#10 Denver Nuggets – Last Season’s Record: 47-25
Key Offseason Additions: G/F Will Barton, F Jeff Green, F JaMychal Green, G Austin Rivers, G Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland
Key Offseason Departures: F Paul Millsap*, C JaVale McGee
(*Still a free agent)
Nikola Jokic is the reigning league-MVP and the Denver Nuggets have quickly built themselves into a real threat in the Western Conference, but something seems to be missing on this Nuggets team. Oh, that’s right, Jamal Murray tore his ACL in his left knee near the end of last season and will not be ready to take the court during the 2021-22 season until January 2022 at the earliest, but it looks more likely that they will target the end of February 2022 as a potential return date for him.
Jamal Murray has built himself into one of the better scoring point guards in the league over the last few years and when both he and Nikola Jokic were on the court, there were some serious discussions about the Nuggets being legit threats to make the NBA Finals in the Western Conference.
With Murray being out though, the Nuggets are not going to be as good of a team as they potentially could be. Jokic being their leader still makes them a force in the Western Conference, but this upcoming season will be all about Denver’s young talents, starting with Michael Porter Jr.
If they can get guys like Michael Porter Jr., P.J. Dozier, Monte Morris and others to deliver big minutes and production either in the starting rotation or off-the-bench, then they will definitely be set up to contend for a title in the playoffs. However, if they do not get the most out of their young guys, they will be nothing more than a team that makes the Conference Semifinals once again.
#9 Philadelphia 76ers – Last Season’s Record: 49-23
Key Offseason Additions: G/F Danny Green, C Andre Drummond, F Georges Niang, F Furkan Korkmaz
Key Offseason Departures: G George Hill, C Dwight Howard, F Mike Scott*
(*Still a free agent)
I really do not know what to make of the Philadelphia 76ers at this point because I do not think they know what to make of themselves. Are they a real contender? Yes they are. Can they win a title with Ben Simmons as their point guard? I guess you have to ask Doc Rivers that question since he did not have the answer to that at the end of last season!
Trade rumors involving Ben Simmons have been flying off the shelves lately, but nobody seems to want to pay the Sixers’ price for him and rightfully so! Ben Simmons has a chance to be a really strong two-way player in this league, especially since he is still only 25-years-old, but he is a project right now on the offensive-end of the floor.
No team in this league is going to be willing to give up an All-Star-level talent, a handful of other young talents and a massive overhaul of draft picks for Simmons, which is likely why Philly has not traded him yet. They are still holding out hope that they can move him for Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard sometime soon, but again, this is not going to happen.
So where do the Philadelphia 76ers go from here? They did not really add any talents to help them win a title in the offseason and Joel Embiid is still their only reliable offensive threat, no disrespect to Tobias Harris, so the 76ers could once again be setting themselves and their fanbase up for playoff disappointment should they fail to add another All-Star near the trade deadline or before then.
#8 Utah Jazz – Last Season’s Record: 52-20
Key Offseason Additions: G Mike Conley, F Rudy Gay, C Hassan Whiteside, F Eric Paschall
Key Offseason Departures: F Georges Niang, C Derrick Favors
After finishing the 2020-21 season with the best record in the NBA, the Utah Jazz failed to make it past the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Mike Conley being banged up and Donovan Mitchell still dealing with ankle issues definitely factored into Utah’s loss, but overall, this team is not going anywhere.
The Jazz are built to be one of the best teams in the league and they will once again finish as one of the better teams in the league record-wise. Whether or not they can win in the postseason though remains the biggest question mark. Donovan Mitchell has quickly turned himself into one of the best offensive weapons in the league, but Utah struggled to find immediate production outside of him in the playoffs last year.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Siakam, Dragic, Lillard
Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic are much better perimeter options than primary scorers, Rudy Gobert can be a non-factor most of the time offensively and Mike Conley is now almost 34-years-old. Bringing in Rudy Gay to be another offensive threat is key, but Utah could very well end up with the same problems they had last year of only being able to put the ball in Mitchell’s hands to get a much-needed bucket.
While the Utah Jazz are definitely better than teams like the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Bulls, they are in the same boat as them in terms of being one key piece away from being true contenders. Nonetheless, the Jazz will still be a tough team to beat during the regular season and in the playoffs.
#7 Los Angeles Clippers – Last Season’s Record: 47-25
Key Offseason Additions: F Kawhi Leonard, G Reggie Jackson, G Eric Bledsoe, F Nic Batum, G/F Justise Winslow
Key Offseason Departures: G Patrick Beverley, G Rajon Rondo, C DeMarcus Cousins, F Patrick Patterson
The only reason why the Los Angeles Clippers are not ranked higher is because not having Kawhi Leonard to begin the season is really going to hurt them. Paul George is a great player and Reggie Jackson stepped up in the postseason last year, but this team is going to struggle against some of the better teams in the league because of their lack of overall production without Leonard on the court.
Coming off their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Clippers will look to once again prove that they can be real title threats during the 2021-22 season. George and Jackson will once again be tasked with being the main scorers and leaders of this team with Kawhi out, but the Clippers have a little more depth to play around with this upcoming season.
Terance Mann emerged as a possible secondary scoring option in the playoffs last year and now, they have a lot of young talents in Keon Johnson, B.J. Boston, Jason Preston and even Luke Kennard to play around with on the perimeter.
It is almost a given that the Clippers will finish with 40+ wins, but they could very much struggle to begin the season. They could wind up finishing with anywhere from 42-48 wins during the 2021-22 regular season with their sights set on making another deep postseason run when Kawhi Leonard returns.
The addition of Eric Bledsoe is definitely going to aid them more than many would imagine since he can still do his job on both ends of the court, but the real difference-maker for the Clippers could be Serge Ibaka. If the soon-to-be 32-year-old big man can stay healthy, he will not only give Los Angeles some much needed depth in their frontcourt, but he will be another offensive threat they can utilize on the perimeter or in the low-post.
#6 Golden State Warriors – Last Season’s Record: 39-33
Key Offseason Additions: F Otto Porter Jr., F Andre Iguodala, F Nemanja Bjelica, G Moses Moody, F Jonathan Kuminga
Key Offseason Departures: G/F Kelly Oubre Jr., F Eric Paschall, G/F Kent Bazemore
Ever since losing to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals, the Warriors have really struggled to be the same championship team they once were not only because Kevin Durant is in Brooklyn now, but because they have suffered some significant injuries over the years. Not only has Klay Thompson not played in a single game since this Raptors championship series, but Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and others have all also dealt with a handful of injuries.
Now, with a full offseason to rest up and get healthy again, the Warriors should once again throw themselves into title contention. Ranking them 6th in this Power Rankings list is quite generous, but at full strength, there really is no reason why they cannot win another title.
Stephen Curry is coming off arguably his greatest season ever, and that is including the two seasons in which he won the league-MVP, Klay Thompson is going to be returning to action, Draymond Green is still one of the best forward-facilitators in the league and they have a ton of other key pieces.
Andrew Wiggins moving over to the No. 3 scoring option on the team should help improve him as an overall two-way player and James Wiseman is expected to take a massive leap during his second season in the league. Then with Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr., Jordan Poole, Damion Lee and others on the bench, this Warriors team can definitely make a deep run in the playoffs if they stay healthy.
Do not sleep on Golden State this year because they very well could be fighting for their fourth championship in the last eight seasons.
