2019-2020 NBA Season Predictions

The 2019-2020 season finally kicks off on Tuesday, so before then I wanted to give you my predictions for what's going to happen this upcoming season.

To start off, here are my NBA Power Rankings:

NBA Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Clippers

2. Denver Nuggets

3. Milwaukee Bucks

4. Philadelphia 76ers

5. Utah Jazz

6. Los Angeles Lakers

7. Houston Rockets

8. Boston Celtics

9. Golden State Warriors

10. San Antonio Spurs

11. Portland Trailblazers

12. Toronto Raptors

13. Brooklyn Nets

14. Orlando Magic

15. New Orleans Pelicans

16. Indiana Pacers

17. Miami Heat

18. Dallas Mavericks

19. Detroit Pistons

20. Minnesota Timberwolves

21. Sacramento Kings

22. Chicago Bulls

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Oklahoma City Thunder

25. Phoenix Suns

26. The New York Knicks

27. Memphis Grizzlies

28. Washington Wizards

29. Charlotte Hornets

30. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Clippers are the deepest team in the NBA, with the Pelicans a close second. They will go nine guys deep in the playoffs. That's absolutely insane. They have so much talent (Hi Kawhi Leonard and PG13) and depth, and that's why they're ranked first.

The Bucks are ahead of the 76ers only because I like the way their players fit together offensively. I don't feel that way about Philly's roster, but I can see why people have them coming out of the east. Both teams are really good and they're interchangeable.

The Lakers are low on my list because I don't trust Anthony Davis's health and their depth is really bad. I love the way LeBron and AD fit together, but their bench absolutely sucks.

The Warriors and Pacers are ranked where they are due to Klay Thompson and Victor Oladipo's injuries. Otherwise the Warriors would be closer to top 6 and the Pacers would be around 11 or 10. I fear the Warriors' depth or lack thereof might cause them to miss the playoffs. You know things are bad when your starting small forward is Glenn Robinson III. The Pacers have a really good defense, especially with Dipo in the lineup, and they could become a strong title contender if they can trade Sabonis for someone who can carry the scoring load and can be their closer like Jaylen Brown.

I don't think I need to point this out, but the Cavs, Wizards, and Hornets are going to be awful. Those teams are going to be like Oprah. "You get a win, you get a win, everybody gets a win!"

Now onto my playoff predictions:

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference:

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Philadelphia 76ers

3. Boston Celtics

4. Toronto Raptors

5. Brooklyn Nets

6. Indiana Pacers

7. Orlando Magic

8. Miami Heat

Outside Looking In:

9. Detroit Pistons

10. Chicago Bulls

11. Atlanta Hawks

Western Conference:

1. Los Angeles Clippers

2. Denver Nuggets

3. Utah Jazz

4. Los Angeles Lakers

5. Houston Rockets

6. San Antonio Spurs

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Portland Trailblazers

Outside Looking In:

9. New Orleans Pelicans

10. Dallas Mavericks

11. Sacramento Kings

Now to finish things off, here are my regular season awards predictions:

Regular Season Awards Predictions

Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo

1st - Giannis Antetokounmpo

2nd - Stephen Curry

3rd - Nikola Jokic

Dark Horse: Ben Simmons

Rookie of the Year: Zion Williamson

1st - Zion Williamson

2nd - Ja Morant

3rd - Tyler Herro

Dark Horse - Carsen Edwards

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

1st - Rudy Gobert

2nd - Draymond Green

3rd - Giannis Antetokounmpo

Dark Horse: Matisse Thybulle

6th Man of the Year: Derrick Rose

1st - Derrick Rose

2nd - Lou Williams

3rd - Eric Gordon

Dark Horse - Derrick White

Most Improved Player: De'Aaron Fox

1st: De'Aaron Fox

2nd: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

3rd: Bam Adebayo

Dark Horse: Jonathan Isaac

Coach Of The Year: Doc Rivers

1st: Doc Rivers

2nd: Michael Malone

3rd: Quin Snyder

Dark Horse - Rick Carlisle/Nate McMillan

Here are my predictions for how the 2019-2020 season will shape out. These predictions will inevitably be so wrong that I'll question my own basketball knowledge, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed and make sure to tune in on Tuesday as the 2019-2020 season officially begins.