NBA: 10 burning questions for the 2019-20 season
By Phil Watson
4. What non-playoff team is ready to make the leap?
Of the 14 teams that missed the postseason last year, it could be the Miami Heat that have the best chance of reversing that trend in 2019-20.
Miami was in contention last season until the final days before falling short, but wasn’t expected to have the maneuverability to make any major moves this offseason.
That changed when the Heat dealt center Hassan Whiteside‘s big contract to the Portland Trail Blazers and swung a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers to land the franchise a new superstar in Jimmy Butler, surrendering Josh Richardson in the process.
Miami isn’t projected to be much better than last season’s 39-win outfit, with OddsShark setting their over/under number at 42½, but with the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets projected to slide backwards and the Orlando Magic doing little more than treading water, that could be enough.
Six teams in the East are projected to have higher win totals than Miami, so a No. 7 or No. 8 seed isn’t out of the question.
There are some young teams that could make more progress than expected, however. The Chicago Bulls added veteran Thaddeus Young and a pair of point guards in Tomas Satoransky and rookie Coby White that could help lift the Bulls out of the doldrums.
The New Orleans Pelicans lost Anthony Davis, but added young talent in No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and former Laker building blocks Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball to the mix.
The Sacramento Kings played around with a postseason run last year before fading and added some quality veterans to the rotation, but will be dealing with some off-court distractions in new coach Luke Walton, who faces a civil suit in Los Angeles accusing him of sexual assault.