Lakers, Nets, Warriors, more: NBA's most interesting teams heading into 2021-22 season
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
In the past 373 days, there have been two NBA champions crowned (the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers) and a lifetime of action, drama and intrigue crammed into just a year and eight days.
Now we're gearing up for another fascinating ride. Here are the five most interesting teams as we head into the 75th anniversary season of the NBA.
The Lakers' Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook had a consensus takeaway from their preseason debut: It's going to take time to jell.
Between them, they have 34 All-Star appearances and 30 All-NBA selections, but figuring out how to be a cohesive unit instead of a disparate collection of superstars will be a challenge.
The good thing is they have the maturity to understand that it's not going to happen overnight.
James has taken the lead in film sessions, directing the cadre of future Hall of Famers like a quarterback. Davis has shown a willingness to play the 5, a position he previously said wasn't his favorite. Westbrook has laughed away any concerns about his plethora of preseason turnovers, jokingly telling reporters that they better "keep that same energy" when he has 20 assists.
The Lakers believe it will come together. The pieces are all there. It's just a question of when.
James, in his 19th season, can still switch into freight-train mode whenever he pleases, outmaneuvering opponents with an unrivaled combination of strength and smarts. Davis is finally healthy after missing 36 (or half) of his team's 72 regular-season games last season. And Westbrook has been given full permission to be his feisty self in his quest to win his first NBA championship.
Sprinkle in Carmelo Anthony's shooting, a combination of DeAndre Jordan's and Dwight Howard's rebounding power and Rajon Rondo's behind-the-scenes coaching abilities, and the Lakers have perhaps the best roster in the league, pound-for-pound.
Now they just have to make it all come together.
"As a leader, my job is for myself not to get frustrated," James said. "If I don't get frustrated, I think it will trickle down to everyone else. I've never been a person that's OK with not being excellent. But I understand things take time as well. As long as I keep the main thing the main thing, stay even-keel throughout whatever is going on with our ballclub, then we'll be fine."
We hardly got to see the Nets' Big Three of Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant play together last season, with various injuries getting in the way.
Entering this season, that was supposed to change. But then Irving became a question due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. (Under New York City's health mandates, unvaccinated players aren't allowed to play at home.)
The Nets responded by taking a stand, saying that Irving wouldn't be allowed to practice or play with the team "until he is eligible to be a full participant." That's a huge hit for a team widely favored to be a title contender.
Will Irving change his mind and get vaccinated? Will the Nets eventually change their stance? Will the health mandates be altered?
Until something gives, the Nets won't have their incredibly smooth floor general, who averaged 26.9 points on 50.6% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and six assists last season.
The Nets still have superstars Durant, who defied all logic by getting better last season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in 2019, and Harden, who showed that he's willing to be a team player for the Nets. And they have an interesting supporting cast in Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bruce Brown, James Johnson, Jevon Carter and Patty Mills.
But without Irving, the team's status as a shoo-in to compete for a ring definitely loses some of its luster. And so far, Irving says he isn't going to change his mind.
"I am doing what’s best for me," he said recently on Instagram Live. "I know the consequences here, and if it means that I’m judged and demonized for that, that’s just what it is."
Ben Simmons is back with Philadelphia after missing training camp and much of the preseason following his trade request during the offseason.
But his status with the team remains unclear. No one really knows what's happening, including coach Doc Rivers.
"I'm assuming he's going to play, but who knows?" Rivers said at a recent practice. "I can't get in anyone's head."
There's so much uncertainty around this team right now, and until it gets resolved, it's difficult to imagine that the 76ers will be able to move forward and build any chemistry.
With Simmons alongside superstar Joel Embiid last season, the 76ers had the best record in the East. Embiid was the runner-up for MVP and is poised to have another standout year. The team re-signed Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz and added Georges Niang and Andre Drummond. If Simmons somehow changes course and chooses to buy in, there's a good chance that the Sixers could be a juggernaut in the East again.
But if they keep Simmons against his will, the Sixers' well will slowly be poisoned. We saw what happened last season in Houston, when a disgruntled James Harden made things so untenable that the team was forced to trade him to the Nets for less than his worth.
Until the Simmons situation gets resolved, the 76ers are perhaps the league's biggest question. While we wait for some clarity there, here's hoping Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton have the season of their lives.
4. Phoenix Suns
The Suns took the league by surprise last season, going from projected to not even make the playoffs to reaching the NBA Finals.
Coach Monty Williams got everyone to buy in with his unique combination of charm and likability. Chris Paul demonstrated his killer instinct — and cajoled his teammates into developing their own. Young stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton responded by shining in their debuts on the greatest of NBA stages.
It all led to a fringe Suns team pushing the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks nearly to the edge in the NBA Finals.
The Suns didn't get their storybook ending, but they vowed to return stronger this season. Paul signed a four-year contract with the team, a step in the right direction for the franchise considering his impact on and off the court.
But the team failed to extend Ayton to the rookie max extension he wanted, with talks coming to an end Monday without a deal and Ayton set to become a restricted free agent after the season.
Still, for this season, the Suns have most of their pieces in place. The 36-year-old Paul has stomped out any concerns that he's washed up. Booker is growing into a bona fide superstar, and Ayton quieted everyone who criticized the Suns for selecting him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Plus, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Payne and Jae Crowder all had brilliant moments when it mattered most.
The question is whether the Suns will again be able to compete at a championship level in a deep Western Conference. Was their incredible run a fluke, or are they the real deal?
Even though the Warriors didn't make the playoffs last season, they were one of the most intriguing teams in the league.
Stephen Curry is a human lighting rod, capable of making a shot from anywhere on the court. Draymond Green is a fireball who sparks runs and defensive stands with unparalleled intensity. And soon, the team will get back Klay Thompson, who missed the previous two seasons because of a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Will Thompson's return catapult Golden State back into championship contention?
The Warriors reached the NBA Finals five seasons in a row from 2015 to 2019, winning three titles before Durant left for Brooklyn and Thompson was injured. This season, everything will come down to whether Thompson can quickly return to his dangerous, sharpshooting self or if he needs significant time to work off the rust.
The Warriors have proven chemistry. And they added strong pieces around their superstars, including James Wiseman, Andre Iguodala, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Juan Toscano-Anderson.
If Thompson can make the Splash Brothers whole again, this Warriors team could go from the cellar of the league back to its pinnacle in a fraction of a second — or the amount of time it takes one of them to shoot one of their signature 3s.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.