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The NBA off-season 2021 and Predictions for the Season Ahead

by: Dylan Goldberg

The NBA off-season was fun filled in 2021 with many new faces in new places either via trade or free agency. Also the 2020-21 season was filled with action as the NBA saw many teams have fans back in the stadium for the first time in about a year. And as we look forward to the new season starting in October here is a recap of the season and off-season for every team.

The season ended with lots of surprises and saw the Milwaukee Bucks taking down the Phoenix Suns in six, and Giannis got his first ring. The ups and downs of an NBA season were in full effect when teams had hot streaks and cold streaks. But it was great to see the NBA back in full swing.

Note: Grades are weighted by expectation for season performance, but just being bad can also affect that

Sources:

ESPN

FiveThirtyEight

NBA

Basketball Reference

Table Of Contents:

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Detroit Pistons

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

Oklahoma City Thunder

Philadelphia 76ers

Orlando Magic

Phoenix Suns

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

Atlanta Hawks

2020-21 Season Recap

2020-21 Record: 41-31

The Atlanta Hawks were arguably the most interesting team in all of basketball last year. In the first half of the season the Hawks had a record of 13-21, about halfway through the season the Hawks made a necessary switch firing head coach Lloyd Pierce, and hiring former Pacers head coach Nate McMillian. The Hawks made a big move to acquire Lou Williams for Rajan Rondo to boost up the bench. Under McMillian they went 27-11. The Hawks were a surprising team in the playoffs making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals until losing in 6 to the Milwaukee Bucks. On top of that, Trae Young became the villain of the NBA.

Off-season

The Hawks made very minor moves in free agency bringing in Delon Wright via trade and Gorgui Dieng in another, but brought back the entire team with a one year $5M deal for Lou Williams; two-year $46M extension for Clint Capela; and lastly, John Collins is back on a five-year $125M deal. Moving on to the last part: The Draft. With the 20th pick in the first round the Hawks selected Jalen Johnson. Johnson fell in order because of his lack of work ethic, quitting at Duke and IMG academy. Their other pick was in the second round, selecting Shariffe Cooper which was a steal for this late in the draft for the point guard out of Auburn.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season Grade: A

2020-21 Off-Season: Grade B

2021-22 Projected Record (via ESPN): 47-35

Boston Celtics

2020-21 Season Recap

2020-21 Record: 36-36

The Boston Celtics were one of the more disappointing teams finishing as the 7th seed. The team, led by Brad Stevens, was torn up because of injuries, but during this season they saw the breakout of Jaylen Brown solidifying himself as a All-Star. The Celtics ended up losing in five to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Off-Season

The off-season started off quickly for the Celtics, with Danny Ainge stepping down from Head of Basketball Operations and Brad Stevens stepping up. In Brad Stevens' place they hired Ime Udoka. Right after that they traded Kemba Walker and the 16th pick in the first round to the Oklahoma City Thunder for center Moses Brown and Al Horford and a 2023 second round pick. In free agency, they acquired Dennis Schroder on a one-year $5M deal. In a trade, they got Josh Richardson, Kris Dunn and Bruno Fernando, while also getting rid of Tristan Thompson and newly acquired Moses Brown. After this trade they extended Josh Richardson for one year. The Celtics signed Enes Kanter, and later, they traded newly acquired Kris Dunn and third year player Carsen Edwards for Juancho Hernangomez. They signed Juwan Morgan on a league minimum. The Celtics' only pick came in the second round when they selected Juhann Begarin. They also signed undrafted free agent Sam Hauser.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: C

2020-21 Off-Season grade: B+

2021-22 Projected Record (via ESPN): 45-37

Brooklyn Nets

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 48-24

The Brooklyn Nets were underwhelming and that's sad to say for a team that lost in the second round. But when you have a superteam built like this you should be winning the finals. The team did have an injury problem: KD was out for a while, Kyrie out with personal reasons and Harden out with a hamstring injury. In a shortened season, the Nets got held back and couldn't reach their full potential and Spencer Dinwidde was out for the season with a ACL tear. In an entertaining seven game series, the Milwaukee Bucks pulled it out in overtime and a costly shoe size for Kevin Durant possibly lost them the game.

