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2021 NBA Division Preview: Southeast

Date: November 1, 2021

By: Jorie Mickens

Charlotte's Miles Bridges dribbles the basketball during a Hornets game.

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Note: Written on Oct. 14

A number of teams from the NBA’s Southeast division overachieved last year. The Atlanta Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in six seasons, the Washington Wizards captured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference after starting 19-33 and LaMelo Ball won Rookie of the Year for the Charlotte Hornets.

With that said, almost every team in this division altered their roster during the offseason. Some are gearing up for a deep playoff run while others are looking to get lucky in next year’s NBA Draft Lottery.

Since 2014, no team in this division has won back-to-back division titles. We’ll see if that trend continues or ends as we preview the Southeast division for the 2021-22 season.

Miami Heat

2020-21 Finish: 40-32, 6th in the East

Three players on the Miami Heat stand and talk during an NBA game.

Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald

During the abbreviated 2019-20 season, the Heat reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Heading into last year, Miami had lofty expectations but injuries to key players derailed their season, and they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.

But during the offseason, the Heat added some players that could help them return to relevance—most notably point guard Kyle Lowry.

Outside of injuries, one of the reasons the Heat underperformed this past season was because of their putrid offense. Miami ranked 25th in scoring and posted an offensive rating of 111.2, which ranked 18th in the NBA, a far cry from where they ranked the season before (15th in scoring and 7th in offensive rating).

A veteran player like Lowry should help stabilize Miami’s offense, just like he did for so many seasons as a member of the Toronto Raptors. And although Lowry will turn 36 in March, he’s an upgrade over Goran Dragic, who had arguably the worst season of his career last year since joining the Heat in 2015.

Another player the Heat desperately need to step up this season is Tyler Herro. During his rookie season, Herro was a revelation for Miami: he was the youngest player ever to start in an NBA Finals game and was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team.

But during his sophomore season, Herro regressed. He failed to showcase the shot-making ability that made him so tantalizing as a rookie and his efficiency slightly dipped. That said, Herro retains high upside given that he is only 21 years old. But if the Heat wish to get back to the NBA Finals, they’ll need Herro’s assistance.

Miami’s struggles last year may have been a byproduct of their shortened offseason, and it’s worth mentioning that the Heat have the best coach in this division in Eric Spoelstra. Butler has proven he can be the best player on a championship-caliber team and while Miami may need part of the season to find their stride, when they do, they’re going to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

2021-22 Record Prediction: 48-34, 1st in the Southeast

Atlanta Hawks

2020-21 Finish: 41-31, 5th in the East

Three Atlanta Hawks players high-five during an NBA game.

Adam Pantozzi-NBAE/Getty Images

After starting last season 14-20, the Atlanta Hawks parted ways with head coach Lloyd Pierce and promoted his assistant Nate McMillan. The move was initially met with criticism, but the Hawks turned their season around quickly thereafter.

Once McMillan took over on March 2, the Hawks won eight straight games and finished the regular season 41-31 (27-11 under McMillian). Atlanta reached the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, and their star point guard Trae Young led them to the Eastern Conference Finals while averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists-per-game in his first postseason.

This year, the Hawks are returning their entire starting lineup and will look to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1961.

What makes the Hawks so intriguing though is how successful they have already been despite having a number of players in their rotation who have yet to reach their full potential. Young, for example, is just 23 years old, the recently re-signed John Collins is only 24 years old, and De’Andre Hunter will turn 24 in December.

But even though the Hawks’ young players could continue to get better, the X-factor this season will be Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic had a career year last season as he posted career-highs in points, rebounds and three-point percentage.

If Bogdanovic can sustain his play from this past season and perhaps even take a step forward, the Hawks will have legitimate title aspirations. If not, Atlanta could fizzle out during the early rounds of this year’s postseason.

2021-22 Record Prediction: 47-35, 2nd in the Southeast

Washington Wizards

2020-21 Finish: 34-38, 8th in the East

Five Washington Wizards teammates pose for a photo.

