The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings: 21-30由那么爱呢_ 发表在翻译团招工部 https://bbs.hupu.com/fyt-store
The Los Angeles Lakers have been crowned the 2020 NBA champions and now we head into an offseason that confuses us.
How long will it go? What will the money look like for the teams? Will everybody be aggressive or will the financial complications of the pandemic cause everybody to be much more conservative? Does the 2020 NBA Draft even exist? There are a lot of basics for the league that need to be decided, including when it can actually come back.
That won’t stop us from throwing out early offseason Power Rankings! Is it too early for them? Yes. Do we know enough to feel definitive about them? Not at all. Will the readers of The Athletic accept them with warmth, careful consideration and love? To be determined!
We forge into the offseason of the great unknown with rankings surely everybody will embrace.
Here’s how the Power Rankings work:
• It’s up to my discretion how the rankings shake out each week. For some teams, they’ll be hit in the short-term. Others will be given the benefit for the long-term.
• If I have a team ahead of another team, there’s no reason to ask why they’re ranked above the team you like. The answer is pretty simple: I think that team is set up better for success.
• Leave a fun, snarky comment toward me, a team, or a player and it will likely get picked by Wosny Lambre for our Power Rankings podcast, for subscribers only, which has Wos reading the best comments each week.
• Only 15 teams will be deemed worthy of a GIF or video each week. That’s to help cut down on eating up your data and computer’s processor.
• This is supposed to be fun so let’s have fun with it.
The first Power Rankings for the 2020-21 offseason restart begin now.
21. San Antonio Spurs (Previously 21st)
Offseason priority: Figure out the future for them. The San Antonio Spurs finally missed the playoffs. The streak is over. Now they have to figure out where to go from here. Guys like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV can play. Someone like DeMar DeRozan is a huge influence on them, but he also eats up some of their minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge can still score, but he eats up their opportunities on offense. How do the Spurs remain competitive, but clear a little space in order to get more real time development for everybody?
Why did they end up at this ranking? I’m ready to write off the Spurs. But I’m also terrified of them making that look completely stupid. They finally missed the playoffs, but they still have enough to compete for the 8-seed. I’m not sure they know how to be awful, but they also don’t have enough talent to be definitely good.
22. Washington Wizards (Previously 26th)
Offseason priority: John Wall’s health, Bradley Beal’s happiness, and a good forward. Some of the videos of John Wall working out look encouraging, but there is still a huge gap between some workout videos and consistently executing in NBA games. Bradley Beal signed his extension last year, but it doesn’t mean he’ll want to stay there long-term. Fending off the poachers in this league and selling him on the continued vision of the franchise is a never-ending process. And then finding a veteran forward to help make plays on both ends of the floor would be huge for making this team better. Re-sign Davis Bertans and you have a promising offseason.
Why did they end up at this ranking? Despite being one of the worst defensive teams we’ve ever seen, I’m curious what a healthier version of the Wizards looks like next season. Beal is still awesome and Wall might not be terrible in his return. He won’t be worth the money next season, but he could have a positive impact. That could be enough for the 8-seed.
23. Orlando Magic (Previously 16th)
Offseason priority: Find some damn offense. The Orlando Magic have a couple of guys who can excel on offense. Nikola Vucevic puts up good numbers, and occasionally Evan Fournier can carry a team for stretches with his hot shooting. But this team has a huge creation problem when it comes to executing Steve Clifford’s system. They want Markelle Fultz to develop into that guy, and he might do that. But he hasn’t really approached what they need him to be. Maybe sending someone like Aaron Gordon away for an offensive weapon in return ends up being the move there. But they need something.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I probably should have them higher than the Wizards, but I’m going to believe that some version of a returning John Wall and Bradley Beal next season will give them a slight edge. I don’t love this core of the Magic, unless Fultz takes a big leap. Things are just a little too constipated with their offense currently to feel like they’re a lock to return to the playoffs.
24. Atlanta Hawks (Previously 24th)
Offseason priority: Go get an impact veteran. The Atlanta Hawks brought in Clint Capela before the trade deadline, but we never got to see how he impacted a promising, but too young roster. While Capela should certainly help with some of the defensive issues, they probably need a guy on the wing to calm some things down and take some of the pressure off of Trae Young to create everything for them. It doesn’t have to be a star player, but it also can’t be Evan Turner.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I really want to believe in the Hawks and I hope they’re easily a top 20 team this coming season. They’ve got flexibility but no sure path to acquiring another good, veteran talent. Young teams have a hard time learning how to win, and this team is still very young. I wish we could’ve seen what it looked like with Clint Capela before the shutdown.
