The NBA’s 2024 All-Star break is over.
This means we’ve only got just about two months of regular-season basketball left before an intense and dramatic postseason. Goodness, where does the time go? Hmm, don’t answer that. (For a look at where the league stands right now, check out our latest NBA power rankings.)
Not everyone in the NBA is thinking about the playoffs or competing for a title like the reigning champion Denver Nuggets or top contender Boston Celtics. There are some otherwise dreadful rebuilding teams (hello, Washington Wizards!) who are already looking to the future and who have different goals to accomplish over the last third of this season. In a 30-team league, most squads are on entirely different timelines for competition. That’s just the nature of the beast.
As we enter what should be a thrilling stretch run, here’s one question all 30 NBA teams must answer before their respective 2023-2024 season comes to a close.
Atlanta Hawks: Can Trae Young still work in Atlanta?
Young is one of the best playmakers in the league, a creator that almost every NBA team should covet. But the Hawks are just 24-31 and sit in 10th place. They haven’t won a playoff series since a magical run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals and have never won more than 43 regular season games in the Young era. Dejounte Murray just signed an extension with a 2027 player option but will be a rumored trade target this summer. Given the potential haul they could get for him, it’s fair to start wondering whether the Hawks should go all in on a rebuild and trade Young, too.
That is, barring a scorching hot second half of the season.
Boston Celtics: Are they tough enough?
At their peak, we know what the Celtics are capable of. They’re an unmitigated buzzsaw, a team that will hover around 60 wins and make a run to the conference finals every single year. They’re rife with All-Stars galore, they’re so deep, and they’re one of the rightful favorites to win the NBA title.
The problem is I could’ve written the above paragraph, word for word, at any point in each of the last few regular seasons. Even with a reshuffled roster centered around Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, this is who the Celtics are — a team calibrated for the rigors of an 82-game regular season but that still has to prove itself in the postseason.
What happens when the Celtics inevitably get punched in the mouth in the playoffs? What happens if they fall behind in a series?
How they respond in both scenarios will ultimately determine whether their latest dominant regular season meant something or was just empty calories. Because the postseason isn’t only about how talented you are. It’s about how you respond to adversity in several long seven-game series.
Brooklyn Nets: Is Cam Thomas a core piece for the future?
At face value, Thomas looks like a young baller. The 22-year-old is averaging over 21 points this year on 47-36-83 shooting splits. Amidst a mediocre season that led to Jacque Vaughn’s early dismissal, Thomas has been a bright spot.
However, despite his seemingly gaudy numbers, Thomas is 336th in the NBA in true shooting percentage (54.6) with a 29.6 usage rate (16th in the league). Oh, and his assist percentage is only 14.2 percent (206th in the league). It’s obvious Thomas has got a great scoring touch and he will probably have a bigger role for the Nets in Vaughn’s absence, but he’s also one of the most inefficient, ball-stopping players in the league. Full stop.
As the Nets enter a new era seemingly building around Mikal Bridges, they need to weigh whether a third-year guard like Thomas will be part of their foundation moving forward.
Charlotte Hornets: Who's making basketball decisions next?
LaMelo Ball hasn’t played a game since late January because of an ankle injury. Brandon Miller has shown flashes of greatness but is still just a rookie. Aside from these two players … what are the Hornets really building? What do they want for their future? I can’t imagine sitting in Purgatory, acting as a de facto trading device for worthy playoff teams, is what this organization wants forever.
The good news is that Charlotte has an opportunity to start with a clean slate up top. Michael Jordan is no longer the majority owner, and ex-general manager Mitch Kupchak just stepped down. Amid a list of promising candidates, including Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand, whoever gets hold of the Hornets’ steering wheel next will have to pick a direction with a tangible plan we can all actually see.
Chicago Bulls: When will the front office start caring again?
The Bulls didn’t trade Andre Drummond at his peak value, a stopgap center. The Bulls didn’t trade Alex Caruso at his peak value, a three-and-defense guard much more suited for a championship contender. They didn’t offload DeMar DeRozan, either, even though his contract expires this summer.
Why?
