2019-20 NBA Predictions

This is probably one of the more intriguing seasons we've had in a while because there is no "slam dunk" pick to win the championship like there was the last 3-4 seasons with the Warriors. Will one of the new-look LA teams emerge and win the title? Will an Eastern Conference contender win it? Here are my predictions for the 2019-20 NBA Season.

- Eastern Conference
1. Milwaukee Bucks (57-25)
2. Philadelphia 76ers (55-27)
3. Boston Celtics (50-32)
4. Brooklyn Nets (47-35)
5. Indiana Pacers (46-36)
6. Toronto Raptors (45-37)
7. Miami Heat (44-38)
8. Atlanta Hawks (42-40)
9. Detroit Pistons (39-43)
10. Orlando Magic (37-45)
11. Chicago Bulls (32-50)
12. Cleveland Cavaliers (30-52)
13. Washington Wizards (28-54)
14. New York Knicks (27-55)
15. Charlotte Hornets (17-65)

The Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the NBA a season ago and I expect them to have the best record in the Eastern Conference again this season. Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way and Khris Middleton returns after re-signing with the team in the summer as well as Brook Lopez. Wesley Matthews and Eric Bledsoe is the starting backcourt and Matthews isn't the same player he was five seasons ago and Bledsoe was terrible in the playoffs. The bench features the likes of George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo, Kyle Korver, and Robin Lopez. The loss of Malcolm Brogdon will hurt this team, but they should survive in the regular season. The Philadelphia 76ers pretty much remade their team in the offseason and I think their additions could offset their losses of Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the teams foundation and Tobias Harris and new additions Josh Richardson and Al Horford round out the starting five. Their bench features the likes of Trey Burke, Zhaire Smith, Furkan Korkmaz, and Mike Scott. The Boston Celtics are a team that is very fascinating coming into the season with the Kyrie Irving experience coming to a disastrous end and they replace him by signing Kemba Walker. Jayson Tatum, Jalyen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and either Enes Kanter or Daniel Theis round out the starting five. One of the two centers I listed as well as guys like Semi Ojeleye, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and rookies Carsen Edwards and Grant Williams. The Brooklyn Nets stole major headlines this offseason by signing Kevin Durant (who likely won't play this season as he's recovering from his Achilles injury) and Kyrie Irving. Caris LaVert, Joe Harris, and Rodions Kurucs all had moments last season and those three along with Irving and DeAndre Jordan round out the starting five. Jared Allen should start at center over Jordan and he along with Spencer Dinwiddie, Garrett Temple, and Wilson Chandler are going to be bench guys. The Indiana Pacers are a team that could be better or worse than my projection depending on when Victor Oladipo comes back from injury. Malcolm Brogdon was the big addition to this team and trade acquisition TJ Warren, Domontas Sabonis, and Myles Turner round out the starting five. Jeremy Lamb will start in place of Oladipo while he's out and other reserves include Aaron Holiday, TJ McConnell, Doug McDermott, and Justin Holiday. The Toronto Raptors are your reigning NBA Champions, but a step back is expected due to the departure of Kawhi Leonard. Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, and Fred Van Vleet are all still around and I think that's their best five. Other players that will be relied on are OG Anunoby, Norman Powell, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Anunoby is the wild card here because he has potential he has not reached yet. The Miami Heat should return to the postseason this year with the addition of Jimmy Butler and due to the infrastructure they have there. Butler, Justice Winslow, Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynyk, and Bam Abedayo round out the starting five. Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic might both be coming off the bench and other bench guys include Meyers Leonard and James Johnson. The Atlanta Hawks are my surprise pick to make the postseason this year because they have a lot of young talent headlined by Trae Young and John Collins and a coach in Lloyd Pearce who had the team playing hard most of last season. Young, Collins, Kevin Huerter, rookie De'Andre Hunter, and Alex Len are the starting five. Veteran Vince Carter, Jabari Parker, DeAndre Bembry, and rookie Cam Reddish are notable bench players. The Detroit Pistons made the postseason a season ago, but I have too many questions and concerns with this team makeup to pencil them back in. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond is an awkward front court fit and both of those guys are often injured. Reggie Jackson is someone else that never stays healthy at the point and has not lived upto the contract he got when he has been healthy. Bruce Brown is slated to start at the two-guard and Tony Snell is at the three and I don't love those perimeter guys what-so-ever. The bench features the likes of Langston Galloway, Luke Kenanrd, Derrick Rose, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. The Orlando Magic had a nice season last year, but I don't see them repeating last season, although Steve Clifford is a very good coach. Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon have been around for a while and the other starters are slated to be Jonathan Issacs and DJ Augustin. Bench guys include Markelle Fultz, Michael Carter-Williams, Terrence Ross, and Mo Bomba. The Chicago Bulls are a team that people think can surprise, but I think they are a year or two away. Their young core includes Lauri Markannen, Zach LaVine, Wendel Carter Jr, and rookie Coby White. New acquisition Tomas Satoransky is slated to start at point guard and Otto Porter is slated to start at the three. Veteran Thad Young is slated to come off the bench. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new head coach in John Beilein, who comes over from Michigan. Collin Sexton and rookie Darius Garland make a fun backcourt and Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Tristian Thompson round out the starting five. Bench guys include Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, and Matthew Dellavedova. The Washington Wizards are a team thats in for a long season. John Wall is out this season with a torn meniscus. Bradley Beal, Ish Smith, CJ Miles, rookie Rui Hachimura, and Thomas Bryant is the projected starting five. Bench guys include Ian Mahinmi, Davis Bertans, and Isaiah Thomas. The New York Knicks are a team that had perhaps the worst summer in the league with missing out on top free agents and here they are still rebuilding. Rookie RJ Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr, Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson are the projected starting five. Youngsters Kevin Knox and Frank Ntlikina are slated to come off the bench as well as free agent adds Elfrid Payton, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Portis, and Taj Gibson. The Charlotte Hornets are easily the worst team in the NBA this season. Out is Kemba Walker and replacing him is Terry Rozier and he, Nic Batum, Dwayne Bacon, Miles Bridges, and Cody Zeller are the projected starting five. Guys like Malik Monk, PJ Washington, Bismack Biyombo, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are bench players.

