Predictions for 2018-19 NBA season and how they impact the Denver Nuggets
Western Conference Standings
1. Golden State Warriors – 64-18
2. Houston Rockets – 57-25
3. Utah Jazz – 50-32
4. Los Angeles Lakers – 48-34
5. New Orleans Pelicans – 47-35
6. Denver Nuggets – 47-35
7. Oklahoma City Thunder – 45-37
8. San Antonio Spurs – 44-38
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9. Minnesota Timberwolves – 42-40
10. Portland Trailblazers – 42-40
11. Dallas Mavericks – 40-42
12. Los Angeles Clippers – 37-45
13. Memphis Grizzlies – 32-50
14. Phoenix Suns – 28-54
15. Sacramento Kings – 26-56
Predictions Explained
Nuggets fans may be disappointed to see a projected 6th place finish after all the hype around the team this off season, but unfortunately, that is probably as good as it’s going to get next year.
Denver Nuggets
The Warriors are almost certainly going to be the 1 seed. They probably have the talent to finish with around 80 wins, but I don’t think they will overwork their starters during the regular season. It would be foolish to, as they already hold several regular season records, including the wins record, so why would they bother attempting to create new records and potentially jeopardize their dynasty?
I’m predicting the Rockets to take a fairly significant step back, but not too significant. They lost their 2 best wing defenders in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute and replaced them with James Ennis III and Carmelo Anthony. Ennis is a good enough defender, but he can’t match the 3-point scoring of either of the aforementioned players. Melo is not a good defender in any sense of the term and is an average 3-point scorer at best. He could actually hurt the team the way he did the Thunder last season, with lackluster shooting displays coupled with being a defensive liability. However, they still have arguably the best back court in the league and the reigning MVP. It would be a shock to see them finish below 3rd place.
The Utah Jazz finished last season with a bang, with 3 win streaks of 6+ games past the 41st game, a dismantling of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 1st round of the playoffs, and a commendable effort against the 1 seed Rockets in the second round. I expect their defense to remain as formidable as last year, and perhaps even more so with Rudy Gobert likely playing more games this year and Donovan Mitchell improving. Their offense will likely prove even better than last year, with Ricky Rubio continuing to develop a jump shot, Donovan Mitchell improving on the other end of the floor, Joe Ingles knocking down 3-pointers, and the addition of Grayson Allen. This team will be scary next year.
The Los Angeles Lakers are really only here because of LeBron. The youngsters will have improved another year, and the shooting ability of their 2 draft picks may also play a factor, but their free agency signings were uninspiring at best. Their placement this high on the list is a testament to the greatness of James more than anything else.
The New Orleans Pelicans don’t look to have improved this off season, but Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle are pretty competent replacements for Rajon Rondo and Boogie Cousins. I think that Anthony Davis will continue his ascension to a top-3 player in the league and will go on an absolute tear of the league. Jrue Holiday is one of the best point guards in the league and a great partner for Davis. Expect this team to make some noise.
Ah, the Denver Nuggets. Back in the playoffs once again. It will be a good season in Denver, with Nikola Jokic bringing his game to the next level and Jamal Murray and Gary Harris providing an offensive punch few other back courts can match. The team will improve significantly on the defensive side of the ball with the full season addition of Paul Millsap and more minutes for Torrey Craig, which will be the main reason they will make the playoffs for the first time in half a decade.
The OKC Thunder supposedly had a great off season, but I don’t see this team doing very well. Sure, they brought back Paul George who helped them win 1 more game from the season before, but they lost Carmelo Anthony and the 16.2 points he provided last year. They didn’t make any other significant signings, and their bench is still terrible to non-existent. Beyond Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson, there isn’t much of a team here, no matter how much money they through at Jerami Grant($9 mil a season for the next 3 years).
The San Antonio Spurs will just eke their way into the playoffs. DeMar DeRozan manages to be a top-25 player in the league even without a 3-point jump shot or effort on the defensive end and joins a team that won 47 games last year without its best player for the majority of the season. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeRozan will form a dynamic duo that doesn’t shoot threes or play very much defense, yet they will still manage to win over 40 games. Gregg Popovich always finds a way.
The Timberwolves jubilation over making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years last season will be short-lived, as Jimmy Butler may try to force his way out of the organization, Andrew Wiggins’ contract will become the laughingstock of the league, and KAT will be forced to try to lead a team all by himself without much defensive effort or a commendable work ethic. It will be a cold and long winter in Minnesota.
The Trail Blazers fell right back to Earth after surprising everyone and grabbing the 3 seed last year when they got swept out of the playoffs by a 6 seed without their second best player. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum make up a back court that has plenty of offensive capability, but basically no defensive competence. The losses of Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier will prove too difficult to overcome for a team stuck in the purgatory of being good, but not good enough.
The Dallas Mavericks may not have impressed last year, but their owner was very blunt about their objectives and their seemingly intentional propensity for losing. It’s clear this was a 1-year tank job, as they now boast a young starting lineup with 2 very promising guards in the back court, a capable and underrated former title winner at the 3, and a rebounding, defensive machine at center. While they may not make the playoffs this year, look out for them in the future.
The LA Clippers did not have a fantastic off season in terms of personnel added, but this team still has a promising future. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a phenomenal Summer League, and he looks like a future high-caliber point guard. Tobias Harris will continue to make under the radar contributions next year and they added a lot of 3-and-D guys at basically every position. They may not impress this season, but with the possible addition of Kawhi Leonard next year, this could be a scary team in the future.
The Grizzlies may improve slightly from last season, but I think a lot of their problems will remain. I like the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr., but Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are getting old and will likely be shadows of their former selves. Kyle Anderson may succeed outside of the safety of Popovic’s defensive system, but he certainly won’t be anything to write home about. This team will continue to dwell in the dungeons of the Western Conference.
The Suns had a decent off season, adding a future fixture at the 5 in DeAndre Ayton and trading for 3-and-D stud Mikal Bridges, but the signing of Trevor Ariza was a weird move that could stunt the growth of Josh Jackson, T.J. Warren, and Marquese Chriss. Resigning Devin Booker was a great move, but they are still too young to make any serious waves.
The Sacramento Kings continue to be miserably mediocre and maladroit(alliteration is fun!). They bizarrely signed Nemanja Bjelica to a 3 year, $20.5 million contract, adding to an already crowded front court. They drafted Marvin Bagley III over Luka Doncic, which will be a decision that will haunt their franchise for years, and De’Aaron Fox, without a jump shot, will not be able to lead this team to wins single-handedly. This team has a bleak outlook for the future.
