The NBA’s 2 Biggest Offseason Questions – The Future Kevin Durant When Donovan Mitchell — Answered.
But while the Brooklyn Nets appear to be on track to put their current core back on track, the drama at Barclays Center isn’t over yet.
Will Durant and the Nets partnership survive the rest of the season after such grievances are publicly aired this summer? Ben SimmonsWill he, who has yet to debut for his new team since being traded to Brooklyn before the February trade deadline, make an immediate impact?
Much like last season, the Nets will surely continue to make headlines.The Los Angeles Lakers are no different, welcoming a new fierce point guard into the mix. Russell Westbrookburied in trade rumors all summer, but now coexist Patrick Beverly In the same backcourt?
NBA Insiders are examining questions seeking answers throughout training camp and the start of the 2022-23 season. This includes defending his champion youngsters, key players returning from injury for the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls, and the MVP’s future prospects. Candidates who did well in EuroBasket.
KD? Kyrie? Simmons? Will everything be fine in Brooklyn?
status quo:
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Kevin Durant: Canceled trade request on August 24th.
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Kyrie Irving: Opt-in to the 4th year of the contract on June 27th.
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Ben Simmons: Hasn’t played since the 76ers lost Game 7 of the 2021 East Semifinals.
If you’ve heard this before please stop. But the Nets have some questions heading into the season.
Durant remains in the fold for now, and Brooklyn is confident that offseason drama will be replaced by basketball wins.The organization has revolved around Durant since the moment he signed three years ago. However, it’s unclear if the relationship will last for the entire season, let alone the four years he has left on his contract.
Little did we hear that Simmons will be sidelined for 16 months this summer when the Nets begin their season in Brooklyn against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 19.
The Nets announced in May that Simmons had undergone successful microdissection surgery shortly after the Nets suffered a first-round sweep against the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. We hope to make a full recovery before the start of
More than nearly any NBA team, the Nets are defined by a series of ifs. But if Durant, Irving and Simmons are all available and on the court at Barclays Center this season, the Nets could be his anticipated title contender in 2021-22.
In theory, Simmons would be the perfect player to play alongside Durant and Irving. A study by ESPN Stats & Information found that Simmons was a force in producing 3-point shots, and in his career he has assisted 996 3-point shots, which is the highest he has ever scored from 2017-18 to 2020-21. He is his second-most in the NBA over the years, Russell he trails Westbrook.
Simmons, Durant, Irving, Joe Harris When Seth Curry, is light defensively, but can be a devastating offensive unit if Simmons is crafting an open look.Per Second Spectrum tracking shows 371 players in the last five seasons I tried 150 wide open 3’s. Harris, Curry and Durant all rank in the top four in such attempts.
— Tim Bontemps and Nick Friedel
What’s next for Russ, Pat Bebb and the Lakers?
status quo:
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Last year’s woes: In his debut season with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook had his worst offensive season since 2010.
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Pat Bebb added: The Lakers traded him for Patrick Beverley on July 6, sharing time with Westbrook at point guard.
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NEW AGENT: Westbrook fired longtime agent Wasserman’s Thad Hoocher on July 15, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
The Lakers could be headed into an awkward first day of training camp. There’s a clear history between Westbrook and offseason trade acquisition Beverly, but Westbrook’s attendance and Beverly’s towel assist at his debut press conference have both guards ready to squash past beefs. suggests that
After hearing his name on trade rumors all summer, it looks like Westbrook is going nowhere. lebron james “Can’t wait for him to retire this season!!” he tweeted. A statement from new coach Durbin Hamm expressing support for the 33-year-old guard.
Assuming the trade doesn’t materialize, Hamm and his staff will have Westbrook, James, Anthony Davis After falling apart during last season’s 11th-place finish in the Western Conference. (Ham is also tasked with maxing out Westbrook when the ball is in James’ hands.)
LeBron’s tweets aside, how will the dynamic between him and Westbrook evolve? (Remember that awkward Summer League moment when the two were sitting on opposite sides of the court? )
This kind of vibe is nothing new to Westbrook. Throughout his career, Westbrook has been motivated by being disrespected or criticized. For now, trade gossip has been replaced by chatter suggesting he and Beverly can’t coexist in the Lakers’ backcourt.
