This NBA season feels significantly more chaotic than years prior, largely because there is no clear-cut favorite or prevalent team to beat. Previously, the league was inundated with dynasties and superstar talent, hierarchy that led us to know what was supposed to go where. This year everything has reset; chaos reigns supreme, with teams all jockeying for their moment in the sun. This makes it difficult to find meaning or rootability among the various teams as they remain comparable and are instead judged by how closely they embrace chaos. Over a third of the league currently holds a realistic shot at going on a deep playoff run, leaving it an open field that could bring forth a new champion who just might set the tone for where professional basketball heads next.
The Golden State Warriors changed the NBA irrevocably upon their ascension in 2014. Not only did they set a new standard for basketball excellence, but they created a ripple effect that was felt all around the league. Players began to adopt Stephen Curry’s style of shooting and guards everywhere attempted side-step 3s and deep pull-ups as if under some spell cast by the Warriors’ prowess. To combat them, defensive strategists designed schemes to counteract their enhanced brand of offense, leading to ‘switching’ becoming commonplace throughout the NBA. Teams then had no choice but to move pieces around in trades—and implement game plans—that were crafted solely with the idea of stopping the Warriors from dominating each season. It is no wonder that Golden State were viewed as such an irrepressible juggernaut for years, as it seemed every action taken in opposition was met with one stronger from within their own might.
In contrast to season’s past, no team made drastic changes at the trade deadline this year. Instead, it was common to see teams betting on themselves and the style of play they’ve come to embody throughout the regular season. The Warriors have found this 2020-21 season particularly challenging, being forced to look outside their borders for trade help when they were used to dominating the scene with their mass talent roster. With such an unpredictable league landscape, these coming weeks before playoffs should prove telling in who remains standing firm and who will crumble under the pressure. While matchups are still important, this is a season where teams lean heavily on self-belief and develop internal strengths that can propel them towards success.
This season has been a wild ride, with seemingly daily changes to the standings blurring our focus on the bumper-to-bumper diversity in the NBA ecosystem. It’s quietly made its way to arguably becoming the most strategical varieties since the league’s inception. To name a few examples, there’s one team at the top of 3-point shooting frequency in the Celtics, as opposed to a Grizzlies squad at the bottom of that same ranking. The Nuggets find themselves atop post possession usage, while it’s Warriors are an almost polar opposite with being tied for second least. Even when teams may appear similar on paper, unbelievably different tactics and approaches can be found: look no further than Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic for proof – two incredibly productive centers who nevertheless bring completely unique games to their often dominant offenses. A modern adage suggests that styles make fights, and it couldn’t be more true considering just how competitive this season has become in such variety of ways.
