Written By Jake Majka of Happy Hour Hoops
Welcome to our FIRST edition of the 2021-2022 Happy Hour Hoops Contenders Rankings. A little different than power rankings (or maybe not at all really) but this is our ranking of who we think are title contenders if the season ended today. So it takes a little bit of projection (we don’t know how these teams would look in the playoffs, obviously) but we also want to take the body of work that is in front of us at face value. Basically, it’s whatever order we decide, and if you disagree you can always hit us up @happyhourhoops1 and complain about it. And wiithout further ado, the rankings!
Golden State Warriors
Yes, the Suns beat the Warriors last night in an incredible matchup. But we’re taking Steph over the field here. The Warriors are playing typical Warriors basketball. A group that is expecting a return from their second-best player, Klay Thompson within the next month currently has the best record in the NBA. Not to mention Steph Curry is arguably the best player in basketball right now.
Steve Kerr says Draymond Green is the best defender in the league right now. They have great movement on the court, as opposed to last year’s stagnant offense that’s effectiveness rested solely on how Curry was cooking that night. Andrew Wiggins has been unbelievable. Basically doing everything you could ask of him and his impact is felt every night defensively and offensively. Y
ou can see the vision, with the young wings Moody and Kuminga learning and observing in more limited minutes, the Warriors future is right in front of us. Wiggins, Igoudala and Otto Porter JR. give the Warriors the length and switching ability that their 2015-2018 teams had in abundance with prime Iggy, KD and before that Harrison Barnes. They are a force defensively. They create nightmares with their small ball lineups. The Warriors are back. Beware.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns get it done as a unit. After coming up short in the finals last season they have not missed a beat. You can’t deny this group has championship-level chemistry and depth. They have picked up right where they left off during the finals and built on the chemistry they developed.
The core of this team remains intact and although there is uncertainty surrounding DeAndre Ayton’s contract extension, this team understands each other and plays their respective roles to a tee. Chris Paul is still the King of the Chessboard everytime he’s on the court. Devin Booker is a bonafide all-star. Ayton keeps improving, Mikal Bridges has become a force on both sides of the ball, and Cam Johnson is as slick as ever.
Add in key additions such as Javale McGee and Landry Shamet, this is one of the deepest and well-built teams in the league and it’s showing.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have had a bumpy start to the season, but are still looking like the best team in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant and James Harden are simply good enough to help the Nets coast as one of the top seeds in their conference all year.
Kyrie still remains a question mark and we don’t know when or if he will return. The injury to Joe Harris is worrisome, but he should be back in time for the stretch run. This team will be defined by April-June, but currently, they are in the top tier of the East and will be assumed as such until further notice.
As we have said, Kevin Durant is just that good. As long as he is healthy and playing like an MVP candidate, the Nets are going to be a force.
Miami Heat
Miami is top ten in both defensive and offensive rating, and this new look Heat team is legit. Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro are both off to very hot starts in this young season. Miami’s depth is their only weak area, but they should be provided a boost if Victor Oladipo returns and can get healthy.
This team is a MONSTER defensively. They are third in points allowed and first in rebounding. Those numbers are usually indicative of a dominant defense, and that is where Miami can reach their ceiling.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz are first in offensive rating this season and have shown they can be an excellent regular season team in the past. They should remain at the top half in the Western Conference all season. The Jazz has lost two straight home games twice this year, and that was something they had only done once all of last year.
Maybe we can expect a few more blemishes this year in their notoriously good regular season play.
All that matters for this group is delivering in April-June. As of right now though, they are the clear #3 in the West behind the Suns and Warriors and will likely remain there all year with the way the West has shaken out so far.
Chicago Bulls
Everyone was excited about this new look Bulls team, and they are delivering early on although they just recently lost 3 of 4 games. This has been their only real rough patch aside from losing Patrick Williams for the regular season. DeRozan and LaVine have both been very steady carrying this group, both averaging over 25 PPG.