Because team executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley are basketball cowards content to push for a spot in the play-in tournament and nothing else. The Bulls, as it stands, are going nowhere. They need a real effort at a rebuild. They need to blow it up and perhaps start considering building around the impressive Coby White, who has blossomed into a real difference-maker this year.
But they won’t. Because the front office (and ownership by extension) no longer has the desire to be a genuine title contender if it hurts the bottom line too much. As long as there are butts in seats at the United Center for half the calendar year, that’s all they need. I can’t remember the last time they cared about anything more.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Can Donovan Mitchell keep the magic carpet ride going?
Fun fact: The Cavaliers have lost just three times since the start of 2024. In the approximate six weeks before the All-Star break, Cleveland rattled off two separate winning streaks of at least eight games. As a result, the Cavs are now firmly the No. 2 seed in the East. On paper, they should be considered a title contender and will probably be poised for a deep playoff run this spring.
Of course, all of this is only in play as long as Mitchell and his friends keep the good vibes rolling. And that’s no guarantee with an upcoming gauntlet of a schedule. During their recent hot run to start 2024, the Cavaliers have just five wins over teams with a record above .500. Over their last 29 games, they are slated to face 18 teams above .500. Phew. Overall, per Tankathon, their remaining strength of schedule is just 15th. That still doesn’t change the number of heavyweights they have to play.
We’re about to learn a lot about these Cavaliers’ staying power.
Dallas Mavericks: Are Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington what the doctor ordered?
For once (or for now?), it looks like Luka Dončić can lead a winner. At six games, the Mavericks are tied for the longest active winning streak in the NBA. Part of that is Dončić’s individual brilliance, and part of that is Gafford being the perfect lob threat big man/defensive rebounder. Throw in a quality two-way player like Washington, and the Mavericks seem to be cooking.
If Dallas can continue building chemistry with Gafford and Washington, then this team just might be the first-round matchup no one wants in the Western Conference.
Denver Nuggets: Will a thin bench come back to haunt them?
On paper, the Nuggets might have the NBA’s best starting five. It’s really hard to argue against having reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić, ultimate playoff-rising guard Jamal Murray, bully ball dunker Aaron Gordon, lights-out shooter Michael Porter Jr., and three-and-defense two-guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all on one team. And when considering the impeccable chemistry this lineup has together, it’s why the Nuggets are considered many’s favorites to win the NBA title again.
But what happens if even just one of these players gets hurt in the postseason? We might have already seen a preview.
Without Caldwell-Pope (the team’s top perimeter defender), Porter Jr., and Murray in different spots just before the break, the Nuggets suffered an unthinkable three-game losing streak. There are promising pieces on the bench, like Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, and Julian Strawther, but all might be too young to survive a bigger role in the grind of the postseason without a fully healthy Nuggets lineup.
Denver enjoyed stellar health fortune in its run to the first championship in franchise history last spring. Even with improvement from a young bench down the stretch, the Nuggets will likely need to have a similar injury luck to repeat.
Detroit Pistons: Is this actually Jaden Ivey's team?
An important preface: The Pistons are no longer the team that lost a historic 28 consecutive games near the start of the season. They just remain terrible overall.
That said, for one of the NBA’s bottom feeders, the Pistons have started to show more promise than you think. In the month just before the break, Detroit notched wins over Oklahoma City and Sacramento and pushed teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks to the brink. They’re not good per se, but again, they are much more competitive.
This renewed direction should probably be credited to Jaden Ivey.
The sophomore shooting guard has blossomed in a bigger role, relying on his playmaking vision, white-hot shooting, and speed in the open court of late. It’s translating into consistent 20-plus point efforts for Ivey and a lot of open shots for his teammates. This should be a welcome development for the Pistons, but it does raise a pertinent question about Cade Cunningham.
Is Cunningham more of a No. 2? A running mate? At best? That I even have to ask this question now likely makes the answer obvious, though the Pistons still need more of a sample size to confirm for themselves.
Golden State Warriors: What can Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins actually offer in a playoff run?
