The 2020-21 NBA season is up and truly underway now. The first week just passed by and NBA critics are already reaching different conclusions. Will the Lakers repeat? Can the Bucks reach the Finals? Which teams are not going to make the Playoffs? The popular ‘Inside the NBA’ crew were discussing the latter.

On the teams not making the Playoffs, Shaquille O’Neal named the Golden State Warriors!

While they are missing Klay Thompson for the entire season, they still have Steph Curry pulling the strings. Even though they are not a legitimate title contender, fans still expect them to reach the post-season.

Hence, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith disagreed – “When Draymond comes back, they are going to be in the conversation.”

Another team that popped up in the conversation was the Memphis Grizzlies. Their talisman Ja Morant is out injured, and it could severely hamper their chances.

“If he missed three to five weeks, they could be out of it,” said Barkley.

While he also crossed out several other teams from the Eastern Conference for making the Playoffs – “Detroit, Chicago, and Charlotte are not going to make the playoffs this year.”

Barkley is not surprised by Phoenix Suns’ form

When discussing the most surprising team of the season so far, Ernie listed the Orlando Magic (4-0), Atlanta Hawks (3-0), Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1), and the Phoenix Suns (3-1). However, Charles remarked, “Only 3 of those are surprises.”

“When you bring in Chris Paul, you expect to do better. But nobody expected the Cavs, the Magic, and the Hawks to be 3-0 and 4-0. Cos when you bring in a great leader like Chris Paul to go with Booker and Ayton. And then you bring in Jae Crowder, they are supposed to be good and make the Playoffs.”

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But can the Golden State Warriors make the Playoffs?

The answer is – yes, they can. Even though they had a shaky start, it is too early to make any judgments. Also, they have come back to merry ways by winning their previous two closely contested encounters. Not to forget, they did this all the while missing Green.

Another thing to note is that the likes of Kelly Oubre Jr and Andrew Wiggins are struggling right now, while rookie James Wiseman is still finding his feet. If all the pieces come together, they may not just make the Playoffs but surprise a few people beyond that too.