Alex Caruso is doing GOAT things, playing incredible defense and bringing energy and pace to the offense. Vucevic is finding his role within the offense, and Lonzo continues to prove he can literally play with anyone on Earth. The Bulls are fun again!
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks should climb this list even further in due time now that they are getting healthy. The Bucks are 7-0 since Middleton has returned to the lineup, and play significantly better when they have all three of Jrue, Giannis and Middleton in the lineup.
The defending champs started the season slowly, but are blowing out the competition lately. By midseason, the Nets and Bucks should top these rankings and the East standings as the clear title favorites from the conference. Beware of Giannis. Seriously. Especially if you’re an oreo.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards have a completely new look to their team and are playing like a team where everyone has something to prove. That pretty much is the case with a group of guys who are very talented and were overlooked by their previous teams.
The games they are losing are coming within their division, but other than that the Wizards should be taken seriously at the moment. They should hang around the middle of the East and potentially avoid the play-in, but the middle of the East is full of flawed but solid squads. It’s going to be a war.
Los Angeles Clippers
No Kawhi, no problem? The cracks are starting to show, but the Clippers are still a top ten team without him.
Paul George is playing some of his best basketball in recent years, and the rotation guys are playing as solid as they come for LA. PG is averaging over 25 a game and returning to his near MVP level. Reggie Jackson is averaging over 17 and the rest of the bench is chipping in, but no one else averages double digits.
They could use another solid scoring option, but you can only expect so much from a roster missing a max player. In the muddled West, they could snag a 4-5 seed.
Charlotte Hornets
Being one of the best young rosters in the league the Hornets are truly electric to watch every game. The Hornets are top 10 in offensive rating and have had a five-game stretch where 5 different Hornets players have averaged over 13 points in that stretch.
Their defense is a weak spot, but they have a group with such diverse offensive talent it doesn’t seem to matter. They may have trouble matching up with the upper echelon East teams in the playoffs, (they got smoked in Chicago the other night for over 130), but they are an exciting, young team with a budding superstar at the helm. Miles Bridges has been a pleasant surprise as well, leading the team in scoring.
They have SIX players averaging double digits but nobody over 20 ppg. That’s balance, man. Look out for the Hornets as a potential 5-6 seed in the East and a team who can really test Chicago, Brooklyn or Miami in a series (not Milwaukee).
New York Knicks
What is wrong with Julius Randle? Don’t get me wrong, he is still leading the team in scoring and the engine of this Knicks squad. But look at this quick, scientific breakdown.
Year 1: 19.5 PPG
Year 2: 24.5 PPG
Year 3: 19.2 PPG
That drop in production, alongside disappointing offensive, outputs so far from Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker has led to a below-average offense and a defense that is solid and improving. Basically, every Tom Thibodeau team ever.
IF they can get a bump in scoring from somewhere (Kemba is out of the rotation now, and Quickley/ Rose have shown greater ability at running this team at the point), they’ve got a shot at being among the top of the East. The East is good, not great. But there is a clear distinction between the top 4, (BKN, MIL, CHI, MIA) and the rest of the contenders so far this year. The Knicks need to improve offensively to join that group.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have had some troubles staying healthy this year, and got off to a slower start than people expected. However as of late, it seems like this group is starting to turn a corner, and we are finally seeing some of that defensive intensity that was promised.
They rank in the top 6 in defensive rating and have proven that when their starting unit is healthy they can blow teams out. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have had games where they scored over 40 points, and both are playing at an All-Star level in the season.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is the most confounding team in the NBA. With a -2.4 Net Rating, at first glance, you would expect them to be near the bottom of the west. Currently, they are in 4th place in the West at 10-9, but that is only due to their strong conference record so far (8-4) compared to their peers.
The 10th place Portland Trail Blazers are 10-11, with a 6-8 conference record, for reference. The West middle class has yet to be decided and sorted out, but we have faith the Mavericks will stay afloat in the 4-5 seed range due to Luka’s dominance night-to-night (he has been banged up this year and that has caused some of the fluctuations from this team), but as long as he and PPorzingis stay healthy this team should stay near the top end of an average Western Conference.