We are not accustomed to seeing the Steph Curry-era Warriors looking so vulnerable. In fact, for most of this season, the four-time champions have hovered under .500, calling into question whether the happiest days for this franchise were long gone. I still personally believe that to be the case for the most part, but Draymond Green’s reintroduction into the lineup after an extended suspension is making me reconsider my position.
With Green back in the fold, setting the tone on defense and helping create on offense, the Warriors have resembled a sleeping giant. Since Green’s return in late January, Golden State is 9-4, with four separate wins of at least 20 points. Curry remains the top shooter in basketball, a supernova liable to go off on any given night. Jonathan Kuminga has been a godsend in an increased role as a small-ball power forward. And Brandon Podziemski has been one of the more solid sixth men all season.
But their postseason ceiling will probably be determined by Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins — both of whom are enjoying two of the worst seasons of their respective careers. Wiggins is averaging career lows in points, rebounds, and assists and hasn’t shot the ball this poorly in half a decade. Thompson, meanwhile, has looked more and more like an outright liability than anyone in San Francisco should be comfortable with. Whether these two can build more positive momentum in the coming weeks might determine how far this Warriors team can go in late April.
Houston Rockets: Are Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson the duo of the future?
The Rockets are rebuilding, so their fall from grace in recent months isn’t remotely surprising. But the players who have stood out (for the right and wrong reasons) make it clear that Houston has a good problem on its hands. For one, they should probably make an earnest effort to support Şengün as their No. 1 option, with promising rookie Amen Thompson as his running mate.
If Houston is to morph into a consistent contender in the coming years, it’s probably going to come on the back of Şengün, another uniquely gifted passing big man with solid post moves, and Thompson, a creating point guard with size and tenacity. There’s something special potentially brewing here for the Rockets. If they haven’t already, it’s better they realize this reality over the next two months or just … sooner rather than later.
Indiana Pacers: How will Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam grow together?
The Pacers aren’t stupid. They know they have arguably the NBA’s best point guard in Haliburton. They also know he needs a legitimate partner for a consistent two-man game, a real No. 2 who can play in the frontcourt. That’s precisely why they traded for Pascal Siakam. But between lingering injuries for Haliburton and relative inconsistency from Siakam, it’d be fair to say we haven’t seen the most optimal version of this duo just yet.
With Haliburton presumably rested and Siakam more ingrained into the Pacers’ system, there will be sky-high expectations for Indiana to solidify itself in the East playoff picture down the stretch. A fallback to play-in territory should probably be considered a failure. Haliburton and Siakam are too good when dialed in to say otherwise.
Los Angeles Clippers: Is everyone going to stay healthy?
After a slow start, the Clippers have been more or less dominant this season. They’ve lost seven times since the start of December and have proven they could make a rotation with several ball-dominant players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook work. If they can stay healthy, the Clippers should be one of the top picks for the NBA Finals.
But that’s the rub: Is this aging, veteran team going to stay healthy?
Leonard is already dealing with a recent adductor strain and might not even be ready to play as soon as the All-Star break is over. While he’s on a better pace this year, George hasn’t played at least 60 games in a regular season since 2019. Harden himself dealt with a sore Achilles just before the playoffs last year and hasn’t usually been the picture of good health. The only constant here might be Westbrook, a classic ironman, but age can catch this sixth man, too.
The Clippers have the right mix for once. Everyone in the current rotation is bought in. But even one lingering injury to this fragile house of cards and its elder top-six could be catastrophic.
Los Angeles Lakers: Who will be their first-round playoff matchup?
OK, I cheated here because this isn’t something LeBron James’ Lakers can necessarily control by themselves. Still, this is a mostly mediocre and top-heavy team with two arguable top-15 players in James and Anthony Davis. If they solidify themselves in the coming weeks, they could make a run in the spring. Their success will just depend on the favorability of a first-round matchup.
The Nuggets? Oh, heavens no.
Including a sweep in last year’s Western Conference Finals, L.A. has lost seven straight games to the reigning champions, last winning in late December 2022. In fact, come this April, it’ll have been almost two whole years since the Lakers last won in Denver. For every punch the Lakers would have, the Nuggets would likely have a staggering counter. Put another way: This would be a nightmare scenario for the purple and gold.
