The 2019-20 NBA season is upon us, and it comes on the heels of the craziest off-season of all time. Kawhi Leonard moved to L.A. and brought his bestie, Paul George , with him, and ended up in Clipper land. Lebron James had a few tricks up his sleeve and nabbed “The Brow,” Anthony Davis , for the Lakers while also somehow dumping the roster’s dead weight in the process. With the copious amount of player movements, you might be wondering which will be the powerhouse super team of the season? Well, we ranked them for you! Enjoy!
Cover Photo: Vaughn Ridley (Getty Images)
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Top Superteam NBA
10. Zion Williamson and the Pelicans
With a projected starting lineup of Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Derrick Favors, the Pelicans have a great young core of talent and no one who can shoot outside of 8 feet.
9. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are on this list solely because of Giannis Antetokounmpo (pronounced Yonnis Adedo-Koonbo). You could pair him with a mailbox and they'd win 50 games this season. The rest of the lineup isn't too bad though. "The Greek Freak" pairs up nicely with Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez . A very nice complementary group of sometime All-Stars to go with the greatest things to come out of Greece since gyro meat.
8. Luca Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and the Mavs
We're sure Doncic's and Porzingis' success will end up as a buddy cop action comedy show based on their exciting and boundary-breaking exploits off the court. Going to the club, shooting local car commercials, and generally circumventing the intricacies of living in Dallas, Texas, while being tall and European. The rest of their starting lineup will help the transition. Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dwight Powell are pretty good backup.
7. The Golden State Warriors
OK, they lost Iggy and Kevin Durant in the off-season, but they still have the core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson (eventually). Not to mention the addition of D'Angelo Russell and the ever emerging talent that is Kevin Looney. The Warriors are going to be better than people are giving them credit for.
6. Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, and the Celtics
The addition of Kemba Walker really stirs this New England clam chowder nicely towards a steamy, spicy playoff finish in 2020. The starting lineup is essentially an All-Star team's second five. This should be an exciting year for Beantown, especially since Kyrie moved to Brooklyn with all the other hipster, flat-Earthers.
5. Joel Embiid and the 76ers
Embiid spent the off-season trying to forget that he cried on camera when Kawhi Leonard buried a buzzer-beating, season-ending dagger into the 76ers hopes and dreams last season. But, 2019-20 is looking up for the Motown Philly fans. The starting lineup is the tallest in the league, in addition to being extremely talented. Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid round out the you-must-be-over-6'6"-to-ride-this-ride starting five.
4. James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Rockets
It seems so weird that Harden and Westbrook are back together again after such a long split. They truly are the NBA version of When Harry Met Sally . The Rockets are going to run out of actual basketballs though, cause between the two of them, they're gonna dribble the air out of every round, orange, bouncy thing in the United States.
3. The Joker and the Nuggets
The Nuggets are an absolute enigma in the Western Conference for 2020. They finished strong last season considering their collective age and experience, with a trip to the conference semifinals, losing in seven games to Dame and the Portland Trailblazers. So, they were ahead of the curve a little bit last season, and now in 2019-2020 they've added to their already stocked arsenal of talent with the return of the haziest uncertainty in Denver since they legalized weed. The return of Michael Porter Jr., the young, highly drafted star who hasn't played a game at any level in over two years. Could Denver be even better this year? Jamaal Murray, Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr. (maybe), Paul Milsap, and Nikola Jokic will tell you they're ready to compete for the Western Conference championship.
2. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the Clippers
The biggest splash of the off-season was the Clippers landing not only Kawhi Leonard, but also Paul George, creating a super duo more basketball-ambiguous than SNL's Ace and Gary. These two were more vague and tight-lipped about their plans to meet up in downtown L.A. than a pool boy and the star of The Bachelorette . The Clippers are a force to be reckoned with in the West, and they also have the pleasure of sharing a building with another powerhouse.
1. LeBron James, Anthony David, and the Lakers
LeBron James came, he saw, he conquered...on paper. But we all know basketball isn't played on paper, it's played inside TV sets, another topic James knows a lot about after a year of breathing in the Hollywood lifestyle 24/7. This dynamic duo has their eyes on the prize. An NBA Finals appearance is within reach and James can taste it.