But right now it’s Golden State, Phoenix and Utah as the clear top 3 and we don’t think Dallas is cracking that group anytime soon.
Los Angeles Lakers
Oh man…. Where to start? The Lakers have not been healthy, and with the news that LeBron is out for at least 10 days in the Health & Safety protocols, it’s not getting better. But even when they have most of their main guys it can be ugly to watch.
They are currently outside the top 15 in both defensive and offensive rating, and can not seem to get any real chemistry with this roster that is loaded with Hall of Famers. LeBron hopefully will come out fine after his bout with COVID and they need him back desperately because without him they are MAYBE an average west team. At best? We haven’t seen this team at their best at all this year.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have an explosive offense and have put that on display for most of this young season. After they lost Deandre Hunter due to injury, and put Kevin Huerter in the starting lineup they have been fantastic. They do lack on the defensive side of the ball, but should be good enough to compete in the East at a high level all season long.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards is gosh darn national treasure. Protect him at all costs. The Wolves are fun! And in a Western conference where no one wants to be good, they have a chance to sneak their way up the standings amongst the chaos and keep building their program. Good times!
Portland Trail Blazers
Dame has struggled much of the season and in turn, so have the Blazers. They didn’t improve this roster to a championship level, and after an offseason of rumors, it might be time for the Blazers to blow it up. This team doesn’t have the makings of a title contender.
Denver Nuggets
Poor Denver. Jamal Murray is out for the year with a torn ACL. Michael Porter JR is now out for the year after back surgery. Without their two co-stars, Jokic has to carry the load and he can’t do it all alone. Denver will be adrift all year and hope that next year is different when they are actually healthy.
Philadelphia 76ers
Ben SImmons watch continues. Embiid had a difficult bout with COVID, hopefully, he is feeling better and can get this team into gear. With all the injuries and chaos, the Sixers should be happy with a .500 record.
Cleveland Cavaliers
EVAN FUCKING MOBLEY. Future All-NBA. Future All-Star. Current bad-ass. The duo of Garland and Mobley is something the Cavs should build upon for years to come. Ricky Rubio also lowkey is incredible? What a trade by Koby Altman bringing him in, especially with Sexton’s unforeseen injury.
This team is built to make a play-in run this year and continue to build on the exciting roster they have built for years to come. The Cavs are *gasp* kind of in great shape? Who knows, maybe The King is looking to make one more trip back home to Northeast Ohio…
Memphis Grizzlies
A disappointing start to the year, even though they are currently 8th in the West. Ja Morant has been terrific but Jaren Jackson Jr. has struggled. It’s great to have Dillon Brooks back in the fold because he takes a lot of pressure to create off of Morant. I’ll give this team an incomplete so far but really need JJJ to become a 15 and 10 guy at least, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game won’t cut it.
Toronto Raptors
Pascal Siakim returning changes the dynamic of this squad, but they have been HORRIBLE on defense and great on offense. The exact opposite of what you would expect. They will end up towards the bottom of the East.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are in no man’s land. Unless they can acquire another star, or Caris Levert takes a large leap they’ll remain there. They have a positive net rating though, so there are signs of life. I just think the ceiling for them is very low, maybe topping out at a 5 seed with the hole they’ve dug themselves and the competitive East.
Sacramento Kings
Kings or Kangz? Kangz, unfortunately.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Check out Donovan’s article on the eccentric Thunder Forward, Josh Giddey.
San Antonio Spurs
I don’t think Pop knows what direction to take this team. The talent isn’t there, and they should be doing all they can to finish with a top 5 pick in a loaded draft.
Detroit Pistons
Let’s watch Isaiah Stewart one more time
Orlando Magic
Man, Cole Anthony has been fun to watch.
New Orleans Pelicans
When will Zion return and what shape will he look like when he’s back? The longer this goes on, the deeper the Pelican will continue to sink and their young stars (Ingram and Williamson) will continue to go frustrated with each other and the direction of the franchise. Grade: F
Houston Rockets
Tanks a lot, Houston! Grade: F for Free John Wall.
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