The Minnesota Timberwolves? Oof, also no.
If there’s any team perfectly built to combat the Lakers’ usual size advantage, it’s the one that features Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid. Minnesota soundly handled the Lakers in both matchups so far this season. I find it very hard to believe that wouldn’t transfer over to the playoffs.
The Clippers? OK, maybe now we’re talking.
The Lakers do have two wins over their arena neighbors this year and have actually fared well against them even after the Clippers “figured it out.” The other L.A. team is very wing-heavy and can be abused on the interior if it’s not careful. That sounds like a great matchup for Davis to me!
Memphis Grizzlies: How will their former two-way contract players continue to bloom?
If there’s one silver lining to Memphis’ lost season without Ja Morant, it’s the rise of GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. Both are formerly on two-way contracts. Both have flourished with greater minutes in the Grizzlies’ bizarre amalgamation of a lineup. When Morant returns next year, it’s easy to see both players playing prominent roles on a Memphis team that will assuredly try to contend for a title again. It can almost be said that the Grizzlies have provided a smart template for how to actually treat developmental two-way players. That’s how successful Jackson and Williams Jr. have been.
In all likelihood, Memphis won’t make much noise this spring. But the rest of the Grizzlies’ season isn’t about that. It’s about getting Jackson and Williams Jr. more quality experience to prepare for what looks like a promising future.
Miami Heat: Do they still have a "switch" to flip?
No one plays down to their competition like the Celtics. The Milwaukee Bucks think notorious playoff choker Doc Rivers will solve what ails them. The New York Knicks are solid … but they feel like a regular-season, try-hard team with a definitive cap on their ceiling. A classic Tom Thibodeau team, if you will. The same can potentially be said about the Cavaliers, without the Thibodeau part. And who knows how good Joel Embiid will be for the 76ers if he makes his return later this season?
If, say, a currently middling Heat team wanted to go to back-to-back Finals, the East is right there for the taking. There is nothing about that above “gauntlet” that should scare a team with two Eastern Conference titles in the last four years. The question is whether a team just five games over .500 will lock in enough come April and May.
I’m not inclined to bet against the best coach in the league (Erik Spoelstra) and perhaps the best postseason player (Jimmy Butler). Still, I’d be lying if I said Miami’s consistent regular-season inconsistency didn’t worry me about its chances. But hey, they did enter the break by winning six of their last eight games! Maybe the proverbial switch has already been flipped!
That strange sound you hear is a collective gulp from the other Eastern powers.
Milwaukee Bucks: Does anyone (anyone at all) want to be there?
The Bucks limped into the All-Star break with a 3-7 record under Doc Rivers. You could’ve chalked up much of that to a coach joining a veteran team midseason. No one would’ve cried foul. Instead, it seems like every important figure in the organization has spent the past few days talking about how much they don’t want to be in Milwaukee.
Doc Rivers went on a podcast claiming he told Bucks ownership he wasn’t sure why they fired Adrian Griffin before reaching out to him. Damian Lillard named his dream starting five and included Heat center Bam Adebayo but NOT teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo. (No one has ever wanted to be in Miami more!) And the face of the whole operation, Antetokounmpo, seemingly trolled about how much he does or doesn’t watch basketball when he’s not playing games. The timing of those comments, as the Bucks find themselves embroiled in a firestorm about how utterly unserious they are, could not have been worse.
The Bucks have a good team on paper. It’s not the best, but it’s certainly still very good. Theoretically, they have the horses to win the title … if they actually want to. But everything about this team screams crashing and burning in the second round, at best.
I can’t, in good conscience, be confident in a squad that has so many key people seemingly teetering on the edge.
Minnesota Timberwolves: How will they score in the playoffs?
The Timberwolves have been the Western Conference’s leading team in the standings for most of the year. Rudy Gobert looks like he’s on his way to a fourth career Defensive Player of the Year Award, while Anthony Edwards has made the full-fledged leap to superstar/top-15 player. They have the NBA’s best defense, and they come at you in waves like a rabid pack of wol … oh you get it.
