NBA 2021-22 season preview: Can defending champions Milwaukee Bucks fend off the Brooklyn Nets and LA Lakers?

The 2021-22 NBA season begins on Tuesday night with defending champions Milwaukee Bucks hosting this campaign’s title-favourites the Brooklyn Nets in a mouthwatering match-up.

The Bucks and Nets are two franchises with title aspirations come next summer as TIBS News previews the hopes of last term’s play-off teams.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers have come a long way after enduring some of the worst seasons in the franchise’s history, including the 2015-16 season where they recorded a 10-72 win-loss record. As part of ‘The Process’ – a period in which they became infamous for intentionally losing games to move up in the draft – they managed to accumulate numerous high-draft picks.

Despite many of those draft picks not amassing to substantial cornerstones to change the team’s immediate fortunes, they won the lottery with Joel Embiid – who finished last season as the MVP runner-up. The expectations are now so high within the organisation, that anything short of a Conference Final appearance would be deemed a disappointing season. 

This then makes the whole Ben Simmons fiasco a major hindrance to those ambitions – with the point-forward requesting a trade and refusing to play for the team after seemingly feeling hung out to dry by the franchise following the team’s shock Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Following criticism of the number of shots the three-time All-Star attempted in the fourth quarter during the whole series, Simmons gave up what seemed an open dunk or lay-up during crunch-time in order to pass it to team-mate Matisse Thybulle – who was smothered and subsequently fouled. Embiid called this a ‘turning point’ in the game, with head coach Doc Rivers saying: ‘I don’t know the answer to that’ when quizzed if Ben Simmons could be the point guard of a championship team – ouch!

Simmons recently surprised the organisation by returning and declaring his availability – though it is still likely he sees his future elsewhere. However, if they can manage to mend the relationship and restore team chemistry, there may be a play-off run in the offing.

Brooklyn Nets

Ever since NBA Champions Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving made the decision to join forces in Brooklyn ahead of the 2020-21 season, all eyes have been on the duo to deliver another title with the Nets. 

This was prior to the team acquiring 2018 MVP and winner of three consecutive scoring titles James Harden early in the same season. As long as the trio are on the same roster, any season ending without a championship will be viewed as a failure – particularly for Harden who is the only member of the trio without a ring and forced his way out of Houston in order to improve his chances of winning one.

Just like in Philadelphia however, the Nets have a sensitive off the court issue with a superstar which could potentially hamper the team’s prospects for the upcoming season. Irving’s reported unwillingness to get the Covid-19 vaccination means that he is prohibited from playing in home games with a vaccine mandate in place in New York City. That prevents him from playing a minimum of 42 out of 82 games (including one at New York Knicks) with other away games in cities with mandates also in place also prohibiting him from playing.

Nets General Manager Sean Marks has since moved to confirm that Irving ‘will not play or practice’ with the team due to his vaccination status. The team will be confident of stomping through the East in his absence, but the rumours which now include potential retirement and various trade scenarios surrounding the star and team will no doubt be a burden so close to the season start.

Milwaukee Bucks

The current reigning NBA champions have won two championships in the franchise’s history 50 years apart – 1971 and 2021.

At just 25-years-old, Giannis Antetokounmpo has cemented his legacy both as an all-time Bucks great and one of the most notable NBA from Europe in recent times. His close-out performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns was statistically one of the most dominant displays in Finals’ history. Fifty points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and perhaps most impressively 17/19 from the free-throw line – an area where he has struggled in his career.

Despite the team’s heroics in the Finals, they head into the new season behind the Brooklyn Nets and LA Lakers by many as favourites. With the weight of expectation now off of their shoulders with recent success, this will likely play into their hands to give them extra motivation heading into the season.

New York Knicks

Despite being one of the most iconic sports teams in the world, the Knicks have not been in real contention to win a NBA Championship in over two decades. However, after making the play-offs for the first time since 2013 there is an air of optimism within the fanbase regarding the direction of the team.

