Who Is Under The Most Pressure Entering Next Season?
The NBA Finals are currently underway, but I had an interesting idea for an article. Who is going to be under the most pressure entering next season? There are a lot of ways you can look at this. You can say the Bucks or the Suns, whichever team wins the title and they’re trying to go back-to-back. You can name a player, a coach, or a team. There are so many different ways to slice this question, but today, I am going to attempt and answer the question at hand. Who Is Under The Most Pressure Entering Next Season?
I think I’ll divide this article into 3 sections. One for players, one for coaches, and one for teams. At the end, I’ll decide who I’m picking for who is under the most pressure entering next season. We’ll start with individual players.
Players
Brooklyn Nets Big 3
This one is kind of obvious. The Brooklyn Nets Big 3 was great, they were the best team in the league by far when healthy. Unfortunately, they weren’t always healthy. James Harden was hobbled in the 2nd round and Kyrie missed Games 5, 6 and 7 before the Nets were eventually upset by the Bucks, who are currently in the NBA Finals.
The Nets Big 3 now has to win a title otherwise everybody will go crazy. I’m not that worried, like most are. They dominated the Bucks with just KD and Kyrie and with just KD, they beat them in Game 5. The Nets help doesn’t have to be much, they have Joe Harris. Veterans are going to sign there for cheap. They have a first round pick in the draft. If they get some size and stay healthy, I don’t see anybody beating them.
With that said, the pressure is immense. People don’t like to see superteams win. The Nets are no exception. They have a target on their backs every single night they play. And they have to win a title next season, or it’s a failure. Let’s see how they fare.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry was amazing last season. Even me saying that doesn’t do justice to the incredible things he was doing. He was looking like his 2016 unanimous MVP form, truly unstoppable. But unlike 2016, he didn’t have the right roster around him. That needs to change if the Warriors want to win another title, and Curry is at the forefront of that.
The Warriors are hopefully getting Klay Thompson back in 2022 and they have two lottery picks to try and use in a bigger trade for another star. But Curry is going to have to be a superstar again for the Warriors to try and make the playoffs and hopefully make another title run.
Time is of the essence for the Warriors and Curry to try and win another title. Now it’s up to him and the front office to try and win another title.
Lebron James/Anthony Davis
The Lakers were a mess of egos, injuries, and bubble hangovers last season. Lebron and AD were injured throughout the season and the Lakers roster couldn’t gel in time for the playoffs, a big reason for them losing in the first round to the Phoenix Suns. But Lebron is getting up there in age and he showed his first signs of age slowing him down. AD continues to struggle with his health and aggressiveness, as he hasn’t been the leader that the Lakers need him to be, allowing Lebron to conserve energy for the playoffs.
The Lakers roster lacks talent and punch, so this offseason is key. But whoever is on their roster, a title is the expectation heading into next season. So Lebron and AD have to deliver, because their title window grows smaller each season with the elite competition in the West growing. Not to mention the beast of Brooklyn/Milwaukee in the East.
So Lebron and AD have to deliver a title to LA, otherwise just winning one title will be looked down as a disappointment. That one title have a very easy route of course and not to mention a 5-month, once in a generation world-wide pandemic that will (hopefully) not occur next season. So the Lakers have to win a title the normal way, just like everybody else.
Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic is very good. He’s going to be the face of the league in the 2020s, he’s going to be one of the greatest players to ever play the game. I think it’s safe to say that at this point after his historic first 3 seasons and even more historic first two playoffs against the Clippers. But he hasn’t made it past the first round and apparently he isn’t happy with the Mavs.
Now he’s carried Dallas and now it’s up to them to try and give him a team that can contend for a title in the West. But Luka has proven he has that Lebron-gene where he can just dominant games and teams, no matter the help around him. But this is probably the best time for him to win a title, when he’s still on his rookie contract. Let’s see what Luka Magic can produce in this upcoming season, hopefully, Dallas’s first playoff series win since their 2011 championship team.
Coaches
Coaches in the NBA are vital to how good a team could be. Their schemes, adjustments, rotations, all of those things can help a team over or under achieve. There are some coaches who are going to be under pressure this season and a good or bad season could determine whether or not they’re going to be staying with their current team for much longer.
Luke Walton
Now, I don’t think of myself as a negative person. But I kind of want him to fail so the Kings can get a better coach and win. The Kings have talent. Fox, Haliburton, Bagley, Hield, maybe Richuan Holmes if he comes back in free agency, Harrison Barnes, Terance Davis. This team is pretty good and could probably contend for a play-in spot.
But it baffles me that Luke Walton is still the coach, especially after this past disastrous season, where the Kings defense was historically bad. The Kings were on the right path with Dave Joerger, but they fired him and they haven’t been better since with Walton. This might (hopefully) be Walton’s last season with the Kings. They’d better make the play-in tournament or playoffs, otherwise he might be toast.
Quin Snyder
Quin Snyder is one of the better coaches in the league and the Jazz have made the playoffs in each of the last 5 seasons with him. Their defense has consistently be great and their offense was incredibly explosive, using ball-movement and an extreme reliance on the 3-PT line to fuel them. That formula led them to the #1 seed in the West but they collapsed in the 2nd round, losing to a Clippers team who didn’t have Kawhi for Games 5 or 6.