The Off-Season

LaMarcus Aldridge comes out of retirement to sign with them less than a year removed from retiring due to a heart problem. Plus lots of new faces, like signing Deandre' Bembry, and getting Jevon Carter. Cam Thomas, Day Ron Sharpe, Paul Milsap and James Johnson are in Brooklyn. The Nets traded four second round picks and Deandre Jordan for Sekou Doumboya (Sekou later traded and waived). And finally Patty Mills is there. The Nets drafted RaiQuan Gray in the second round as well as Marcus Zegarowski and Kessler Edwards. All those guys don't look like they are going to get rotational minutes and they might not even get signed.

Depth Chart: (Positions according to ESPN) (Up to 16 players

2020-21 Season Grade: C

2020-21 Off-season Grade: B-

2021-22 Projected record (via ESPN): 58-24

Charlotte Hornets

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 33-39

The Hornets did better than expected this season. Rookie LaMelo Ball was better than anyone could have imagined winning the Rookie Of The Year award, averaging stats of 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals. The #3 overall pick had a nice cast with P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges and Teddy Rozier. Miles and P.J. both took huge leaps during the season and both are amazing role players. The Hornets made the play-in tournament as the ten seed, but they lost immediately to the Pacers and were knocked out. The season had to be taken as a win. To add to the list of people who did really well this season is head coach James Berrago, he improved his coaching and proved he can really be a good coach in this league.

The Off-Season

The off-season for the Hornets consisted of bringing in experienced talent to help their young and rapidly growing core. Most of these guys seem like they could be mentors to the young guys. They also might have a role in the rotation, some big, some small. They brought in veteran point guard Ish Smith. Mason Plumlee was brought in via trade where Charlotte got the 37th pick and Plumlee for the 57th pick. They signed Kelly Oubre Jr. And finally the biggest signing: Gordon Hayward. On the downside, Devonte' Graham left but they got a lottery protected pick from the Pelicans. Terry Rozier got an extension and that was it from free agency. The draft was the focal point for the Hornets. With the 11th pick they selected James Bouknight. In back to back picks in the second round they selected Aaron Wiggins and Scottie Lewis. They got JT Thor at #37. and Kai Jones from the Knicks in the first round. They also picked up undrafted free agents D.J. Carton and Arnoldas Kulboka.

Depth chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season Grade A-

2020-21 Off-season grade A

2021-22 Projected record (via ESPN): 40-42

Chicago Bulls

2020-21 Season recap

2020-21 Record: 31-41

The Chicago Bulls were on the verge of the play-in tournament last year, falling two games short. Even though the Bulls didn't make the playoffs there were tons of pluses on the season. Zach LaVine broke out into stardom becoming a first time all star and a top 10 SG. The new front office and coaching staff looked very good. Billy Donovan was solid and a massive upgrade from Jim Boylen. They have a nice young core to build off every season and the 31-41 record for the Bulls is nothing to laugh at, it's a positive.

The Off-Season

The Bulls absolutely dominated the off-season. They may have had one of the biggest free agencies in basketball by adding plenty of new faces in Chicago. The team went after Derrick Jones Jr, Alex Caruso, and Tony Bradley, just to name a few. The big free agents are DeMar Derozan and Lonzo Ball were massive names to add to the growing team. Tyler Cook, Matt Thomas, and Alize Johnson are other new faces. In the draft, they got Ayo Dosunmo and Marko Simonovic, Ethan Thompson, and Devon Dotson in undrafted free agency. Overall they didn't have a huge overhaul with the good young core but it was definitely a great one.

Depth Chart (Positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: C+

2020-21 Off-season grade: A

2021-22 Projected record (via ESPN): 40-42

Cleveland Cavaliers

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 22-50

The Cavs capped off a bad season with some positives. Their coach is okay in J.B. Bickerstaff, but more importantly, their young core showed out. They made a mid-season trade for Jarrett Allen and he has been outstanding averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds a night. But Allen doesn't make money on offense, it comes from the defensive side, averaging 1.4 blocks per game. Another young contributor was Collin Sexton, averaging an outstanding 24.3 points a game, but still has flaws like passing the ball and his defense can be a little shaky. The rookie Isaac Okoro averaged 10 points a game. The Cavs might want him to be more aggressive on offense but his defense is spectacular. He has the potential to be one of the best 3 & D players in the league. The stats don't show for Okoro. For him it's more about the eye test. The final young player has been called one of the best young point guards in the league by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. That man is Darius Garland. Garland is bound to be a star with his work ethic. He put up 17 points and six assists each night.

