Predictions for the 2020-21 NBA season
Before taking any of what you’re about to read too seriously, remember: This is supposed to be fun. The NBA season is about to tip off and, in these uncertain times, allow me to find levity with some crazy (and not-so- crazy) predictions to celebrate the return of Warriors basketball.
Here are 21 predictions for the 2020-21 season.
1. THERE ARE NO FIREWORKS WHEN KEVIN DURANT AND THE WARRIORS MEET >> Durant makes his Nets debut in the season opener against the Warriors on Dec. 22 in Brooklyn. On Feb. 13, Durant returns to the Bay Area to play at Chase Center. There will be plenty of hoopla from fans and media, but the sense here is that both parties are still exhausted from the drama of 2019 and won’t create a ruckus. A dap between Durant and Draymond Green. A hug with Steph Curry. Tip.
2. DRAYMOND’S FIRST BLOW-UP OCCURS WITHIN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON >> Ten of the Warriors’ first 14 games are against teams who made the playoffs last season, many of them in the West. Green, who recently said anything less than a championship is a failure, tends to get frustrated early in the season.
3. KELLY OUBRE JR., NOT ANDREW WIGGINS, IS GOLDEN STATE’S SECOND-LEADING SCORER THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON >> Wiggins may have the skillset to run the second-unit offense and is of more importance to the War
riors long-term, but Oubre has the mindset. He’s aggressive and is playing in a contract year. It may not always be pretty, but Oubre will average more points than Wiggins.
4. SOMEHOW, MYCHAL MULDER MAKES THE SECONDMOST 3-POINTERS ON THE TEAM >> The Warriors still don’t know where Mulder falls in the rotation, but right now it seems he’s behind Kent Bazemore, Brad Wanamaker, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole on the depth chart. Still, there will be nights when the Warriors are clanking every 3-pointer they take and Steve Kerr will need to mix things up. When he looks down the bench in a pinch, Mulder is the mostt rusted 3-point shooter outside of Curry.
5. THE WARRIORS WIN 39 GAMES >> Las Vegas has their win total at 36.5. I’m taking the over.
6. JAMES WISEMAN WINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR >> Early bets are on Charlotte’s La Melo Ball, but Ball’s efficiency numbers will make some voters balk while Wiseman, in a simple rimrunning role, should fill the box score and shoot a higher percentage. 7. CURRY MAKES MORE THAN 300 3-POINTERS DESPITE THE SHORTENED SEASON >> He needs to make a little more than four per game in the 72game season. It would be fourth time in his career he eclipses the 300 mark.
(But he doesn’t lead the league in made 3-pointers. That’s Buddy Hield.)
8. CURRY LEADS THE LEAGUE IN STEALS >> He averaged 2.3 per game in the preseason and the Warriors will encourage him more than ever to reach.
9. RELATED, THE WAR
RIORS LEAD THE LEAGUE IN STEALS >> Between Curry, Oubre, Wiggins and Green in the starting unit and Kent Bazemore and Brad Wanamaker coming off the bench, the Warriors will always have multiple players on the floor who have made a career of getting deflections. 10. CURRY SIGNS THE FULL THREE-YEAR, $155.7 MILLION
EXTENSION >> Talks are ongoing and Curry has all but said he could be willing to take less to help Golden State build around him. Unfortunately, his cap hold will always be too much to create any real flexibility. He takes the money.
11. BRADLEY BEAL DOES NOT GET TRADED >> Washington ends up in the playoff mix in the East and decides to keep the core together, taking a potential trade target off the table for the Warriors.
12. BUT JAMES HARDEN DOES.
13. TAKE ERIC PASCHALL’S STATS FROM HIS ROOKIE SEASON, AND HALVE THEM >> Quietly, Paschall struggled in his two preseason games. The playing time won’t be there this season like it was his rookie year, and if the 3-point shot doesn’t come around it could be difficult to find time.