This season, 10 teams from each conference qualified to play some postseason basketball. In the West, the Lakers, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Thunder all had the opportunity to qualify for the final 2 spots, while the Heat, Hawks, Raptors, and Bulls fought for the same spots in the East.
Fast forward to now. The Defending Champions are eliminated, the Number 1 seed in the East suffered a first-round exit, and 2 of the teams who were in the play-in tournament, just a few short weeks ago, find themselves in their respective Conference Finals.
2 of the 4 teams who are remaining in the tournament, didn’t make it to this point last season and had to make changes to find themselves here.
The Nuggets added Jamal Murray, making his return after a long stint recovering from a Torn ACL, added the extremely versatile Bruce Brown, saw major improvements in Micheal Porter Jr’s play, and have ridden their 2 time MVP through the first 2 rounds of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Lakers went on a complete trade frenzy at the deadline and ended up completely revitalizing their season due to that. The additions of D’Angelo Russell and Jared Vanderbilt supercharged a struggling Lakers squad, propelling them to have the league’s best defense since the All-Star break. LeBron James finally seems to be showing some age this season but has the ability to turn it “on” whenever he needs to, and Anthony Davis has slid in nicely to the leading role on this team.
Boston, after losing last season’s Finals largely due to their guards being unable to match up with Stephen Curry, acquired Malcolm Brogdon to add guard depth as well as scoring and on-ball defense off the bench.
Miami instead chose to run it back with largely the same roster that made the East Finals last season and no notable additions. Their band of no-names, undrafted players, and 3 & D players is being lifted by a Super Saiyan Jimmy Butler, who has looked like the best player remaining in the playoffs at many points along Miami’s current run.
Getting eliminated in the Play-In tournament is no fun. So what should those teams do? Rebuild the whole structure of their team, or retool around their stars? Let’s take a look at each of those teams first.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder weren’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to be rebuilding, and tanking for French Phenom Victor Wembanyama. The emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the team further than most expectations. SGA took the leap into Superstardom and should be the guy Sam Presti looks to build around for the foreseeable future. Speaking of Presti, he has put the team in a marvelous position going into the future by putting together a great young core around Shai that features Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Luguentz Dort along with a vast pick collection that extends many years into the future. The Thunder are in a good position. They hold the 12th pick in this year’s draft, which should help them improve next season.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have a good roster. On paper. A starting line-up that consists of C.J. McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Jonas Valančiūnas should be enough to get the Pelicans into the playoffs. The problem? Zion, while a special talent, just cannot seem to stay on the floor, for one reason or another. McCollum also has the tendency to shoot the Pelicans out of games and be a real negative. He also isn’t a true point guard, which leads to the offense stagnating at key points in important games. Where do they go from here? Everything depends on Zion. Can he turn his career around? Can he stay healthy? If Zion is able to come back and stay healthy, the Pelicans’ ceiling may be the sky. If he isn’t? They might remain average, which is the worst place to be in sports.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have many questions facing them this off-season. Of all the teams on this list, they may have the clearest way possible. There will be a whole hoard of teams calling Masai Ujuri about star forward Pascal Siakam, guard Fred VanVleet, and versatile wings such as OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. This present core has shown enough that they are not enough to compete, but too much to get a high draft pick. Contenders in both Conferences, who believe they are a few pieces away, will all no doubt try and feast in a potential Raptors fire sale. Unlike the Pelicans, they don’t have a question mark young player who can take them over the hump, and unlike the Thunder, they don’t have a young superstar to build around. Nick Nurse’s firing signals exactly what many of us already think. Firesale and full-scale rebuild by accumulating young players and picks may be their best way forward.
Chicago Bulls
This is a team that’s shown flashes. Unfortunately, they are probably more like the Raptors than they are Thunder. Yes. Lonzo Ball didn’t play all year and this is a different team with Ball. However, there is a distinct possibility that Ball may not even play next season. As shown through time, nagging knee injuries aren’t just stingers that you can just rub some ice on, take something for the pain, and get back out there. Can DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine be the 2 best players on a championship team? I think this has been answered with a resounding no. Should the Bulls just blow it up and trade everyone for picks? Yes. Yes, they should.
