The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most detrimental years that many of us have ever faced. 2020 has been nothing but a train wreck that would take years to repair. It’s very tough to remain positive during this dark chapter that the world is facing; however, one of the things that always brings joy and a smile to my face is reflecting and analyzing the best moments in basketball history. Watching “The Last Dance,” for instance, was a highlight for many people as that was the closest thing we have had in watching basketball since COVID-19 unleashed. However, what are the top 10 greatest story-lines this season revealed?
This was a tough list to make as there were so many incredible story-lines this season had to offer, but there can only be ten spots. With that being said, here are some honourable mentions that almost made the top ten.
Honourable Mentions
The Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have quickly become one of the best if not the best regular-season team in the modern era. With Giannis leading the charge alongside his trusted squire that he can rely on in any given night, the chemistry and the willingness to sacrifice a shot or highlight play is what granted the Bucks this amount of success in the first place. Even though they do host their own WWE wrestling match before most games, the Bucks as a unit has been nothing but entertaining and an example of how basketball should be played. With the essence of teamwork and trust that the Bucks roster has with each other, it doesn’t surprise me that they are the number one seed in the entire NBA!
The reason why they missed the cut for making the top 10 is due to their previous season. Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks finished the year with 60 wins and was crowned as the number one seed in the entire NBA. Although the Bucks did lose Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic in the off-season, the Bucks managed to develop new talent such as Donte DiVencenzo to fill the three-point shooting void. The Bucks exceeded expectations this season, and even though they did play phenomenal basketball, they were still projected to be one of the best teams in the NBA regardless.
Zero to Hero
Entering the 2019-20 season, the Charlotte Hornets were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA. With the loss of Kemba Walker, the Hornets were left with an abundance of young players that still need to develop while also having MANY horrible contracts with little to no talent to show for it. However, the emergence of Devonte Graham is what prevented the Hornet’s initial fate from happening as he became an absolute sensation on the court. Other players including, Terry Rozier, PJ Washington, and Miles Bridges, have all been vital pieces to the Hornets unexpected success and, as a result, are only seven games behind the eighth seed!
Considering how terrible the Hornets were supposed to have been this season, their season has been a great story-line while also an underrated one. Even though the Hornets are still a lottery team, they exceeded expectations and deserve an honourable mention.
10. Injuries Don’t Matter When Your Name Is Nick Nurse
The Toronto Raptors this season experienced one of the most lacklustre seasons this year yet still managed to stay on top. From Pascal Siakam missing more than a month of basketball to Norman Powell never getting an opportunity to remain healthy and dominating the competition, the Raptors proved that great coaching could take a team from mediocrity to contention.
Despite the departure of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, the Raptors have remained as one of the best teams in the NBA with Pascal Siakam leading the charge. However, what makes the Raptors season so special is their depth, coaching, and overall maturity as a team. Nick Nurse has put Toronto on the map as he brought relevance and winning to the province of Ontario, and the rest of Canada. For decades, the sports world in Canada has been underwhelming as most Canadian teams in major leagues have struggled to bring any relevance and instead has been viewed as a laughing stock. Yet, Nick Nurse and the rest of the roster meshed well together this season and, as a result, made the Toronto Raptors relevant and a dangerous contender in the Eastern Conference. The future for the Raptors is nothing but exciting as Nick Nurse and Pascal Siakam will be the faces of Toronto for many years to come.
9. Lebron James Strikes Back
Last season, Lebron James broke his career streak of making the playoffs every season and had possibly the worst season of his career (record-wise and overall success). Even though James was averaging incredible numbers, his nagging groin injury and lack of experienced teammates led the Lakers to continue their playoff-less drought. Analysts and the entire NBA world were slandering James for his lack of ability to make the playoffs last season; however, when you examine the situation, those initial slanders look foolish. It’s very easy to hate greatness, and Lebron James this season, reminded the entire basketball community why he is regarded as the GOAT in the modern-day basketball era. Instead of submitting to what the media had to say about his production last season, James used that as fuel to spark his incredible ability and, as a result, is top three in MVP votings in his 17th season!