— Uhm Young Mi-sook
Lonzo Ball When chris middleton Injuries: How are they recovering?
status quo:
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Ball: Suffered a knee injury on Jan. 14 — not expected to return to the start of the season.
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Middleton: I injured my knee on April 20th and underwent wrist surgery in early July. He is expected to return early in the season.
Both the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks avoided making major changes this offseason.
Milwaukee believes that had Middleton not slipped on his drive to the basket during the first-round series against the Bulls, he would have suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee that would have forced him out of the final 10 playoff games. I’m here. We are on our way to another NBA Finals.
Middleton, who also underwent offseason surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist, is expected to be ready near the start of the regular season. The Bucks are known for their cautious approach to injuries, so Milwaukee is prioritizing Middleton getting healthy for stretch runs and the playoffs, even if it means tackling early 2022-23 without an All-Star. I hope you will.
Meanwhile, the Bulls’ season deteriorated much faster than their divisional rivals.
On January 14, Chicago went 27-13 and was the No. 1 seed in the East before Lonzo Ball injured his left knee. That sputtered to a 19-23 finish and a five-game first-round loss without him, Ball said he underwent arthroscopic surgery in January but returned to action in the game near the end of the season. Every time I tried to strengthen him towards it, I was frustrated.
During the recent summer league, Bulls vice president Arturas Carnisovas admitted that Ball’s health was improving, but “probably not the speed we want,” and the team said he was ready for the start of the season. The organization remains vague about the condition of the ball and how long the knee problem will last.
— Jamal Collier
Are the Warriors’ youngsters ready to step up?
status quo:
Last season, the Warriors enjoyed the perk of slowly bringing in young players on their way to an NBA title.
Cuminga and Moody were given sporadic small opportunities as rookies, filling up for injured players throughout the season and even getting starting opportunities. GOLDEN The deep layers of his state have allowed the second-year player, Wiseman, to take time to recover from a meniscus injury in his right knee, ultimately allowing him to finish his entire season in 2021-22. will be missed.
Champions no longer have that luxury.
departure of Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica When Damion Lee Arguably, it will let Golden State’s trio of youngsters take on expanded roles.
The Warriors want Kuminga to use his athleticism to his advantage, especially his skills as a slasher and finisher. Towards the end of last season, he demonstrated his ability to draw contact and reach his line with free throws. Memphis in late March he won 10-1 against the Grizzlies.
Golden State envisions the Moody as a strong 3-and-D floor spacer, allowing it to utilize its 7-foot-1 wingspan on the defensive end. As a rookie, Moody shot 2 or more shots per game from his 36.4% deep.
What exactly Wiseman can do is still a question mark. While he lacks the sample size of younger teammates, Wiseman has a solid summer league and has given us a glimpse of how the Warriors want to use him: changing shots, grabbing rebounds. as a typical rim protector.
— Kendra Andrews
How will EuroBasket affect Giannis, Luka and Joker? Should teams worry about attrition?
status quo:
More than 20 NBA players represented their nations in the latest installment of EuroBasket, FIBA’s continental European championship, including Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Jokic, three members of last year’s All-NBA First Team. Semifinals.
Extra mileage for star players heading into the season could be a concern.
Jokić last represented Serbia in the summer of 2019 at the World Cup. He returned in his 2019-20 Denver Nuggets in all of his 73 games and reached the Conference Finals in his bubble-era Western. After Denver was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, Jokic took a long break after winning back-to-back he MVP.
The last time EuroBasket was played in 2017, Doncic helped establish NBA potential by leading Slovenia to gold alongside MVP Goran DragicHe then became the youngest ever Euroleague MVP. With Slovenia failing to qualify for the last World Cup, Doncic next appeared on his home country’s court at last summer’s Olympics. Enough time had passed after that competition for Doncic to join his camp in a heavier-than-normal workout (which shouldn’t be the case this time), but he made his way to Dallas for his Mavericks. showed enough stamina to lead the West to his Finals this year.
Giannis missed the last EuroBasket due to a knee injury, but he did play in the 2019 World Cup. He returned from that competition to win his MVP for the second year in a row, averaging a career-best 29.5 PPG in 2019-20 (since surpassing last season). Giannis also enjoyed a longer-than-usual summer despite his heroic performance after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in his second round.
— Kevin Pelton