- Western Conference
1. Denver Nuggets (57-25)
2. Utah Jazz (55-27)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (54-28)
4. Los Angeles Lakers (52-30)
5. Houston Rockets (50-32)
6. Golden State Warriors (47-35)
7. Portland Trail Blazers (46-36)
8. San Antonio Spurs (45-37)
9. New Orleans Pelicans (41-41)
10. Dallas Mavericks (39-43)
11. Sacramento Kings (37-43)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-49)
13. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-52)
14. Memphis Grizzlies (27-55)
15. Phoenix Suns (25-57)

The Denver Nuggets had a great season last year finishing in second in the Western Conference and now I have them getting the top seed in the West. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray headline this teams core and the rest of the starting five is Paul Milsap, Will Barton, and Gary Harris. Michael Porter Jr could end up starting for this team if he lives upto potential. The rest of the bench consists of new addition Jerami Grant, Malik Beasley, Monte Morris, Torrey Craig, Juan Hernangomez, and Bol Bol. The Utah Jazz are a team I expect to make a big jump. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Robert are this teams foundational pieces and the rest of the starting five consists of new additions Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Jeff Green. Off the bench are guys like Joe Ingles, Emmanuel Mudiay, Royce O'Neale, and Ed Davis. The Los Angeles Clippers made big headlines this summer landing both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Joining them in the starting five are Patrick Beverley, JaMychal Green, and Ivica Zubac. Landry Shamet will likely start in place of George, who will miss the first few weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. The rest of the bench consists of Sixth Man of the Year candidate Lou Williams, Rodney McGruder, Mo Harkless, and Montrezl Harrell. The Los Angeles Lakers took some headlines too by acquiring Anthony Davis to pair him up with LeBron James, who has a giant chip on his shoulder this season. JaVale McGee, new addition Danny Green, and Avery Bradley round out there starting five. I do think they should go small ball at some points and potentially start Rajon Rondo or even Kyle Kuzma at times depending on matchups. Other reserves include Dwight Howard, Jared Dudley, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Quinn Cook. The Houston Rockets were another team that made some interesting headlines by swapping out Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook to pair with James Harden in what should be a fascinating backcourt. The rest of the starting five is looking like Clint Capela, Danuel House, and PJ Tucker. Gerald Green might miss the whole season with a broken foot, so that hurts the depth of this team. Other reserves include Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Tyson Chandler, and Nene Hilario. The Golden State Warriors are expected to take a step back this season due to the departure of Kevin Durant and that Klay Thompson may miss the entire year recovering from his torn ACL. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are still around and the team signed D'Angelo Russell this summer apart of the package that sent Durant to Brooklyn. The two other starters are slated to be Glenn Robinson III and Kevon Looney. The bench features the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, Omari Spellman, Alec Burks, and Jordan Poole. The Portland Trail Blazers could be a team in which it would not surprise me if their season goes better or worse than I project. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are the teams main guys as they run their backcourt. New addition Hassan Whitesite, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood round out their starting five. Reserves include Anfernee Simons, Kent Bazemore, and Mario Hezonja and Jursuf Nurkic is supposed to come back at some point. The San Antonio Spurs are a team that I doubted a season ago and people are doubting this season, but I think they define the odds yet again. Veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan are still around and the team gets back talented point guard Dejounte Murray from a torn ACL. Derrick White and Jakob Poetl round out the starting five. Reserves include Rudy Gay, Patty Mills, Marco Belinelli, and DeMarre Carroll. The New Orleans Pelicans have high expectations this season, but things just got challenging for this team as top overall pick Zion Williamson just got knee surgery and is out six to eight weeks. Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holliday, Brandon Ingram, and Derrick Favors round out the starting five. Bench players include Jhalil Okafor (who may start in place of Zion), JJ Redick, Josh Hart, and rookies Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes. The Dallas Mavericks are a team that expectations are higher for with Luka Doncic entering his second season and Kristaps Porzingis making his Mavs debut after they traded for him last season while he was recovering from a torn ACL. The rest of the starters are Delon Wright, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Dwight Powell. The reserves aren't bad led by Boban Marjanovic, Jalen Brunson, JJ Barea, Seth Curry, and Maxi Kleber. The Sacramento Kings are a team with raised expectations due to a young core headlined by De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley. Harrison Barnes and new addition Dewayne Dedmon are the other two starters. Reserves include Harry Giles, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Trevor Ariza. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a team thats enduring a rebuild after trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Chris Paul came in the Westbrook deal (as well as a bunch of draft picks). The rest of the starters include Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (who was the prize of the George deal), Andre Roberson, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams. Reserves include Dennis Schroder, Nerlens Noel, and Terrance Ferguson. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team that cannot seem to get out of its own way. Karl-Anthony Towns is a sensational talent, but he is someone that is not a good defensive player. Andrew Wiggins is someone that has not put it all together throughout his career. The rest of the starting five is Jeff Teague, Josh Okogie, and Robert Covington. Reserves include rookie Jarrett Culver, Jake Layman, and Noah Vonleh. The Memphis Grizzlies are a team that has a chance to surprise folks this season thanks to two talented young players to rookie Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. The other starters include Dillon Brooks, Jae Crowder, and Jonas Valanciunas. Reserves include Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Josh Jackson, and Kyle Anderson. The Phoenix Suns made some interesting moves to make themselves more respectable. The young core is headlined by Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. The rest of the starters include new addition Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, and trade add Dario Saric. Reserves include Jevon Carter, Elie Okobo, rookie Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Aron Baynes.

2020 NBA Playoffs
- First Round
(E8) Atlanta Hawks vs (E1) Milwaukee Bucks: There is some star power here with Giannis Antetokounmpo against Trae Young and John Collins, but the Bucks should sweep Mike Budenholzer's ex-team.
Prediction: Bucks in four games.

(E7) Miami Heat vs (E2) Philadelphia 76ers: These two teams hooked up in the playoffs two seasons ago and the Sixers came out on top. Both teams are better now than they were two seasons ago, but the Sixers still have the advantage with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with good pieces around him and don't forget the revenge angle with Jimmy Butler and Josh Richardson.
Prediction: 76ers in six games.

