The NBA season is right around the corner. With that in mind, it is time to unveil my questionably bad predictions for the 2019-2020 season. Many of these predictions will be wrong, but if they are wrong, you can feel free to laugh in my face or send me mean tweets on Twitter. Thank you.
First Team
Stephen Curry
Curry would be my MVP front-runner, but I do not think that the Warriors will finish high enough in the West to warrant Curry’s third MVP. Curry is a serious candidate to lead the NBA in scoring as he did the last season when he played without Kevin Durant. Curry should be as electric as ever, especially with D’Angelo Russell. Curry and Russell should light up the NBA, which will allow Curry to be selected to another first-team All-NBA.
Donovan Mitchell
My selection for Most Improved Player, Mitchell should make a jump into the All-NBA teams. If the Jazz can win 60 games and are the No. 1 team in the West like I predict them to be, Mitchell should be in consideration for first-team All-NBA. Mitchell’s potential stat line could end up around 27 points and five to six assists alongside a very strong defense from the shooting guard position. With a 60-win team and 27 to 28 points per game, Mitchell should be able to be an All-NBA team player, and potentially first-team All-NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The 2019 MVP, Antetokounmpo should be a first-team All-NBA for the next decade. Antetokounmpo is going to be dominant statistical players yet again, and the Bucks should win 55 or more games yet again. Antetokounmpo could average close to 30 points and 15 rebounds in addition to playing very well on the defensive end. Antetokounmpo is a virtual lock to be first-team All-NBA this season.
Anthony Davis
If I were to select one Laker to be first-team All-NBA, I think Anthony Davis would narrowly edge out LeBron James for the honor. Davis is likely going to receive the bulk of the workload as James continues his practice of taking games off in the regular season. Davis should post a superb statistical season, and he could average nearly 30 points per game alongside double-digit rebounds and leading the league in blocks. Especially if the Lakers can secure a high seed in the Western Conference, Davis should be a shoo-in for a first-team All-NBA consideration.
Joel Embiid
My pick for MVP, Embiid should lead the best team in the NBA this season. Embiid will likely put up 25 and 12 or better numbers while adding a couple of blocks per game. Embiid is a menace on both sides of the ball, and he should be on a good enough team to warrant his selection of the first-team All-NBA. While his teammates could receive some recognition, Embiid is by far the best player on the 76ers.
Second team
Kemba Walker
Walker should thrive in the Brad Stevens system in Boston. Walker will be surrounded by enough talent to lead the Celtics to a strong record, and Walker should be good enough statistically to warrant an appearance on the All-NBA roster again. If Boston finishes as high as the third seed in the east, they should have one representative on the All-NBA team, and it would likely be Walker. Walker could average around 25 points per game and add in six or seven assists a night.
Damian Lillard
While I have lower expectations for the Trail Blazers this season, Damian Lillard is dominant as ever. Lillard has continued to be an elite shooter and scorer from the point guard position, and 2020 should be no different. If the Blazers are in a tight grind to make the playoffs, I expect Lillard to go supersonic late in the season and have a host of 30 and 40 point outbursts that could swing the vote in his favor as a member of the second-team All-NBA.
Kawhi Leonard
Similar to the decision between Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George will likely take away those for each other for the All-NBA teams as well as MVP and other awards. I think Leonard is more likely to be on a superior All-NBA team due to his consistency in scoring the basketball and his ferocity on defense. While I will talk about Paul George for the third team, I think Leonard is a slightly better player and will warrant more recognition as a top 10 player.
LeBron James
I anticipate that James will have yet another dominant campaign, leading the Lakers to more than 50 wins. After a down 2019 season which saw James miss significant time with injury, James should be fully healthy and able to contribute to a strong Lakers team. I don’t think James will have enough momentum to be a member of the first team yet again, but he should be good enough to be recognized as an All-NBA performer.
Nikola Jokic
Jokic will almost certainly end up as a top-five MVP candidate during the season, but he will likely lose out to Joel Embiid as the NBA’s best center. Jokic should have another dominant campaign in which he averages a near triple-double night-in and night-out for the Nuggets. If the Nuggets can replicate their second-place finish in the Western Conference, Jokic will be an easy addition to the second-team All-NBA.
Third Team
James Harden
Despite my prediction of the Rockets missing the playoffs, I think that Harden will still put up his usual 30 or more points per game. While I think the Rockets have significantly regressed since their trip to the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Harden should be as good as ever in terms of scoring the basketball. Harding might not be as good as his 2019 version, but he will likely lead the NBA in scoring or finish top-two at a minimum.
Bradley Beal
In a similar vein to Harden, I think Beal will have an effective season despite missing the playoffs. With John Wall out for the first half of the season, Beal will take a lot of shots and score a lot of points for a bad Washington team. Beal will likely finish as one of the best scorers in the Eastern Conference, and he could play well enough to push Washington close to a playoff berth. If Beal plays at a high-level, he will likely be recognized as a third-team All-NBA player.
Paul George
I think George will narrowly lose to Leonard as the more-voted-for player in the All-NBA race. George is a terrific player both offensively and defensively, but Leonard will likely garner more of the spotlight due to his presence as a two-time Finals MVP and bigger name than George. George should have yet another phenomenal season, and he will have a serious chance of winning a championship. He and Leonard will likely take away votes from each other, but both should be represented on the All-NBA teams.
Aaron Gordon
Arguably the boldest of my predictions, I think Aaron Gordon will take a step up and be one of the best players in the NBA. An accompaniment with the Magic finishing as a top four seed in the East, Aaron Gordon and Nikole Vucevic will have very strong candidacies for an All-NBA position. I think that both will be All-Stars in the 2020 season, and I think Aaron Gordon will be able to slip in as a member of the third-team All-NBA. Gordon is incredibly versatile as a power forward with his ability to score, play defense, and facilitate the offense to a certain degree.
Rudy Gobert
My pick for Defensive Player of the Year, I think Gobert is safely in the top-three centers in the NBA. Without disrespecting Karl-Anthony Towns, I think Gobert’s presence on a strong Utah team will lead him over the likes of Towns. Gobert will likely not post offensive numbers worthy of being a member of the All-NBA teams, but he should be the best defensive player in the league and secure a third Defensive Player of the Year award. If he can be strong defensively and the Jazz can win 55 to 60 games, he should be a member of the All-NBA rosters.
