2. Brooklyn Nets
If Kyrie Irving plays for the Brooklyn Nets this season, there’s no question that this team is going to be a juggernaut that perhaps not any other team in the league will be able to stop. In fact, the only variable that was able to stop the Nets in the playoffs last season were injuries to Kyrie and James Harden.
The scariest part of this Nets team is that even without Kyrie, they should still be a contender in the East. The duo of Kevin Durant and Harden might be the best 1-2 punch in the league and are two of the three best players in the Eastern Conference as a whole.
Of course, there’s the whole locker room issue. If Kyrie continues to play rebel and isn’t playing this season, you can’t help but wonder what kind of impact that could have on the team and how they perform this season. Still, at least for now, the Nets check in at No. 2.