The 2021-22 NBA season opened last Tuesday with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Brooklyn Nets, and in the past week we’ve seen many great games that seem to show we are in for an electric season. In this past week, some intriguing storylines have emerged, and today I’ll be getting into those with my three main takeaways from the first week of the season.
Knicks Revamped Offense Could Make Them a Contender
Last year almost everyone, including most Knicks fans, expected them to finish towards the bottom of the East and be in contention for the number one pick in the draft. However, behind strong and effective team defense and the huge improvements of star-power forward Julius Randle, they were able to get the four seed in the Eastern Conference. Disappointingly, their Achilles heel in the playoffs was their offense, which sputtered in big moments and led to them being quickly dispatched by the Hawks in the first round.
Through four games this year, it’s clear that their offense has greatly improved, and that is due to better perimeter play behind the key additions of Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, as well as a modern offensive philosophy in which almost all of their guards are taking more three-pointers. Along with Fournier and Walker, Derrick Rose, R.J. Barrett, and Alec Burkes are all taking more threes than ever before, and through three games the Knicks lead the league, averaging 49.0 three-point attempts per game. This has allowed the Knicks to stretch the floor and gives their guards space to slash to the rim, when necessary, and has given Julius Randle more opportunities for post-ups and isolations. If this trend continues and the Knicks are able to convert the three-ball at an efficient rate, expect them to contend for a top seed in the East and potentially a trip to the NBA finals.
Unless Kyrie Gets the Shot, Nets Might Lose Their Shot at a Championship
In the offseason, all Brooklyn Nets storylines surrounded star point guard Kyrie Irving and his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. A New York City mandate requires all persons to have proof of at least one vaccination shot to enter all indoor gyms, including the Barclays Center, where the Nets play their home games. This means Kyrie would be banned from playing in any home games, and before the start of the season the Nets announced Kyrie wouldn’t be allowed to practice or play with the team in any games until he is vaccinated.
Through four games without him, the Nets are sitting at 2-2, and their offense struggled mightily in blowout losses to the Bucks and Hornets. The Nets are weak defensively, as they are built to simply outscore teams, and without Kyrie, they don’t have the offensive firepower behind Durant and Harden to do this. This was evidence in their loss to the Hornets, where Durant had 38 points, Harden had 15, and no one else scored in double digits.
Blake Griffen, Joe Harris, Bruce Brown, Nicolas Claxton, and the rest of the Nets are solid role players, but they struggle to create their own shot and cannot score consistently enough to be a reliable third option on a championship team. Therefore, unless Kyrie gets vaccinated, I don’t see this Nets team being able to compete with the other top teams in the East and contend for a title.
The Bulls Could be Legit?
As I write this article, the Chicago Bulls have the best record in the league at 4-0 and have looked like one of the best teams in the East. Their two main offseason acquisitions, Lonzo Ball and Demar Derozan, have played great and perfectly complemented star guard Zach Lavine, while their often-overlooked All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, who they acquired at the trade deadline last year, has averaged a double-double and been surprisingly solid on the defensive end.
However, the Bulls still have a lot to prove, as their four wins thus far have come against the Pistons, Pelicans, and Raptors—three weak teams that were nowhere near the playoffs last season. I still have concerns about their defense, as Zach Lavine and Demar DeRozan are both very weak defenders who could get exposed down the stretch in big games. They are both excellent on offense, and in many games, the Bulls will do enough on that side of the floor that their defense won’t matter. However, when their shooting goes cold and they struggle to put up points, which inevitably will happen sometimes over the course of an 82-game season, they will need to lock up defensively to win when it counts.
Bonus NFL Picks
Last week I went 10-3 with my Week 7 NFL picks, and here I’ll give you my picks for Week 8:
Cardinals over Packers
Bills over Dolphins
Falcons over Panthers
Browns over Steelers
Bengals over Jets
Titans over Colts
Lions over Eagles
49ers over Bears
Rams over Texans
Jaguars over Seahawks
Chargers over Patriots
Buccaneers over Saints
Broncos over Washington Football Team
Cowboys over Vikings
Chiefs over Giants