The Off-Season

The Cavs had an okay off-season, bringing in Tacko Fall, Denzel Valentine, and a big name in Lauri Markkenen, who is young and has tons of potential. For Lauri they had to give up Larry Nance Jr., which seems to be an upgrade. They re-signed Jarrett Allen for four years $100M. Ricky Rubio was brought in from a trade. Finally in the draft they got Evan Mobley with the third pick.

Depth Chart (Positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: C+

2020-21 off-season grade: B-

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 26-56

Dallas Mavericks

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 42-30

The Mavericks had an average season for their expectations. In a stacked Western Conference they have a hard time getting a high seed. In the playoffs this year, they lost in seven to the Clippers. The Mavericks were led by 22 year old Luka Doncic. Luka led the Mavericks in all three major categories, averaging 27.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists. Luka averaged an insane 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the playoffs. The letdown of the series was their secondary guy Kristaps Porzingis putting up 13.1 points and only 5.4 rebounds and shooting a horrible 29.6% from three. Kristaps is injury prone and seems to have dropped from that all-star level he can be.

The Off-Season

The Mavs started off by firing Rick Carlisle, and bringing in Jason Kidd. Kidd has a coaching history with the Bucks and being an assistant coach for the Lakers. Kidd also has a record of being harsh; even Giannis called him out for being really harsh. Luka is in for something with Kidd. The Mavs seem to be preparing to give Luka a huge contract in a couple years and didn't do much in free agency. In their few moves they got Frank Ntilikina, and Reggie Bullock, two former Knicks.The only other free agent they got is Sterling Brown. They got Moses Brown in the Josh Richardson trade. And now they have a plethora of Centers. In the draft, the Mavs didn't have a single pick. Their first round pick went to the Knicks in the Porzingis trade. But they did sign a handful of undrafted free agents.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: B-

2020-21 Off-season grade: C

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 48-34

Denver Nuggets

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 47-35

The Nuggets are one of the top west teams and are loaded with talent. The Nuggets have bounced around in the playoffs, with one year in the conference finals, one in the second round and such. The Nuggets ended up losing in the second round this year to the Suns in six. During the regular season they had an amazing threesome with Micheal Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Nikola Jokic. Murray went down with a ACL tear during the season and led Micheal Porter Jr. (MPJ) into being the number two option. With a nice supporting cast around the three, the Nuggets have an immense amount of prospects such as Zeke Nnaji (zeek NAH-zjee) and Bol Bol. On top of that Nikola Jokic won MVP by putting up 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists a night. Jokic is one of the most fun players in the league and his two stars next to him are great Jamal Murray averaging 21.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists and MPJ averaging 19 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

The Off-Season

The Nuggets brought in one single free agent in veteran Jeff Green. In the draft, the Nuggets drafted Nah'Shon Hyland out of Virginia Commonwealth. Another prospect to add to the list. The team has so much depth and it will show in the depth chart.

Depth Chart (according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: B+

2020-21 Off-season grade: D+

2021-22 Projected record (via ESPN): 50-32

Detroit Pistons

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 20-52

The Pistons are bad; second worst team in the league according to record. Certain players are great. There is Jerami Grant, with an absolute breakout season, he has the potential to be a fringe all-star for years to come and he's only 27 years old. He has gotten progressively better; over the years, in order, these are his points per game: 6.3, 9.7,8.0,5.4,8.4,13.6,12.0, 22.3. Even in years that the numbers went down, he either got more efficient or he went to a much better team. There is a lot of potential here and this was a massive win for the Pistons. Three young players, Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, and Saddiq Bey, were pretty good. Hayes has potential, but this season was kind of a let down and he could have been better. His assist numbers are good, which is his best attribute. Isaiah Stewart was good, averaging about eight points and seven rebounds, which are solid numbers for what he does. And Saddiq Bey is the most interesting because he's probably the best. He had about 12 points a game. He can score. Plain and simple he can score.

The Off-Season

The Pistons lost a lot of pieces this off-season, like Mason Plumlee and Delon Wright, to name a few. Free agency is hard for a team like Detroit but they brought in Trey Lyles and Kelly Olynyk. I think Olynyk can be a big contributor for a couple years. He is 30, so hopefully he has a few strong seasons left for Detroit. But the draft was where they made the money. They landed the first pick and ended up drafting Cade Cunningham. The 6'7 point guard out of Oklahoma State has great vision and has the potential to be a flat out superstar for many years. He is the full package. And they also got Luka Garza and Isaiah Livers in the second round.