Led by first-time All-Star and winner of Most Improved Player Julius Randle, the Knicks enter the season expected to make the play-offs rather than hoping to. The acquisition of Kemba Walker following his buyout with Oklahoma City Thunder should add a significant boost to an attack which struggled mightily in the play-offs – providing the former Charlotte Hornet can stay healthy.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks surprised many by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks. It wasn’t just that they won games – it was the way they won them as just the fifth seed. There was the demolition of the Knicks, winning the series 4-1 including two of the three games at Maddison Square Garden – epitomised by superstar guard Trae Young taking a bow in front of the hostile crowd after draining a clutch deep three-pointer. Then there was the shock series win over the 76ers – which subsequently led to a Simmons-themed tumultuous off-season in Philadelphia.

With the Eastern Conference no longer being deemed the significantly weaker of the two conferences, it will be hard for the Hawks to match last year’s achievement. But with the young team now with that experience under their belt and head coach Nate McMillan now in charge on a permanent basis, ATL will once again be looking to make some noise in the East.

Miami Heat

After exceeding expectations to reach the 2020 NBA Finals in the ‘Bubble’, it’s fair to say that the 2021 post-season fell well below the franchise’s lofty ambitions. After being swept in their first-round play-off series against the Bucks, the franchise moved quickly in the off-season to upgrade the roster.

Major acquisitions include six time All-star and NBA champion point guard Kyle Lowry – following his departure from the Toronto Raptors, PJ Tucker – who faced off against the Heat for the Bucks in that first-round series – and Markieff Morris.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have struggled to really assert themselves as genuine title contenders since they took the then Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.

After losing superstar guard Kyrie Irving in free agency to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 off-season, the Celtics immediately signed Kemba Walker to a max contract to fill the void. But after an injury-ridden two-year spell which delivered little on-court success, the Celtics cut ties with the four-time All-Star guard by trading him to the Oklahoma City Thunder to get his substantial contract off the books.

With a new head coach in place following Brad Stevens’ move into a new role as President of Basketball of Operations, the hope will be that leaders Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can take their games to the next level in order to push the franchise closer to their rivals.

Washington Wizards

Following the trade of triple-double machine Russell Westbrook to the LA Lakers, it’s difficult to know what to expect from the team who reached the play-offs via the newly-formed play-in game.

With the Wizards regularly struggling to maintain relevancy in the Eastern Conference for a number of years, offensive-juggernaut Bradley Beal has forever found his name circulating in trade talks. However, last season’s scoring title runner-up somehow still remains in D.C. – and while he does, he will always give them a chance to win games.

The addition of Spencer Dinwiddie is a good pick-up to replace the departing Westbrook, but with him just returning from an ACL injury you feel there is a lack of bonified stars surrounding Beal to see them go beyond the first round of the play-offs.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Utah Jazz

The Jazz have been one of the ‘almost’ teams of the NBA over the last couple of seasons. They have the ‘Stifle Tower’ Rudy Gobert, winner of three of the last four Defensive Player of the Year awards, and Donovan Mitchell – who has shown that he is the real-deal with many clutch performances in his relatively short NBA career.

However, after blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Denver Nuggets in the 2019-20 post-season to lose that series, last term delivered another bitter disappointment to the franchise. After ending the regular-season with the best record in the NBA to secure the No 1 seed in the West, they fell to eventual Western Conference finalists LA Clippers 4-2 in the second round.

It’s difficult to see how the team can improve significantly from last season with many of the Western Conference teams bulking up their teams, but the goal will remain to deliver a championship.

Fun fact: In a normal 82 game regular season they would likely have rivalled the Rockets record for most threes in a season. The 2020-21 campaign was 72 games long.

Phoenix Suns

So close, yet so far. That’s the story of the Suns’ season which saw them make an unlikely run to the Finals before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. After finishing a surprising No 2 seed in the West, they beat the then NBA champions LA Lakers with relative ease in the first round of the play-offs, playing with a real confidence to go on and reach their first NBA Finals since 1993.

After going up 2-0 against the Bucks, many thought that it was a foregone conclusion and they would win their first title in franchise history. However, they collapsed to lose the next four games, with many feeling that Chris Paul’s best (and last) chance to win an NBA title has come and gone. This disappointing defeat didn’t deter the legendary dime-disher from extending his stay in Arizona, by signing a huge contract extension reportedly worth £86.9million ($120m).

