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What’s NBA preseason without some wildly early predictions?
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors Prediction: #2 Seed in the West
We got the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. I am expecting another big year from the dubs. After the way he finished last year, I’d imagine Jordan Poole is due for a big leap forward this season, as well as adding a healthy James Wiseman to the lineup. The Warriors are definitely not going anywhere, anytime soon.
Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: #1 Seed in the West.
Staying in Cali, we’ll move on to the Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi Leonard is looking healthy, as well as Paul George. With the addition of John Wall, I can only imagine we are, going to be seeing a much deeper and versatile second group for LA this year. The Clippers are the team I see finishing at the top of the west with the 1 seed.
Sacramento Kings Prediction: #12 Seed in the West
Now on to Sacramento. The Kings are a young and upcoming team, adding a few new guys to the roster like Malik Monk, and Kevin Huerter. These new additions are going to provide them with some more scoring options, the real question is can they hold up on the defensive end? I don’t see the Kings anywhere in the playoffs just yet. I see them finishing with the 12 seed in the west this season, but there's a chance they secure a spot in the play-in.
Los Angeles Lakers Prediction: #9 Seed in the West.
Before we make our way out of California, we have to talk about the Lakers. This off-season they have stacked their Point guard position with some new guys like Patrick Beverly, Lonnie Walker, and Dennis Schroder. Kendrick Nunn (Illinois representative) should be back and ready to play this year. They also added some significant new faces to the league like Max Christie, and Scottie Pippen Jr. With all of this said, they still have LeBron James and as of now, Anthony Davis is NOT injured. So things are looking alright for the Lakers. Assuming their defense is bound to improve slightly with Pat Bev leading that second group, as well as some new scoring options for LeBron to pass to in the corner, the Lakers might just make the playoffs this year. I have them finishing the season with the 9 seed fighting for a playoff spot. Then again, there's always a small chance LeBron will show us something crazy this year.
Phoenix Suns Prediction: #3 Seed in the West.
Finally moving on to Arizona for our last Pacific Division team, the Phoenix Suns. With little to no roster changes, Chris Paul is back, DeAndre Ayton is on a new contract, Devin Booker is still Devin Booker, and Monty Williams is still one of the better coaches in the NBA. Not much to say here, the Suns are bound for another great season. It will be interesting to see if they can make a better playoff push this time around. Chris Paul still hasn’t given up on that ring just yet. I’d be surprised to see the Suns fall out of the top 3 seeds this year. That being said, I have them finishing the year as the 3 seed.
Central Division
The east is very exciting this year. A lot of people in new jerseys.
Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction: #8 Seed in the East.
Starting in the Central Division, the Cavs are looking real good. Donovan Mitchell alongside Darius Garland is a deadly scoring backcourt. With the addition of a more aggressive and more athletic point guard to play alongside, I think this opens up a lot of new opportunities to score for Mitchell that he wasn’t able to see in Utah. Cleveland will be a fun team to watch. I see them finishing the season with the 8 seed.
Detroit Pistons Prediction: #14 Seed in the East.
Moving onto Michigan to talk about the Pistons. A lot of young talent on that roster for Detroit, as well as some new faces like Kevin Knox, and Kemba Walker. However in a very tough eastern conference I don’t see the Pistons doing any significant damage. Landing them at the 14th spot in the east on my list.
Indiana Pacers Prediction: #11 Seed in the East.
Now onto Indy to talk about the Pacers…. Well that’s about all there is to say there. 11 seed for me.
Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: #1 Seed in the East.
Moving on to the Bucks. Not many roster changes, Joe Ingles is new to the squad. This is actually a pretty significant move for them. Ingles provides them with consistent spot up shooting as another player who can knock down kick-out jumpers. As much as it pains me to say it, The Bucks are bound to end up at the top of the east again this year. On my list, they’re sitting at number 1.
Chicago Bulls Prediction: #6 Seed in the East.
Now, over to the best city in the world, last but certainly most important, the Chicago Bulls. As far as roster changes, the Bulls added some vets with Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond. Both are Significant pickups. Especially with this horrible news about Lonzo Ball, having a veteran Guard with Finals experience is huge. Not only does Dragic have experience, he also is a top tier scorer, and very consistent jump shooter. Whether he starts at any point or comes off the bench, he is going to have a big impact on the game. Andre Drummond is another significant pickup. A consistent 10-20 rebounds a game, as well as a lot of experience to bring to the table. This improves our lack of size in the second group, as well as gives us the opportunity to run the break more often with more defensive rebounds. And as we all know, the Bulls are best on the break. With this said I think realistically the Bulls are looking at a 6 seed. However, the optimistic Bulls fan in me says we can land 4-5, assuming Lonzo is available more than half the season. We will see.
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Twitter: @gattuso_vince/ @pinesportsnet
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