Lock in Tuesday, October 19, as the first match will be Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks.
Were the offseason trades what you expected? Let’s take a look into some of the biggest trades during the offseason.
Top Two Trades
The number one trade by far was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been overlooked for many years now, as he was making some noise in a team that was struggling to win games. Westbrook has now signed up with the LA Lakers and is going to be side by side with first-class NBA players such as LeBron James and Anthony Edwards. Russell Westbrook has made the right decision for his career to continue to strive.
The number two pick goes to the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Bulls have been trying to re-build since Derrick Rose left in 2016. The Bulls have struggled to play deep into the season ever since. Although re-building a team to be championship contenders can take years, the Bulls seem to be heading in the right direction.
The Bulls picked up the three best free agents during the trade period: De Mar de Rozen, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, a steal from the LA Lakers.
The Chicago Bulls still don’t look like a championship team but are defiantly building a solid foundation for the future.
NBA 2021/22 Season
As we fast approach the new season, let’s take a look at a few of the front runners and think about which team or teams could make a run deep into playoffs.
LA Lakers
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook—these three biggest names in the NBA are ready to start firing from game one.
LeBron has now been at the Lakers for three years and has been hurt for two seasons. But who could forget the season when he took the Lakers to the championship? As LeBron starts thinking about closing out his career, the Lakers have given him all the ammunition he needs to win another ring before he hangs up his boots.
The Lakers have also added veterans Carmelo Anthony, Rojan Rondo, and Dwight Howard that fit the rotation of players perfectly.
The Lakers are one of the most loaded NBA teams across the league, and this makes them the front runners to win another championship.
Milwaukee Bucks
We need to review the current reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks broke many records last season as they headed to their champion status.
The challenge this year for the Bucks will be to stay healthy, as they are unfortunate to have one of the most inexperienced backups in the NBA.
Coach Mike Budenholzer will need to work out a plan to ensure that he times his team rotation while keeping his starting five healthy all year round.
Expect a massive game out of Jrue Holiday who finished last season as one of the best two-way point guards. Jrue will take some pressure off Giannis Antetokounmpo, which will be crucial at the start of the season as Giannis manages his knee injury.
The Bucks may fall short this season due to the pressure to keep 100% healthy up until the end.
Golden State Warriors
It seems that the NBA community has forgotten about the Warriors. It’s all due to their extensive injury list that has stopped them from making any noise.
Here are the last five seasons results:
2020/21 39W – 33L
2019/20 15W – 50L
2018/19 57W – 25L
2017/18 58W – 24L
2016/17 67W – 15L
The last two seasons have accumulated more losses than the previous three years before that.
GSW welcomes back a healthy Klay Thompson but let’s not forget that they also have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The starting top 5 will be:
Stephen Curry
Klay Thompson
Draymond Green
Andrew Wiggins
James Wiseman
With the healthy top 5 and the return of Klay, the Warriors have it in them to go all the way this season.
Phoenix Suns
Last year’s runners-up seem to be primed and ready to start hitting 3’s.
During the NBA Finals series, one of the key performers was Deandre Ayton. Ayton has had his best season by far, especially when you consider the last game.
The Suns also have good depth throughout the squad with Chris Paul, Devin Bookers, Jae Crowder, and Mikal Bridges. With such a quality starting five and the experience of the last season’s finals, the Suns are going to be a strong contender.
Brooklyn Nets
Talk about a stacked team: the Nets have one of—if not the best—starting five in possibly the whole NBA history.
James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Kevin Durant, and Blake Griffin will be the starting five this season, but we also cannot forget the Olympic medal holder Patty Mills.
Expectations are anything less than winning the championship will be a failure this season. The Nets’ stars will certainly miss some games, but they will likely play more than 202 minutes together. With a capable supporting cast (including two of the best catch-and-shoot guys of the last five years), they should set a new record for offensive efficiency. And given the talent, anything less than a championship would be a disappointment. The regular season is just the runway. Predicted finish: 59-23.
Overall thoughts
The Lakers and the Nets will be the teams to beat this season, and if you are a Lakers or Nets fan, I would be hoping no one gets injured.
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