Depth Chart (Positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: C-

2020-21 Off-season grade: C+

2021-22 Record prediction (via ESPN): 25-57

Golden State Warriors

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 39-33

The Warriors had a great season considering all the things that they had to go through in the past. The Warriors, have had a injured Klay Thompson for two years and Draymond Green is regressing. They had 2nd overall pick James Wiseman come in and be really injury prone which is not good from a rookie. Overall it was the Steph Curry show. He really showed why he can be the best PG's in the league. Curry averaged a whopping 32.0 points per game. At some points in the season he was being triple teamed. And in the play-in tournament he got quadruple teamed. Wiseman, the rookie averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 assists. Back to the play-in they were the last team in the play-in and beat the Grizzlies behind Curry only to lose to the Lakers in the second play-in. Even though they did not make the playoffs they're were some positives.

The Off-season

The Warriors made moves to boost their rotation, such as signing Nemanja Bjelica, he can come in and be a nice shooter. Bjelica can compliment Curry and Thompson very well and fit the Warriors scheme. Chris Chiozza will come in and play some backup guard, even though he has a height disadvantage he is a great playmaker. They went out and signed Andre Iguadola and even though he is in the last stages of his career he won a Finals MVP with the Warriors a little while ago and the band is back together from when they went 73-9. Finally they signed Otto Porter Jr. He's going to be great with his backup forward play. He might have a resurgence this season and that's what the Warriors want. Another thing is Klay Thompson is healthy which is such a big part of them being good. Finally in the draft they had two lottery picks in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody and they can be very key young pieces for the future.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 Season grade: C+

2020-21 Off-season grade: C+

2021-22 Projected record (via ESPN): 48-34

Houston Rockets

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 18-55

The Rockets were the worst team in the league record wise and they probably were the worst team. This team was giving up asset after asset to get help around James Harden. This year they ended that by trading James Harden to the Nets and getting the haul in draft picks. But the Rockets have some things to figure out in John Wall and other older players as they take this leap to be younger. Kevin Porter Jr looks like he can be the second James Harden and other players need to step up to help restructure the team. Christian Wood is there for 2 more years and he can be an amazing center for years to come.

The Off-Season

As a rebuilding team that just began the process, you're not going to attract big name free agents. But surprisingly the Rockets did well even though they did not bring in any big names. They brought in veterans to boost the young core and as the vets slowly deteriorate they can lend some of their knowledge to the young core. They got veteran guards Avery Bradley, D.J. Augustin, and Dante Exum. And the three final free agents were Armoni Brooks, veteran Daniel Thies, and Khyri Thomas. In the draft was where it happened, with the second overall pick they selected Jalen Green, they got Alpren Sengun in a draft night trade. He is a really promising center. In back to back picks they got Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

Season grade: F

Off-Season grade: B-

Projected record (via ESPN): 22-60

Indiana Pacers

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 34-38

The Pacers were an underwhelming team this season only making the play-in. The Pacers have a ton of talent, and they should be a playoff team but with surprising teams in the east they're just not as good as them. The Pacers did beat the Hornets but ended up losing to the Wizards for the final spot in the playoffs. Going through the lineup, PG Malcom Brogdon was great, averaging 21.2 points (leading the team) 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game. SG Caris LeVert was brought in during the James Harden trade. He had some problems such as having a small mass on his kidney that was cancerous. He ended up averaging 20.7 points per game 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists. T.J. Warren is just a scorer and he averaged 15.5 points per game. Their all-star power forward Domantas Sabonis ended up scoring 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. The complete package. Center Myles Turner's numbers don't always show his impact but he is a stretch center with amazing defense on the interior. He put up 12.6 points per game and 3.4 blocks a game. The bench is solid with names like Jermey Lamb and T.J. McConell.

The Off-Season

The Pacers have a lot of money wrapped up into players so free agency isn't the easiest for them. They re-signed T.J. McConnell, which was good for them, he is really good off the bench especially on the defensive side of the ball and he had a really good season last year. The only other signing was Torrey Craig; he fits the system really well. With Rick Carisle coming in as head coach, it's a guarantee the offense will be good. In the draft they spent their lottery pick on Chris Duarte out of Oregon which was a great pick. The shooting guard is older and more experienced which is something the Pacers probably want. They also picked up Isaiah Jackson.

