16. Zion Williamson will lead New Orleans to the playoffs. The other day I found myself spiraling into a rabbit hole highlighted by Zion when I realized how lucky we are to have a player who can unleash a real element of shock and awe every time he enters a game. There are things he does that transcend the laws of physics and bend our conception of reality. It is literally human evolution in real time. Take a look and give yourself the next 20 minutes.
Sion’s pelicans have a lot of ground to catch up on the Grizzlies to reach the playoffs, but they also have one of the easiest plans: six of their eight opponents in the last games of the regular season are under .500. If Sion averages 35 minutes per game, there is an imaginable timeline in which pelicans end 8-0 and the eighth wonder of the NBA world claims to be a true top 15 player.
17. The Spurs will be the worst team in the Western Conference and Gregg Popovich will prepare his last game (for the Spurs). Either the Spurs will do Spurs’ things, prove everyone wrong and make a courageous run to the eight suits, or they will be expelled in their first game, they will close DeMar DeRozan and take an intense look at the emerging ones like Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson and Luka Samanic. I move to the latter.
And a few months after San Antonio skips the playoffs, Brooklyn will offer Pop an unbearable amount of money to train Kevin Durant. Now that I have your attention, please pay attention every time Popovich talks about the various forms of racial discrimination and social injustice that plague this country. Few are able to convey a more concise and clear message.
18. Kawhi Leonard will crush with his left hand. If I could sit down with Kawhi Leonard, the first question I would like to ask is “Why do you dive with your left hand instead of your (dominant) right, if there is no one there or are you going through traffic?” This is not the first “correct” question, but during last year’s very first Toronto championship, these dunks continued to happen, this being his piece of resistance. The habit brought to Los Angeles, but it never exploded in public speech that my brain feels it should. Anyway, Kawhi is fantastic and I miss his left handed shots.
19. Danny Green will be the third most important Laker (JR Smith, who last played the real NBA minutes 616 days ago, will be the least). We apologize to Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard and of course Dion Waiters, but the Lakers are not winning anything significant if Green is not constantly able to stand in front of the opposing team’s most threatening guard and / or the drill most of his open blows. Of all LeBron James’ three point assists, no Laker has been to the reception more often than Green. He is reliable and has experience in the championship. LA cannot have too many of these two qualities.
20. TJ Warren vs. Jimmy Butler will be worth all the popcorn GIFs. The last time Miami played Indiana, TJ Warren and Jimmy Butler decided they weren’t friends. Next, Butler poured the kerosene over the beef, lit a match and threw it on a grill. The barbecue is scheduled for August 10th.
21. Marcus Smart’s speeches it will be even more fun than his basketball. This is more an appeal than a prediction, but one can only pray that the TV broadcasts from inside the bubble will make us hear the epic garbage speech that is continually being vomited up by some of the league’s most heroic characters, such as Marcus Smart of the Celtics probably the safest person who ever lived. Time will tell how loud voices bring to an empty gym, but every time the game stops (especially when someone is shooting a free throw) you can be sure that Smart will do everything in his power to piss off all the players in the Opposing team. It’s like the CEO of driving people crazy.
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