Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: Can Win It All

Today is the final day of my NBA countdown. We are eight days away from the start of the regular season. I will do predictions tomorrow, but as far as my rankings, this is it. These are the best of the best. These are the teams that have the players, coaches, staff and fortitude to win it all. The only thing stopping these teams are COVID or injury. I hope neither happens to any of them.

At number 5 I have the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are loaded with great young talent, they have one of the better head coaches and they have, for such a young team, lots of playoff experience. They also got rid of an albatross contract. The only thing that worries me with this team is depth. But man is their starting five loaded. Jayson Tatum is a straight up star. He can score from anywhere, he is lethal, he has the killer mentality, he plays defense and he just gets better and better. I am a true believer that he is a future face of the league. Jaylen Brown is an elite defender, and he is hyper athletic. His jumper is improving and he is asserting himself as the firm number 2 on this team. He may waffle from time to time, but he always makes up for it. Marcus Smart is the new age Tony Allen. He is a menace on defense. He can guard pretty much all 5 positions and he can draw fouls and mess with opponents heads. He isn't great offensively, but he is good enough. When Kemba Walker is healthy he is one of the better scoring guards in the NBA. He is also a solid perimeter defender. He is a better fit on this team too. He is so much better fitting in than being the star. He is injured, and will miss a month or two, but when he is back, the Celtics have three guys in the starting five that can go for 20 every night. Robert Williams may float in and out of games, miss some meetings and over sleep. But when he is engaged, this kid is good. There is a reason he slipped to the Celtics in his draft, but there is also a reason he was considered a lottery pick. He is starting to show flashes, and if he can reach some of his potential, he will only help this team. Daniel Thies is a solid defender. He does the dirty things for this team. Jeff Teague is a fine player, and that is all he has to be here. Grant Williams got decent, important minutes in the playoffs, and that is big for him. After these guys is where it gets murky. They gave Tristan Thompson too good of a contract for him. Tacko Fall is more of a spectacle than a player. Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford haven't done much in their two years. Semi Ojeyle seems to be getting passed over. This is the worry for me with this team. But that starting five, and first two off the bench are more than enough for me to like them as a contender out of the East.

At number 4 I have the Miami Heat. Some said it was the bubble, others said it was Jimmy Butler, but I just think the Heat are a very good team, and they deserved to be in the Finals last season. Jimmy Butler proved yet again how important and viable he is on a top team. He willed them to the Finals. He had them as prepared as one player could. Bam Adebayo just keeps ascending. He is one of my absolute favorite players to watch. He goes hard, he rebounds and plays defense and he is becoming a great low post player. Adebayo is awesome. Tyler Herro has done more at 20 than I could ever imagine. He averaged double figures in the Finals. He averaged double figures as a teenager in the early playoffs. This kid is a straight up scorer. Now he has to play defense. Duncan Robinson is one of the most lethal shooters in the game, and the kid has earned every minute he now gets. He has made a name for himself, and all he has to do is shoot. He too needs to improve defensively. Goran Dragic re-signed there, and he is a perfect sixth man on this team. He runs their second unit so well. Kendrick Nunn had some ups and downs, and didn't play as much in the Finals. But, he can heat up at any moment. Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem are old, and their primes are way past them, but I would love to have two guys like that on my team. They are additional coaches when on the floor. Getting Avery Bradley will help their already good defense. Meyers Leonard provides front court depth. This team is good, and a return trip to the Finals wouldn't surprise me at all. Jimmy Butler is that dude.

