Rank | Team | Why? |
1 | Portland Trailblazers | The champs are the champs until another takes the title from them. A fairly subdued off-season thus far as they have all but kept the team together, moving Jamal Murray to net his namesake in Dejounte and picks. Clearly the league missed Rudy Gay’s Finals MVP-worthy performance, as he is stranded on the trade block. |
2 | Chicago Bulls | The Bulls romped through the East and they have significantly improved their roster. Davis is arguably the best player in the league and they add a returning John Wall and incoming Bradley Beal at the cost of the inconsistent pair of D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. Coasting to 60+ wins next season looks a lock. |
3 | Dallas Mavericks | Arguably the scariest pairing of two players in the entire league, Kevin Durant will return from injury to team up with fellow unicorn in Kristaps Porzingis. Last season, a drunk and disinterested Javi still took two games from the eventual champion Blazers. If the unicorns are healthy, they could be the best in the West. |
4 | Los Angeles Clippers | Even with Andrew asleep at the wheel in 19-20, the Clips easily made it to 50+ wins and the prize of the NSL in Giannis is locked away in LA. The Freak will only become more dominant as 2k games progress and if management even try to get him some more help, they will be super hard to beat. Sabonis update will help a lot. |
5 | San Antonio Spurs | Perhaps no team has shuffled the deck more than the San Antonio Spurs. They have made more trades than any other and after diversifying their assets, they created a sum of the parts even greater than before. Beal, Adams and Warren out, Jimmy Butler, D’Angelo Russell, Robert Covington and Julius Randle in. 58+ wins. |
6 | Washington Wizards | No team increased their stock more so than the Washington Wizards did last season, advancing to the East Finals from the 7th seed. Booker has almost reached that superstar tier and now he is paired with a current superstar in Damian Lillard. They kept barometer/enforcer Clint Capela and are a lock for top 4. Brava! |
7 | Sacramento Kings | As long as King James can lace ‘em up, he will likely impact the game as much as any player we have seen in our lifetimes. Less Bledsoe means more James at point guard and this can only be a good thing. The Kings look tall and athletic, but the team goes as far as James and his chemistry with others takes them. 3-4 seed? |
8 | Miami Heat | Pistolpk, the engine-room of the NSL, is as highly regarded as anyone as a tactician and team builder, with a past of rich success. His team didn’t quite have the bite we are to expect, but he drafted young and tall and the Heat will only get better. Simmons, Isaac will be one of the scariest NSL duos in their primes. |
9 | Toronto Raptors | Reeling from a semi-final defeat, Jesse removed himself from society and roamed the planes of fantasy wasteland in solitude. In a vision, he saw that it’s impossible to win it all with your best player being a short guard. Rectifying the matter, he went and got PG13. Raps will be much improved defensively and will hit 50 wins. |
10 | Indiana Pacers | Indiana are the big movers on the board, skyrocketing up 10+ places in relation to NSL standing. Adding Embiid and Rose from the Hawks fire-sale and getting Griffin and Oladipo back from injury immediately makes them a pretty menacing team, if not the most injury-prone. If healthy, they might go deep into playoffs. IF! |
11 | Charlotte Hornets | Craig got the keys to the pad and immediately renovated the whole thing aside from a stunning Luka Doncic-inspired kitchen. This pissed off the previous owners and others in the neighbourhood, but at least the lights are actually on at this new place. They have paid a high price for their trades, but wins will make it worth it. |
12 | Minnesota T’wolves | The Wolves suffered through most of last season without Curry and were awful. As soon as Curry returned, they won 75% of their remaining games and proved to be an exciting, winning team. They have only made small moves this off-season, but having a healthy Curry is the only addition they really need/want. Expect 5-6 seed. |
13 | Detroit Pistons | Detroit has three All-Star calibre players and this is typically a recipe for success. Injuries seem to derail most Kyrie seasons, but with he and Rudy and Bam healthy, they have wonderful inside/outside players who compliment each other. Could do with some health and trades to ease logjams, but Pistons are a playoff team. |
14 | Philadelphia 76ers | Phila made the playoffs in the most uninspiring way last year. I think they will be much better in 20-21. Nenjabin seems to be all the way back in the saddle and rumour has it they have landed a big 2k scorer. Their roster still looks like a Picnic chocolate bar, but they are a playoff team on paper. Updated Siakam will be huge! |
15 | Memphis Grizzlies | I have a soft spot for Memphis. I really like their roster and pick stocks, they are definitely trending up. Rootsey is teetering on a level of sentimentality with his players/any great defender that I think hinders trading and progression. Grizzlies will land a playoff spot and JJJ/Brown/Herro/OG/White is a great young squad. |
