JJ Redick Reveals His Favorite to Win the Eastern Conference
Now that he's no longer a member of the NBA, former Philadelphia 76ers guard JJ Redick has spent time as an analyst with ESPN outside of co-hosting his podcast, The Old Man and the Three.
And recently, Redick discussed the Eastern Conference playoff picture as the final stretch of the 2021-2022 NBA season approaches.
As we know, the East was recently shaken up by a blockbuster trade between the Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets. As the Sixers couldn't get Simmons to play for them this year, they looked to move the three-time All-Star.
Although it took a while, the Nets became a trade suitor as James Harden grew disgruntled in Brooklyn. The Sixers sent Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and picks to the Nets to land Harden and the veteran Paul Millsap.
Regardless of who truly won the trade, many viewed the exchange as a win-win for both sides as Simmons is an ideal fit on Brooklyn and Harden is the perfect complement to Philly's big man, Joel Embiid.
Now, with an unbiased view, Redick takes a look at the East's contenders and dishes out his two cents on who he believes should be the championship favorite. While Redick likes what the Sixers and the defending champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, bring to the table -- Redick believes Brooklyn has what it takes to make the run.
Redick's Reasoning
"This is obviously health dependent, Kyrie availability dependent, but I said this when they made the trade. I think the fit with Ben Simmons is fantastic. Looking down the line to the playoffs who’s guarding Giannis (Antetokounmpo), who’s guarding Joel Embiid, that’s probably the biggest question mark in terms of having some interior size and Drummond is going to try to do the job, but historically, Joel has eviscerated him, but look, I’m in on the Nets."
Right now, the Nets are in eighth place with a 31-28 record. Brooklyn won just two matchups over the final ten games before the All-Star break. Record-wise, the Nets have looked rough, but the circumstances for them haven't been ideal.
Along with Kevin Durant's injury, the Nets lost the interest of James Harden and only have Kyrie Irving available for half of the team's games. They'll get a fresh start with Simmons, Curry, and Drummond and will eventually land Durant back in the mix.
While a lot has to fall into the right place over the Nets' next 23 games, Brooklyn has the right pieces to make a run for the NBA Finals. And Redick believes they are the favorites as long as they can stay healthy.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
