The New NBA Season Is Here: 10 Key Players You Should Look Out For This Season- The 2021–22 NBA season will be the 76th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA returned to a full 82-game regular season in its normal mid-October to mid-April schedule for the first time since the 2018–19 NBA season, as the previous two seasons have been abbreviated in some form due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular season will begin on October 19, 2021. The 2022 NBA All-Star Game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on February 20, 2022.
75th Anniversary
On July 7, 2021, the NBA announced that it would commemorate its 75th anniversary throughout the 2021–22 season. A 75th anniversary diamond logo will be featured in promotions across all NBA properties during the season, including on merchandise, digital and social media, and painted on the courts.The NBA also announced that it would release a list of the 75 greatest players in league history chosen by a panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers, and team executives.
COVID-19 vaccination Mandate
As of October 2021, only the cities of Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco have implemented an indoor vaccine mandate. While most of the league (around 95 percent) has seen its players get at least one dose of the vaccine, players in these named markets who choose not to be vaccinated will not be allowed to play home games. Moreover, the NBA has stated these players will be forced to forfeit money for the missed games. As of the announcement, the mandates were affecting the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and New York Knicks. All other markets either did not have COVID-19 restrictions in place, or they were more minor such as lowered attendance numbers or mask requirements.
Preseason and Regular season Updates – The New NBA Season
The preseason began on October 3, 2021, and will end on October 15. On October 5, a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies was cancelled before the fourth quarter due to a false fire alarm.
The regular season will begin on October 19, 2021, and will end on April 10, 2022, returning to its normal schedule after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule during the previous two seasons.
Play-in tournament and Playoffs
The NBA will stage a play-in tournament for teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference from April 12–15, 2022. The 7th place team will host the 8th place team with the winner clinching the 7th seed in the playoffs. The 9th place team will host the 10th place team with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention. The 7th–8th place game’s loser will then host the 9th–10th place game’s winner, with the winner clinching the 8th seed and the loser being eliminated.
The playoffs will begin on April 16, 2022. The Finals are set to begin on June 2, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for June 19.
Free Agency
Free agency began on August 2, 2021. Notable signings included longtime Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry announcing his decision to sign with Miami Heat on a long term deal. Lonzo Ball announced he would be signing a four-year, $85 million dollar deal with the Chicago Bulls, joining fellow free agency signing DeMar DeRozan. The Los Angeles Clippers re-signed superstar Kawhi Leonard, and the Phoenix Suns re-signed superstar Chris Paul.
10 Key Players You Should Look Out For This Season
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Even at 36 and dealing with injuries recently, James is still finding ways to improve his game. Look no further than the fact that he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists on 51% shooting from the field as an 18th-year player during the 2020-21 regular season. No mention of the best NBA players in history can be seen as legitimate without James being among them. He’s a four-time champion, 17-time All-Star and four-time MVP winner. Enough is said.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Simply brilliant. There’s no disputing that in the 2021 NBA Finals versus the Phoenix Suns, this two-time MVP put on a historic performance. Giannis had 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in the six-game series, including a 50-point performance to claim the title. This solidified his reputation as one of his generation’s top players.
3. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Many feel that Leonard is the NBA’s best perimeter defender and that his performance speaks for itself. This past regular season, the two-time NBA Finals MVP improved in every aspect of his game, averaging 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field. Unfortunately, due to a partially damaged ACL, there’s a strong chance he’ll miss the entire 2021-22 season. That’s terrible news for a player who is still in his prime.
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry’s place as a top player in the NBA is no longer in question, as he dominated for the Warriors this past regular season after returning from an injury-plagued 2019-20. By averaging 32.0 points per game, he won his second career scoring title, joining Michael Jordan in some exclusive company. Curry, 33, also made 337 three-pointers in 63 games, giving him four of the top five slots in three-pointers made in a season. As a result, he was able to secure another record contract extension during the summer. It is well deserved.
5. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Jokic’s game has always been built around his methodical movement and tremendous IQ, despite not being the fastest player on the court. The three-time All-Star is only 26 years old, but as the Nuggets’ focal point, he can easily put up 20 points and seven assists. Given his youth, it’s not unreasonable to expect Jokic to improve his three-point shooting consistency. During the regular season of the 2020-21 season, Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.
6. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
At 6-foot-11, the 32-year-old Durant is unlike any player the NBA has ever seen. He can back you down in the post and can drill deep daggers from deep — and can easily put up 30-10-5 on any night. He is also an excellent defensive player thanks to his height and wingspan, averaging more than a block per game. Returning from a torn Achilles that cost him the 2019-20 season, Durant sat out 37 of 72 games during the regular year. When on the court, he averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists on a career-best 45% shooting from three-point range. The hope here is that injuries don’t derail Durant’s career moving forward.
8. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
The oft-injured 27-year-old Embiid is a game-changer when he’s on the court. He can score in bunches while also shutting down opponents on defense. There aren’t many players in the NBA who can do what Embiid can do on both sides of the court. He is by far the best player on the 76ers, but he must stay healthy. This was not the case during the regular season, when Embiid was forced to miss 21 games due to injuries. Even back then, he was averaging 28.5 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting a career-high 51 percent.
9. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Young, who averaged nearly 30 points per game as a sophomore, is shaping up to be the next long-range shooter. What’s the good news? During the 2020-21 regular season, he didn’t have to do as much scoring for an upgraded Atlanta Hawks team. Young, 23, averaged 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 34% from 3-point range. He then went on to lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 28.8 points per game in 16 playoff games.
10. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
Chris Paul demonstrated that he still has gas left in the tank during an absolutely brilliant 2020-21 regular season for the Phoenix Suns. Continuing to prove himself to be among the best NBA players of the era, the 36-year-old Paul averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists. He also shot 40% or better from three-point range for the fourth time in his career. The future Hall of Famer has was then rewarded with a huge contract extension after helping lead Phoenix to the NBA Finals.
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Reference: Wikipedia