Thoughts On The 2021 NBA Season And Predictions

The NBA Is Back!!!

By Jamie Mah @grahammah

There are few days in life where I’m as excited as I am today. Basketball is back and oh boy am I giddy.

This was me last night before I went to sleep

So much has changed in the two months since JR Smith hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy for the Los Angeles Lakers. Yeah, how that happened is still a mystery to me. The guy barely plays, yet he’s the first to touch the trophy, ahead of LeBron? The 2020 NBA season in a nutshell ladies and gentlemen. Let’s hope and pray this season is not as wild. With that, let’d dig in and discuss some of the major storylines.

Will the Lakers Repeat?

Yes, yes, they will. Anthony Davis is coming into his own. LeBron knows how to pace himself. Dwight and Rajon are gone. In their place we have Wesley Mathews, Dennis Schroeder, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol. Solid pickups all around. I’m a big fan of Gasol. He’ll bring deft passing and leadership. I’d bring Schroeder and Harrell off the bench to work second units. The sky for this team remains with how LeBron goes. Davis will carry them most nights but James is their catalyst. He’s entering his 18th season so how he ages, or doesn’t age, will factor into everything here. The Lakers sadly still suffer from LeBronitis when he sits. Their offence runs to crap as he literally is their offence. Not a problem most nights but if he gets hurt it will affect how they play. I see them coasting some but still taking the top spot in the West, slightly ahead of Denver.

Who Cares Where James Harden Ends Up

This storyline is so annoying. He’s Karl Malone 2.0. All stats but nothing else. You’ll never win with him and he’s far from the type of player I’d covet if I were the Heat or Nets. I’m not sure where he’ll land, however, I do see Houston taking their time here. If I were them, I’d flip him for Simmons in Philly in a heartbeat. Ben is 7 years younger and a stud defensively. I’d love to see him run his own team.

Harden’s 31 and he’s shown what he can do in the playoffs, which is nothing. He should be paired as a number two. He lacks the will and heart to be a leader. Paired next to Durant makes sense, I’m just not sure with Kyrie being there how the fit would mesh. Would Portland trade him for CJ? Or would the Clippers move PG? If I’m Milwaukee would trading Middleton and Jrue plus picks get the deal done? Or if I’m the Raps, swap OG and VanVleet plus picks?

Again, I don’t care and neither should you. The guys who win you rings are LeBron, Durant, Curry, and Luka. Not this stiff. Get what you can Houston and move on quick.

Giannis Made A Mistake Taking That Max Deal

This is his roster for the foreseeable future. In what world are you winning with that? Did he not see LeBron’s teams from 2009 and 2010 and learn a thing or two? Have we not been down this road before? Back then, just like how Giannis is decimating the league now, LeBron’s Cavs looked to be poised to runaway with the Championship. In 2009 they led the league with 66 wins only to lose in the second round to Dwight and his shooters in Orlando. Then Boston took them out in 2010. In 2019 against the Raps, up 2-0, the Bucks faltered. Last season the fell short once again. Giannis needs a second banana and it ain’t Jrue Holiday or Kris Middleton. Signing that max limits his leverage. I get loyalty but do we really want to see Giannis in three years doing this?

I see so many parallels with how that team was built and how this Bucks team looks. The game has changed and Giannis has a chance to be truly special. He may get better this season. He still has room to grow with his shooting but as we’ve come to see over the years, one guy can’t do it alone. Even MJ had Pip. I’d have run out my contract and moved to Dallas and teamed up with Luka if I were him. That’s dynasty type stuff there. Giannis, like KG has all the talent in the world, I’m just not sure he’s the leader you need to win. He may need his own Paul Pierce to get him over the hump. Even LeBron saw that he needed Wade. I guess we’ll see what the Bucks can do this year and maybe they’ll swing something. I doubt it.

How will Durant Look?

Now here’s a storyline worth discussing. When he went down in that game seven 18 months ago, part of my heart sank for him. Players rarely come back from an achilles tear with the same game. Explosiveness tends to go and with it defensive quickness. Kobe was never the same after his. Isaiah Thomas just plain retired.

Durant will probably be 10-20% worse on the defensive end. Maybe more. We’ll have to wait and see. Luckily, he’s seven feet tall and he can shoot, which is his saving grace. Scoring will not be problem for him ever. Even when he’s 42 he’ll still be able to torch most guys. You can’t teach height. But an 18 month layoff will take some time to remove the rust. How newly installed head coach Steve Nash integrates his two mercurial stars will factor in with how they develop throughout the season. If they can stay in the top four in the conference I see them being a factor come playoff time. Kyrie’s knee worries me though. I’d trade him right now for Harden. Even though I despise both players, at least Harden plays. I’m a big fan of Dinwiddie and LaVert. Jarred Allen will help coming off the bench. This team has depth and offensive force. If they can withstand the injury bug and build chemistry, look for them to compete with Boston and Miami. But everything revolves around Durant. If he’s the player we saw before his calf injury then this team will win the East.

Side notes for the rest of the league

Luka Luka Luka!!! This kid is a stud. MVP is in his cards. Will be the best player in the league in like two years. Losing Seth Curry was big. Dallas needs more shooting.
Will Paul George and Kawhi take this season seriously?
Will Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson get in shape? Stunning how this is even a question. Your job is to play basketball. How hard is it to just stay in shape? I’ll never understand it.
Was Miami’s finals run a fluke? Can Jimmy continue his ascent? Is Bam the NBA’s best kept secret?
Can Chris Paul stabilize the Suns and give them the leadership they so desperately need? Can they make a run at a six or seven seed?
The Knicks have the lowest payroll in the league. Has that ever happened? Can they be relevant again?
Should Boston look to trade Kemba?
How will Washington look? Westbrook and Beal could be quite formidable.

Predictions

Lakers vs Boston in finals. Lakers win in 6.

Luka wins MVP

All NBA First: LeBron, Luka, Giannis, Durant, Kawhi

All the other awards don’t matter.

I’ll have more as the season progresses. Enjoy!