The NBA's 2021-22 season has been carried out 2/5, each team has passed the run-in period, and the team record can already show who is the favorite and dark horse team to win the championship this season. At present, the Warriors and Suns lead the first echelon of the strength list, the Grizzlies and Cavaliers play the role of dark horses in the East and West, the league structure has been clarified, and the free market opened in the middle of the season will be an arms race for the championship.
The competitive status of the stars directly determines the team's record, taking stock of the seven stars who have recovered in the middle of the season:
7. Kevin Loafer's annual salary is $31.26 million
Averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds in the last six games, hit four three-pointers, and shot 52%/51%/89% of the three-game rate.
Looking back on his career, he was selected by the Grizzlies with the 5th pick in the first round at the 2008 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to the Timberwolves. Reaching the peak of his career in the 13-14 season, he averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, shooting 37.6% from three-point range, and in the all-Star voting of that season, Le Fuli overpowered the top big forwards such as Brother Brow and Aldridge to become the starters.
In the summer of 2014, in order to quickly form a championship-winning lineup around James, the Cavaliers reached a three-way deal with the Timberwolves and 76ers, sending Out Wiggins and multiple draft picks, and getting space-type big forward Love.
In the summer of 2016, in the seventh game with the Warriors, Luck had 9 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, and successfully defended Curry's deadly three-pointer in the final moments, helping the team win 4-3 on aggregate and win the first NBA championship trophy for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James and Irving then left, leaving the Big Three with only Love to stay with the Cavaliers, and in last season's four-way deal for James Harden, the Cavaliers got young center Allen. Immediately after, the team selected talented center Mobley with the Tanhua Show this summer, and with the addition of MarCanin, Lefour's internal tactical position has slipped to the team's fourth position.
Before the start of the season, Love repeatedly expressed his vision of leaving the team to the team management, but the high salary made him have no trading value in the free market, and the team was unwilling to buy him out as a free agent.
As the schedule progressed, the Cavaliers began to show their talent in the absence of guard Sexton, and the current team averaged 8 points in double figures per game, and the 21-year-old Garland averaged 19.5 points, 3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, and became the core figure on the court with efficient offensive efficiency (47.9%/38.4%/90.5% of the three shooting rates) and the big picture.
The team's recent wave of consecutive wins has also allowed veteran Lefour to find the state of the field again, as the team's substitute interior line, Lefu's current three-point shooting rate of 42.6% has set a new career high, and it can see the growth of the young player and participate in it, so that Lefu can find the battle mode again. Currently, the Cavaliers are fifth in the East with a record of 20 wins and 14 losses.
6. Kemba Walker's annual salary is $34.97 million
He averaged 26 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7 assists in his last four games, hitting 4.2 three-pointers
In the summer of 2019, Irving was signed by the Nets with a maximum salary, and the Green Army locked the guard line reinforcement place in the "Queen Bee" Kemba Walker, a point guard who is only 1.83 meters tall, who can average 25:6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the 18-19 season, a four-year $ 141 million top salary contract, but it became a nightmare for Green Army general manager Angie.
In the two years of the Green Army, the "Queen Bee" has been obviously dissatisfied, only 19.8 points, 4 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the regular season, and the shooting rate has dropped to 42%, and the offensive end cannot contribute much. Even more deadly, the thin Walker also became a defensive hole on the court.
This summer, when the team was eliminated after a 4-1 loss to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, the Green Army was forced to make a change, sending Kemba Walker, the first round of the No. 16 pick and the second round pick in 2025 to the Thunder in exchange for Horford, Moses Brown and the 2023 second round pick. Subsequently, the Thunder completed a buyout agreement with Walker or joined the New York Knicks for $17.89 million for two years.
As the big dark horse in the East last season, the Knicks, who are all soldiers and defense first, have entered the playoffs again after nine years, which also allows arrogant New York fans to raise their eyebrows. This summer, the team began to strengthen the offensive line, in addition to signing Walker, the team also spent 4 years and 73 million US dollars to get French striker Fournier, renewed Randle and Rose, and vowed to extend the dark horse to this season.
