Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: The Almost Contenders

Today we enter the top 10 of my NBA countdown. My next five teams have aspirations, and the talent, to be title contenders, but a few minute things stand in their way. They are on the cusp, but they need absolutely everything to fall perfectly for them.

At number 10 I have the Utah Jazz. People are so quick to forget that they were a spin away from beating Denver in the playoffs last season. If Conley's jumper had gone in, we could have had a totally different outcome. It didn't, and the Jazz were left to pick up the pieces after another first round exit. Donovan Mitchell is a star. That dude is awesome, he is hyper athletic, his jumper continues to improve and his defense is getting there. He is one of my favorite younger stars in the league. He is a beast also. He goes hard every night. Getting Mike Conley last year was supposed to be the thing that put them over the top, but he needed far much more time to adjust to their roster. When he figured it out though, this team was pretty darn good. Conley is still an elite point guard, and I think he will show everyone this year who may have forgotten. Rudy Gobert is going to be burdened with the fact that he will forever be the poster child of what not to do when you have the CoronaVirus. He did all that nonsense, then infected Mitchell, and now he will forever be the guy who caused the league to shut down for three months. But he is a very good basketball player. Don't forget that. He is great in the low post. He is a dominant rim protector, and he is very solid in the pick and roll. He is also in a contract year, so I wouldn't be surprised if he went out and dominated other big men this season. Bojan Bogdanovic is back after suffering a season ending injury prior to the bubble. He will add spacing and knock down shooting. Joe Ingles isn't much of a defender, but the dude is a solid trash talker and a decent shot creator. Jordan Clarkson is instant offense off the bench. He could be their Lou Williams. Derrick Favors iis a solid backup to Gobert, and he is a good defender. I love the Udoka Azubuike pick. He will get to learn, and wait before he has to see meaningful minutes, and that is major. Outside that though, the one thing that holds them back for me, is their lack of depth. It gets pretty iffy after Favors and Clarkson come off the bench, and that is why they aren't a Finals contender just yet. The Jazz are a playoff team, but they have to get out of the first round before I take them super seriously.

At number 9 I have the Toronto Raptors. I know the Raptors lost Kawhi a year ago, and they lost Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka this off season, but I just cannot quit this team. They may be the new Spurs. They are so well coached, and every player does their job to perfection. They may have lost a good core of the championship team they had, but they pushed Boston, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them back in the playoffs. Kyle Lowry is still there, and he is still awesome. He is a great defender, one of the smartest players I have ever watched, and I love the grit he plays with. I'm never going to second guess him ever again. They re-signed Fred Van Vleet, and to me, he is worth every penny. He is their point guard of the future. OG Anounoby is really becoming a very good player. He is switchable on defense, he is becoming a better shot maker and he is figuring it out. He just needs to stay healthy. Pascal Siakim showed some great flashes last season, and he could be one of the better up and coming faces of the league. He is so long and good at basketball. Norm Powell proved his worth last season. They need a knock down shooter, and he feels like that guy. Aron Baynes adds toughness. Chris Boucher is raw, but he can be good. They took a flyer on Stanley Johnson last season, and he was okay coming off the bench. The Raptors are always going to play tough and play good defense. Are they the title team they were a few years ago? No. But they are a playoff team, and they will be a tough out. You can count on that.

