coke. Thunder fans should have faith he can do it again.
Biggest Question Mark?
How will this affect SGA’s development? In the meantime in trying to build another contender through the draft, the most important task for the Thunder’s staff is to keep Shai happy and engaged in the process as well as continuing his development. He is on the trajectory to be a star in this league on both the offensive and defensive end. He had an incredible mentor for his first year in OKC in Chris Paul. Hopefully, he learned a thing or two in carrying hopeless franchises.
Breakout Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This is the most logical option but Shai should only get better and should see an improvement across the board for his stats as he will be the main shot creator and scorer on this team. It remains to be seen how effective he will be without the support of other established NBA scorers, but at the very least a Horford-SGA pick and roll will be fun to watch.
Best Bet: Shai Gilgeous Alexander Most Improved Player +800 (betonline.ag)
Prediction: Happily last place in the NBA
Utah Jazz
2019-20 record: 44-28; lost in first round
Additions: F/C Derrick Favors (three years, $27M); C Udoka Azubuike (draft rights acquired from New York); F Elijah Hughes (draft rights acquired from New Orleans); new team governor Ryan Smith
Subtractions: C Tony Bradley (traded to Detroit); F Ed Davis (traded to New York); C Ante Tomic (traded to New York); G Rayjon Tucker (traded to Cleveland); G Leandro Bolmaro (draft rights traded to New York); G Saben Lee (draft rights traded to Detroit); 2027 second-round pick (traded to Cleveland)
Retained: G Jordan Clarkson (four years, $52M)
Projected Startin Lineup (via RealGM):
The Jazz is a team I can’t seem to put a finger on after this offseason. They didn’t do much to improve themselves, but they really didn’t have the kind of flexibility to go out and make any big changes. For better or worse, this is the roster they will move forward with. They are hoping for continuity and a return to their elite defensive form to take hold and put this team back in the conversation with the elites of the conference.
What will make them successful?
Remember everything I just wrote about Jamal Murray? Replace his name with Donovan Mitchell and it still rings true. Murray came out the hero in their first round series, but in every great story, there is someone who comes up on the short end of the stick. This year, Mitchell balled out for a flawed Jazz team that couldn’t stop a nosebleed against the Nuggets.
Just a quick run through. His first year in the playoffs he averaged 24.4 pts and his second year averaged 21.4 pts. This year in the bubble that shot up to 36.4 ppg including 57 in Game 1 and 51 in Game 4. He jumped up another level. How far can he ascend? The Jazz rewarded him with a max extension, so they believe in him. This is his team. They wil go as far as he can carry them. If he is an All-NBA level talent this year, the Jazz are going to scare some teams in the West.
The problem is, his superstar teammate might disagree with that very notion, which leads me to the biggest question about the Jazz this year…
Biggest Question Mark?
What the hell is going to happen with Rudy Gobert? Last year was drama filled for the 28-year-old star center. He allegedly wanted more touches on offense. He’s a 3-time defensive player of the year and a perennial All-NBA talent. He averages 15 ppg and 13 rpg and clearly wants that average to be around 20 ppg. He was the first professional to test positive for COVID-19, which caused a rift between him and Mitchell.
But does that equal a better playoff fate for the Jazz? They are LOADED with scoring. If Mitchell makes another jump as expected, they will be a top-10 offense in the league yet again. They are dangerous from all over the place. Mike Conley struggled to acclimate but was much improved inside the bubble. Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdaovic and Jordan Clarkson might not be the most efficient, but they bring a ton of scoring pop.
Their defense needs to drastically improve though. They were a top-10 unit the previous two years, but last year they slipped. As dangerous as this team can be offensiviely now, this team will find more success if they get back to their defensive prowess. It’s exciting to look at the offensive potential of this team, but they have to be more solid on defense to compete in the West.
Gobert is the key to this. He needs to buy back into focusing on being the best defensive presence in the NBA. If he doesn’t? Who knows. He’s going into a contract year and while both parties have been in contact, it’s hard to imagine the Jazz ponying up to offer him a supermax. He’s worth a lot of money, but that contract would come back to haunt them by the end of it. That decision will alter their seaso and future seasons one way or the other. It’s worth keeping an eye on.
Breakout Player: Donovan Mitchell
I laid it out previously, but this team takes a leap if Mitchell plays at an MVP level. Mitchell has never let me down before, so I think this is close to a lock.
Best Bet: Rudy Gobert Defensive Player of the Year +375
Prediction: On the preview pod, I picked them to finish 8th, I’m bumping that up to 6th in the west. And a very interesting first round exit.
UP NEXT: Southwest Division
The Sports Desk can be reached at editorialtrainwrecksports@gmail.com
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3 Responses
Excellent, informative preview.