(E6) Toronto Raptors vs (E3) Boston Celtics: Two divisional rivals facing off here. The reigning champions season ends against a Celtics team that could look a little different than it does now led by Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.
Prediction: Celtics in five games.

(E5) Indiana Pacers vs (E4) Brooklyn Nets: This should be an interesting series between two teams in which expectations are higher for in terms of Eastern Conference teams. If Kevin Durant somehow came back for the playoffs, the Nets would be the easy choice here. The best player in this series if healthy could be Victor Oladipo and I can see him and Malcolm Brogdon having big series's and I'm going to take the Pacers in an upset speical.
Prediction: Pacers in six games.

(W8) San Antonio Spurs vs (W1) Denver Nuggets: Here is a matchup we saw in last season's first round that went seven games. I see the Nuggets led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray getting by the Spurs for a second straight season.
Prediction: Nuggets in six games.

(W7) Portland Trail Blazers vs (W2) Utah Jazz: This should be a fun series headlined by four great guards in Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, and Mike Conley. The difference in this series is the new additions for the Jazz which helped address their previous lack of shooting.
Prediction: Jazz in six games.

(W6) Golden State Warriors vs (W3) Los Angeles Clippers: These two teams met in the postseason last season and the Warriors came out on top. I think the series will go the same number of games as last season's series, except the Clippers will come out on top led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Prediction: Clippers in six games.

(W5) Houston Rockets vs (W4) Los Angeles Lakers: This is easily the best series of the projected eight first round matchups. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook headline the stardom and don't forget these teams got at it last season (although Chris Paul was involved and not Westbrook). That said, the better and deeper team is the Lakers and this thing will go to distance.
Prediction: Lakers in seven games.

- Semifinals
(E5) Indiana Pacers vs (E1) Milwaukee Bucks: This should be an interesting second round series with these division rivals. Brogdon has revenge on his mind, but Antetokounmpo is a man on a mission and easily the best guy in the series and I expect them to get to their second straight conference finals.
Prediction: Bucks in five games.

(E3) Boston Celtics vs (E2) Philadelphia 76ers: Another division rival series in the second round. These two teams hooked up two seasons ago as well as the Celtics won that series. Al Horford is going to want to do damage against his former team and he, Embiid, and Simmons will lead the team to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2001.
Prediction: 76ers in six games.

(W4) Los Angeles Lakers vs (W1) Denver Nuggets: This should be another fun series between two very good teams. The Nuggets may look like a different team in April-May, but the Lakers have more depth and have the best players in the series in LeBron James and Anthony Davis and will be in the Conference Finals for the first time in ten seasons.
Prediction: Lakers in six games.

(W3) Los Angeles Clippers vs (W2) Utah Jazz: This screams a defensive minded, low scoring kind of series. The star power of Leonard and George is what ultimately will prevail for the Clippers as they advance to their first Conference Finals in franchise history.
Prediction: Clippers in six games.

- Conference Finals
(E2) Philadelphia 76ers vs (E1) Milwaukee Bucks: This matchup seems inevitable as these two teams are on a collision course for the conference supremacy. This should be an entertaining series with star power abound, but the better team is the 76ers, who will advance to their first NBA Finals in nineteen seasons.
Prediction: 76ers in six games.

(W4) Los Angeles Lakers vs (W3) Los Angeles Clippers: This is the dream matchup that everyone and their brother wants to see. Same city, same home arena, four mega superstars, roster depth on both sides, and ratings will be through the roof for TNT. What makes me lean towards the Clippers the most is the fact Leonard and George are the guys that can defend LeBron the best and I think they will go to their first ever NBA Finals.
Prediction: Clippers in seven games.

- NBA Finals
(W3) Los Angeles Clippers vs (E2) Philadelphia 76ers: This should be such a fun NBA Finals. These two teams made perhaps the best offseason moves to set themselves up to win this year. Leonard, George, Embiid, and Simmons headline the stars in this series. Both of these teams are excellent defensively as well. What gives me a significant edge to the Clippers is that they have the clear coaching advantage with Doc Rivers over Brett Brown and I think the Clippers will hoist their first ever Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Prediction: Clippers in seven games.