After a two day hiatus I am back with my 2021 NBA countdown. We are at the playoff teams. These teams are the 18 best coming into the season in my opinion. Some will be play in teams, as the NBA has fully committed to doing the play in which I love, but these teams are the playoff bound ones. They should get to the postseason barring significant injuries.

At number 18 I have the New Orleans Pelicans. This team has as much upside as almost any team in the league. If they can get their act together, learn how to play a little defense and stay relatively healthy, they are going to be a matchup nightmare. Zion Williamson has all the tools to be great. He dunks like Kemp, is built like LeBron, can handle the ball like a guard and is a very good passer. He is also nearly impossible to jump with. He can do it all. But he has not been able to stay healthy, and whining before even making the playoffs is a bad look. This kid can be an all time great, he just has to go out there and prove it without a shadow of a doubt. Brandon Ingram is one of the most versatile scorers in the league. He is long, can shoot, can cut and can knock down a shot from anywhere. He does not play a lick of defense though, and I wish he were a better rebounder. He needs to get tougher too. Josh Hart may be the soul of this team. He is their best defender, best rebounder and most reliable player. He is a guard though, so I kind of wish he wasn't their top rebounder. Kira Lewis Jr has some potential, he just needs to get some playing time. Nickeil Alexander Walker looked like he was going to be a great bench scorer a few seasons back, but that hasn't come to fruition. Jaxson Hayes is built like a bruiser, but he too has yet to show his full potential, and he isn't getting adequate playing time. I wish they had kept Lonzo Ball. Devonte Graham is an okay scorer, but this team will miss Ball's passing and defense. Graham doesn't do much of those things. Garrett Temple and Tomas Satorranksy bring shooting, but nothing else. And they replaced Steven Adams with Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas may be a better offensive player, but other than that he is an exact replica of Adams. The Pelicans have the talent to become a perennial playoff team, they just have to do it on the floor and play some defense.

At number 17 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies made the playoffs last year. They beat the Spurs and the Warriors, in Golden State, to make it as the 8th seed. They even took a game from the Jazz in round one. That was a nice start for this very young team. Now they need to take that next step. Ja Morant is a star. He will be an all star. He will be an all NBA player. His shot looks better. His floater is untouchable. He is an out of this world dunker. He is becoming the leader they hoped he would when they took him in the draft. I love this kid. He is my favorite player in the league. Dillon Brooks adds great shooting and plays incredible defense. He is going to be all defense this season. When healthy, Jaren Jackson Jr is a great modern big. He's a tough rebounder and defender. He can post you up and shoot the three. He has the tools, he just has to be on the floor. Kyle Anderson is an understated yet solid basketball player. He does all the little things he is asked. Steven Adams will not do much for them on offense, but he brings a strength and nastiness to this defense that I like. Desmond Bane way over shot his expectations for me, and he looked amazing in summer league. Jarrett Culver is getting his second chance here, and if nothing else, he can be a hound on defense. They will be able to bring along Zaire Williams very slowly, but I do already like how athletic he is. Brandon Clarke, with some more minutes, can easily have a good bounce back year. He was down, but he is too good not to break out of it. He could be their Matisse Thybulle, but with a better shot. Xavier Tillman hit some big time shots in crunch time games last year. He was more than ready for the NBA. And DeAnthony Melton can flat out put the ball in the hoop. Memphis is on the come up. They have the guys. They took a big step last year and now I expect, being a fan, that they are a perennial playoff team.

At number 16 I have the Chicago Bulls. Talk about an off season. They signed Lonzo Ball. He will add defense, passing, court vision and a reliable three point shot. They also got DeMar DeRozan. Say what you will about him, but there is a reason he is still around and still putting up eighteen a game. They already have Zach Lavine, who was an all star last year, was great on Team USA this summer and has the looks of a guy that just wants to win. They got Nikola Vucevic last season and didn't have the time to fully integrate him in the offense. Now he has a full off season under his belt and he should shine. Alex Caruso was a sneaky good signing. He brings great defense and hustle to this team. I know Patrick Williams is hurt now, but when he gets back, I feel like he is going to take a humongous leap. Coby White is going to be a lethal bench scorer for this team, and this role is so much better for him. Ayo Dosunmu was a very good draft pick and he is playing for his hometown team. Derrick Jones Jr will be a highlight reel mainstay and a big time fan favorite. The Bulls want to be in the playoffs and this off season made that very clear. They should be a very good team.

The final team for the day, at number 15 I have RD's New York Knicks. They were in the playoffs last season. They had home court advantage. Julius Randle was the MOP, an all star and an all NBA guy. Derrick Rose is back and looks like the best version of his veteran self. They signed Kemba Walker. I know he hasn't been that good as of late, but playing in the Garden, where he shined in college, that has to add something to his game. They overpaid for Evan Fournier, but the dude knows how to score in the NBA. He will inject some life into the second unit. RJ Barrett has quietly gotten better every year. And now that his jumper looks good, he could vault into a solid starter and twenty point per game kind of guy. Immanuel Quickley was a revelation. He is so much fun to watch and he has no conscience when shooting the ball. Mitchell Robinson is fully healthy and in a contract year. He will return to form. Obi Toppin is going to get more playing time and he will grow into a solid player. Nerlens Noel is still a good rim protector and rebounder. Taj Gibson is the vet every team wants. And Alec Burks can put up forty on any given night. The Knicks surprised a lot of us last year. They return pretty much everyone from a team that was the four seed last year. This team is here to stay and it feels good to have a good Knicks team in the NBA.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next four teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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