Snyder’s lack of adjusting when the Clippers went small was a huge reason for their demise and the Jazz haven’t made it to the Conference Finals with Snyder and they haven’t made it since 2007. They have, of course, never won an NBA Championship either.
So the Jazz can have another 40-50 win regular season. That’s nothing new for them. They can claim another Northwest Division Title and maybe win a first round series. But Snyder and the Jazz have the pressure of trying to win that elusive title.
It won’t be easy in the West, but with how their past two seasons have gone, the 3-1 collapse against Denver in the Bubble and this year their collapse against LA, perhaps Snyder could be the scapegoat for Utah’s recent playoff short-comings.
Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers is a pretty successful coach. Won a title with Boston in 2008, made it to the Finals with them again in 2010. Rivers has won 992 NBA games and 98 playoff games. He’s a very accomplished coach. There’s just one problem. He blows series leads in the playoffs. Like a lot of them.
In 2003 with the Magic, he blew a 3-1 lead in the first round against the Detroit Pistons.
In 2009, he blew a 3-2 series lead in the 2nd round with the Celtics, who were the defending NBA Champs that year.
In 2010, he blew a 3-2 series lead against the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals.
In 2012, he blew a 3-2 series lead against the eventual champion Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2015, he blew a 3-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets in the 2nd round as a coach of the LA Clippers.
In 2016, he blew a 2-0 series lead against the Blazers in the first round (thanks Doc).
In 2020, he blew a 3-1 series lead with the Clippers against the Nuggets in the 2nd round.
But in the 2021 Playoffs, he was just as bad. The 76ers led the series 2-1, Game 4 in Atlanta. The 76ers led by 18 in the first half. The game was over and Philly should have taken a 3-1 series lead. Nope.
Joel Embiid went 0-12 in the 2nd half and the 76ers blew that game, making it a 2-2 tied series. Then in Game 5, perhaps the biggest game of the series to that point, Doc blew an even bigger lead. The 76ers were up by 26 and had a 99.7 win probability with just 15 minutes left in the game.
And they lost. How? The 76ers went on to lose Game 7 at home, ending the season in perfect fashion. Rivers has blown a lot of playoff series leads as a head coach. But in the semi-finals against the Hawks, his teams had back-to-back major collapses that ended up costing them their season. Now the 76ers have to try and make their roster comparable to that of the Nets and Bucks, a tall task.
But if they don’t have a good coach, they’re as good as dead. Don’t be surprised if Philly falls short again, Doc falls on the sword for the 76ers.
Teams
There are a handful of teams every year under pressure. Whether that’s to win a title, prove people wrong, finally succeed, or try and repeat past success, a lot of teams will be under pressure next season.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns, no matter what, are going to be under pressure next season. It’s currently tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals and no matter the outcome, the Suns are going to be under pressure next year. Here’s why.
If they win the Finals, that’s great. But any time somebody wins a title, they are under pressure to do it again. They have that giant red X on their backs from all other 29 teams in the NBA, who want to take down the reigning NBA champs.
If they lose the Finals, there’s perhaps even more pressure for the Suns. Chris Paul is a (likely) free agent this summer and even though he’s almost 100% going to stay, he’s getting older. How many more elite years can you get from him, where’s he’s still good enough for you to get back to the Finals? Hard to say at this moment at time.
No matter how you slice it, pressure and the Phoenix Suns will be meeting next season.
Milwaukee Bucks
Similar to the Suns, no matter how you slice it, pressure and the Bucks have a date with destiny next season. But the thing is, the Bucks have been under the spotlight for the past 3 seasons. Ever since Giannis got his first MVP award in 2018-19, the Bucks have been a juggernaut. That has led them to deep playoff runs, cut short in 2019 and 2020.
This season was make or break for them and they made it to the Finals, currently tied 2-2 the with aforementioned Suns. But like the Suns, pressure is going to follow the Bucks.
If the Bucks win the Finals, they avenge some demons from 2019 and 2020. They have Giannis, Middleton, and Jrue locked up long-term. Giannis is just entering his prime and if Mike Budenholzer isn’t an idiot all the time, the Bucks have the chance for multiple titles in the next few seasons. They will obviously have that big red X, that comes with every NBA champion.
If the Bucks lose the Finals, it’s just like the past couple of seasons, coming up short. Except this time they actually got to the Finals and lost, which is probably worse than coming up short in the first place. Perhaps Mike Budenholzer gets fired, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but he has been better as of late, so maybe that’s a bad thing.
Similar to the Suns, the pressure will be following the Bucks from here on out.
LA Lakers/Brooklyn Nets
I don’t need to explain these two teams. You know why they’re under pressure.
Final Verdict
After reviewing some players, coaches, and teams who will be under the more scrutiny next season, I have come to a decision. Everybody I mentioned in this article could be your answer for who’s under the most pressure for a number of different reasons. But without further ado, my answer for who is under the most pressure next season is…
The Brooklyn Nets
I think this one’s kind of obvious. They have the best trio in the league and when healthy, they are going to be the overwhelming favorites to win it all next season. The Lakers were also high on this list, but they’re not that good at this moment in time. If they add talent this offseason, they could be answer 1B to this question.
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