NBA Getty Images

The Wizards revamped their roster this offseason after trading star point guard Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, the Wizards acquired Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Wizards also selected sharpshooter Corey Kispert with the No. 15 pick in this year’s draft, traded the No. 22 overall pick to Indiana for Aaron Holiday and sign-and-traded for point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. And to top it all off, Washington hired Wes Unseld Jr., the son of franchise legend Wes Unseld, as their new head coach.

Too much changeover is always a concern, but one could argue this is the most cohesive roster the Wizards have constructed in some time.

Bradley Beal is one of the best shooting guards in the NBA and will be competing for the NBA’s scoring crown this year. Dinwiddie, who suffered a torn ACL last season, had a career-year during the 2019-20 campaign and will look to regain his footing in the nation’s capital.

Kuzma has championship experience and will no longer have the pressure that comes with playing alongside LeBron James in the spotlight of Los Angeles. And second-year player Deni Avdija has shown promise in this year’s preseason after suffering a leg injury late in his rookie season.

The Wizards aren’t a super team similar to the ones that have dominated the league for so many years, but rather a collection of overqualified role players who can all contribute in various ways.

While Washington might not have the upside of a team like the Heat or Hawks, they have the potential to be a low-end playoff team if everything goes according to plan.

2021-22 Record Prediction: 39-43, 3rd in the Southeast

Charlotte Hornets

2020-21 Finish: 33-39, 10th in the East

LaMelo Ball looks up during a Charlotte Hornets game.

Brock Williams-Smith-NBAE/Getty Images

Similar to the Hawks, the Hornets have a number of young players who have yet to reach their full potential. But what Charlotte lacks is a bona fide superstar like Young, Butler or Beal.

That said, if second-year player Ball can take a step forward this year, the Hornets could be a disruptive team in the East.

While most of their roster remains the same, Charlotte marginally upgraded at positions of need this offseason. They traded for Mason Plumlee and drafted Kai Jones after having one of the worst center rotations in the league last year. They brought in Kelly Oubre and drafted James Bouknight, two score-first wings who will add some much-needed firepower to their second unit. And they acquired veteran point guard Ish Smith, who can control the offense in the minutes Ball is off the floor.

But while the Hornets’ success this season will be reliant on how good Ball can become, Gordon Hayward staying healthy will also be imperative. The contract the Hornets gave Hayward during the 2020 offseason was heavily scrutinized, as many believed the franchise overpaid for a player far removed from his prime.

But Hayward silenced the doubters this past season after averaging 19.6 points and 4.1 assists-per-game, the most since his lone All-Star season in 2017. However, Hayward only appeared in 44 games last year, and if the Hornets’ $120 million dollar man misses that much time again this season, Charlotte will likely be on the outside looking in once again this season.

2021-22 Record Prediction: 37-45, 4th in the Southeast

Orlando Magic

2020-21 Finish: 21-51, 14th in the East

Orlando's Cole Anthony looks to dribble the ball during a Magic game.

Fernando Medina-NBAE/Getty Images

The Magic gutted their roster last season in hopes of attaining a high pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

And while Orlando did not get the No. 1 overall selection, they came away with two highly touted prospects in Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, both who could make an immediate impact for the team. Luckily for Suggs and Wagner, they will be joining a plethora of other talented young prospects in the Magic Kingdom.

Cole Anthony, who the Magic selected No. 15 overall last season, was relatively inconsistent as a rookie. But him and Suggs have the potential to be a special backcourt in the league.

Chuma Okeke, who the Magic selected No. 16 overall in 2019, also made his NBA debut last season after rehabbing a torn ACL during the 2019-20 campaign. If he continues to develop after a promising rookie season, the Magic will have another young cornerstone to build around.

R.J. Hampton, who the Magic traded for in the middle of last season, is a high-flying, second-year guard who has plenty of upside. And Wendell Carter Jr. is a fourth-year center who averaged 12 points and nine rebounds-per-game in 22 contests for the Magic last season.

It is obvious this team does not have playoff aspirations, but the Magic could be an entertaining team this season as their young squad navigates throughout the league’s landscape.

If their players continue to develop and they secure another high pick in next year’s draft, this team could be competitive much sooner than people expect.

2021-22 Record prediction: 22-60, 5th in the Southeast

Jorie Mickens is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports and can be reached at jorie.mickens@student.shu.edu.

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