Post by carmelo115 on May 13, 2024 14:45:21 GMT
Taking a look at the top 16 teams (currently in the playoffs) and where they rank in terms of Championship Contenders.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
- Until someone takes the champs down, I’m not sure I can take them off the top of the list. I will say, if Toronto didn’t have all of their injuries, Philly may be down at the 3 seed looking up, but that is not the case as of today. They have their star power, but for some reason, they look a bit more beatable this year. Maybe it’s the fact that the league has many more true contenders this season or maybe I’m just blind because I want a new champ (sorry Carlos). Regardless, we should find out soon. Don’t see how they don’t at least make the conference finals.
2. Toronto Raptors
- As mentioned above, Toronto may have run away with the 1 seed if it weren’t for their injuries. They have the best defensive player in the league and potentially the MVP in Victor, but the addition of Brunson last offseason really propelled them into the elite category. Ingram was a really nice get towards the end of the season, so they have a legit 3 headed monster. I worry a bit about their SG and PF positions, but this team is very good on both ends.
3. Washington Wizards
- With a bit of lotto luck, some really good TCs, but also some nice drafting, Dash has found himself in the contender category a lot faster than most of us expected. His guard play has been off the charts this year with Collier and Lonzo shooting the ball very well. Not only that, but he defends well at almost every position. He has a weak spot that he chose to ignore with the small forward position, but this team is really deep. If he gets the right matchups in the playoffs, they could make a legit run to win it all.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
- Like Washington, the Lakers were a bit of a surprise for me with how well they’ve played this season. They obviously have the two-headed monster of Morant and Reaves, but their defense being elite is what has been so remarkable. Trading for Kessler and Porzingis has been huge for them this year, plus the continued development of Jalen Hood-Schifino makes this team legit out West. I give Spike props for not changing things up as the last 2 seasons didn’t go as planned.
5. Memphis Grizzlies
- Maybe overshadowed with how some other teams have performed this year, Memphis should get to around 55 wins, but for some reason feels like underdogs. They have a very complete lineup and finally a good scoring big with Zion this year, but they had some rough stretches where they’d blow out teams, but also lose to teams they shouldn’t be losing to. Their balance from top to bottom is what really makes this team special. They will be a tough outing regardless who they play throughout these upcoming playoffs.
6. New York Knicks
- Maybe the biggest surprise of this season, especially after the start, has been the Knicks. They have made a million trades, some that have left us questioning which direction they are going, but we’ve all been shut up as they are now a team who should win 55+ games. Donovan Mitchell has been a revelation on the offensive end and DJ Wagner has just continued to get better. I like a lot of the deals he has put together over the last couple of sims. If he finds the right DC, this team could make it far come playoff time.
7. Sacramento Kings
- Another West team that is somewhat forgotten are the Kings. The defending Western Conference Champs have had a really good season, but have just been overshadowed. Fox is playing at a MVP level, but is there enough scoring throughout the rest of the team to truly scare the top dawgs. I’m not sure, but I will never count Silver out. He finds a way to get the most of his players, regardless of the roster.
8. Atlanta Hawks
- After some tumultuous seasons to start the new league, Van finally finds himself in the playoff race with a good team. While I’m not sure they have enough yet to really compete, Carrington has finally turned into a good player and the moves for Tatum/Zubac gave them some really nice players to pair with their young guns. Walter and Peat have had some really good rookie seasons, which makes this team an exciting one going forward.
9. Charlotte Hornets
- Similar to last season, the Hornets have put together a pretty nice run which finds them in the mix for the playoffs, but the star power is lacking, especially with his bigs. RJ Barrett really doesn’t provide enough scoring to mitigate the lack of offense down low. While LaMelo is a star, Charlotte just won’t have enough power to contend with the teams above. I do like what VSO has put together from a roster construction, but they’re a few pieces away.
10. San Antonio Spurs
- Another up and coming team, San Antonio has had an up and down season, but they’re still young. Charles made some big moves this past offseason trading for Murphy and Mobley, who are two really good players, but there just isn’t enough offense from the rest of the squad to be a legit playoff threat. Sheppard looks like a really good signing and Xavier Booker was a great pick, but will that offense continue to develop for Pettiford to make him the all-star level PG this team needs? We’ll have to wait and see.
