Miracle Needers
Brooklyn Nets
The Main Attraction: LeVert vs. the World
Here’s the list of Nets players who will not be available this postseason: forward Kevin Durant, guard Kyrie Irving, center DeAndre Jordan, guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Taurean Prince, forward Nicolas Claxton, forward Wilson Chandler, forward Michael Beasley and (probably) guard Jamal Crawford. Not only do they have a whopping nine players missing, but that list includes a former MVP, three former All-Stars and a player on the track toward stardom. With the majority of the Nets’ high-profile players out, the onus will now be on guard Caris LeVert to lead these underdogs through the playoffs. The 25-year-old is having a breakout season, averaging over 18 ppg and showing potential as a secondary scoring option the Nets will need alongside Durant and Irving for years to come. The Nets have already upset the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers in bubble play, but they’ll need LeVert to put the team on his back if they hope to continue to surprise higher-seeded teams in the postseason.
Potential X-Factor: Knockdown Joe
Forward Joe Harris is once again showcasing why he is one of the league’s premier knockdown shooters. The 28-year-old is shooting 43% from three-point range and has the second best effective field goal percentage of all non-centers in the league. He’s also reached a career high in volume with 14 ppg on 11 field goal attempts a game, which the Nets will likely need to increase to help fill the void left by Dinwiddie and Irving. If the Nets are going to have any chance of getting out of the Eastern Conference, they will need Harris draining shots like it’s the 2019 All-Star Three Point Contest.
An Interesting Stat: 3
Of the 11 players who featured for the Nets in their win against the Bucks on Aug. 4, just three had ever started a regular season’s worth of games, 82, in their entire careers. While the sheer lack of experience is concerning, it allows the Nets to play without the weight of any expectations and perfectly fits the underdog mold.
Orlando Magic
The Main Attraction: Effective Europeans
The Magic’s pair of forward Nikola Vučević and guard Evan Fournier features two high-skilled players in the ever-growing list of overseas talent that is rapidly raising the skill level of the NBA. Vučević has followed up his first All-Star appearance last season with an almost equally impressive campaign, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game, while further progressing his perimeter shooting.
Fournier is having the best season of his eight-year career, boosting new highs in both scoring and efficiency. Despite their proficient scoring for many regular seasons, the duo’s shooting nose-dived in the Magic’s first round loss to the Toronto Raptors last season and left the team unable to reach 100 points in four out of the five games. If the Magic have any hope of a first-round upset, they will need Vučević and Fournier to find their postseason shooting touch.
Potential X-Factor: Full-Bore Fultz
Guard Markelle Fultz, the number one overall pick in the 2017 draft, has had his young career plagued by an unusual shoulder injury that rendered him unable to shoot with consistency or efficacy even after he was cleared to play. The injury concerns were so serious that the former All-American college star was labeled as a bust after just his second season, and the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Magic for an underwhelming trade package. Fortunately for the Magic, Fultz has shown remarkable progress towards finding his role in the NBA. No longer the relentless perimeter scorer he was in college, the 21-year-old has reinvented himself as a multi-faceted playmaker and a solid defender with highlight-reel athleticism. While he may never be the superstar he was once projected to be, Fultz has become a solid contributor for a playoff team that will need him to produce in the postseason.
An Interesting Stat: 23rd
The Magic are 23rd in the league in offensive rating. None of the seven teams below them are in the playoffs. While this is partially mitigated by them having the 11th best defensive rating, the Magic will need to start hitting more shots if they have any chance of causing an upset.
The 2020 NBA Playoffs Bracket! #WholeNewGame
Full schedule here ➡️ https://t.co/qmJ2KbRAgO pic.twitter.com/z1TBeF5S9z
— NBA (@NBA) August 15, 2020
Portland Trailblazers
The Main Attraction: C.J. and Dame Got Game
The Trailblazers got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth thanks to some late regular season heroics from guards Damion Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Three straight wins with Lillard averaging a preposterous 51 points, which earned him bubble MVP honors, drove the Blazers to a play-in showdown versus the Memphis Grizzlies in which McCollum’s huge shot-making down the stretch secured victory and the eighth seed.
The brilliance of the Blazers’ backcourt duo makes them more dangerous than their seeding suggests. Lillard is one of the league’s premier point guards and is entering the playoffs off of his best season yet, averaging 30 points and eight assists. The four-time All-NBA guard combines game-breaking drives with unlimited range that rivals Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry. McCollum, who’s been battling through bubble play despite a fracture in his back, has a shifty offensive package that adds 22 points a game to the league’s best backcourt. If the Blazers have any hope of upsetting LeBron James and the number one seed Los Angeles Lakers, they will need more sparkling performances from the duo.
Potential X-Factor: Hello to the New Melo
Last season, forward Carmelo Anthony looked closer to retirement than ever after being an important playoff contributor again. The 34 year-old agreed to part ways with the Houston Rockets after an unsuccessful 10-game stint, and NBA executives reportedly believed the 10-time All-Star’s time in the league had come to an abrupt end. However, a reinvigorated Anthony has found new life with the Blazers and has once again found his way back to the postseason. With the days of superstardom long behind him, Anthony’s 15 points a game will be a valuable secondary scoring option to Lillard and McCollum. The Blazers will also need him to continue hitting clutch shots when called upon if they stand a chance in the Western Conference.
An Interesting Stat: 1985
In the play-in game versus the Grizzlies, just hours after his grandmother succumbed to COVID-19, center Jusuf Nurkić put up an absurd stat-line of 21 points, 21 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Nurkić, who will play a key role battling other Western Conference big men inside for Portland in the playoffs, is the only Blazer to put up these numbers since 1985.
Charlie Scruton (21C) is from Brooklyn, New York, majoring in environmental science. He is a forward for the Emory men’s soccer team and has also competed in basketball and volleyball. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and is an avid Manchester United supporter.