25. Chicago Bulls (Previously 25th)
Offseason priority: Find a leader on the court. They moved their hard-nosed coach away from the team and brought in much more player-friendly Billy Donovan. But Arturas Karnisovas needs to make sure he knows who the leader is for this team. Many around the league doubt if Zach LaVine can ever be that guy. Lauri Markkanen hasn’t come close to proving he has that. Nobody else on the roster is talented enough to take over. How do the Bulls solve that this offseason?
Why did they end up at this ranking? I see the talent with this roster and I like the upgrade to Billy Donovan. But this team doesn’t have much winning experience throughout the roster. They should be better than this, but I need to see them play smart basketball consistently before I buy in.
26. Charlotte Hornets (Previously 27th)
Offseason priority: Find some top talent. Devonte’ Graham turned out to be a great surprise. PJ Washington can play and Miles Bridges could end up as a very good role player. But the Charlotte Hornets have a problem with talent. They simply don’t possess enough of it. The coaching did what they could with the roster last season, and they were far more competitive than they should have been. However, the idea of losing Cody Zeller in 2021 free agency would destroy this roster. That can’t be the case for any team, even if Zeller is a valuable role player. They’ve got to get lucky in the draft, trade up to get a guy they believe in, or make a brilliant deal for a disgruntled leader.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I like what James Borrego did with a squad that didn’t have much talent. They played really hard and their young guys mostly looked promising as future quality role players. However, there isn’t a star on this roster and nothing close. I need to see them acquire someone with more upside than PJ Washington or more impact than Terry Rozier before they move up.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Previously 23rd)
Offseason priority: Find the 3-and-D guys to help their stars shine. They kept Karl-Anthony Towns and they brought in D’Angelo Russell to be his running mate. We barely saw any of that on the court before the shutdown, but the Wolves remain pretty high on the concept. Assuming they draft Anthony Edwards with the first pick instead of moving it, the Wolves still have to find some real defenders. They can’t just marry themselves to all offense. Is re-signing Malik Beasley going to solve that? Can Jarrett Culver develop into that? The Wolves need like three Robert Covingtons to feel comfortable and they don’t have any.
Why did they end up at this ranking? They’re the Timberwolves. How often are they not deserving of a spot this low? Until Towns and Russell prove they know how to win together, it doesn’t make sense to assume it’ll get fixed. The Wolves have zero benefit of the doubt built up.
28. New York Knicks (Previously 28th)
Offseason priority: Develop the youth and stop worrying about the veterans. It feels like the New York Knicks are going to try to make a big splash. Maybe that means Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook or someone else. Tom Thibodeau prefers some veterans who can win games, and the Knicks don’t have that currently. He lost patience early with the young Minnesota teams. But really, the Knicks could use this year to develop RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and whichever young players they believe in. They don’t need to rush into wins and skip steps. They always do that and it rarely works out.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I actually think if you give Tom Thibodeau a little talent here, then he’ll surprise us with more wins than most assume. I’m just failing to see where that talent comes from, unless they swing a big trade for declining star guard (Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook). And even then, what else would be left?
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (previously 30th)
Offseason priority: Figure out what the future looks like. Tristan Thompson is likely out the door, and they still have some time with Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the fifth pick in this draft, which means we have no idea what anything is going to look like when they select. So figuring out their future means determining just how good guys like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr can be. If those guys are must-have for the future of the Cavs, then they can feel comfortable building with/around those guys. But if they’re not, what do the Cavs have going for them moving forward?
Why did they end up at this ranking? This team is aggressively not good. We’ll see what happens on draft night and the development of their young guys. There is some potential there. But this Cavs team was awful this past season and I don’t see a reason yet to think that will change in 2021. Maybe Drummond and Love change that?
30. Detroit Pistons (Previously 29th)
Offseason priority: Get young talent and find a home for Blake Griffin. I’m not sure if the seventh pick in this draft will accomplish getting young talent you can be excited about, but Troy Weaver definitely needs to start stocking the cupboard for the Detroit Pistons. Is it possible to get that by dealing Blake Griffin? Can you coerce Leon Rose with the Knicks to try to unite Griffin and Russell Westbrook in New York to make a big splash in his first season? If so, would just getting rid of that deal and bringing in someone like… Kevin Knox (?) be worth it? Pistons need to clear the decks, which they started last season by dealing Andre Drummond.
Why did they end up at this ranking? They’re really bad and they might tear things down even more than we saw this past season. That’s probably a good thing too. They could benefit more than most from a high draft pick in 2021. Ride this tank, Troy Weaver!
