1- Pacers
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Tyrese Haliburton SG: Buddy Heild SF: Bennedict Mathurin PF: Jarace Walker C: Myles Turner
Bench Depth:
6: Bruce Brown
7: Obi Toppin
8: T.J McConnell
9: Andrew Nembhard
10: Jalen Smith
After a play-in berth in 2020-21 (where they eliminated the Hornets), they traded away their star in Domantas Sabonis for young talent in Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, and missed the play-in in 2021-22. This past season they made a late push for the play-in behind a stunning run of play from Tyrese Haliburton, but when his season was cut short by injury, the team struggled to maintain the momentum, and finished 11th, just 1 spot out from the play-in. With the addition of 3&D monster Jarace Walker with the 7th pick, Obi Toppin through a trade with the New York Knicks, and reigning champion Bruce Brown through free agency, the Pacers look ready to make a stab at this thing, similar to the 2021-22 Grizzlies team. They are definitely a team that could finish top-6, and are a key team we need to beat to have a chance at another play-in, or even a playoff berth for the first time since 2016.
2- Nets
Potential Starting Lineup
PG: Spencer Dinwiddie SG: Cam Thomas SF: Mikal Bridges PF: Ben Simmons? C: Nic Claxton
Bench Depth:
6: Cameron Johnson
7: Dorian Finney-Smith
8: Dennis Smith Jr
9: Day’ron Sharpe
10: Dariq Whitehead
After selling at the deadline and the departure of superstar duo Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets looked surprisingly solid in the second half of the season with the emergence of Mikal Bridges as a star player, and the sudden rise of Nic Claxton to be in Defensive Play of the Year conversations. Due to the James Harden trade, this team doesn’t have their own pick for a WHILE, and have no incentive to bottom out for a top pick, so management will do everything in their power to make this team as competent as possible. With the return of Spencer Dinwiddie, who’s game I absolutely love, this team could very well take up a play-in spot.
3- Bulls
Potential Starting Lineup
PG: Alex Caruso SG: Zach Lavine SF: Demar Derozan PF: Patrick Williams C: Nikola Vucevic
Bench Depth:
6: Coby White
7: Ayo Dosunmu
8: Jevon Carter
9: Andre Drummond
10: Torrey Craig
Most people believed that after a poor season (and a half) that this team would cut it’s losses, and get rid of somebody. The Vucevic trade just looks worse every year, with the Magic adding Jett Howard through another Bulls owned pick, to go with Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. The Bulls needed to split up this big three of FORMER all-stars, but they didn’t and now they just look directionless. Unfortunately for the Hornets, directionless doesn’t exactly mean a poor roster, and the Bulls could definitely run the Hornets out of the play-offs. This is maybe the most important matchup.
4- Hawks
Potential Starting Lineup
PG: Trae Young SG: Dejounte Murray SF: Bogdan Bogdanovic PF: Saddiq Bey C: Clint Capela
Bench Depth:
6: De’Andre Hunter
7: Onyeka Okongwu
8: AJ Griffin
9: Jalen Johson
10: Patty Mills
After a failing to meet the high expectations post Dejounte Murray trade, the Hawks added Saddiq Bey and hired coaching mastermind Quin Snyder. To put it simply, this team is desperate to bounce back after a buy-in move, and as the team that blew out the Hornets in the 2021-22 play-in, they might just cost us a playoffs berth again.
5- Raptors
Potential Starting Lineup
PG: Dennis Schroeder SG: OG Anunoby SF: Scottie Barnes PF: Pascal Siakam C: Jakob Poeltl
Bench Depth:
6: Gary Trent Jr
7: Gradey Dick
8: Chris Boucher
9: Malachi Flynn
10: Precious Achiuwa
Another franchise just floating down the river directionless and helpless, the Raptors have made the play-in and playoffs every year since 2014, and with a similar roster to the past 2 years, look poised to do it again. This is a very simple one.
6- Pistons
Potential Starting Lineup
PG: Cade Cunningham SG: Jaden Ivey SF: Ausar Thompson PF: Isiah Stewart C: Jalen Duren
Bench Depth:
6: James Wiseman
7: Marvin Bagley III
8: Marcus Sasser
9: Monte Morris
10: Alec Burks
Not so dissimilarly to the Hornets, the Pistons look like a team ready to make that jump. With the addition of Ausar Thompson, and Marcus Sasser (who I absolutely love and desperately wanted on the Hornets) through the 5th and 25th picks in the draft, this team is poised to shock the league. Cade Cunningham missed most of last season, playing just 13 games, and when he did play the Pistons looked great. I actually believe, however unpopular this take is, that the pistons are making a play-in berth this year. The fact they won 17 games last year is irrelevant, this roster is deep, it’s young, and it’s fun. They are really going to give the Hornets some problems this year.
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