James, this season is a story-line that may not come to mind; however, he had a chip on his shoulder and needed to resurrect himself from all the slander he received. The reality is, James missed more than 20 games while barely missing the playoffs, so in hindsight, if he were healthy, he would have lead the Lakers to the playoffs instead of hearing the constant slander he did receive.
8. Out With The Old And In With The New
One of the most exciting factors about the 2020 NBA season is the number of young players that turned into borderline superstars. These players include Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Domantas Sabonis, Pascal Siakam, Jaylen Brown, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and many more. This season demonstrated that the NBA is in good hands for many years to come, and even though players like Lebron James and Kevin Durant may retire in this decade, the future for the NBA is bright.
The young production of so many young players makes a great story-line and brings up exciting discussions of who will be the next face in the NBA! Without the emergence of so many young players this season, teams such as the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and the Memphis Grizzlies would not be in the same position they are at today.
7. The Flame Is Reignited In Miami
The Miami Heat, in a matter of one season, went from a lottery team with young players that had little to no drive to a top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. Jimmy Butler is the reason for this as he played a vital role while also being the main reason for the Heat’s outstanding performance. He brought a new culture of work ethic and a winning identity to the lockerroom, which resulted in many players increasing their production on the court while improving their statistical performance. These players include Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Derrick Jones Jr. With the leadership of Butler to the fantastic supporting cast that the Heat has, Miami was not only one of the more exciting teams to watch this season but also a great story-line.
6. There’s A New European Star In The NBA
The Dallas Mavericks last season saw their most coveted star retire from basketball after 21 years of service. Dirk Nowitzki brought Dallas their first and only championship while being named a multiple time all-star and an MVP recipient. Despite the Mavericks still missing their former coveted star, Mark Cuban immediately went to work and traded up in the 2018 NBA draft to select Luka Doncic, the next star in Dallas.
Luka, in his rookie year, was already regarded as one of the best players in the world while only being 19 years old! Although he showed promise and superstar potential in his first season, no one would have ever guessed that he would average close to a 30-point triple-double in his sophomore season while leading the Mavericks to the playoffs. Doncic exceeded every expectation as he is one of the runner-ups for the MVP award while also leading Dallas back to popularity. His incredible performance this season introduced a great story-line as he has been compared to many NBA legends and can be the greatest player the NBA has ever seen!
5. Chris Paul Is Back
For the last few seasons, Chris Paul was regarded as a player that drastically fallen off while also being known as a player that is extremely overpaid. Even though he helped lead the Rockets to the conference finals in the 2018 NBA playoffs, Paul was seen as a villain with a reputation for being known as a whiner. However, what many people failed to recognize was, Paul was not content with where he was at, and even though he had a solid chance of making the finals alongside James Harden, his situation in Houston was nothing but disappointing. The Rockets didn’t see a reason in keeping Paul and was traded to OKC in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Entering this season, the Thunder were looked at as a lottery team that had a very small chance of making the playoffs. Although they had some veteran players alongside Chris Paul, such as Danillo Gallinari and Steven Adams, the rest of the roster was initially viewed as a very weak team. With all the draft picks and young talent that the Thunder had, they were projected to hit the lottery; however, Chris Paul didn’t allow that for himself. As a result, Paul played sensationally as he would make the all-star game and lead his team to a top-five seed in a profoundly talented Western Conference. Paul proved to the NBA that he has a lot more fuel in the tank and reminded us why he is still a top-five point guard in the NBA.