The Los Angeles Lakers have been crowned the 2020 NBA champions and now we head into an offseason that confuses us.
How long will it go? What will the money look like for the teams? Will everybody be aggressive or will the financial complications of the pandemic cause everybody to be much more conservative? Does the 2020 NBA Draft even exist? There are a lot of basics for the league that need to be decided, including when it can actually come back.
That won’t stop us from throwing out early offseason Power Rankings! Is it too early for them? Yes. Do we know enough to feel definitive about them? Not at all. Will the readers of The Athletic accept them with warmth, careful consideration and love? To be determined!
We forge into the offseason of the great unknown with rankings surely everybody will embrace.
Here’s how the Power Rankings work:
• It’s up to my discretion how the rankings shake out each week. For some teams, they’ll be hit in the short-term. Others will be given the benefit for the long-term.
• If I have a team ahead of another team, there’s no reason to ask why they’re ranked above the team you like. The answer is pretty simple: I think that team is set up better for success.
• Leave a fun, snarky comment toward me, a team, or a player and it will likely get picked by Wosny Lambre for our Power Rankings podcast, for subscribers only, which has Wos reading the best comments each week.
• Only 15 teams will be deemed worthy of a GIF or video each week. That’s to help cut down on eating up your data and computer’s processor.
• This is supposed to be fun so let’s have fun with it.
The first Power Rankings for the 2020-21 offseason restart begin now.
21. San Antonio Spurs (Previously 21st)
Offseason priority: Figure out the future for them. The San Antonio Spurs finally missed the playoffs. The streak is over. Now they have to figure out where to go from here. Guys like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV can play. Someone like DeMar DeRozan is a huge influence on them, but he also eats up some of their minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge can still score, but he eats up their opportunities on offense. How do the Spurs remain competitive, but clear a little space in order to get more real time development for everybody?
Why did they end up at this ranking? I’m ready to write off the Spurs. But I’m also terrified of them making that look completely stupid. They finally missed the playoffs, but they still have enough to compete for the 8-seed. I’m not sure they know how to be awful, but they also don’t have enough talent to be definitely good.
22. Washington Wizards (Previously 26th)
Offseason priority: John Wall’s health, Bradley Beal’s happiness, and a good forward. Some of the videos of John Wall working out look encouraging, but there is still a huge gap between some workout videos and consistently executing in NBA games. Bradley Beal signed his extension last year, but it doesn’t mean he’ll want to stay there long-term. Fending off the poachers in this league and selling him on the continued vision of the franchise is a never-ending process. And then finding a veteran forward to help make plays on both ends of the floor would be huge for making this team better. Re-sign Davis Bertans and you have a promising offseason.
Why did they end up at this ranking? Despite being one of the worst defensive teams we’ve ever seen, I’m curious what a healthier version of the Wizards looks like next season. Beal is still awesome and Wall might not be terrible in his return. He won’t be worth the money next season, but he could have a positive impact. That could be enough for the 8-seed.
23. Orlando Magic (Previously 16th)
Offseason priority: Find some damn offense. The Orlando Magic have a couple of guys who can excel on offense. Nikola Vucevic puts up good numbers, and occasionally Evan Fournier can carry a team for stretches with his hot shooting. But this team has a huge creation problem when it comes to executing Steve Clifford’s system. They want Markelle Fultz to develop into that guy, and he might do that. But he hasn’t really approached what they need him to be. Maybe sending someone like Aaron Gordon away for an offensive weapon in return ends up being the move there. But they need something.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I probably should have them higher than the Wizards, but I’m going to believe that some version of a returning John Wall and Bradley Beal next season will give them a slight edge. I don’t love this core of the Magic, unless Fultz takes a big leap. Things are just a little too constipated with their offense currently to feel like they’re a lock to return to the playoffs.
24. Atlanta Hawks (Previously 24th)
Offseason priority: Go get an impact veteran. The Atlanta Hawks brought in Clint Capela before the trade deadline, but we never got to see how he impacted a promising, but too young roster. While Capela should certainly help with some of the defensive issues, they probably need a guy on the wing to calm some things down and take some of the pressure off of Trae Young to create everything for them. It doesn’t have to be a star player, but it also can’t be Evan Turner.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I really want to believe in the Hawks and I hope they’re easily a top 20 team this coming season. They’ve got flexibility but no sure path to acquiring another good, veteran talent. Young teams have a hard time learning how to win, and this team is still very young. I wish we could’ve seen what it looked like with Clint Capela before the shutdown.
