Before the NBA Preseason kicks off on October 3rd, followed by the Regular Season beginning October 19, I wanted to share my top 5 teams to keep an eye on this upcoming season. 2021's NBA Free Agency was definitely one for the ages, as we witnessed a plethora of changes throughout the league.
The basketball world was hit with a sequence of major moves including seeing players like Russell Westbrook, Demar Derozan, Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball, and many others sign with new teams. Although some moves were pretty much expected like the resigning of Luka Doncic who signed a five-year $207 million extension with the Dallas Mavericks and Kawhi Leonard resigning with the Los Angeles Clippers on a four-year $176.3 million contract, free agency still shocked the fans with some staggering moves this offseason. With all that being said, here are my top 5 teams to keep an eye on for the upcoming season:
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have accumulated a lot of attention during this offseason assembling a superstar roster, as they prepare for the hard road to the 2022 NBA Finals. Laker fans have all the reason to be excited going into the season, as they have fully revamped their roster. This free agency welcomed Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to their roster, as well resigning former Laker vets Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, and Wayne Ellington. The Lakers also filled out their bench by adding Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, Deandre Jordan, and resigning Talen Horton-Tucker. This team is expected to immediately contend for a championship, considering that they already have LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the forefront. With the additions of Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, I expect the Lakers to go all the way. There will be a couple of bumps and bruises as expected throughout the season, due to the fact that this is a brand new roster. The existing friendship of LeBron, AD, Russell, and Melo gives me good reason to believe that the chemistry won't be an issue. After an injury riddled season last year, you can expect the Lakers to be coming with a vengance and doing all they can to bring the chip back to LA.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls had an excellent free agency, as they expect to contend in the East. The Bulls added DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso to the already talented duo of Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic. People fear that the pairing of Lavine and DeRozan won't work because they have similar tendencies. Both of them likes to be the focal point of the offense and they mainly operate in the half-court, but that is where the addition of Lonzo Ball comes in. Yes, I know that Lonzo Ball hasn't lived up to the hype of being the #2 pick so far, but he's made major strides this past year and I honestly feel that this season will be his breakout year. Lonzo has stated that the Bulls will allow him to play the traditional PG role, which will give people the chance to see his full potential given the opportunity to do so. The Bulls will be a problem this season with Lonzo orchestrating the offense, Lavine and DeRozan I expect the Bulls to make a playoff run, as they try to restore the franchise back into the glory days. Chicago definitely has reasons to be excited again.
Golden State Warriors
THE SPLASH BROTHERS ARE BACK! Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will finallly be in the backcourt together again for the first time in 2 years. As we all know, Klay Thompson hasn't played a game since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals due to a torn ACL. Klay was slated to return the following year, but tore his achilles in training camp. He will now be returning for the first time in years. The Warriors are hungrier than ever to regain their throne as NBA Champions and will surely have a chip on their shoulder headed into the season. They have a nice core consisting of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and James Wiseman. Let's not forget that Jordan Poole has emerged as a nice young prospect as well. Dub City will be back roaring and the Warriors will definitely be looking to climb back to the top of the mountain.
Brooklyn Nets
This past year, the Brooklyn Nets were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Brooklyn definitely wants their revenge. Kyrie Irving was out due to an ankle injury and James Harden was a shell of himself due to a hamstring injury. I am surely convinced that if Brooklyn were healthy, they would've beat Milwaukee and gone on to beat the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. With KD, Kyrie, and Harden at the forefront, along with Patty Mills and Blake Griffin, the Nets will be eager to prove their dominance amongst the league. Brooklyn will be playing with a chip on their shoulders because they know that the world is waiting for them to fail. The league has created a narrative saying that Kyrie and KD are locker room cancers and they aren't leaders. We seen that when the Nets are firing on all cyclinders, they're pretty much impossible to beat. The Nets will definitely be exciting this year, expect them to be in the Finals.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat performed poorly last year, getting swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. This free agency was major for them, due to the fact that they signed Kyle Lowry to a three-year $85 million contract. Kyle Lowry is a former champion and all star, that will be sure to make the Heat significantly better. Kyle Lowry joins Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and company as they prepare to get back to the NBA Finals once again. The addition of PJ Tucker will also be valuable becuase he is a 3 and D player that will be sure to make his presence felt come playoff time. Jimmy Butler is a dog who had the performance of a lifetime during the 2020 NBA Finals when they lost to the Lakers, he is hungry to get another chance at the chip. Kyle Lowry joining the heat will give them a newfound confidence that they were missing last year. Miami is definitely a team to keep an eye on, we shall see how they perform during the season.