11. Phoenix Suns
- Another team run by VSO, the Suns found themselves in a weird position this season, as they obviously weren’t contenders, but had a really hot start. Booker had an awesome season and has led this team, but relying on Dennis Schroder to run your team isn’t the best recipe for success. Although Ace has had a rough season, he looks like a really good pick, that can help this team a lot down the road. I’m interested to see how they approach the offseason as they really have no need to hang onto some of these aging players. May as well cash in while it’s still possible.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
- The Wolves are a team that has just found themselves fighting to get back to the top after the early success in season 1. Edwards is great, Giddey is great, KAT is great, but the team just needs so much more from the PG position. I know they have dealt with some injuries and Armstrong was a great second round pick, but I think this team is fighting towards the top of the west with an all-star level PG. They have the players to compete, just not in the position that is the most important.
13. Detroit Pistons
- Cop came in early this season and instead of punting the year like most of us expected, made a big move for Lauri and so far, it has paid off. This team is not winning a championship, but being 8 games over .500 is impressive with how this roster looked. Cade has regressed after signing his huge deal, but if he could ever find that grove, this team could be pretty good. They have their first next season, so it’ll be interesting to see how cop navigates his first offseason in the new league.
14. Orlando Magic
- This could change dramatically over the next 2 sims, but as of right now, Rog finds his Magic sitting in the 8th seed in the playoffs. He made a huge deal towards the end of the offseason for Chet Holmgren, who has been as advertised, but the rest of the team is lacking and he knows that. Xavian Lee looks like he has the offensive tools to be a good scoring PG in this league and surprisingly, kept the turnovers down. Kahwi was a nice deal to get a mentor, but he just flat out sucks now. This is a good young team, but did he move too many of his assets too early to make this team a contender?
15. Denver Nuggets
- Our first under .500 team, the Nuggets find themselves in a weird spot. Jokic is still a star and they made a nice young pick with Risacher, but the rest of the team is just trash. MPJ and Murray have really regressed and don’t provide enough alongside the Joker. I know Michael has been MIA for a while now, but I hope he comes back soon so he can get this team under control. There’s a lot of potential with this roster after the Zacchaire pick.
16. Houston Rockets
- Coming in last, is a team that has just been really underwhelming since the start of the new season. They were a top pick in the draft, but their guys haven’t developed as expected. They still do have some promising players and have had two really nice draft picks in Ware and Alexander, but this team needs a star to carry these young guys. Hopefully, they’ll cash in this offseason and make some big moves.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
- Until someone takes the champs down, I’m not sure I can take them off the top of the list. I will say, if Toronto didn’t have all of their injuries, Philly may be down at the 3 seed looking up, but that is not the case as of today. They have their star power, but for some reason, they look a bit more beatable this year. Maybe it’s the fact that the league has many more true contenders this season or maybe I’m just blind because I want a new champ (sorry Carlos). Regardless, we should find out soon. Don’t see how they don’t at least make the conference finals.
2. Toronto Raptors
- As mentioned above, Toronto may have run away with the 1 seed if it weren’t for their injuries. They have the best defensive player in the league and potentially the MVP in Victor, but the addition of Brunson last offseason really propelled them into the elite category. Ingram was a really nice get towards the end of the season, so they have a legit 3 headed monster. I worry a bit about their SG and PF positions, but this team is very good on both ends.
3. Washington Wizards
- With a bit of lotto luck, some really good TCs, but also some nice drafting, Dash has found himself in the contender category a lot faster than most of us expected. His guard play has been off the charts this year with Collier and Lonzo shooting the ball very well. Not only that, but he defends well at almost every position. He has a weak spot that he chose to ignore with the small forward position, but this team is really deep. If he gets the right matchups in the playoffs, they could make a legit run to win it all.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
- Like Washington, the Lakers were a bit of a surprise for me with how well they’ve played this season. They obviously have the two-headed monster of Morant and Reaves, but their defense being elite is what has been so remarkable. Trading for Kessler and Porzingis has been huge for them this year, plus the continued development of Jalen Hood-Schifino makes this team legit out West. I give Spike props for not changing things up as the last 2 seasons didn’t go as planned.
5. Memphis Grizzlies
- Maybe overshadowed with how some other teams have performed this year, Memphis should get to around 55 wins, but for some reason feels like underdogs. They have a very complete lineup and finally a good scoring big with Zion this year, but they had some rough stretches where they’d blow out teams, but also lose to teams they shouldn’t be losing to. Their balance from top to bottom is what really makes this team special. They will be a tough outing regardless who they play throughout these upcoming playoffs.
