LA Clippers will win 2019-20 title, says NBA general manager survey
Friday 18 October 2019 07:54, UK
The Los Angeles Clippers will win the 2019-20 NBA title, 46 per cent of league general managers said in the 18th annual NBA.com GM survey.
The Clippers' Kawhi Leonard also was selected by GMs as the offseason acquisition most likely to make the biggest impact, and they named him the league's best small forward.
It's the first time since 2005 that someone other than LeBron James has received the most votes in that category.
In all, the general managers answered 50 questions pertaining to the upcoming season.
Trailing the Clippers as the favorite to win the 2020 NBA Finals were the Milwaukee Bucks (36 per cent of votes) and the Los Angeles Lakers (11 per cent). Last year, the Golden State Warriors captured 87 per cent of the votes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks was the overwhelming favorite to win a second straight league MVP award with 52 per cent of the vote.
Tied for second, each with 10 per cent, were Stephen Curry of the Warriors, Anthony Davis of the Lakers and Leonard.
Antetokounmpo also won the voting as the player general managers would want if building a team from scratch (86 per cent), best power forward (59 per cent) and best international player (79 per cent).
Among the general managers, 68 per cent thought Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans would win NBA Rookie of the Year, with the same amount predicting he'd be the best NBA player from the Class of 2019 five years from now.
And without appearing in a regular-season NBA game, Williamson was named by 41 per cent of general managers as the most athletic player in the league.
