The 24-year-old averaged career highs in points, assists, rebounds, minutes, free throws, and three-pointers per game. The addition of top free agent Gallinari will surely boost a Hawks team that went 20–47 last season. The Jazz star makes excellent decisions on both ends of the floor and has takeover ability, even on the biggest stages. Unless a motivated Love again plays for a team with some level of competitiveness, it can be difficult to discern where he fits into the NBA landscape. He averaged a modest-for-a-perimeter-star 19.9 points a game during the regular season, but he compensated by adding 6.0 assists and 6.7 rebounds a night, both career-bests. Perhaps he can make an impact on a contender via a trade before the deadline. A stylistic shift could boost both of Sacramento’s backcourt pieces in 2020–21. Perhaps Simmons’s stylistic deficiencies would be acceptable if he were flanked by a cadre of shooters, but given his big-man costar, the lack of any discernible jumper can be downright untenable. Harden remains an imperfect player despite it all. Perhaps the biggest issue for Love is how he plays for a rebuilding team mired in obscurity. Availability due to injury and future injury risk has always factored into this process—this year, the two resulting omissions were Klay Thompson and Jonathan Isaac. But Harris is still just 26, and the established value of his skill set bodes well. In Year 8 of a still-underappreciated career, Beal stretched his game to its limits and walked away with another notch in his belt, averaging a career-high 30.6 points without sacrificing much in the way of efficiency. Ingram’s free-throw rate continues to trend upward. Defenses will consistently key on him for the first time, and he’ll be tested. Bogdanović’s considerable floor-spacing threat helps alleviate that issue. Embiid bullies smaller defenders and is too skilled for those who might be a closer physical comparison. Though the Spurs’ 22-year playoff appearance streak ended last season, DeRozan remained a productive force on the floor, averaging 22.1 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 53.1% from the field. The bubble was the Jamal Murray breakout party in the Western Conference. He’s not a physically imposing defender, and he’ll deliver his fair share of mental lapses on that end of the floor. Remember that when the Jazz have gone down in the playoffs, it’s been at the hands of elite offensive talents: James Harden, Stephen Curry and, last year, an ascendant Jamal Murray. The statistical profile makes sense, as McCollum’s game isn’t dependent on his athleticism or lift on a given night. Young should be able to widen the gap next year with Clint Capela and John Collins playing in the pick and roll next year. He’s an effective screener who has the hands to finish as a roll man. James still finds ways to swing the outcome of games in unexpected fashion. He’s likely worth the $52.5 million owed over the next three years. He’s also an underrated passer in the short-roll, capable of delivering the ball to either corner and greasing an offense in a pinch. D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves. With everything that happened in playoffs, player rankings have definitely shifted around. James Akinjo was the 2019 Big East Freshman of the Year and a 2021 First-Team All-Pac-12 honoree. Cleveland finished last season with the league’s second-worst defense, and a full season of Drummond should also help improve those numbers, if only marginally. There is an ageless quality to the Nuggets last season that will pair. 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