Lakers' makeover, Nets' health, future of two star guards among five biggest storylines for 2021-22 NBA season

What will the future hold for Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons?

After two straight seasons dealing with a condensed schedule and limited fan attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA is aiming to return to its normal 82-game schedule for the 2021-22 season, which runs from October to June. The league has already released the upcoming regular-season schedule, and we even handpicked the 15 must-watch games to circle on your calendar. Overall, there's plenty of intriguing storylines entering the upcoming campaign. Here are five of the biggest ones heading into the new season. After an underwhelming 2020-21 campaign that culminated in a first-round loss to the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers retooled in a big way over the offseason by trading for star guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. Even at the relatively advanced age of 32, Westbrook is still arguably the most explosive and dynamic guard LeBron James has ever played with, and those two will immediately become one of the most intriguing duos in the entire NBA due to the fact that they've both been ball-dominant alphas over the course of their respective careers. Good or bad, it will be fascinating to see how the two former MVPs fit together in L.A.