The NBA offseason is when several national reporters release their power rankings before the season takes place. Personally, I’m not a believer of it because it’s hard to predict what’s in store for an 82 games per team season + the playoffs. Several key factors such as injuries, suspensions and now even COVID protocols can get in the way of one’s prediction from the past. And yet, we're about to do that with the Brooklyn Nets. 

But if I were to put my disdain for predictions aside, I think one thing that’s easy to assume is that the Brooklyn Nets are massive favorites to win this year’s championship. Sure, they’re not the Warriors back in 2018-2019 where there was no team that could beat them. There are a few teams that can put up a fight against the Nets but it’s hard to argue that any of these contenders are better than Kevin Durant and his friends. 

In the Eastern Conference, there’s the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks—who defeated a barely complete Nets team in a seven game series last season. Of course, this does not cheapen the Bucks’ title. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his team deserved last year’s title and there’s nobody that can take that away from them. 

The Nets superstars are just better 

In the NBA, superstars always take control of the game when it matters most. The Greek Freak did just that when he closed game 6 with a superb 50 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. The Nets can depend on Kevin Durant, who singhandly almost defeated the Bucks last playoffs, James Harden and Kyrie Irving to do just that. That’s a whole lot of offensive power that no team in the NBA can match, at least for now.

The Nets are loaded with superstar talent. The Bucks may be able to keep up defensively but it was just last June in game 2 of the semifinals when we saw the Nets lead the Bucks by 40. It also doesn’t help that the Bucks lost PJ Tucker, who at least put up a fight against Durant in the playoffs. Can the Bucks stop the overwhelming offensive power of the Nets? If I were to bet, it would be no. 

The Bucks may be deeper but that won’t matter

NBA correspondent Marc Stein argued that the Bucks’ roster is deeper than the Nets. True enough, the Bucks did add George Hill, Grayson Allen and Rodney Hood to their roster despite parting ways with Tucker. The Nets, meanwhile, added Patty Mills (a sharpshooter), Paul Milsap, Cam Thomas and LaMarcus Aldridge once again. While the Bucks got deeper, you can argue that it still doesn’t beat the added firepower of the Nets. 

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Mills’ addition to the Nets alone is huge. He’s a threat on offense simply because he can kill you with his three point range. Imagine having to guard Durant, Haden and Irving while still worrying about Mills lurking in the corner? I can’t leave out Joe Harris, who despite had a poor postseason, is still one of the best three point shooters in the game. 

The Bucks may be deeper but I’d take three superstars and key a few reliable role players over depth any day. 

The Nets’ struggles last season was a fluke

Let’s face it — how often is Harden hurt? Or how often does a team lose two of its superstars to injury in the playoffs? It’s fair to say that the misfortunes of the Nets were all a fluke and that the Bucks benefited from it all. That’s not a knock on the Bucks at all but a testament to how unfortunate the first season of the Nets trio was. 

And despite the injuries to both Harden and Irving, Durant was literally an inch away from carrying his team to the eastern conference finals. Durant is arguably now the best player on the planet and he’s on a mission to have the best revenge season. That plus vengeance on Harden and Irving’s mind is a recipe for disaster for the rest of the league. 

As for the Bucks, they can compete against the Nets for sure. They’re defending champions for a reason. They may have figured something out (a winning formula) especially with how dominant they looked in the finals. But the shortened off season can be a factor and their depth might not be able to compete with the loaded Nets. 

Ultimately, if I were to pick between the Nets and the Bucks in a seven game series right now, I’d go for Nets in 5, assuming both teams are healthy. That’s a prediction I don’t mind making because I know for a fact that the Nets are just better despite how dominant Milwaukee can be.