Depth Chart (Positions according to ESPN):

Season grade: C

Off-season grade: B-

Projected record (via ESPN): 40-42

Los Angeles Clippers

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 47-25

The Clippers are one of the best teams in basketball on paper. Now the production does not match. They should be a top three team in the west but they were just outside of that. The Clippers have two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Kawhi put up 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists a game. Kawhi, one of the best defensive players in the league. You can't always see that on the stat sheet, you need to watch those games. Paul George put up 23.3, 6.5, 5.2 across the board for him. The role players have been okay but it's a constant revolving door. Some consistent guys are Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, and Luke Kennard. In the playoffs the Clippers performed really well, winning in the first round against the Mavericks in 7, they continued on to beat the one seed Jazz in 6, and in the conference finals they did end up losing in 6 to the Phoenix Suns.

The Off-season

The Clippers continued the revolving door around roll players. This off-season they signed Harry Giles to be a backup PF. Isaiah Harenstien to be a Center. Justise Winslow is a backup forward from the team now. These are all solid fits for the team. In the draft they got Keon Johnson which was great and also Brandon Boston Jr. They both can help out as guards for the future and are going to be here for a while.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: A-

2020-21 off-season grade: C+

2021-22 projected record (via ESPN): 45-37

Los Angeles Lakers

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 42-30

The Lakers were extremely disappointing this season going from winning a championship to being a play-in team. But this might not be what you think, because they had such a short off-season they didn't do as well as they hoped. Same thing applies to their finals opponents, the Heat. With two superstars in Anthony Davis and LeBron James they have so much potential to be great. LeBron and AD (Anthony Davis) seasons were short due to injury and that could have made their record a lot worse. LeBron being one of the best players of all time isn't going down without a fight. Playing for an organization with this much history, it's boom or bust, there is no margin for error. A win in the play-in pushed them to the seventh seed but they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

The off-season

This was definitely the highlight of the season. The team is older now but they have a ton of guys. They brought in Trevor Ariza to be a backup forward, Kent Bazemore to be a wing. Wayne Ellington to be a shooter. Re-signed young Talen Horton-Tucker to be a future piece and he has shown great signs. Dwight Howard is back and pretty much flip-flopped with Andre Drummond. De'Andre Jordan bandwagoned over from the Nets. Rajon Rondo is back and is going to be great off the bench. For young depth they got Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for future guard play. And the final free agent piece was a draft mate of LeBron, Carmelo Anthony. They made a crazy trade for Russell Westbrook, giving up Kuzma and others. And in the draft they got Mac McClung and Austin Reaves. It was a crazy off-season and they have a combined 56 all star appearances as a team.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: C

2020-21 off-season grade: B+

2021-22 projected record (via ESPN): 53-29

Memphis Grizzlies

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 38-34

The Memphis Grizzlies season was definitely a success. Ja Morant seems like the franchise player. All of his efficiency numbers went down but that's okay from a second year player with such a high number of shots per game. In terms of basic stats like points rebounds and assists Ja performed better than his Rookie Of The Year season. Putting up 19.1 points, 7.4 assists and 4 rebounds. But they are young and their growing core is progressing nicely like Dillon Brooks having an amazing season with 17.2 points and playing outstanding defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. is "the second piece" but injuries have hurt him only playing 11 games last season. Brandon Clarke is a great piece but it doesn't seem he has superstar potential. Other guys like De'Anthony Melton, Desmond Bane, and Kyle Anderson have been key pieces to grow the team. The Grizzlies did finish as the eighth seed and made the play-in and advanced to the playoffs to play the one seeded Utah Jazz. The Jazz did win in five games and the Grizzlies were knocked out of the playoffs. Definitely a team to watch next year.

The off-season

Being in a smaller market the Grizzlies did not have a huge off-season. The two free agency moves they made were very solid. They brought in veteran defensive point guard Kris Dunn. He's going to play very solid minutes and is going to play very good defense. The Timberwolves let Jarrett Culver walk after two porous seasons. Culver is looking for a fresh start; he's young enough to have time to grow. The organization see's faith and that's good. Hopefully he gets a resurgence. The Grizzlies traded with the Pelicans and got Ziaire Williams from Stanford. They also traded for Santi Aldama from the Jazz at the end of the first round. And to cap off the off-season they traded Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams as a part of the Ziaire Williams trade.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: B+

2020-21 off-season grade: C+

2021-22 projected record (via ESPN): 42-40

Miami Heat

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 40-32

In the 2019-20 season the Heat made a finals run even though they lost. The next season the Heat got swept by the Bucks. It could have been because of short rest in the 2020 off-season. The Heat have a good roster that is balanced with old and young. The superstar Jimmy Butler is one of the hardest working players in the league and he is going to stop at nothing to get his teammates better. He is clearly the superstar last season he put up the stats 21.5 points, 7.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals. Great numbers. He brings intensity and production. The second star Bam Adebayo is a great defender, finisher, and playmaker. Even though he is small he puts up 18.7 points, 9 rebounds and 5.4 assists. With other good players around them like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson the Heat are a force in the east.