But what about the teams that made it? The teams that made it into the top 8, and into the post-season tournament? Getting eliminated in the first round presents almost the same amount of questions as a play-in appearance does. Let’s take a look at those teams who got eliminated in the first round.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves seemingly went all in last off-season. President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly unloaded whopping 4 First Round Drafts and a first-round pick swap along with Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leonardo Bolmaro, Walker Kessler (Selected with Minnesota’s 22nd Overall Pick in 2022), and Jared Vanderbilt to get 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. This trade… did not work out. The pairing between Gobert and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns was wonky at best. The team looked disjointed at many points over the course of the season, but there is a reason for optimism as 3rd year forward Anthony Edwards took another major leap forward in his development this season, and looks like a franchise player. As the dust cleared on the season, Kessler looked better on Utah than Gobert did on Minnesota, which was probably extremely disappointing to Minnesota’s front office and fans. Where do they go from here? Left with almost no draft capital and an expensive team, they probably are forced to run this team back and just hope to God it works out better than it did last season.
Los Angeles Clippers
Like the Pelicans, this is a team that is great on paper. A great roster with tons of depth as well as a very good coach in Ty Lue and is headed by one of the best wing duos in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard is a certified superstar…when he plays. Paul George is one of the best 2nd stars in league history…when he’s healthy. That’s the problem with these 2. They just cannot stay on the floor for an extended amount of time to gain the chemistry every championship squad requires. We have seen these 2 on the Clippers for 4 full seasons now. I believe that this team only requires retooling, but this duo might be getting to the end of their leash. If they can’t get something substantial done in year 5, that might be the end of the most disappointing teams of all time.
Sacramento Kings
Of all the teams on here, this might be the squad with the best outlook on the future. They made the playoffs. Gave the defending champs all they could handle. Found themselves a superstar guard in D’Aaron Fox and one of the best 6th men in the league in Malik Monk. Mike Brown is an absolute gem of a coach and managed to squeeze every last drop of what this group could achieve. Now, they just need to finish the job in the offseason. A wing like Mikal Bridges or O.G Anunoby would go a long way in finishing this team. Harrison Barnes is fine, but in no way is a game changer and was at many times a liability in the Warriors series. They should also think about a rim protector, as Domantas Sabonis can be a traffic cone on defense at times.
Memphis Grizzlies
This team has questions. They may need to go to some mountaintop in Nepal to find their answers because sheesh. Dillon Brooks is not a good NBA player. Ja Morant seems intent on destroying his own career. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr are great, but neither of them are the defacto 2nd option this team needs to Ja. In Memphis, everything revolves around what Ja Morant does in the coming months. If he can clean up his life, this team has a shot. If he doesn’t? It may be time for a teardown. But make no mistake. They should not rebuild with a sane Ja Morant, but rather try and find some vets as well as a dependable 2nd option.
Milwaukee Bucks
This might have been the shocker of the playoffs. Even more shocking than the Defending Champs, with more or less the same roster as last season, getting eliminated in the 2nd Round. The Bucks romped their way through the league to an NBA-leading 58-24 record. And then proceeded to get knocked out in the 1st Round by the 8th-seeded Miami Butlers. The controversial firing of Mike Budenholzer may be enough to inject some new life into this squad that has won a championship with this core. This team should be looking to retool rather than rebuild. They won a championship just 2 seasons ago, have an in-prime 28-year-old phenom in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a great supporting cast that includes Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. However, with the contracts of DPOY Candidate Brook Lopez and 6th man Bobby Portis coming to an end, this team has a lot to figure out around their 3 stars.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers made a lot of leaps and bounds this season. Donovan Mitchell provided the team with a certified number 1 option offensively and also allowed Darius Garland to function as a point guard in the offense, making him a star in his role. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are still as wonky a fit as possible in the frontcourt. Mobley did get better this season from his rookie year but still has a long way to go before he becomes a star. J.B. Bickettaff is a good developmental coach who knows how to talk to his young players and bring the best out of them. A starting caliber wing will go a long way for this team, just as it will for the Kings. The rebuild is over in Cleveland, and I’m confident that they will make perennial playoff appearances going into the future. If Mobley develops into the star Cleveland thought it was getting when they drafted him, they could very quickly turn into championship contenders.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets need a Number 1 option on offense. Mikal Bridges has proven himself to be able to carry the offensive load at times, and Cam Johnson is also a pretty consistent scorer. However, neither of these players are world breakers on the offensive end. These days, to be a contender means that you have at least one guy who can hold the rock in his hands and go get a bucket whenever he wants to. Trae Young could be a trade target via trade, depending on what happens in Atlanta. Pascal Siakam is also widely rumored to be available for the right price from Toronto, however, he may not be the number 1 option that Brooklyn needs. The Nets are very much in the middle of what could be a long rebuild, but they could certainly fastrack that rebuild by adding an offensive star.
