#20 San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season last year and this year, they are on the verge of missing the playoffs again! In their 54 year history as a NBA franchise, the San Antonio Spurs have never missed back-to-back playoffs, which is very impressive.
With them finally at full strength and playing some of their best basketball of the season, it seems like the Spurs will be able to hold onto their current spot in the play-in tournament, but they are still ways away from being championship contenders again in the Western Conference.
As a result, big changes could be in store for the Spurs this offseason, especially with All-Star forward DeMar DeRoan set to become an unrestricted free agent. With high-level, young talents in Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and the emergence of forward Keldon Johnson as a key role player, the Spurs definitely have a young core to build with, but they are still lacking star-talent outside of DeRozan.
The status of DeMar DeRozan and his future plans are the #1 storyline in San Antonio right now and if he leaves them in free agency, then this organization could be scrambling for answers and facing a short rebuild process until they find their next star-level talent to build with.
#19 New Orleans Pelicans
With Zion Williams being one of the most dominant players in the NBA right now and Brandon Ingram continuing to be a lethal offensive weapon, the New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to sneak into the play-in tournament in the Western Conference, but they have been struggling as of late.
New Orleans has lost 7 of their last 11 games, including three straight losses. Lonzo Ball is finally back from his hip injury that kept him out for about three weeks in total, and he should give the Pelicans a much needed boost they need on both ends of the court.
Overall though, with some key talents in Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker injured and out indefinitely right now, the Pelicans playoff hopes are starting to slip away. Adding more talent in the offseason is going to be a key for success for the Pelicans, but keeping Lonzo Ball seems to be their #1 priority right now.
The future is definitely bright with Ingram and Zion leading this team, but finding the right supporting cast of players is going to be crucial for New Orleans in the offseason.
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#18 Golden State Warriors
Not having Klay Thompson for the second-consecutive year due to injuries definitely threw a wrench in the Warriors’ plans this season, but Stephen Curry has been having arguably his greatest season of his career.
Curry is setting records left and right for scoring and shooting and over his last ten games, Curry is averaging 40.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and is shooting 50.3% from three-point range! To this point in April, Stephen Curry has made 72 three-pointers and with five games left in the month of April for Golden State, Curry has a chance to pass James Harden’s record of 82 made three-point shots to set a new NBA record for the Most Three-Pointers Made in a Single Month in NBA history!
This team is going to go as far as Curry is able to take them and right now, they are one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA because of him. Curry has single-handedly kept the Warriors relevant all season long and as a result, he has played his way into the MVP conversation.
They may not be championship-contenders this season, but Steph Curry is “must-see-TV” right now and is in the midst of some of the best performances of his career!
#17 Indiana Pacers
Injuries have defined the Indiana Pacers over the last couple of years and this year is no different. T.J. Warren only played in four games this season before going down with a season-ending foot injury, Caris LeVert did not make his Pacers debut until March due to a cancerous mass being removed from his kidney and both Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon have been dealing with injuries on and off this season.
Now, Myles Turner is going to be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a partial tear of his plantar plate in the great toe of his right foot. This organization just can’t seem to catch a break and as a result, will likely lose in the first-round of the playoffs again for the sixth straight year, if they make it out of the play-in tournament.
There are a lot of question marks around the Pacers moving forward and with them expected to be over the salary cap by about $8M entering the offseason, they could look to move on from one of their core players.
#16 Charlotte Hornets
This season, the Charlotte Hornets are one of the most dynamic and exciting teams to watch not only because of all of their young and talented players, but because they just play so free out there on the court. Whether it is throwing down acrobatic dunks or knocking down three-point shots in succession, the Hornets are a high-energy team that are on the verge of making the playoffs for the first-time since 2016.
LaMelo Ball has been sidelined over the last few weeks with a fractured wrist, but he is expected to potentially return by the end of the season, Gordon Hayward is expected to return from a foot injury by the end of the season and with both Terry Rozier and Miles Bridges playing their best basketball of the season, the Hornets have a chance to surprise a lot of people this year.
Moving forward, the Hornets have a ton of potential to grow into something special, as they have plenty of high-level, young talents, as well as roughly $30M in cap space to play around with this offseason.
Watch out for the Charlotte Hornets moving forward!
