The J-Notes
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’19-20 NBA win-loss predictions (and how it affects the Utah Jazz)

By Caleb Manser

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Al Horford Philadelphia 76ers
CAMDEN, NJ – JULY 12: Al Horford #42 of the Philadelphia 76ers, Josh Harris, and Elton Brand pose for a photo at a press conference on July 12, 2019 at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, New Jersey. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Eastern Conference:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks: 61-21
  2. Philadelphia 76ers: 59-23
  3. Boston Celtics: 52-30
  4. Toronto Raptors: 48-34
  5. Indiana Pacers: 45-37
  6. Brooklyn Nets: 44-38
  7. Miami Heat: 44-38
  8. Detroit Pistons: 43-39
  9. Orlando Magic: 41-41
  10. Chicago Bulls: 36-46
  11. Atlanta Hawks: 34-48
  12. Washington Wizards: 33-49
  13. Cleveland Cavaliers: 26-56
  14. New York Knicks: 23-59
  15. Charlotte Hornets: 18-64

The biggest change here is Kawhi Leonard leaving the defending champions, the Toronto Raptors. Despite that the Raptors should still be a formidable team this year. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam made the top 30 for Sport’s Illustrated’s latest player rankings. They can get a top four seed in the East.

Meanwhile, the 76ers lured Al Horford away from the Boston Celtics, solidifying the gap between the contenders and the pretenders of the East. Given that the Jazz lost some size by giving up Derrick Favors, Philly could be a tough roadblock for the championship in a potential NBA Finals match-up, and here’s why:

Their projected starting lineup consists of 6-foot-10 point guard Ben Simmons, and centers Joel Embiid and Horford forming a twin towers lineup. Their small forward, Tobias Harris, spent 91 percent of his minutes at power forward last year.

That would be a lot for Gobert to handle alone. Harris shot 66 percent from within 0-3 feet of the basket last season, Embiid shot 72.9 percent, and Horford shot 72.3 percent. All three bigs have 3-point range as well, daring Gobert to leave the paint creating space for cutters to score inside.

The Milwaukee Bucks also present a great challenge as well.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a force in transition. With a long wingspan and running stride, he can finish nearly every drive with a dunk if he’s within eight feet of the hoop. Not very many NBA players can finish in the paint over Gobert, but in the first 60 seconds of this video, Giannis scores four buckets on the French Rejection.

Having said that, let’s go ahead and take a look at the other half of the NBA:

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