Biggest Achieving & Disappointing Teams During the 2020 NBA Season

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After the NBA season shut down on March 11, there were uncertainly on whether the season would resume. Then, the bubble happened, and there wasn’t a single case in the bubble. ZERO cases! That’s the biggest achievement and I wanted to congratulate the NBA for doing a tremendous job and making it as safe as possible. Here is a recap of the biggest disappointments and achievers during the 2020 season.

Biggest Achievers

Los Angeles Lakers

The obvious biggest winners of 2020, as the Lakers captured their 17th championship. Their first since 2010. After LeBron arrived in LA last year and failing to make the playoffs last year, the Lakers front office did a fantastic job of surrounding LeBron with better pieces. Such as trading for generational-talent in Anthony Davis, acquiring vets in Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, and hiring Frank Vogel (who doesn’t get enough credit for the job he done this season). Resulting in a championship this year and a pretty good chance in winning the championship next-year as well. It obvious that the Lakers are in a three-year championship window, in order to maximize what LeBron has left. The question that now remains is will the Lakers try to add a third legitimate option or will they run it back with the same group?

Miami Heat

The surprised run of the playoffs. Outside of the Miami Heat fanbase, I guarantee, that nobody predicted them to make the NBA Finals. After originally being projected to be a middle to lower seed playoff team and a first or second round exit team. The Miami Heat massively outperformed expectations this season by beating Indiana, Milwaukee, Boston, and then they made it a tough series against the Lakers. Pat Riley has done it against with the acquisition of Jimmy Butler (who changed the narrative about him being a bad teammate and a cancer in the locker room) and the emergence of Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, the rookies in Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and the additions of vets in Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala. With the star player in Jimmy Butler, the promise of their young rising stars and cap space to add a star in 2021, the future of this team is very bright.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets were the two darlings of the bubble, as they were overlooked and dismissed as contenders in the West. I believe the Nuggets earned the respect of a lot of people. Whatever your thoughts are on the bubble, you can’t argue how well this Denver team stayed together in this taxing, unprecedented bubble experiment that tested each team’s resiliency. In terms of mental toughness, this team was as tough as any team in the bubble. This team did something that no other team in NBA history had ever done before, which is comeback from a 3-1 lead twice in the same postseason. The emergence of Jamal Murray this postseason was a sight to see. No one, besides, Jimmy Butler did more to improve their stock during the playoffs. The Nuggets already knew about how good Jokic was but what they learned about Jamal Murray and Michael Porter was even more valuable for the future of this franchise.

Oklahoma City Thunder

At the beginning of the season, BPI gave the Thunder an 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. Not only did they make the playoffs but they were the fourth seed and took the Houston Rockets to seven games and to the final possession. This team was able to thrive with their key players being cast-offs. Chris Paul, who many had counted out, had a bounce-back year. The leadership that Chris Paul displayed this season was a beauty to see. The emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has to be a welcome sight for OKC fans. With, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a cornerstone and the infinite amount of assets that OKC received for trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook. Along with the potential assets that OKC could receive if they do decide to trade Chris Paul. The Thunder has position themselves into a good situation as their future looks very bright. It’s safe to say that this Thunder’s team was one of the biggest winners this season.

Disappointments

Los Angeles Clippers

Without question, this is the most disappointing team this season. Having their season ending in the worst possible way by blowing a 3-1 lead in the second round. Not only did the Clippers had championship aspirations but they went go all-in by trading away their future in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George (who massively underperformed this postseason). Chemistry, injuries, and the lack of continuity were a major issue throughout the entire season, as the Clippers rarely practiced and played in games together as full squad. It was hard for this team to find a rhythm as there was always someone out of the lineup whether it was Kawhi managing his knee, Paul George out with nagging injuries, Pat Beverly out with nagging injuries, or someone else out for other reasons. To make matters worse, the lack of reps together, the lack of chemistry, and lack of continuity, all led to internal struggles during the playoffs, which ended up causing the Clippers to separate from Doc Rivers. This collapse has put immense pressure on the Clippers next season, as Kawhi and Paul George can become free agents and leave after next season. Given the history of this franchise and everything that they traded away for Kawhi and Paul George, if those two decides to leave LA, then this franchise will face a major setback for over the next 10 years.

Houston Rockets

I am very concerned for the future of the Houston Rockets. After failing to beat a loaded Golden State Warriors team in back-to-back seasons, the Rockets swapped Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. That trade is looking worse and worse as the days goes by. Russell Westbrook is set to make $41million, $44million, and $47million over the next three seasons, as his fit alongside James Harden and the rest of Rockets looked questionable (especially in the playoffs). The Houston Rockets opened eyes when they decide to trade Clint Capela and decided to go full-on small ball. The Rockets had championship aspirations and obviously they didn’t win the championship, nor did they make the Finals or the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets largely underachieved this season as James Harden and Russell Westbrook didn’t have standout performances in the playoffs as they lost in 5 to the Lakers in the second round. I don’t know where the Rockets goes from here, the Rockets don’t really have that much trade assets, the Rockets are in a tough situation in my opinion, but one thing is certain, CHANGE is necessary if the Rockets want to be a championship contending team.

Philadelphia 76ers

Without a doubt, the 76ers have underachieved this season. On paper, I believe this was the most talented team in the East this season. Philly was originally projected to finished top-three in the conference, instead they finished sixth and got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first-round. The lack of leadership from this group were as evident as ever which led to the demise of Brett Brown. The front office hasn’t provided the right pieces to build around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The front office added veteran players in Al Horford and Tobias Harris (at a very high cost); instead of addressing their biggest need SHOOTING. Given massive deals to Al Horford and Tobias Harris, Philly have put themselves into a tough spot. Time is running out for this team to go to the finals and their dysfunction on-court has only amplified the frustration for both the players and the fans of Philadelphia.

Milwaukee Bucks

After having the best record in the NBA, during the regular season. The Bucks season ended much earlier than what they were anticipating. For the second year in a row, the Bucks underperformed in the playoffs, and now Milwaukee heads into a very pivotal offseason that will determine the long-term future of their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s set to become a free agent in 2021. Also, one thing that is clear, after this disappointing playoff run, is that Milwaukee is in need of another playmaker and shot-creator. As well as Giannis will need to continue to improve his shot, in order to overcome the way teams defends him in the playoffs. Khris Middleton is a very good player, however; he might be better as a third option instead of the co-star to Giannis. Now, the biggest question is what will Milwaukee do to improve their roster in order to keep Giannis in Milwaukee?