With the deepening of the schedule, the Knicks who lost the overall defense began to show their original shape, Walker, Fournier and other main players the shooting rate plummeted to make it difficult for the team to win, and head coach Thibodeau began to change the team, hiding walker who was weak in attack and flawed in defense, but the record did not get better.
The lack of strength on the offensive end of the team forced Thibodeau to put Walker back on the rotation lineup, but it did not happen to be "unintentionally willowy", Walker began to erupt on the offensive end, helping the team to win 3 of the last 4 games, and personally cut the triple-double data in the much-anticipated Christmas game, becoming the first person on the Knicks.
5. Porzingis annual salary of $31.65 million
He has averaged 23 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in the last 7 games
In the summer of 2019, Lone Ranger boss Cuban used a five-year, $158 million top salary contract to recruit the 2015 4th overall pick Lathwia center, as a projection interior line, Cuban thought he would dominate the league by shooting with one hand like Nowitzki, but the glassman physique and the way of playing far from the box gradually disappointed fans.
In the past two seasons, the Lone Rangers have stopped in the first round of the playoffs and lost to the Los Angeles Clippers: Porzingis played only three games due to injury in the 19-20 season, Doncic averaged 31 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game; Porzingis's away from the box in the 20-21 season allowed him to average only 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
There is no doubt that as the second leader of the team, Porzingis' poor playoff playoff performance and injury have become further obstacles for the Lone Rangers, coupled with the conflict with the head coach off the court, the 26-year-old Bo Shen is already one of the representative players with high salaries and low ability in the hearts of fans.
Before the start of the season, the Lone Ranger sacked the famous coach Carlisle who led the team to win the championship, Kidd, who was good at coaching new people, took office, and Bo Shen had to stay in the team because he had no trading value. As the schedule progressed, Lone Ranger core Doncic suffered from injuries (a sprained left ankle) and then contracted the new crown, and has missed seven games so far.
At this time, the second leader of the team, Porzingis, stood up, although the data was not so explosive, but the initiative to take responsibility and carry the offensive banner was supported by the fans, and the "soft center" title was fought back with a tough internal confrontation, and the recent stable play was also worthy of the annual salary of 31.65 million US dollars.
It is worth mentioning that in the seven games led by Porzingis, the team has only achieved a record of three wins and four losses, and the team's current record is 16 wins and 17 losses, which has slipped to the eighth place in the West, and if you want to stabilize the playoffs, you have to watch Doncic play!
4. Zach Lavin earns $19.5 million a year
He averaged 30.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his last six games and shot 52.3 percent from the field.
As the new leader of the Bulls, zach Lavine's limelight this season can be said to have been snatched up by the team's new signing DeRozan, who currently has 27 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, shooting 50.6% from the field, and is good at scoring mid-range jump shots that surpass Durant to rank first in the league, and what is more frightening is that DeRozan has been playing so efficiently since the beginning of the season!
Zach Lavin, on the other hand, although currently has 26.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, he experienced a period of pain in the game in early December, shooting at one point to 42%, and the shooting at key moments repeatedly hit the iron, allowing the team to lose several key games. At this time, the voices of "DeRozan replaced Lavin" and "Lavin is not a qualified leader" began to appear.
Fortunately, these negative remarks have not affected LaVine's recent game status, and after a period of pain, Lavin found the best sense of distance on the court with DeRozan and Vucevic, coupled with the return of shooting feel (40.6% from three-point shooting), which has allowed him to play rapidly in the recent past.
At the end of the season, LaVine will officially become a free agent, and if the Bulls want to keep the 26-year-old potential star, they must pay a super maximum salary contract with an annual salary of more than $40 million, which is well deserved with the strength that LaVine has shown on the field.
As for the fans' discussion, DeRozan replaced Lavin as the new leader of the Bulls, which is obviously unrealistic, on the one hand, Lavin is younger and more promising; on the other hand, DeRozan is 32 years old, there is not much left at the peak of his career, and the Bulls management will not let the veteran take the rebuilding core.
3. Embiid's annual salary is 31.58 million US dollars
He has averaged 36.7 points in his last six away games
Speaking of the 76ers this season, I believe fans are more concerned about the farce between Simmons and the team management, the star with a five-year salary of $177 million, but lost in the free throw line in this year's playoffs. In the seven-game battle with the Eagles, Simmons gave up the attack in the last quarter, watching the team out, and the poor performance also caused dissatisfaction from the head coach and fans, and the farce was about to erupt.