The Off-season

The Heat being a big market team, had a huge free agency. The Heat are contending now with resigning Duncan Robinson for sixteen million dollars a year. Two role players they got were Markieff Morris and Caleb Martin both forwards to help the bench unit. They signed P.J. Tucker who works for any team. He is the definition of a 3 & D player. He will sit in the corner and guard your best player. And finally in a sign and trade they got Kyle Lowry they did have to give up Precious Achiuwa who is promising but Kyle Lowry was the right move to win now. Kyle Lowry is just a few years removed from being a NBA Champion and an All-Star. In the draft the Heat had no picks.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: D+

2020-21 Off-season grade: A

2021-22 projected record (Via ESPN): 49-33

Milwaukee Bucks

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 46-26

The Bucks had the most successful season in the NBA. They won the NBA Championship, it doesn't get much better than that. Behind them was superstar Giannis Antetokoumnpo (\YAHN-iss ah-dedo-KOON-bo\) who put up 28.1 points, 11 rebounds and 5.9 assists. Giannis is arguably the best player in the NBA. The second star Kris Middleton put up 20.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. All he does is score. But Kris Middleton has a challenger for that second star and at this point they are interchangeable. Jrue Holiday who is one of the elite defenders in the league. He put up 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals.

The off-season

The Bucks made minor moves to boost the bench because they have so much money wrapped up into the big three. But they got wings like Grayson Allen who is a tough player. Veteran point guard George Hill. Rodney Hood is a solid wing. Other roster guys like Tremont Waters, Axel Toupane, Semi Ojeleye, Johnny O'Bryant, Justin Jackson and finally Javin DeLaurier. The Bucks traded for two second round players for the draft as they did not have their first round pick. They are Georgios Kalaitzakis and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Both guys are on the team and hopefully show out in the pre-season.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: A+

2020-21 off-season grade: B+

2021-22 record prediction (Via ESPN): 57-25

Minnesota Timberwolves

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 23-49

Another disappointing season from the T-Wolves. Year after year this team looks like it could have so much potential, but they always fall short. They had the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, where they selected Anthony Edwards. Edwards had a great rookie campaign but did end up falling short of the Rookie Of The Year award to LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards finished with the dunk of the year with a monster poster over Yuta Wantanabe. Karl-Anthony Towns is their superstar but he has been injury prone lately but he is still their franchise player and the T-Wolves are committed to him. In 50 games this season Towns put up 24.8 per game, 10.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists per game. And the final big name is former all-star D'Angelo Russell. They went out and paid a lot for him giving up multiple first round picks. In his year and a half as a T-Wolves he hasn't played too much. This year he played 42 games and put up 19 points and 5.8 assists a night. Other role players such as backup center Naz Reid, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden McDaniels, and Malik Beasley are very promising and are already pretty solid.

The Off-season

Being a bad small market team no free agents are attracted to Minnesota. They had two free agent signings other than bringing people back which was to get backup power forward/center Nathan Knight and Chris Silva also playing the same positions. Then they traded for Patrick Beverly which is a really nice addition to the team because he's going to add intensity, heart, and defense to the team. The Timberwolves pick was taken by the Warriors in the D'Angelo Russell deal.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: D-

2020-21 off-season grade: C-

2021-22 projected record (via ESPN): 31-51

New Orleans Pelicans

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 23-49

The New Orleans Pelicans are an interesting team. Rumors have said Zion might not be happy even though he did decline those rumors. Rumors have also said the Pelicans are going to relocate and Zion might not be happy with that. Zion Williamson is the face of the franchise the second year player put up a whopping 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night. He lives in the paint and he's one of the best at it. Zion is freakishly athletic, his future is to be a possible Hall of Famer. The small forward, Brandon Ingram is a lanky scorer who puts up 23.8 points a night. He's also very young, which is a common theme with this team. Such as role guys like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaxson Hayes, and Kira Lewis Jr. they are all very young and promising players who could develop into stars or quality starters one day.

