This article is part of our NBA Draft Strategy series.
It wasn't that long ago that the Lakers won the NBA Championship inside the bubble in Orlando (70 days, to be exact). However, the start of the 2020-21 NBA season is already upon us. That means it's time to lock in some predictions. Inevitably, some will (hopefully) come true, while others will almost certainly look foolish a few months from now.
Let's take a walk on the wild side together.
Kyrie Irving plays fewer than 55 games
When the Nets added Irving and Kevin Durant to their roster last season, it was with the goal of being ready to compete for a title during the 2020-21 campaign. Durant is now more than a year removed from his torn Achilles and Irving has had plenty of time to heal from his shoulder injury. With a talented supporting cast around them, the Nets are poised to be one of the best teams in the league.
All of that is exciting for Nets fans. However, it also means that Brooklyn's goal during the regular season won't be to finish with the best record, it will be to enter the playoffs healthy. With a condensed schedule on the horizon, expect plenty of rest days for both Irving and Durant. Irving hasn't played more than 67 games in any of the last three seasons and there is no reason to push him to play a ton this season, either. Durant is the player coming off of the far more serious injury, but it's Irving who