6. New York Knicks
- Maybe the biggest surprise of this season, especially after the start, has been the Knicks. They have made a million trades, some that have left us questioning which direction they are going, but we’ve all been shut up as they are now a team who should win 55+ games. Donovan Mitchell has been a revelation on the offensive end and DJ Wagner has just continued to get better. I like a lot of the deals he has put together over the last couple of sims. If he finds the right DC, this team could make it far come playoff time.
7. Sacramento Kings
- Another West team that is somewhat forgotten are the Kings. The defending Western Conference Champs have had a really good season, but have just been overshadowed. Fox is playing at a MVP level, but is there enough scoring throughout the rest of the team to truly scare the top dawgs. I’m not sure, but I will never count Silver out. He finds a way to get the most of his players, regardless of the roster.
8. Atlanta Hawks
- After some tumultuous seasons to start the new league, Van finally finds himself in the playoff race with a good team. While I’m not sure they have enough yet to really compete, Carrington has finally turned into a good player and the moves for Tatum/Zubac gave them some really nice players to pair with their young guns. Walter and Peat have had some really good rookie seasons, which makes this team an exciting one going forward.
9. Charlotte Hornets
- Similar to last season, the Hornets have put together a pretty nice run which finds them in the mix for the playoffs, but the star power is lacking, especially with his bigs. RJ Barrett really doesn’t provide enough scoring to mitigate the lack of offense down low. While LaMelo is a star, Charlotte just won’t have enough power to contend with the teams above. I do like what VSO has put together from a roster construction, but they’re a few pieces away.
10. San Antonio Spurs
- Another up and coming team, San Antonio has had an up and down season, but they’re still young. Charles made some big moves this past offseason trading for Murphy and Mobley, who are two really good players, but there just isn’t enough offense from the rest of the squad to be a legit playoff threat. Sheppard looks like a really good signing and Xavier Booker was a great pick, but will that offense continue to develop for Pettiford to make him the all-star level PG this team needs? We’ll have to wait and see.
11. Phoenix Suns
- Another team run by VSO, the Suns found themselves in a weird position this season, as they obviously weren’t contenders, but had a really hot start. Booker had an awesome season and has led this team, but relying on Dennis Schroder to run your team isn’t the best recipe for success. Although Ace has had a rough season, he looks like a really good pick, that can help this team a lot down the road. I’m interested to see how they approach the offseason as they really have no need to hang onto some of these aging players. May as well cash in while it’s still possible.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves
- The Wolves are a team that has just found themselves fighting to get back to the top after the early success in season 1. Edwards is great, Giddey is great, KAT is great, but the team just needs so much more from the PG position. I know they have dealt with some injuries and Armstrong was a great second round pick, but I think this team is fighting towards the top of the west with an all-star level PG. They have the players to compete, just not in the position that is the most important.
13. Detroit Pistons
- Cop came in early this season and instead of punting the year like most of us expected, made a big move for Lauri and so far, it has paid off. This team is not winning a championship, but being 8 games over .500 is impressive with how this roster looked. Cade has regressed after signing his huge deal, but if he could ever find that grove, this team could be pretty good. They have their first next season, so it’ll be interesting to see how cop navigates his first offseason in the new league.
14. Orlando Magic
- This could change dramatically over the next 2 sims, but as of right now, Rog finds his Magic sitting in the 8th seed in the playoffs. He made a huge deal towards the end of the offseason for Chet Holmgren, who has been as advertised, but the rest of the team is lacking and he knows that. Xavian Lee looks like he has the offensive tools to be a good scoring PG in this league and surprisingly, kept the turnovers down. Kahwi was a nice deal to get a mentor, but he just flat out sucks now. This is a good young team, but did he move too many of his assets too early to make this team a contender?
15. Denver Nuggets
- Our first under .500 team, the Nuggets find themselves in a weird spot. Jokic is still a star and they made a nice young pick with Risacher, but the rest of the team is just trash. MPJ and Murray have really regressed and don’t provide enough alongside the Joker. I know Michael has been MIA for a while now, but I hope he comes back soon so he can get this team under control. There’s a lot of potential with this roster after the Zacchaire pick.
16. Houston Rockets
- Coming in last, is a team that has just been really underwhelming since the start of the new season. They were a top pick in the draft, but their guys haven’t developed as expected. They still do have some promising players and have had two really nice draft picks in Ware and Alexander, but this team needs a star to carry these young guys. Hopefully, they’ll cash in this offseason and make some big moves.
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