The Off-season

The Pelicans off-season was really solid. The main thing they did in free agency was sign Devonte' Graham, they did have to give up a first round pick in a sign and trade, it seems like a good addition to the team considering they lost Lonzo Ball to Chicago. Graham is going to give solid minutes to a team that needs point guard help. Another move they made was to upgrade their center position. After a season where Steven Adams clearly didn't work with Zion, they needed a guy who could stretch the floor. And that is Jonas Valanciunas. He can stretch the floor which makes life a lot easier for Zion who needs to roam the paint. Other than that the Pelicans got a few other guys in Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple (both from a sign and trade with the Bulls). James Nunnally, and Daulton Hommes finished off free agency for the Pelicans. In the draft they traded down and got Trey Murphy III (as a part of the Steven Adams trade) and got Herbert Jones in the second round.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: D+

2020-21 off-season grade: B+

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 37-45

2020-21 season grade: B+

2020-21 off-season grade: B-

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 43-39

Sacramento Kings

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 31-41

The Kings have not made the playoffs since the 2005-2006 season. That was no different this season. The Kings consistently fail to make the playoffs. The Kings have not gotten more than 38 wins since then. But there are a few bright spots. The guy that it seems they are going to build around is De'Aaron Fox. Fox has elite quickness and athleticism, he is a natural scorer. One of the things he has struggled with is his shooting but it does seem it's improving from 30.7% and attempting 195 threes his rookie year. To 32.2% and 320 attempts this season. The league average is 35.2%. This season Fox finished averaging 25.2 points per game to pair along with 7.2 assists. Rookie Tyrese Haliburton was really good for where they picked him; he put up 13 points a game. There are some question marks like shooting guard Buddy Hield seems unhappy. And former second overall pick Marvin Bagley III is injury prone and just doesn't look like he's going to live up to the expectations. Richaun Holmes is a really solid interior center who put up 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. Also there is wing Harrison Barnes who put up 16.1 points per game.

The off-season

In a very boring off-season, the Kings got Tristian Thompson to play center minutes and Alex Len to play center minutes. Both are solid but they are expendable. Thompson is later in his career so he may look to win and Len could actually give a little more than expected when they brought him in. In the draft the Kings took Davion Mitchell in the lottery. Mitchell is an elite defender even though he is undersized. He showed that in the summer league locking down pretty much everyone he played. In the second round they took center Neemias Queta out of Utah State.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: C-

2020-21 off-season grade: C+

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 35-47

San Antonio Spurs

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 33-39

The Spurs are in rebuild mode, and that's okay for a franchise that consistently made the playoffs for many years. Led by Greg Popovic the organization could speed up the rebuilding process. Many players want to play for the Spurs and Pop. DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring putting up 21.6 points a game. DeMar is older and that doesn't really help the Spurs in the rebuilding process. The guy that they focused on is Dejonte Murray. Murray is a taller point guard with great defense. Murray can also score putting up 15.7 points per game along with 4.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.5 steals. His backcourt partner is promising guard Derrick White. White can score as well, putting up 15.4 points a night. White can also defend, being above average in most categories. Keldon Johnson is a small forward who can also defend. He can score but most guys on the Spurs can score and play defense. Johnson doesn't shoot a whole ton but he does things that don't show up on the stat sheet. Another one of those players is Devin Vassell. Vassell is a rookie that can shoot and play defense. They drafted him to be a 3 & D guy and that's something that every offense needs now. The Spurs were the last team in the play-in but did end up losing and not making the playoffs.

The off-season

The Spurs had a surprising off-season. They did lose DeMar DeRozan but they got guys like Thaddeus Young in a sign and trade. Young likes the ball in his hands as a power forward. He can pass. They paid Doug McDourmett a lot to shoot. They scooped up Al-Farouq Aminu to be a veteran on the team. Also they got Zach Collins who Portland wasn't going to use but he is very injury prone. In the draft the Spurs spent their lottery pick on Joshua Primo. Primo is a high potential guard which is what the Spurs need. In the second round the Spurs got Joe Wieskamp.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: B-

2020-21 off-season grade: B-

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 34-48

Toronto Raptors

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 27-45

The Raptors won the championship a few seasons ago but Kahwi Leonard left to go to the Clippers. After that everything went south. The team got a lot worse. They did not make the playoffs. Their leading scorer was Pascal Siakam who averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. Pascal has gotten a lot of hate for his habit to use the spin move way too often and resulting in a much worse shot. Siakam has gotten so much better over his career. He has won a Most Improved Player award. But he is supposed to be an all-star and he was not that this season. Fred VanVleet is their number one guard. Before the season they re-signed him. This season he put up 60 once. That was the most by an undrafted player in NBA history. Chris Boucher is a great stretch option and a great defender. He has really good length which helps him block shots which he did this year averaging 1.9 blocks a game. The final core piece is OG Anunoby. OG has shown steady progression in his career and that continued this season when he put up 15.9 points, and 5.5 rebounds. OG is also a really good defender and with his size and agility he has the star player assignment every night.