Still, playing lockdown defense in itself isn’t what wins in postseason settings. Yes, you have to get timely stops, but NBA playoff basketball is about finding a way to score when you absolutely have to. In this respect, the Timberwolves should be in trouble.
They have the league’s 17th-best offense and are just 20th in offensive execution in the clutch (the last five minutes of a game where the margin is within five points). That is simply not good enough. It screams fatal flaw. You can’t consistently win in the postseason if you can’t score and if you can’t score in close games. Newly acquired backup point guard Monte Morris might help in this department, but that’s not a move anyone should count on as a catch-all.
The Timberwolves, as it stands, can probably ride their defense and one-alpha (Edwards) offense to a playoff series win or two. But eventually, someone’s going to constrict them in the halfcourt, and they’ll have to figure something out or watch their season spin down the drain.
New Orleans Pelicans: What's their identity?
The Pelicans are confounding. They’re one of the few playoff-caliber NBA teams with a depth chart that goes 10-deep. They’ve got a few difference-makers like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. And they’re 12th and seventh in offensive and defensive rating, respectively.
What’s not to love?
They’re the definition of a Jekyll & Hyde team. One night, the Pelicans might paste the Clippers on the road. On the next, they’ll get destroyed by the miserable Lakers. They are maddeningly inconsistent, and I’m not sure what to attribute their problems to. Even without a true No. 1 championship option, this feels like a roster that should be pushing for a top seed in the West. There is enough talent and depth to make such a claim.
Unless they really hunker down here in the second half, they’ll be destined for a hard-fought first-round series that ends in their season’s demise.
New York Knicks: Will Tom Thibodeau burn them out?
Ladies and gentlemen, your New York Knickerbockers are a genuine championship contender. Led by Jalen Brunson, they can score well in the halfcourt, and since this is a Tom Thibodeau team, you already know that they hound opponents on defense. In a somewhat shaky East at the top, I would not be shocked to see the Knicks in this year’s Finals.
There’s just one problem: Is Thibodeau gonna resist the urge to overwork his team down the regular-season stretch with the playoffs in mind? Considering the Knicks have three players in the top 50 in minutes played this season (Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart), I have my doubts that Thibodeau can see the forest for the trees. An old-school coach, he’s always been this way. He prefers putting the pedal to the metal as much as possible to secure wins. He does not think about what energy his players might have down the line and won’t sell the present short for that.
This was already a problem in New York, where a slew of injuries helped incite a four-game losing streak heading into the break. Thibodeau would be wise to start playing the long game or risk having a bruised, battered, and completely exhausted team by the time the Knicks get to the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Are they big enough?
The Thunder have been one of the NBA’s better stories all season long. With an MVP-caliber campaign from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in tow, this young Thunder squad has been running rampant in the league en route to a firm place near the top of the West standings. The core — featuring Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren — feels special. Like, special, special.
But setting aside the other major question of inexperience, it’s fair to wonder whether the Thunder’s utter lack of size will doom them in the crucible of the postseason. While Holmgren is a towering seven-footer who racks up blocks like no one’s business, there is a steep drop off in height after him. The next tallest regular rotation player is the 6-foot-9 Jaylin Williams — a solid backup big man who also, unfortunately, detracts from the small ball lineup Oklahoma City prefers to utilize if he’s on the floor too much.
This lack of size translates to a team that is just 28th in total rebounds, 29th in offensive rebounding, and 18th in defensive rebounding. In other words: oof.
The Thunder have a top-10 offensive pace, and they love working the wings with Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. But if this small team can’t clean the glass better in a playoff setting that will feature a lot more halfcourt offense and meticulous defending, what their stars bring to the table won’t matter.
Orlando Magic: Can anyone on this team shoot?
There will come a day when the Magic will be a legit Eastern power again. First-time All-Star Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs will ensure it. But this Orlando team will never realize its true potential if it can’t find more legitimate outside shooting.
The Magic are:
- 29th in 3-point percentage (34.9!)
- 27th in 3-point attempts per game
Oh, and they have just two 40 percent 3-point shooters — Joe Ingles and Wendell Carter Jr. — but both don’t take much more than two threes per game, so it’s not exactly a high-volume sample size.
