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#3 Boston Celtics
A sea of change swept through the Boston Celtics organization like a tsunami this summer. Long-time President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, has stepped down from his role, with former head coach Brad Stevens now occupying the position. Ime Udoka filled the open seat, and began to establish his own coaching staff shortly after.
On the playing side, Kemba Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in return for Al Horford and Moses Brown - (Walker is now with the New York Knicks and Moses Brown is with the Dallas Mavericks). Brad Stevens also added Josh Richardson, Enes Kanter, Dennis Schroder and a couple of Exhibit 10 deals to round out the training camp roster.
Now, the Celtics will be hoping their deeper, more versatile roster can help expel the memories of their tumultuous 2020-21 NBA season as they bid to challenge for the championship.
After two disappointing seasons in the last three years, the Celtics will be out to prove their star wing duo is capable of becoming a star pairing in the league, especially now they have such a talented supporting cast around them.
#2 Brooklyn Nets
Arguably the most talented team in NBA history, the Brooklyn Nets are under immense pressure to win the NBA championship this season. Led by Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, only spells of poor health can derail this juggernaught on its way to the promised land.
But having the best roster doesn't always guarantee success - even the Golden State Warriors have fallen short a couple of times. Now, Steve Nash, who can no longer rely on Mike D'Antoni to draw up his offense, will need to lean on all of his playing experience to help guide this roster through the regular season unscathed.
Nothing short of finals success will be acceptable for the Nets this year, and with questions still surrounding their defensive ability, they're going to have a lot of people to prove wrong!
#1 Los Angeles Lakers
Similar to the Brooklyn Nets, it's championship or bust for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Frank Vogel has some of the game's biggest names on his roster, the problem is that most of them are past their prime, meaning he will need to get creative with his minutes distribution to keep all those aging legs fresh.
Currently there are two vocal crowds discussing the Lakers, one crowd believe their the favorites to win it all, while the other thinks this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Nostalgia will play a part, as many would like to see Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook win a ring, but the team needs to prove it can sustain a lack of spacing and youthfulness before many consider them a legitimate threat.
Furthermore, LeBron James is likely to be a man on a mission this season, after watching the Lakers get bounced in the first round of last season's playoffs. Frank Vogel and his aging team of stars have the potential to decimate all in front of them, but they're also capable of imploding if things don't go well.
Now all we can do is wait and see if the Lakers can prove their doubters wrong and dominate the NBA the way their roster suggests they should.
