As we approach the end of December, the highly anticipated start of the 2020-2021 NBA season has just started this past Monday. Corona has delayed the start of the season by a whole two months, but regardless, sports fans are still very excited to see that the NBA season is back. With every new season comes with expectations set for certain teams to either build momentum off their previous season or slightly regress in terms of their overall record. And I am here to give you my opinion on NBA predictions set by analysts for this season and what I believe can be changed.

Jordan Greer, who is an NBA analyst for the “sportingnews.com” is regarded as one of the top analysts around the world. Typically, his preseason predictions are very accurate, so I decided to see if I agree with them and give some of my thoughts being that I usually agree with his takes. For the Eastern conference, he has the top team as the Milwaukee Bucks which I slightly disagree with. The Bucks arguably have the best player in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but lack depth within their bench which is crucial in order to win the entire division. Despite the addition of two very respectable guards in DJ Augustine and Jrue Holiday, who will provide the Bucks with excellent perimeter shooting, they still don’t have all the pieces to win the entire division. He ranked the Celtics and Nets as two and three but has the Heat all the way down at four. The Heat are the former eastern conference champions, and they have a lot of depth and a lot of playmakers on their roster. I believe they will repeat as champions of the division. I believe the sleeper team in this division is the Atlanta Hawks who added veteran leadership in Rajan Rondo. Greer noted that he believes the Hawks can possibly be within reach of winning the division title, which I have to agree with. Now the Western conference is far more predictable. Greer has the Los Angeles Lakers winning and that is a clear and apparent choice based on their already stacked roster. I was very surprised to see him have the Suns at seven which I completely disagree with. The Suns added Chris Paul who provides veteran leadership and playmaking ability. The Suns arguably have the best backcourt in the league with Paul and Devin Booker. They also have an emerging center in Deandre Ayton and a lot of talent on their bench. So, I believe that the Suns will at least be a four seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Now that I went over my opinion on the NBA turnout, I am going to go into detail on how some teams can improve to enhance their chances of becoming legitimate threats in their division. The Washington Wizards are one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the league, yet they have a ton of talent. they are projected to barely make the post season, but I believe that they can surprise a lot of people and surpass their expectations if they make some adjustments. If they add another cheap wing defender such as Trevor Ariza and they limit Russel Westbrook’s outside shooting, then they can easily be atop of the Eastern Conference. Another team is the Charlotte Hornets, who have very talented playmakers in Gordan Heyward, Terry Rozier, Lamelo Ball, and Devontae Graham. They have a lot of talent on their frontcourt, and all they really need is to sign a center who can protect the paint and collect rebounds. If they are able to acquire one before the trade deadline expires, then they can exceed expectations and become a legitimate threat. A team in the West who Greer has barely making the playoffs that I believe can easily be a top-three team in the Western Conference is the New Orleans Pelicans. They have so many young playmakers and a very stacked bench. If future stars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are able to develop chemistry and evenly distribute the ball instead of forcing shots, then I believe this team can make noise in the postseason.

For my readers out there, be sure to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts and opinions on Greer’s take as well as your opinion on my takes. I really enjoy reader interaction as it helps expand my knowledge on sports and provides me with different perspectives and ideas that I was oblivious to before. I leave my readers and viewers with a few questions to answer: Who do you believe will win the Western and Eastern NBA conference? Which team do you believe will digress the most this season? Which team do you believe will improve the most this season? I am highly anticipating my reader’s comments and look forward to seeing them.

I remind you all to post questions that you may have on the NBA season as a whole. I strive off of my reader’s questions and learn a lot from them. Your questions help me understand my reader’s viewpoints on the potential turnout of the NBA. Be sure to like and subscribe if you liked this post and make sure to tune in on Saturday, as I discuss the college football playoffs and what possible new implications to make it more interesting. I hope you all enjoyed this post and I wish you guys a happy holiday!