At number 8 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. They got rid of Brett Brown. They finally traded for some shooters. And if Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can coexist and stay healthy, could this finally be the year? I am not so sure, and that is why I have them here. They are loaded with talent. Embiid is like a modern Hakeem Olajuwon. He is not Hakeem, no one will ever be Hakeem, but he is like a modern version. Ben Simmons may not be able to shoot, or maybe not willing, but he is amazing. He is a solid ball handler, he is a great passer, he can get to the rim. But the best thing about his game is his defense. He can lock almost anyone down. The 76ers missed him greatly in the playoffs last year, and it showed. Tobias Harris is a fine player, I just don't think he is a max guy. He can score, but he is not great on the other end, and he kind of fell off a bit last year. What the 76ers needed was shooting, and they looked to try and address that this offseason. They traded for Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson and Seth Curry. While not the greatest shooters in the world, Green brings championship pedigree, Ferguson is young and willing to learn, and Curry is a flat out shooter. Those are good guys to have around Embiid and Simmons. They signed Dwight Howard, and if he plays like he did last year, he is going to feast on second units in the East. Matisse Thybulle is one of the best young defenders in the league, he just needs to work on offense. And I like them taking Tyrese Maxey. He could be a solid point guard for them. I also think getting rid of Brett Brown and hiring Doc Rivers was a smart move. The 76ers have all the potential in the world, they just have to find a way to put it all together. They haven't yet, and that is what worries me.

At number 7 I have the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets were in the West Finals last year. They took a game from the Lakers. They came back down 3-1 to the Clippers in the previous round. This team is underrated, even by me, but they need to be taken seriously. Nikola Jokic is awesome, full stop. He may not be the fastest, or the best leaper or even a good defender, but he more than makes up for those shortcomings with his basketball IQ. The dude is also an incredible passer. He is like the Patrick Mahomes of the NBA. I am still blown away by how good he is. Jamaal Murray more than found himself in the bubble, and he vaulted to being one of the better offensive players in the league. He can score from anywhere, and he is a very good ball handler. It is nice to have a guy that can get you a bucket when you need one. They re-signed Paul Milsap, and while he is not the all star he was in Atlanta, he is still a great vet to have on your team, and he can still have good nights. Gary Harris kind of slipped last year, but that was due to injuries and a full league stoppage. I think he bounces back. Michael Porter Jr, while I don't agree with his views on CoronaVirus, that dude can flat out score too. Denver is going to get to a point where they have to start him, and having him, Jokic and Murray is going to be absolutely lethal. I like Will Barton, he just needs to see the floor more. I would love to see Bol Bol play more. He was so dope in the seeding games, barely saw the floor if at all in the playoffs, but I just want to watch him play. He is so big, and he can stretch the floor. He can shoot threes. Monte Morris is a very solid bench/role player. The rest of the roster is kind of meh, but when you have Jokic and Murray, and been far in the playoffs, you get the benefit of the doubt. Denver is a perennial deep run playoff team now. I just wonder when they will take that next step. Hopefully for their fans it is soon.

The final team for the day, at number 6 I have the Brooklyn Nets. I have them this high for two reasons. One, they are in the East. Two, they get KD and Kyrie Irving back at full health this year. For as much as those two may rub people the wrong way, they are both champs, they have both hit humongous shots, one is an MVP winner and the other has MVP potential, and they are both amazing at basketball. Now they just have to coexist and stay healthy. The rest of the roster is solid too. I love Caris Levert. He is a Michigan kid, he has proven me very wrong about his career and he is a scorer. He is a creator too. Levert is a very, very good player. Joe Harris is a three and D specialist. He also plays very hard every night. Jarrett Allen has some of the coolest hair in the league, and he is not afraid to contest anyone. Go back and look at some of his blocks last season. Deandre Jordan is older, but he was handpicked by KD and Kyrie to be on this team, and he is still a very good pick and roll guy. Spencer Dinwiddie is a great microwave off the bench. He can light up first units, but I would have him as my star second unit guy. Landry Shamet was traded there, and I think he will fit in nice with Kyrie and KD. They're giving Jeff Green another chance, but hey, the guy wouldn't still be in the league if he didn't have immense talent. And I still like Taurean Prince. The fate of the Nets season rests on two guys. If they play well and it works, they could be a real contender. If not, they will not make the playoffs. I'm very interested in watching them play this season.

That's it for the day, and the week. Come back on Monday for my final 5 teams, and Tuesday I will have full predictions.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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