Lakers fans can start preparations for a championship parade—if the pandemic improves of course. In a trade that was announced following the 2020 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers received guard Dennis Schroder from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for guard Danny Green and the 28th pick.
Days before the start of NBA free agency and the NBA draft, news broke out that James Harden, the former MVP and last season's scoring champion, wanted to leave the Houston Rockets. The request came as a shock to fans, as Harden had never previously hinted that he was unhappy in Houston.
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After a remarkable 8-0 run in the NBA Bubble, the Phoenix Suns looked to improve their team by trading for Chris Paul in the offseason. The Suns acquired Chris Paul and Abdel Nader from the OKC Thunder in exchange for Kelly Oubre (who OKC later traded to the Warriors for a 2021 first round and 2021 second-round pick), Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 Suns first-round pick.
Basketball players don’t recover from achilles tears. In 2013, a study found that in a 23-year span (1988-2011), out of the 18 players who suffered the injury in the NBA, seven never returned to play basketball again. The other 11 players missed an average of 56 games and saw declines in their player efficiency ratings in their first two seasons back.
What really shook the NBA in the early winter of 2020 was neither the somewhat mediocre draft nor the trade rumors surrounding Russell Westbrook and James Harden but the sudden news that Klay Thompson tore his right Achilles during an unofficial basketball practice. He will miss the entire 2020-21 season.
The 2020 NBA Draft took place in a format never seen before. Players were shown on video from their houses, and there were no fans booing their teams’ poor picks. However, the format was not the only reason why this draft was so unique. The Draft featured no consensus top picks which led to a more surprising draft where fans, and even teams, did not know what to expect.
I’m going to speak it into existence.” These are the words that Lavar Ball, Big Baller Brand founder and flamboyant father of the “Ball Brothers,” said in regards to how he believed his three sons—LaMelo, LiAngelo, and Lonzo—would all play on the same team in the NBA.
The 2020-21 NBA season won’t look “normal.” The NBA will explore a new format: teams will play a shortened season and travel in MLB-like sets; players will be sidelined not only by ankle injuries, but coronavirus colds; and, like in the NBA bubble, fans will have to watch basketball from their homes. Even with these changes, a champion will be crowned by the end of the season.
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Receiving the ball from Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons confidently shot and made a three-pointer in the first four minutes of last Thursday’s game against the Orlando Magic. Though three-pointers are fairly common in the NBA, his teammates—all-smiles and arms raised—celebrated the shot as if Simmons had knocked down a game-winning shot, even giving him a standing ovation.
Russell Westbrook has been an NBA phenomenon for the last decade with his superhuman athleticism, Kobe-like competitiveness, and ability to register exceptional stats on the offensive and defensive end. Westbrook has not only been a good player but an all-time player.