16 | Golden State Warriors | This is where it gets messy, and any team from 14-24 could nab a playoff berth if things go well. The Warriors playoff core remains, and with age on their side they should improve. However, I’m not certain they have enough firepower to match other strong and rising West teams. Ayton becomes dominant, playoffs are a go! |
17 | OKC Thunder | I was pleasantly surprised when I glanced over the OKC roster. Their record last season wasn’t good but I am putting that down to poor health and chemistry. Wiz has enough talent and value at his disposal to be a playoff team or make a trade splash. Either way, I think he will be less of a ghost with his team gelling in 20-21. |
18 | Brooklyn Nets | Brooklyn dropped a blank cheque when they were offered Jamal Murray from a financially hamstrung Portland, and in him saw a cornerstone of their franchise along with Kemba and Dre. Nets fizzled out more than anyone after a fast start to 19-20. With the cash they will be spending, need to take this roster to the playoffs. |
19 | LA Lakers | The Lakers are the Pussy Cat Dolls – It’s Nicole Sherporzingis and a bunch of athletic, attractive people. Harris and Val are currently support pieces for Westy, who takes the Lakers to their heights and pulls them down into their lows with the gravity of his ball dominance. What will the new 2l have in store? 7-8 seed team. |
20 | New York Knicks | NY is one of the more intriguing teams. They ascend quickly if they pull a ‘smokey’ (acquire young players, picks and trade them for a star). They can continue to build organically around Ingram, Harrell, Brog etc, or turn the future into the now with a big upgrade. As it stands, they’re a season away. Fleece, away, Mr. Fleece! |
21 | Orlando Magic | Gav will likely abuse me for this call, but I think the Magic are a season away. The pieces are in place and they fit great around Trae, but inexperience along with a lot of competitive teams in the NSL will see them on the outer. 2k growth takes time! However, another year to build will see them primed for 2022. Friends? |
22 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dylan read the tealeaves and saw a future of upper-class mediocrity on the cards for a Dame-lead Cavs. He made the call, sending Dame for a slew of great young players and picks. I hate downgrade trades as a rule, but this one ruled. Cavs now have no pressure to contend but have a good enough team to sneak into playoffs. |
23 | New Orleans Pelicans | The Pelicans have the best young guard duo in the league that no one talks about them. Pels flew under the radar all season as they cashed out players and topped up on picks, and their hip pocket is bursting with assets. Mitchell and Morant are devastatingly good for their age and could challenge for playoffs (already). |
24 | Boston Celtics | Boston has one of the best young rosters in the league lots of picks. This season can go one of two ways – they will either continue to plod along and be content with losses knowing their pick will be valuable, or they will condense assets and add a star to pair with Tatum and Collins and push for playoffs. I choose the former. |
25 | Utah Jazz | If Utah didn’t have bad luck in 2020, they’d have no luck at all. Cousins was mowed down with serious injury, Darren Collison retired as soon as he realised he had to move to Utah, and the team never was healthy nor found continuity. Lots of question marks, but a nice roster - if the fortune turns, Jazz deserve to be higher. |
26 | Houston Rockets | Vitt brings great insight and enthusiasm to the NSL, but I fear his sentimentality and aversion to trading will see the Rockets fairly irrelevant until they draft more talent and develop organically. Jokic is arguably the best centre in the game and Richardson appears to be an All-Star NSL guard, but those two won’t be enough. |
27 | Phoenix Suns | No one builds a team, remodels a team and tears a team down on a whim more convincingly than laddas. Claiming to see the writing on the wall, Butler and any other player not a prospect was out of Arizona for the first offer. They will be bad, but at least they have their pick and a super-committed GM to eek out some wins. |
28 | Denver Nuggets | The Nuggets GM, who typically builds through the draft and acquiring picks, was as inactive as anyone in his first year in the NSL. I have to cut him some slack after his best player, Klay Thompson, was wiped out for the whole year. Has some nice young pieces, but I fear he might just ghost another season and improve pick stock. |
29 | Atlanta Hawks | Hawks decided 50+ wins weren’t enough after being embarrassed by the Wizards in the playoffs. Also, 26 year old centers rated 90+ also weren’t good enough for the Atlanta GM as he took a deal that good him pennies on the dollar for the All-Star Embiid. Post-fire sale, the Hawks are right where Ben wants them – bad. |
30 | Milwaukee Bucks | ‘He has a five-year plan’. Badwolf moves one step closer to his plan of being awful for multiple seasons and stockpiling the best young talent in the league. Yet to get to the ‘regenerative threshold’ where he can cycle great young guys for even better rookies and be a powerhouse talent and asset wise. As it stands, wins will be rare. |
NBA SIMS LEAGUE 