Houston Rockets
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- 6th in the west
- 10th in the league
- +1400 championship odds
Eric Gordon's right knee injury affected his game this season, but hopefully the additional time off has allowed him enough time to be back to full health. Looking to return to form, Gordon could provide perimeter shooting to open up the driving lanes for Russell Westbrook and James Harden, and the Rockets could excel even without a traditional big man.
Robert Covington could also be a key player in the playoffs. As an often-overlooked player, he was brought to Houston for his defensive abilities. Statistically, Covington had been having the worst defensive season of his career. He spent the first 48 games of it in Minnesota, which means that statistical analysis alone isn't a fair assessment of how Covington can still be a force on the defensive end. He will likely be tasked with guarding opponents' best offensive player, and if he can be successful in that task, then the Rockets could be a tough team to beat.
Dallas Mavericks
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- 7th in the west
- 13th in the league
- +5000 championship odds
Last year's rookie of the year and this year's candidate for MVP and most improved player, Luca Doncic, has proven to be a big-time performer at all levels, and we've yet to see him let pressure affect his game.
Kristaps Porzingis is another one to watch for. Porzingis has always been an anomaly since entering the league. Coined "The Unicorn" by some, his combination of size, shooting, and defensive ability is almost impossible to stop when he's on the court. Unfortunately, Porzingis has been sidelined with injuries throughout his career; but, much like Joel Embiid, he's only going to help the team if he's on the floor and fit to play.
It also doesn't hurt to consider that the Mav's hold the highest offensive rating in the history of the NBA. I question if Dallas has the structure around their two Euro sensations, but the duo may be good enough to do it themselves.Philadelphia 76ers
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- 6th in the east
- 12th in the league
- +2000 championship odds
Things were not looking good for Philly before the March pause. Simmons was out with a back injury and not slated to be back for the original start of the playoffs. Joel Embiid has also, yet again, dealt with nagging injuries this season. But he's continued to show what he can accomplish if he's able to stay healthy enough to reach his full potential.
The Sixers have shifted Ben Simmons into the power forward position while still maintaining primary ball-handler responsibilities. Averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game on the year already, this move might be the change the Sixers need to elevate Simmons to a new level.
In their first scrimmage game, Simmons just missed a triple-double. The Sixers have the star power to take on any team in the playoffs, but will a lack of perimeter shooting (JJ Redick) prevent them from advancing through the eastern conference?
Boston Celtics
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- 3rd in the east
- 5th in the league
- +2000 championship odds
Kemba Walker struggled during the games leading up to the pause in March due to a knee injury. Having the extra four months off to heal has greatly improved the Celtic's chance of making the NBA Finals.
Jason Tatum was on fire before the pause and is expected to pick back up right where he left off as a dangerous scoring threat. His progression has been impressive this season, posting 17 points per game while shooting just under 46% from the field. Walker and Tatum provide Boston with two all-star caliber threats on offense to pair alongside budding star Jaylen Brown, who we have seen improving throughout the 2019-2020 campaign and could be the third piece to a Celtic championship puzzle.
The time off also gave Gordon Hayward more time to recover. He is now the healthiest he has been since his gruesome injury sustained during the 2017 season opener. His ability to score from anywhere on the floor and make smart plays with or without the ball makes him an X factor that could push Boston all the way through to the finals.
MVP - Lebron James
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While the reigning 2019 MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a favorite pick for back to back MVP awards, our pick for MVP is with the King: Lebron James. Although the "Greek Freak" may be dominating in various statistical categories, including field goals, points, blocks, and rebounds, Lebron's overall achievements this season should be enough to grant the 4-time MVP his 5th award. Leading the league this year in assists, his ability to maximize the talent around him only adds to his case. James has led this Laker team to top spot in a stacked Western Conference, he has exceeded the expectations of what anyone thought possible in their 17th season of basketball, and it looks like he's far from being done.
Rookie of the Year - Ja Morant
There was a good chance the Rookie of the Year Award may have gone to Zion Williamson of the Utah Jazz before the announcement of seedling game exclusions, but with only counting his 19 played games this season, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is undoubtedly the pick for rookie of the year. Morant is one of only three rookie players in the NBA to ever average over 20 points and 8 assists in their first year. Morant leads a young core group of players that are looking to establish themselves as playoff contenders in Memphis, and he provides the superstar foundation that teams are looking to harness for the future.
Sixth Man Award - Dennis Schroder
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This one was a tough call between Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams of the LA Clippers and Dennis Schroder of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Schroder's ability to carry his team this season won our pick for sixth man. Of course, his 19 point and 31 minutes played average helps prove our case, as well.
The Thunder have put together an unexpected season after the departures of both Russell Westbrook and Paul George. While Chris Paul has been the biggest reason for Oklahoma City's fifth-place standing in the western conference, it can also be attributed to the play of Schroder coming off the bench and maintaining a high level of scoring ability from the guard position.
Defensive Player of the Year - Anthony Davis
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It's finally time for the Lakers' Anthony Davis to win Defensive Player of the Year. Statistics may favor reigning champ Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, but Davis' defensive game this year simply can't be matched. The Lakers rank third in the league for points allowed per 100 possessions, mostly due to Davis.
The Frank Vogel-led Laker defense has allowed Davis to play at his natural position of power forward as the Lakers have made a point to bring in traditional centers so Davis wouldn't have to play out of position the way he did in New Orleans. This has allowed Davis to have much better matchups and has also allowed him to roam in the paint more to disrupt opposing offenses from getting easy scores.
Most Improved Player - Bam Adebayo
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Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat had a phenomenal year coming off of a two-year reserve role for the Heat–one which earned him our pick for most improved. As a starter this year, he put up an impressive line of stats and has proven that he can defend any opponent. Much like Dennis Schroder's Thunder, the Heat have over-performed compared to expectations, and Adebayo has proven to be one of the most promising young talents in the league, earning his first all-star selection this season.
Coach of the Year - Nick Nurse
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Coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors unequivocally gets our pick for how he handled his team this year. Things didn't look promising for the Raptors at the beginning of the season with the loss of their 2019 MVP, Kawhi Leonard, and the rocky start of the season due to injuries. At one point, the Raptors weren't projected to even make the playoffs–now they sit at 2nd place in the eastern conference. Without Nurse at the helm to adapt to the constant changes needed this season in lineups, we doubt the Raptors would be where they are right now.
Voting for the awards began on the 21st and will run through the 28th of July.