I’m not sure there’s anything the Magic can do down the stretch to fix their horrific spacing as teams pack the paint against Banchero. Finding a shooting solution of any kind here is what Orlando needs to unlock itself from a fringe playoff team to a bona fide title contender.
Philadelphia 76ers: What kind of Joel Embiid will they get if he returns?
At his best, Joel Embiid is a top-five player in today’s NBA. He can score from any place on the court like no one’s business, and he can be an intimidating rim protector. The now-former MVP’s problem has never been about his ability. It’s been about staying healthy and available for Philadelphia (which is why he is no longer defending last year’s MVP honors).
Embiid is currently contending with recovery from a lateral meniscus injury he suffered earlier this month. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the 76ers lineup, but the presumption is he will be back in the regular rotation sometime before the postseason. The shape and form Embiid is in when he comes back will ultimately determine what the 76ers can accomplish this season.
If he’s, say, 80-ish percent of full strength, then Philadelphia will be a rightful dark horse Finals pick. If he struggles to get back into the flow of things or suffers another injury — Embiid has been hurt at some point in six straight postseasons — then the 76ers are dead in the water. They were just 3-5 heading into the break without him. It’s hard to see how that mediocre record wouldn’t seamlessly transfer to the postseason if Embiid isn’t himself.
Phoenix Suns: Is their playoff rotation deep enough?
The Suns entered the break as one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Since the turn of the calendar year, Phoenix is 16-7. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are playing some of the best basketball of their respective careers, while Bradley Beal has started getting healthy and showing more flashes of what he brings to the table as a No. 3 option.
But the question with the Suns will never be what their superstars can accomplish. It’s whether there’s enough support behind them to warrant a deep postseason run. If a standard NBA playoff rotation is eight players (five starters playing around 40 minutes a night, three different role players off the bench that can eat the remaining minutes with quality), then I’m not sure the Suns have enough.
Let’s suppose that the current starters of Durant, Booker, Beal, Grayson Allen, and Jusuf Nurkić enter the playoffs healthy. OK, that’s five. The sixth man is probably Eric Gordon, who remains capable but is also a gajillion years old (35). After that, you’re probably talking about trade deadline acquisition Royce O’Neale playing major minutes as the seventh man, which … OK, that’s not inspiring, but not terrible, I suppose. Then it’s a multiple-horse race between Bol Bol, Drew Eubanks, Josh Okogie, and even Thaddeus Young.
Is that enough to win this year’s NBA title? Because I’m not even sure I love the other flawed members of that starting five, really. Whatever the Suns want to accomplish down the stretch, they better ensure they have eight people they can count on come April.
Portland Trail Blazers: Have they finally unlocked Scoot Henderson?
To say Scoot Henderson was a disappointment to start this NBA season would be an understatement. Through most of the first half, Henderson was one of the least efficient and least effective offensive players in basketball. It came to the point that the Trail Blazers elected to have Henderson come off the bench and start the veteran Malcom Brogdon instead.
But something’s started to shift for Henderson in the past few weeks. He’s playing more within himself and has shown off some of the playmaking chops that helped make him a No. 3 overall pick. A recent road stand against the Nuggets in Denver — where he scored 30 points one night and dropped nine assists two days later — might have been where he turned the corner.
The Trail Blazers aren’t going anywhere this year. This is a rebuilding season centered around building up confidence and gaining experience first and foremost. Ensuring Henderson continues to mature through the rest of the season should be priority No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 in Portland.
Sacramento Kings: Is their style of play sustainable?
The Kings have one of the NBA’s fastest paces and attempt nearly 40 three-pointers a game (third in the league). They’ve got a lightning-quick All-Star-caliber guard in De’Aaron Fox and one of the league’s better centers in Domantas Sabonis. When they’re firing on all cylinders, they seem unbeatable. Case in point: Their two wins over the Nuggets just before the break.
But if you throw the Kings off rhythm even a little bit, if their barrage of threes isn’t falling, they’re mortal and very vulnerable.
