UNDER THE RIM
Five teams have shot to shock NBA in ‘19-’20
Utah Jazz
The Jazz started their offseason with a bang, trading three role players and a firstround pick for Mike Conley, and the battle-tested veteran point guard is exactly what the doctor ordered to diagnose Utah’s bare-bones backcourt. Donovan Mitchell is a star in the making, but in just his second year, Mitchell’s usage rate tied with LeBron James for seventh-highest in the NBA.
That projects to change, and not just because of Conley. The Jazz also pried Bojan Bogdanovic from Indiana, and Bogdanovic is a lights-out shooter who can also put the ball on the floor and run the pick-and-roll. And you can’t forget Rudy Gobert, fresh off his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award. The Jazz project to play Rockets-like basketball with a dynamic back court that will utilize Gobert in the pick-and-roll and spread defenses thin with sharpshooters, like Joe Ingles, on the wing.
Utah, though, has what Houston didn’t last season: versatile defenders on the wing, like Royce O’Neale, Jeff Green and Dante Exum.
Miami Heat
The Heat traded for Jimmy Butler for one reason and one reason only: to win games right now. That’s the only thing Butler’s about, winning games.
The Heat roster doesn’t look too impressive on paper. There’s a significant drop-off in talent after their lone All-Star, and Miami traded its best young player, Josh Richardson, to get Butler from the Sixers. But the combination of Butler and Justise Winslow project to be very difficult to score on, and the Heat will unleash Bam Adebayo full-force next season.
Miami will also still be a player for trades closer to the February trade deadline, and they’re in search for a second star to pair with their max player. That could be Chris Paul, who was moved to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook. It could also be Kevin Love or Bradley Beal, depending on what the Wizards and Cavaliers are thinking as their respective seasons begin to tank.
Even if they stay as-is, Butler’s intensity is exactly what the Heat need to get the most out of their group. They can put a competitive team on the floor, and Erik Spoelstra is still one of the better coaches in basketball.
Golden State Warriors
The world counted the Warriors out of title contention after potential season-ending injuries to both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant derailed Golden State’s Finals run. Thompson is projected to return from his torn ACL in five to seven months, though, right time for a playoff push. The team they’ve assembled should be enough to keep the Warriors afloat in his absence.
That’s because Golden State lost Durant, but received D’Angelo Russell. They lost DeMarcus Cousins, but signed Willie Cauley-Stein and Omari Spellman. Thompson will miss some time, but the Warriors added Alec Burks — who averaged 14 points in back-to-back seasons from 2013-15 — and a young, two-way wing in Glenn Robinson III.
And then of course, there’s still Stephen Curry, the most dangerous shooter in NBA history, poised for an MVP season with a team that needs every bit of it. Thompson could return in February or March, and he’ll give the Warriors exactly what they’ll need: more shooting and more defense.
The Warriors could enter the playoffs with one of the deepest teams in the West. That says a lot after losing Durant and Cousins, and trading Andre Iguodala.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics lost Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Marcus Morris. There’s no way Boston will be able to replace the production each of those players provided.
But they did replace Irving with a totally different player in Kemba Walker, and Walker’s style of leadership will be a breath of fresh air for a Celtics team that followed Irving for the past two seasons. The two are similar because they’re dominant offensive talents at the point guard spot, but Walker showed he’s capable of playing without the ball in Charlotte. That’s exactly what Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward need to thrive.
All Walker needs to do to let his younger teammates resume their development is be himself. His ability to perform under pressure will have the Celtics contending in May.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard. There’s no getting around that. But Toronto won 17 of the 22 regular season games Leonard sat due to load management. That’s a great sample size, and the icing on the cake: Every player from last season’s roster, save for Leonard and Danny Green, will return for next season.
Leonard’s departure allows for wings like Norman Powell, O.G. Anunoby, Stanley Johnson and Patrick McCaw to step up and compete for a starting spot. The Raptors still have Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet. This team has its chest out, and with or without Leonard, they’re the reigning, defending NBA champions.
The Raptors have a throne to protect, and Nick Nurse proved himself to be an elite head coach last season. Toronto won’t just go away quietly after losing the most prized free agent on the market. They’ll be on a mission to prove they’re legit without him.