25. Chicago Bulls (Previously 25th)
Offseason priority: Find a leader on the court. They moved their hard-nosed coach away from the team and brought in much more player-friendly Billy Donovan. But Arturas Karnisovas needs to make sure he knows who the leader is for this team. Many around the league doubt if Zach LaVine can ever be that guy. Lauri Markkanen hasn’t come close to proving he has that. Nobody else on the roster is talented enough to take over. How do the Bulls solve that this offseason?
Why did they end up at this ranking? I see the talent with this roster and I like the upgrade to Billy Donovan. But this team doesn’t have much winning experience throughout the roster. They should be better than this, but I need to see them play smart basketball consistently before I buy in.
26. Charlotte Hornets (Previously 27th)
Offseason priority: Find some top talent. Devonte’ Graham turned out to be a great surprise. PJ Washington can play and Miles Bridges could end up as a very good role player. But the Charlotte Hornets have a problem with talent. They simply don’t possess enough of it. The coaching did what they could with the roster last season, and they were far more competitive than they should have been. However, the idea of losing Cody Zeller in 2021 free agency would destroy this roster. That can’t be the case for any team, even if Zeller is a valuable role player. They’ve got to get lucky in the draft, trade up to get a guy they believe in, or make a brilliant deal for a disgruntled leader.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I like what James Borrego did with a squad that didn’t have much talent. They played really hard and their young guys mostly looked promising as future quality role players. However, there isn’t a star on this roster and nothing close. I need to see them acquire someone with more upside than PJ Washington or more impact than Terry Rozier before they move up.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (Previously 23rd)
Offseason priority: Find the 3-and-D guys to help their stars shine. They kept Karl-Anthony Towns and they brought in D’Angelo Russell to be his running mate. We barely saw any of that on the court before the shutdown, but the Wolves remain pretty high on the concept. Assuming they draft Anthony Edwards with the first pick instead of moving it, the Wolves still have to find some real defenders. They can’t just marry themselves to all offense. Is re-signing Malik Beasley going to solve that? Can Jarrett Culver develop into that? The Wolves need like three Robert Covingtons to feel comfortable and they don’t have any.
Why did they end up at this ranking? They’re the Timberwolves. How often are they not deserving of a spot this low? Until Towns and Russell prove they know how to win together, it doesn’t make sense to assume it’ll get fixed. The Wolves have zero benefit of the doubt built up.
28. New York Knicks (Previously 28th)
Offseason priority: Develop the youth and stop worrying about the veterans. It feels like the New York Knicks are going to try to make a big splash. Maybe that means Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook or someone else. Tom Thibodeau prefers some veterans who can win games, and the Knicks don’t have that currently. He lost patience early with the young Minnesota teams. But really, the Knicks could use this year to develop RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and whichever young players they believe in. They don’t need to rush into wins and skip steps. They always do that and it rarely works out.
Why did they end up at this ranking? I actually think if you give Tom Thibodeau a little talent here, then he’ll surprise us with more wins than most assume. I’m just failing to see where that talent comes from, unless they swing a big trade for declining star guard (Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook). And even then, what else would be left?
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (previously 30th)
Offseason priority: Figure out what the future looks like. Tristan Thompson is likely out the door, and they still have some time with Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the fifth pick in this draft, which means we have no idea what anything is going to look like when they select. So figuring out their future means determining just how good guys like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr can be. If those guys are must-have for the future of the Cavs, then they can feel comfortable building with/around those guys. But if they’re not, what do the Cavs have going for them moving forward?
Why did they end up at this ranking? This team is aggressively not good. We’ll see what happens on draft night and the development of their young guys. There is some potential there. But this Cavs team was awful this past season and I don’t see a reason yet to think that will change in 2021. Maybe Drummond and Love change that?
30. Detroit Pistons (Previously 29th)
Offseason priority: Get young talent and find a home for Blake Griffin. I’m not sure if the seventh pick in this draft will accomplish getting young talent you can be excited about, but Troy Weaver definitely needs to start stocking the cupboard for the Detroit Pistons. Is it possible to get that by dealing Blake Griffin? Can you coerce Leon Rose with the Knicks to try to unite Griffin and Russell Westbrook in New York to make a big splash in his first season? If so, would just getting rid of that deal and bringing in someone like… Kevin Knox (?) be worth it? Pistons need to clear the decks, which they started last season by dealing Andre Drummond.
Why did they end up at this ranking? They’re really bad and they might tear things down even more than we saw this past season. That’s probably a good thing too. They could benefit more than most from a high draft pick in 2021. Ride this tank, Troy Weaver!
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