On October 11, 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Today, December 22, a little more than two months after winning the Finals, Lebron and the Lakers will suit up to play the Los Angeles Clippers to tip off the 2021 NBA season.
The NBA will begin this season outside of “The Bubble” which is where last year’s season came to an end. With the NFL season coming to a close without the use of a bubble, there is hope that this NBA season will be a success even with COVID-19 protocols. Players and staff will need daily tests to ensure that no one tests positive and spreads the virus.
There are still many unanswered questions going into this season regarding injuries. There will be superstars returning from injury such as Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, who will be facing off in the first game of the season. With Durant and a returning Kyrie Irving playing for the Nets, they have a very good chance to pose a threat to the Eastern Conference thrown currently held by the Heat. Durant has looked great in preseason but an Achilles injury is the most difficult injury to recover from in sports. John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, who both have not played in an NBA game since 2018, are teaming up on the Houston Rockets. Will these former college teammates and good friends be able to rejuvenate their careers on the same team?
Some players aren’t lucky enough to be able to return this season due to injuries such as Klay Thompson and Jonathon Isaac. The Warriors were heading into the offseason with many people believing they could become a serious threat to the Lakers in the West, but Thompson’s injury will make getting back to The Finals a lot more difficult for Golden State and head coach Steve Kerr.
Perhaps the biggest question going into the season is who James Harden will be playing for at the end of the year. Harden, who is arguably a top five player in the league, has shown that he no longer wants to play for Houston. The Sixers and Nets were the two most likely destinations for the Rockets guard at the beginning of the trade request, but other teams such as Miami and Denver have shown interest. Denver’s Jamal Murray and Miami’s Tyler Herro have been named untouchable in trade talks. Houston has also discussed Michael Porter Jr. trades with Denver, but talks haven’t progressed. The Sixers, Ben Simmons is another young star whose name has reportedly been talked about in Harden trades, but Daryl Morey has rejected the fact that he has discussed a Ben Simmons for Harden swap to reunite with his former MVP. Surely a James Harden trade would shake up the entire league and immediately turn any team receiving him into a legitimate contender.
Speaking of MVPs, Giannis Antetekoumpo is coming off his second straight MVP award and will be looking to win his third consecutive MVP. He would join Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Larry Bird as the only players to win the award three years in a row. Perhaps the biggest threat to Antetekoumpo’s three-peat is Luka Doncic who is entering only his third year in the league. Luka helped the Mavericks force a six game series against the Clippers last year in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. He also made one of the most memorable shots of the season when he hit a game winning step-back three over Reggie Jackson in game four. Lebron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers are also in the conversation for MVP but in most people’s eyes, it is a two way race this year between Giannis and Luka. Of course, anything could change throughout the course of the year as the award is still up for grabs.
There are quite a few teams and players who could be on the verge of breakout seasons. The Atlanta Hawks, who are coming off arguably the best offseason in the league, could be a team to look out for in the East. Danilo Gallinari, Rajan Rondo, Clint Capela, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are only a few acquisitions the team has made over the last year. MVP contender Luka Doncic will be looking to put the league on notice this year if he hasn’t done so already. The Mavericks were the seven seed last season and will be looking to become one of the top teams in the Western Conference this year, with Kristaps Porzingas going into the season at full strength.
Clearly, there are still the top dogs in each conference with the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets looking to retain their spots as the top three teams in the West and the Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, all falling behind the Eastern Conference champions, the Miami Heat. The Lakers only got stronger this offseason replacing old names such as Rajan Rondo and Javale Mcgee with newcomers Dennis Schroeder and Montrez Harrell. With the loss of Montrez Harrell and Landry Shamett, the Clippers regrouped with additions of Serge Ibaka and upcoming Luke Kennard, who they just locked up on a four year extension with yesterday. The Nuggets brought back all of their players for the most part and are still looking strong.
As for the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee made some of the biggest moves of the offseason by sacrificing their future picks while trading them for Jrue Holiday. Ultimately this helped the Bucks persuade Giannis to sign the supermax extension with the team. The Sixers also made some pivotal changes this offseason on and off the court. They signed Doc Rivers to be their new head coach and Daryl Morey to become the new general manager who made an immediate impact giving up the team’s star power in Al Horford. This led to the addition of shooters to put around the duo of Simmons and Embiid in Seth Curry and Danny Green. After falling to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Boston added veteran center Tristan Thompson and former all star point guard Jeff Teague. Finally, the Eastern Conference champions were able to strengthen their defense even more by bringing in veteran guard Avery Bradley and the addition of rookie Precious Achiuwa.
The league will be looking a lot different this year but there are still many unanswered questions. Which players will improve the most and bring their team success? Who will be able to come back from injury and make an immediate impact? What big names will be on the move? Who will win MVP? Of course, the biggest question of this season is who will be crowned the 2021 NBA champions.
Comments