At number 3 I have the LA Clippers. I was so very high on this team last year, and they totally blew it. They ran out of steam, they let the bubble get to them, and they lost a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets. They led to Doc Rivers leaving, and them letting a few other players walk. But this team is still loaded, they have to have revenge on their minds and I love hiring Ty Lue to take over as the head coach. Kawhi Leonard is not going to break down like he did in the bubble again. He will be back and he will be back with a vengeance. I wouldn't be shocked to see him return to his Spurs and Raptors self. He is a robot, but a robot that will be out for revenge. Paul George just signed a max deal, he is engaged to be married and it looks like he is having fun again. I know he said some stuff about the coaches last year, but who cares. This guy is an elite scorer and an even better defender. He just needs to stay focused. They also have Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson back. Beverly is still an upper tier defender and his shot is better, Lou Will is a great, great bench scorer and Jackson plays all out every night. He may shoot too much, but he goes hard. Marcus Morris is a good dude to have on your side, and his shot is solid. Ivica Zubac is an underrated, solid big man. I like replacing Montrezl Harrell with Serge Ibaka. He may be older, but he is taller, he is a better shooter and still a bit better around the rim on defense. Luke Kennard adds long range shooting. And Nic Batum can still do some little things. The Clippers should bounce back. I would not be surprised to see them really challenge the top of the West. Some guys will need to step up, and play better than they did in the bubble, which I think they will. The Clippers will be just fine.

At number 2 I have the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have the two time reigning MVP. Giannis is one of the best players in the league, and listening to him in interviews only furthers my belief that he is still getting better. Once he starts to hit his outside shot a bit more consistently, he will be as unstoppable as Shaq. He is also the best defender in the league. I love the addition of Jrue Holiday. He is a major upgrade over Eric Bledsoe, and he and Giannis will be a very formidable duo. Khris Middleton is another lockdown defender, and he can really shoot the ball. He needs to play better this year, but he will have ample shot opportunities playing next to Giannis and Holiday. He just needs to knock them down. Brook Lopez adds size and shooting. Donte DiVincenzo is inconsistent, but he can light it up. I wonder if his name being in trade talks will affect his play. Same thing for DJ Wilson, except he was barely seeing the floor anyway. Giannis brother Thanasis is there, and while it is cool that they are on the same team, I don't know how much he will truly see the floor. Bobby Portis is okay, but he shoots a bit too much, and people still only really know him from punching out another teammate in Chicago. And adding DJ Augustin adds a nice veteran, but also age. This team will be all about Giannis and Jrue Holiday. If they coalesce as I expect them to, they will be on top of the East.

The final team, the best team going into the season is the defending champs, the LA Lakers. They are here, they deserve it and they are, at least on paper, a much better team than the one that just won the title. They have LeBron back, and that is humongous no matter what. He was amazing in the bubble, and especially in the Finals. I still like Jordan as the GOAT, but LeBron is definitely the second greatest player ever. And no disrespect to Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh and Kyrie Irving, but he will be playing with his best teammate ever again this year, Anthony Davis. The two of them were a devastating pair. And Davis actually played a little better without LeBron on the floor. Davis is one of the best defenders in the league, he is probably the best big on offense and he showed some strength and ability to not get injured last season. He is also just now entering his prime. If they just had these two guys, and three of my friends I hoop with starting, they'd be a playoff team. Lucky for them though they have real NBA players, and they are solid. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took a major step last year, and I fully buy him as a solid third or fourth option. He was awesome in the Finals. They replaced guys they let go of, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, with Marc Gasol, Montezl Harrell and Dennis Schroeder. Gasol is a better defender and passer than both McGee and Howard. Harrell is a bull dog and a force on offense. Schroeder is a younger, and better offensive scoring version of Rondo. They upgraded all three of those positions. Alex Caruso is a solid player. I don't like the hype surrounding him, but that isn't him, that's the ESPN's of the world. He works well with LeBron's game. Talen Horton Tucker looks like a steal in the preseason. And Kyle Kuzma and Wes Matthews will be solid bench guys, if they keep them both. The Lakers only got better, and they should be the hands down favorites heading into this season.

There you have it, my teams ranked from 30-1. This feels right. I will be back tomorrow to wrap up my preseason NBA preview with predictions and award winners. Also, I want to wish my wife a very happy birthday. She is cooler than any other wife out there. That is just facts. Happy birthday, I love you.

Ty

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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