How else can you explain a team that looks nigh unbeatable against the defending champions (albeit unhealthy) but also loses to the Pistons and ailing Heat in roughly the same stretch? Sacramento is no longer the NBA’s laughingstock. But unless these Kings start showing more transferrable play-style viability, their insistence on running and spamming 3-point attempts will ensure an early exit from the playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs: Who are they drafting to help Victor Wembanyama?
Hot take: Victor Wembanyama is going to be an exceptional NBA superstar. (Gasp)
When his game finally fully matures, Wembanyama will likely be the closest thing to full-on unstoppable we’ve seen in the league in years. But for now, Wembanyama is mired on arguably the NBA’s worst team, a dreadful Spurs squad that can’t even properly throw up lobs to a ridiculous 7-foot-4 athlete (looking at you, Jeremy Sochan).
The Spurs are so bad, so utterly horrific, that I’m not sure they have more than a small handful of future rotation pieces with Wembanyama included. This roster needs a lot of help.
Fortunately for San Antonio, the team’s ineptitude means it will likely have two high lottery draft picks this summer. That’s including the Spurs’ own pick and one from the Raptors that is top-seven protected. While there aren’t prospects on the level of Wembanyama (or really anyone even close), adding someone like, say, Serbian guard Nikola Topić near the top and another solid player in the top 10 would be a massive boon to a roster that just needs more talent.
I know San Antonio fans don’t want to miss any more of Wembanyama’s rookie season, but nothing he achieves the rest of the way — even Rookie of the Year honors — will matter nearly as much to the Spurs’ future compared to the help he can ideally get this offseason.
Toronto Raptors: What's their plan with Scottie Barnes?
I have my doubts that Barnes profiles as more than a No. 2 option on a championship contender. But Toronto’s activity way before and around the trade deadline suggests this is an organization ready to start building with Barnes’ talent in mind. It’s not a bad plan, per se — two-way forwards who can score, pass, and defend don’t grow on trees — I just want to know what the direction is.
For example, why did the Raptors keep Bruce Brown? He is a classic glue guy for a team that is ready to win now (not Toronto). With more of an earnest effort, they probably could’ve enticed a suitor chasing a championship to give up quality assets for Brown’s services. There’s also no way they really believe that R.J. Barrett is someone worth keeping around long-term, right? Because that’s (tugs collar) a little nerve-wracking to consider.
President Masai Ujiri signaled a new era in Toronto when he offloaded O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. I’m not sure he’s thought much further about what to do to maximize Barnes beyond hoping for a high lottery pick.
Utah Jazz: Is their young core enough for the future, or do they need another piece?
Even though they’ve fallen back to Earth and probably don’t make any playoff noise this spring, I love what the Jazz are cooking for the long run.
Rookie point guard Keyonte George looks like an absolute stud, a true floor general. Collin Sexton has blossomed next to him, scoring at a consistently explosive rate. Lauri Markkanen is one of the more gifted seven-footers in basketball and is practically automatic as a shooter. And Jordan Clarkson remains one of the more trustworthy sixth men in the NBA.
On paper, this is a core that should excite Utah. But considering that the Jazz often play the 6-foot-9 John Collins at center still, I think they probably need one more reliable starter before they make the leap to playoff contender. That means at least one more summer before we can start taking this Jazz team more seriously. For now, they’re still gonna be a real pain in the butt for the other established Western powers trying to solidify seeding down the stretch.
That in itself should be considered a massive win for this franchise.
Washington Wizards: Who are they drafting?
With all due respect to my For The Win pal Mike Sykes, the Wizards are an embarrassment. Unless you are a diehard fan, they are seldom worth watching. (Heck, Sykes would likely say this himself!)
While this awful basketball team appears to have some promising pieces (Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly), it is nowhere close to relevance. I don’t even mean in the sense of pushing for a playoff spot. I mean relevance in the sense of being a 30-win team capable of upsetting a tired contender in the dog days of the season. The Wizards are indeed that bad.
This Wizards team not only needs an injection of talent, but it also needs to start designating a franchise player. While projected top-three pick Alex Sarr might not be a “generational” talent, he would be a great start on this front should Washington find itself in a position to draft him this summer.