Atlanta Hawks
Yikes. The Hawks have fielded different versions of the same team for a few years now. And it hasn’t gotten them anywhere. Mediocrity is probably the worst place to be in sports. Trae Young can best be described as a Walmart version of Damian Lillard and just cannot be classified as a franchise player or superstar at this present moment. John Collins is decent but is nowhere near being a 2nd option for a contender. Young is a very good offensive player, but his tendency to take long 3’s so often in crucial playoff games has cost the Hawks because the thing with Young is, if he’s playing terribly on offense, he offers nothing on defense. The Hawks have a lot to figure out. So rebuild or retool? I would rebuild and trade Young and Collins for a boatload of picks and commit to a rebuild.
If a team made it to Round 2, it usually means that they don’t need a major overhaul. A few tweaks should push them over the hump. However, these teams may present us with the most questions yet. Let’s take a look at the teams which were eliminated in Round 2.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns had a pretty disappointing season. After a midseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, they were considered the favorite in the Western Conference by many. However, they had their hands full with a Kawhi and PG-less Clippers squad and then looked pretty outmatched for much of their series against the Nuggets. Chris Paul isn’t getting any younger and DeAndre Ayton got benched at times in favor of Jock Landale at times against Denver. Firing Monty Williams seemed more like a desperation move, rather than an actual level-headed decision. The silver lining? Devin Booker proved himself to be a superstar and a franchise cornerstone. If I were General Manager James Jones, I would look long and hard at Damian Lillard to try and pair him with Booker and Durant. The Suns have no option other than to retool, and maybe some bench depth would propel them into contender territory.
Golden State Warriors
This is the team with the most amount of questions on this list. Will Draymond Green re-sign? Will Klay Thompson be extended? Will General Manager Bob Myers return? Is the Warriors dynasty over? The answer to that question is… a resounding no. As long as the Warriors can field a decent supporting cast around Stephen Curry, they will be a contender. The Warriors shouldn’t even think about rebuilding, even if Green leaves in free agency (which he indicated that he doesn’t want to). Thompson and Jordan Poole both had an awful playoff run, sparking questions about both of them as major pieces of a contending team. Remember, Thompson just came off one of his best regular seasons as a pro of 2 major leg surgeries, and Poole had a 20 ppg season.
The Warriors should be focused on adding veteran wing and frontcourt depth to their team, and they will be championship contenders next season. If they really wanted to make a splash? They could use Poole’s contract and the value of a young player such as Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody, though Moody was great in this past playoff run, to net a star such as Pascal Siakam or a wing such as O.G. Anunoby or Mikal Bridges to really spice up their team. Perhaps a change of scenery for one of Poole or Green is required for them to go forward. This team is a retool for sure. As long as Curry is there, there should be no rebuild.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were a surprise this season. Everyone was making fun of them for handing Jalen Brunson a 4 yr deal worth 104 million dollars. Fast forward to now? He seems like he’s vastly UNDER-paid. The Knicks have found themselves a star who can take them into the future. Now, all they have to do is build a team around him. Josh Hart was an amazing pickup and fit into head coach Tom Thibodeau’s scheme on defense, giving the Knicks a hard-nosed player who plays tenacious defense and gives his all on both sides of the ball every minute he’s on the court. Will R.J. Barrett ever take the next step? Questionable. He’s a solid player, don’t get me wrong, but has not turned into the star many were expecting him to be coming out of Duke. Julius Randle was borderline unplayable at some points in their series against Miami. His tendency to take contested mid-range shots out of isolation hurts the Knicks far more than it rewards them. So what’s next? Well. I would start with trading Randle, and hopefully add a star big man such as Pascal Siakam or Karl-Anthony Towns to compliment Brunson.
Philadelphia 76ers
This team as presently constructed… is going nowhere. James Harden and Joel Embiid individually aren’t the best performers when it comes to big playoff games. Together? Well. We all saw what happened to this team down the stretches of Game 6 and Game 7. They completely unraveled. Tobias Harris is fine. Tyrese Maxey is a star in the making, however. Doc Rivers was not THE problem but a change in coaching was certainly required with how most of Philly’s seasons under Rivers have ended. So. Where do they go from here? I say rebuild. Bringing back Harden doesn’t suddenly make them contenders. Joel Embiid is an amazing regular-season player. Playoffs? Game on the line? Much to be desired. He might actually be better suited as a 2nd option to a guard such as Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, or Steph Curry on a championship team.