4. Dawn Of The Duo
The dawn of the duo was one of the first story-lines that was introduced in the 2019-20 NBA season. The moment that the Golden State Warriors lost Kevin Durant in free agency, the NBA quickly restored itself and brought competitiveness back to the NBA. While some players such as Khris Middleton and Klay Thompson returned to their respective teams, other players such as Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving decided to leave their previous teams and instead join a new team to dawn a new cape for a league of star-studded duos. Instead of having superteams, many organizations across the NBA constructed their teams to have all-star to superstar calibre duos, which opened the NBA for anyone to win the 2019-20 championship. There is no concrete winner for the 2019-20 NBA season hence why the dawn of the duo makes a great story-line filled with discussions and debates.
3. Ja Morant Vs Zion Williamson
The rookie of the year race for the last three seasons has been one of the more entertaining story-lines in recent history. From Donavan Mitchell vs Ben Simmons to Luka Doncic vs Trae Young, the NBA has been receiving a rapid rate of incredible talent for many years to come. With the game evolving as quickly as it is, only one player can win this award.
This season, the faces of the 2019 draft class have been Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. What makes this story-line so special circles around two main factors which are, anticipation and who is the more talented rookie. Although Ja and Zion are incredible athletes, the debate for who should win the award was unanimous at first; however, the moment Zion entered the scene, discussions on who should win the award began to unfold. The anticipation for Zion entering the NBA is a story-line of its own but, Ja Morant should have also received just as much anticipation as he has the potential to be the best point guard in the NBA down to the road. The rookie of the year race is still debated to this day as many people believe that if the 2019-20 season continued, Zion would have taken the award away from Ja’s hands.
2. Was That The All-Star Game Or The NBA Finals?
The All-Star game had a lot of anticipation and change due to the unexpected tragic death of Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and the rest of the members that were apart of the devastating helicopter crash. As a result, Adam Silver decided to make changes out of respect for Kobe’s legacy and introduced new rules that were confusing at first but later revealed itself as one of the greatest changes in recent history. The 2019-20 All-Star game was one of the most if not the most entertaining All-Star game in NBA history. From Kyle Lowry flopping and playing tight defence to Anthony Davis shooting a clutch free-throw to seal the game, this All-Star game brought many NBA fans on their feet. As a cherry on top, The All-Star MVP award was named after Kobe Bryant, which was just the perfect testimony to what would be one of the most exciting yet emotional games in NBA history.
1. Battle For LA
The best story-line of the 2019-20 NBA season was the battle for LA. In the 2019 NBA off-season, the Lakers were already viewed as the favourites to win the championship, considering that they already have Lebron James and Anthony Davis. However, the conversation that brought the most anticipation and for some fans anxiety was, where Kawhi Leonard was going to sign. Some people believed that he would remain a Raptor while others felt confident that Kawhi would join the Lakers to form a new dynasty that NBA fans would have difficulties in comprehending. But, the Clippers were still a team that had a lot of cap-space and, as a result, convinced Kawhi that the Los Angeles Clippers will be the new team in LA. To make matters even more competitive for the Lakers, the Clippers decided to accept Kawhi’s demands and trade for Paul George, which introduced the birth of a new rivalry NBA fans have been patiently waiting to see.
What makes this story-line the best story-line of the 2019-20 NBA season is, how both LA teams have the best duos in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard and Paul Goerge last season were two of the best players in the NBA as Paul George was an MVP candidate and a defensive of the year candidate while Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors in winning their first-ever championship where he would receive his second finals MVP. On the other hand, the Lakers have one of the best power forwards in the NBA in Anthony Davis and arguably the greatest player to ever play the game in Lebron James.
Furthermore, the Lakers have the most pressure in winning the championship this season, considering that they lost arguably their greatest player to dawn the purple and gold. Lebron James has the most pressure he has ever had in his career as he gave himself the obligation and responsibility to lead the Lakers to the NBA championship and honour and respect Kobe Bryant’s legacy and the impact he brought NBA fans across the world. A championship is needed for the Los Angeles Lakers this season; however, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers also have an obligation to compete against the Lakers and bring home their first-ever championship trophy.