In the offseason, there were endless deals for Simmons, but in the end they were all due to the high price asked by the 76ers management, and the former had been training with the team to avoid being deducted from the team's salary, but refused to play for the team for personal reasons to vent his dissatisfaction.
The lack of an all-round point guard, the overall strength of the 76ers this season has been greatly reduced, the house leaks in the overnight rain, the team's core Embiid also missed nine games due to the triggering of the safety agreement, plus the five-year $180 million Mr. Harris played on the court, which made the 76ers record fall out of the top eight in the East for one time.
With Embiid's return, the team found the right offensive rhythm, and the Emperor also frequently contributed 30+ scoring performances, so the 76ers' record began to pick up, and the current record has reached 18 wins and 16 losses, ranking sixth in the East.
It is worth mentioning that Embiid has played exceptionally well on the road this season, ranking second in the league with 28.3 points on the road, behind Durant with 31.1 points. At the same time, his 38.8% three-point shooting rate is also in the top five of the inner players, with a gorgeous offensive footing and a stable three-point shooting, Embiid is still one of the best centers in the league.
2, James annual salary of 41.18 million US dollars
He has averaged 34.4 points, 10 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the last five games and shot 58.2% from the field.
Recently, in the Lakers' game against the Rockets, James cut a triple-double of 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, helping the team end an embarrassing five-game losing streak and celebrate his 37th birthday with a large triple-double.
In this game, James also made a history, his career total score reached 36,001 points, in order to achieve this achievement of the youngest player, James, currently in the third place in the scoring list, only 926 points behind the second Place Carl Malone, according to James's current average of 27.6 points per game, it will take 34 games to become the second in history.
Recently, James's highlight play and the Lakers' losing streak has formed a sharp contrast, when the thick eyebrow brother is injured, the team has no inner line protective frame barrier, averaging more than 115 points per game, and the poor defense makes it difficult for the Los Angeles giants who aspire to win the championship to win a win.
In order to get the team out of the quagmire as soon as possible, Lakers coach Vogel will not hesitate to put the elderly James in the center position, which is obviously a next move, on the one hand, it increases the risk of James' injury, on the other hand, the excessive physical exertion in the regular season is obviously inappropriate for a veteran who is about to turn 37. But the poor record and lack of manpower make Vogel have no choice, which may be the biggest pain point for the Lakers.
It is worth mentioning that although the team's main controller Wei Shao has played exceptionally badly recently and repeatedly staged brainless operations, his tacit understanding with James in the five small lineups has begun to show, and the three connections with the Rockets in the last moment are the best proof, and James who plays without the ball is obviously more threatening.
1. Harden's annual salary is $44.31 million
He averaged 29 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists in the last five games and shot 46 percent from the field.
Harden's sluggish performance at the beginning of the season makes it difficult for many fans to predict, and the revision of offensive rules has plunged the offensive master who is good at creating fouls into a quagmire, the breakthrough that is good at creating kills has been repeatedly blown offensive fouls, and the signature retreat three-pointer has also lost the crosshairs, and Harden's offensive efficiency this season has created a new career low.
After 20 games of adaptation, Harden finally returned to offensive form, although the outside shooting rate is still unstable, but the familiar free throw line score is back, and harley currently has 7.6 free throws on the field, ranking fourth in the league, behind Alphabet Brother, Embiid and DeRozan.
In the recent Nets game against the Clippers, Durant was absent due to triggering a health agreement, Harden had to lead the team with a single core, the whole game he slashed 39 points, 8 rebounds, 15 assists and 2 steals, leading the team to win easily at the same time, but also completed his career 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists milestone, becoming the 10th person in history.
Note: The top nine are: Kobe, Drexler, Hafricheck, James, Paul, Gary Payton, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Westbrook.
As Harden's form picked up, the Nets have won six of their last seven games and are currently in 23-9, still firmly in the top spot in the East. With Durant breaking the health deal and Irving on the road, the Nets remain the league's biggest favorite to win the championship.