The off-season

The off-season was sad for the Raptors. They had to let their franchise player Kyle Lowry walk to the Heat. For many years Kyle tried to win a championship and finally did in 2019 but he is old now so he's moved on to try to win a championship. But it's not all bad because they got Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragic back for Lowry. Achiuwa is going to be really good in the future. Dragic is an old replacement for Lowry. The Raptors had a light free agency resigning Gary Trent Jr. and getting Svi Mykhailiuk. In the draft the Raptors took Scottie Barnes with the fourth pick.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: C-

2020-21 off-season grade: D+

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 35-47

Utah Jazz

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 52-20

The Jazz surprised a lot of people when they got the one seed. Behind Donovan Mitchell they got the one seed. Mitchell stepped up to 26.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Mitchell is clearly the star player around so many good depth pieces. The second star is Rudy Gobert. Gobert gets a lot of criticism for being an interior center but you can't argue with a Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert put up 14.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. He is a great player on the defensive side of the ball. Mike Conley really stepped his game up and even made the all star game for the first time in his long career. This season he put up 16.2 points and 6 assists a game. Off the bench Jordan Clarkson won Sixth Man Of The Year for the first time in Jazz history. Clarkson scored at 18.4 points per game clip. Other guys around them like Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, and Royce O'Neal are all guys who can get buckets. On any given night one guy is going to go crazy on the Jazz. But that did not transfer to the playoffs. In the playoffs the Jazz beat the Grizzlies in five games. Led by Donovan Mitchell who put up 28.5 a game. But sadly in the second round the Jazz lost to Paul George and the Clippers in six games.

The off-season

The Jazz had a great free agency. They got Eric Paschall which was a great move for them. Paschall is going to give them good power forward depth and solid minutes. Rudy Gay is also going to give them more good depth and minutes. Hassan Whiteside is going to backup Rudy Gobert and Hassan has bounced around quite a bit, so this seems like a one year rental. In the draft the Jazz got Jared Butler who fell to them and it's tough to say how he is going to do in the NBA.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: A-

2020-21 off-season grade: A-

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 55-27

Washington Wizards

2020-21 season recap

2020-21 record: 34-38

The Wizards had a rocky start to the season. So bad that they were the last seed in the east. Their star Bradley Beal was rumored to have wanted out. But in the second half of the season they got better and made the play-in. They won the play-in and made the eight seed. They did not put up much of a fight against the 76ers; losing in five games. Behind Bradley Beal they made the playoffs. Beal put up 31.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. Beal's backcourt partner for the season was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook averaged a triple double for the fourth time in his career. Putting up 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists. For someone who gets a lot of hate for his lack of three point percentage, his statline definitely goes under the radar. A couple of younger guys that they have is Rui Hachimura. He put up respectable numbers for a power forward at 13.8 points, and 6.1 assists. Hachimura seems to be the future if Bradley Beal were to leave. Deni Avdija fell to nine in the 2020 draft when some said he might go as high as fourth. Sadly for the Wizards it did not work out as Deni only put up 6.3 points in 23 minutes a night. Even though he put up those small numbers, there isn't much scoring to go around when your top two guys are combining for fifty plus every night.

The off-season

The Wizards off-season was hectic. They made a really good signing in Spencer Dinwiddie who is coming off a ACL tear. The Nets could not afford to keep him with their big three taking up so much money. It is risky to bring in a guy who is coming off an ACL tear and paying him 17 million dollars. But then they made a necessary move. They made a trade on draft night letting go Russell Westbrook and getting back the haul in two second round picks pick twenty-two in the draft that night, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma. In the draft they picked Corey Kispert with their own pick and traded the 22nd.

Depth Chart (positions according to ESPN)

2020-21 season grade: B

2020-21 off-season grade: A-

2021-22 record prediction (via ESPN): 36-46