The 2021-22 NBA regular season is set to tip off on Oct. 19 and in the weeks leading up to Opening Night, we're previewing each division in the NBA.
Here, you can find projected win totals, predictions on the best player and best rookie, under the radar storylines to follow and a bold prediction among the five teams.
First up... the Southeast Division.
2021-22 NBA season preview: Southeast Division
Projected win totals
Over/under win totals provided by Action Network .
Miami Heat: 48.5 wins
Atlanta Hawks: 46.5 wins
Charlotte Hornets: 37.5 wins
Washington Wizards: 34.5
Orlando Magic: 22.5
Best player: Jimmy Butler
The decision wasn't easy, but Butler is the best player in the Southeast Division.
The 32-year-old established that title during Miami's run to the 2020 NBA Finals, in which Butler elevated his game to a level we had never seen before, battling back and forth with LeBron James on the league's biggest stage. Going for a 40-point triple-double and 35-point triple-double on the Finals stage, Butler carried a shorthanded Heat team to a couple hard-fought victories, making his case to be considered as one of the best players in the NBA.
Off of the shortest offseason in American professional sports history, Butler was overlooked as an All-Star in 2020-21 because of games missed to injury at the time of voting. And yet, he still had one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 21.5 points to go with career-highs of 7.1 assists, 6.9 rebounds and a league-leading 2.1 steals per game.
Butler was rewarded with a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team for his efforts.
Star guards Trae Young and Bradley Beal certainly challenge Butler's title of Best Player in the Southeast Division, but neither edge Miami's franchise player. Young made a strong case with an impressive playoff run of his own last season, averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists per game to lead the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, and he may overtake the "best player in the division" title very soon. Beal's case is built around his elite scoring ability, averaging over 30 points per game in each of the last two seasons.
But, for now, Butler still sits atop the throne as the division's best player.
Best rookie: Jalen Suggs
This one was a no-brainer: Suggs is the best rookie in the Southeast Division.
The Gonzaga product will make a strong run at 2022 Rookie of the Year as he's handed the keys to the Orlando Magic's franchise. Suggs is everything you could ask for in a floor general and leader, carrying himself with poise well beyond his age of 20 years. His usage rate should be through the roof from the get-go, stuffing the stat sheet for a Magic team that is amidst a rebuilding phase. After being passed on four times in the 2021 NBA Draft, Suggs will play with a chip on his shoulder as an ultimate competitor with a knack for winning at every stage of his career to this point.
Other rookies worth mentioning in this division include Suggs' Gonzaga teammate Corey Kispert, who will be a sharpshooter for the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets' rookie tandem of James Bouknight and Kai Jones, who will surely produce a handful of highlights this season, and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who had a stellar Summer League that suggests the Eastern Conference runner-ups may have found a steal with the 20th pick.
Under the radar storyline: Are the Hawks still the best team in the division?
Practically all of the conversations surrounding the Southeast Division this offseason revolve around the Heat and their acquisition of Lowry. Bringing in the six-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion elevates Miami to title contender status, and the assumption is that they will get back to being one of the three or four best teams in the Eastern Conference this season.
But what about the reigning division champion Hawks, who lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last season?
Atlanta's roster didn't see much change, as it returns every key player from their 2020-21 rotation. With Young, John Collins and Clint Capela locked up long-term, the Hawks have their core for the present and future in three players who all stepped up during the team's playoff run last season. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari will start the season healthy, something that couldn't be said last year.
Kevin Huerter is poised for another big role off the bench after a breakout postseason. Lou Williams and newly-signed Delon Wright provide additional backcourt depth. De'Andre Hunter is making good progress to return from the knee injury that kept him out for the majority of last year and Cam Reddish should continue improve in his third year in the league. To add to all of that depth, rookie forward Johnson looked capable of making an immediate impact based on his play during the NBA Summer League.
The Hawks are as deep as any team in the NBA and they aren't just going to roll over and hand the title of best team in the division to Miami. It's going to be a dog fight for the Southeast Division title this season.
Bold prediction: LaMelo Ball will be an All-Star
When you think guards in the Eastern Conference, you might think of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Jaylen Brown, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, Kyle Lowry and Jrue Holiday.
It's no easy task to beat out the greater majority of those guards for a spot on the All-Star team, but in the second year of his career, Ball will do just that.
The reigning Rookie of the Year was better than advertised in his first NBA season, putting all doubts to rest. At 19, Ball became the only teenager in NBA history to average at least 15 points, six assists and six in a season. While standout players like Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Penny Hardaway, Chris Paul, Luka Doncic and Ben Simmons also did so as rookies, none of them were in their teens when they achieved the feat.
Even in comparison to the entire league – not just rookies – Ball still set himself apart. The only players to average 15 points, six assists and five rebounds while shooting at least 35 percent from 3 last season were Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James, Julius Randle, Lowry and Ball.
On Jan. 10, Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. When he took over full-time starting point guard duties, the Hornets surged into the playoff picture to land a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
With a year of experience under his belt and a more talented roster around him, Ball will shine in his highly-anticipated sophomore season. If he can surpass his averages from last year and the Hornets are in the playoff picture again this season, Ball will be rewarded with an All-Star bid in his second year.
Book it.
