NBA GMs believe the Clippers will win it all in 2020
NBA general managers like what they’ve seen from the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. In their yearly survey, NBA GMs believe the new-look Clippers will win it all in 2020.
NBA.com surveyed all 30 general managers, asking them a number of questions regarding the upcoming season. We’ll spare you the suspense and go straight to the big one: Which team will win it all in 2020?
We already spoiled the answer above, but NBA GMs think it will be the Clippers. The team received 46 percent of the vote. The Milwaukee Bucks finished second with 36 percent of the vote, and the Los Angeles Lakers were third with 11 percent.
Picking the Clippers shouldn’t come as a major surprise. While the Clippers were only an 8th seed last year, the franchise saw a major influx of talent in the offseason. Kawhi Leonard signed with the team in free agency, and Paul George was traded to the Clippers from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unsurprisingly, NBA GMs liked those moves. The team had the best offseason in the NBA, according to 82 percent of GMs. Leonard was picked as the best free-agent addition of the offseason, receiving 67 percent of the vote. Anthony Davis trailed Leonard in that category. George ranked third.
In non-Clippers news, NBA GMs still expect big things from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 24-year-old is the favorite to repeat as MVP, receiving 52 percent of the vote. No other player received over 10 percent of the vote. Antetokounmpo also led the way as the player most GMs would want to start a team with, getting 86 percent of the vote.
New Orleans Pelicans big man Zion Williamson is expected to win the Rookie of the Year award over Ja Morant. NBA GMs also expect Williamson to be the best player in his draft class five years down the road.
The GMs didn’t stop there. They also picked their favorite breakout candidates, named the hardest place to play and revealed who they believe is the best coach in the NBA.
Ultimately, those answers don’t mean anything. But they provide a good look into what some of the brightest basketball minds think heading into the 2019-20 season. They also give fans something to argue about as they eagerly wait for the NBA regular season to begin.
With the season just days away, we’ll take any distraction we can get as long as it makes the days go by faster.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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