This will surely encourage generational talent Devin Booker and the supporting cast that they have what it takes to repeat last season’s feat and be serious contenders again.

Denver Nuggets

The future is bright in Colorado. Nikola Jokic became the lowest-drafted player by some distance to win the NBA MVP award in the 2020-21 season. A devastating injury to his partner Jamal Murray threatened to completely derail their season. However, the team breezed past the Portland Trail Blazers, before ultimately being swept by NBA finalist’s Phoenix Suns – where it was very evident how much they were missing Murray as the one-two punch needed in the play-offs.

The Nuggets will be expecting to be competitive again for the upcoming season where they will welcome back Murray from injury and have an even more confident Michael Porter Jr – who solidified his status as the team’s third option in signing a huge contract extension.

Los Angeles Clippers

Things are never easy for the Clippers. Forever in the shadow of their Los Angeles counterparts Lakers, they have been deemed underachievers since acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2019 – failing to register an NBA Finals appearance in their two seasons together.

However, after Leonard went down injured in their series against the Utah Jazz, ‘PG13’ stepped up many times in their Conference Finals match-up with the Phoenix Suns despite losing that series.

The main issue is the team is so reliant on them, they are unlikely to be successful without both the stars being on the floor at the same time. Though we are still awaiting a ‘battle of LA’ play-off match-up between the Clippers and Lakers, ultimately come post-season no one will want to face up against this team.

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic keeps reaching new heights with the franchise as the leader of the post-Dirk Nowitzki era, but the supporting cast is something which continues to limit the team’s ceiling.

Kristaps Porzingis has failed to live up to his form with the New York Knicks which enticed the Mavs into the blockbuster trade. It has since been reported that Porzingis is unhappy with his role in the team’s attack – often playing second-fiddle to Doncic and being asked to be a spot-up shooter rather than a post-threat by the-now Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.

However, the team will hope for a better season ahead which includes improved chemistry after Jason Kidd’s arrival to replace the latter as the new head coach. Reaching the play-offs will be the minimum requirement for the team, but it’s difficult to see them beating some of the other major conference rivals having lost to the Clippers in the first round the past two post-seasons.

Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard continues to solidify his legacy as one of the greatest players in franchise history, delivering some of the most memorable individual play-off performances in modern history.

His status among fans will only elevate, as once again ‘Dame D.O.L.L.A.’ has refused to request a trade following another disappointing post-season in Portland which saw them exit at the first round to Denver. This will be music to Blazers’ fans, as they have continued to see not only Lillard’s name circulate in trade rumours for the majority of the off-season, but their other star guard CJ McCollum.

From the outside, the expectations are relatively low for the team – making the play-offs should be the goal under new head coach Chauncey Billups – but this is unlikely to be enough to keep Lillard happy in the long-run, having never personally reached the NBA Finals in his career.

Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Not many teams can boast having one player with some of the individuals accolades any one of these superstars has – let alone three. However, the latter of the trio is the only star without a NBA Championship to his name to fully cement his legacy despite being one of the most explosive players to ever play his position. Westbrook will nonetheless be confident of adding a championship ring to his trophy cabinet following his trade back to his hometown team, with the Lakers being many expert’s favourites to come out of the Western Conference. 

The majority of doubts are primarily based around their perceived lack of three-point shooting once the play-offs begin, where teams tend to crowd the paint to limit player drives to the basket. The most important thing for the team heading into next season and subsequent play-offs is that the stars remain healthy – which was not the case last term – as no team will want to match up against them.

Memphis Grizzlies

Led by their athletic young star Ja Morant – the rising Grizzlies have exceeded expectations two seasons in a row.

After being narrowly defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2020 ‘Bubble’ play-in tournament to miss out on the eighth seed, they upset the Golden State Warriors in the recent play-in game to secure a match-up against the No-1 seeded Utah Jazz. They again surprised many to win the first game in Salt Lake City, before ultimately being outclassed to lose the series 4-1.

Nonetheless, with a year’s more experience in the league, the team will be confident of causing more upsets as underdogs in the upcoming season with Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson and Brandon Clarke supporting Morant.

Notable teams to watch out for too…

Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors.

By Timi Oluwole

Follow @Tim_Olly