The first round of preseason games was launched, which means that the regular season is right around the corner. The 2021-2022 season has a lot of hype after a jam-packed offseason. The Brooklyn Nets are favored to be the winners of the NBA championship with plenty of contenders waiting in the wings, while last year’s winner, the Milwaukee Bucks, look to defend their title.
- Best – Brooklyn Nets
- Worst – Orlando Magic
- Offense – Brooklyn Nets
- Defense – Milwaukee Bucks
- Underrated – Golden State Warriors
- Overrated – Philadelphia 76ers
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Among the six-best categories that separate the teams in the league, where do you see the Nets and the Bucks? Could we have a repeat of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals? What if both are the No. 1 and No. 2 seed and we are blessed with a Conference Finals matchup?
Let’s go through the top categories (best, worst, offense, defense, underrated, and overrated) and see where our top two contenders fall.
Best – Brooklyn Nets
Out of all the teams in the league, the Nets have the best roster on paper. When your starting lineup features one top-3 player (Kevin Durant), one top-10 (James Harden), and one borderline top 15 (Kyrie Irving, all in your starting lineup, that is a tough team to take down. That doesn’t even include a former All-Star in Blake Griffin, or a former Three-Point Shootout champion in Joe Harris.
The addition of Patty Mills is going to go down as the most underrated move from the offseason. The additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and Paul Millsap are going to cancel out the loss of Jeff Green. The amount of veteran talent is going to be too much for other teams to stop.
With that said, it all depends on if Irving chooses to get the vaccine and if he doesn’t miss games. Then again, that is the story with the Nets, who battled injury problems last year. If the team is healthy and on the court together, they are an easy favorite to win the championship.
Worst – Orlando Magic
The Magic did the right thing by trading away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier for future capital. The cost of those moves came with a price and that price is going to be won. For starters, Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac need another year to fully heal, which is okay given where the team is currently. With those two players out, the best player on this team is lottery pick Jalen Suggs, who is going to need time to adjust.
The Magic have some building blocks in Cole Anthony and Wendell Carter Jr., who is playing in a contract year this season. Carter could get the Magic another draft pick, but this year will be all about the young kids. All eyes will be on Suggs and Franz Wagner.
The Magic will be in the mix for the lottery with hopes of landing a player like Chet Holmgren with the No. 1 pick in 2022. The biggest question surrounding this team will be the number of wings for the season.
Offense – Brooklyn Nets
Despite injuries to Irving, Harden, and Durant throughout the year, the Nets finished with the second-best mark in points per game and led the league in field goal percentage. With all three on the court, the team is going to make a run for leading the league in the offense once again. How much was Mike D’Antoni an influence on offense? D’Antoni resigned from the Nets, so that is something to keep an eye on.
Regardless, a big three of Irving, Harden, and Durant is potentially 70 to 80 points combined each night. That doesn’t include the other contributions from players on the team. Mills, Griffin, and even Bruce Brown are worth mentioning as double-digit scorers. Look for the Nets to break up each game, especially to make up for their horrendous defensive layout.
Defense – Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are a contender for top defense, but what puts them over the top is how great their interior outlook is going to be. Last year, the Bucks were the No. 1 defensive rebounding team and ranked third in opponent points allowed in the paint. You have to thank yearly Defensive Player of the Year contestant Giannis Antetokounmpo for that. With Jrue Holiday guarding the wing, the Bucks have the best guard-post combo defensively in the league.
Khris Middleton, Holiday, and Giannis are three of the better rebounders at each of their positions. Losing PJ Tucker to the Miami Heat, who led points allowed in the paint, is going to hurt, but the Bucks remain the best overall unit moving forward.
Underrated – Golden State Warriors
How can a team that has the reigning scoring champion be considered underrated? Let’s explain. Yes, Steph Curry recently led the league in scoring, but the last two years, the Warriors have not been a good team. The team has missed out on the playoffs, partially due to injuries between Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson specifically the last two seasons.
The Warriors are getting overlooked by teams and the media. Many do not believe that Thompson is going to be what he once was. Even if he is still two-thirds of what he was, that is a borderline All-Star talent at shooting guard. Thompson also helps fill the void defensively alongside Green. Andrew Wiggins has improved defensively as well. Before you know it, this looks like the old dynasty that lived off team defense. With the Splash Bros back at it, this Warriors team could be a dark horse in the West.
Overrated – Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers were the No. 1 seed in the East last year, but they are looking like a big mess right now. For starters, three-time All-Star Ben Simmons is either out the door or sitting at home. It appears the relationship between the player and franchise is completely broken. If Simmons is traded, it will not be for what the team believes they should get. If he sits, the team loses an All-Star point guard with nothing in return.
While Simmons is not the best offensive option, he is one of the best rebounding point guards in the league and has triple-double talent on the lower end of the point scale. The combination of Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris appears to be fractured. With no Conference Finals appearances, fans are starting to get impatient. This could be the year that tension starts to boil over.
Credit for the idea: Hoop Colony
