The Magic are as plain and uninspiring as ever. Nikola Vucevic has taken a step back from his All-Star production last season, Jonathan Isaac has missed extended time to injury, and Aaron Gordon continues to stumble blindly into mediocrity. The Markelle Fultz story has been nice, though.
The Suns have firepower. Devin Booker is an All-Star. Deandre Ayton is beginning to piece it together. Kelly Oubre, Dario Saric, Aron Baynes, and Ricky Rubio are all legitimate contributors. If only Phoenix could figure out the defense and string together some consistent games on offense.
The Spurs might finally miss the postseason in distinctly un-Popovich fashion. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are still on the roster, and the Spurs haven’t lost a great deal of talent. It is simply time for the Spurs dynasty to fade out. DeRozan and Aldridge are not built for 2020 contention.