OKLAHOMA CITY
Can They Solve The Playoffs Again?
SGA still drives an elite offense. Jalen Williams returns healthy. The defensive scheme is going to travel.
And can somebody find Chet when the games matter most? Game 7, anyone?
SAN ANTONIO
The Future Already Arrived
Wemby is 22 and already took San Antonio to the Finals. Stephon Castle looks built to become an elite two-way guard. Dylan Harper is 20 and already showed he can handle playoff pressure.
The scary part: this team is nowhere close to finished.
San Antonio’s Biggest Question Might Be How Much Is Too Much for Wemby
There were times in the Finals where Wembanyama looked gassed. That is understandable — he was playing the biggest games of his life — but it also showed how much San Antonio asks him to do.
You don’t want your 7-foot-4 center to have to be your point guard, point forward, primary scorer and entire defensive system every night.
De’Aaron Fox took criticism in the Finals, and some of it was deserved. But does San Antonio get there without him? And as Dylan Harper keeps ascending, do the Spurs eventually move Fox to fully unleash the younger backcourt?
Is this a 2012 OKC situation all over again?
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The Luka Era Is Official
LeBron is gone. Austin Reaves is the official No. 2. This is Luka Dončić’s team now — the Snowtime Lakers.
Can Luka take them to another level? Or are we about to watch Luka and AR play isolation basketball for 48 minutes? More importantly: can this team defend enough in May?
DENVER
How Much Longer Can Jokic Fix Everything?
Joker is still Joker. Jamal Murray can still score. The supporting cast keeps getting thinner.
Denver needs a real third option so every rough possession doesn’t become: Joker, fix this shit.
MINNESOTA
Is This Finally Ant’s Year?
LaMelo Ball gives Anthony Edwards a different kind of creator next to him. If LaMelo stays healthy and plays winning playoff basketball, Minnesota’s ceiling changes.
And if Jaden McDaniels takes another offensive step? That’s when this starts looking like a Finals team.
GOLDEN STATE
Steph Is Still Steph. Is That Enough in 2027?
Stephen Curry still makes you dangerous. I’m just not sure his existence alone still makes Golden State a championship plan against younger, deeper teams.
PHOENIX
Trade DBook… Maybe.
I’m just saying: Devin Booker could be a hell of a second option on a real contender instead of carrying a mediocre Suns team forever.
HOUSTON
Contender or Still Just Potential?
A healthy Fred VanVleet returns to a group with Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün.
Is KD still elite at this age? Can Amen make the scoring jump — and actually shoot? And here’s the one Rockets fans might hate: is Şengün overrated?
DALLAS
Which Timeline Wins?
Cooper Flagg is the future. Kyrie Irving is returning healthy. Do the Mavericks keep Kyrie and let him help Flagg grow, or move him while he can still bring back value?
PORTLAND
The Most Interesting Mess in the West
Ja Morant joins a backcourt that already includes Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. That is a lot of guards.
Can Ja resurrect his career? Was Deni Avdija’s breakout real? And if Portland doesn’t become a playoff fixture, which guard gets moved first?
NEW ORLEANS
Same Question. Different Year.
Are y’all finally trading Zion or what?