Many teams are currently in their window (Bucks, Celtics, Suns, Sixers, Nuggets, etc). Who are the teams that are still 2-3 years away, but will be championship juggernauts for years to come?
Many teams are currently in their window (Bucks, Celtics, Suns, Sixers, Nuggets, etc). Who are the teams that are still 2-3 years away, but will be championship juggernauts for years to come?
Of all the young cores, OKC is the only one I’m confident is on a championship trajectory. They check off all the boxes - franchise player, young two-way supporting cast, good coach, ample draft capital.
Pacers and Hawks have defensive issues, Orlando has spacing issues, pelicans have health issues. Spurs have their superstar but they’ll need a few years to grow.
Cavs, kings, wolves, grizzlies - not confident that they have a championship ceiling with their current cores. Dallas is trending upwards but has work to do. These teams are all exciting but the unfortunate reality is that most of them will top out as decent playoff teams.
Okc have rebounding issues
While I’m biased as an OKC fan, I think it’s somewhat salvageable. Both of our centers are 21 and Chet especially has the length to develop a better rebounding game. The main issue is that OKC only plays one big at a time and the team struggles to box out which affects Chet but especially Jwill who’s not big and needs that help. The lack of a sturdy and athletic PF is really pressing but I think Presti will probably address that eventually
Finding a big heavy boi to grab boards is probably one of the more easily found missing pieces.
Zion to OKC??? (idk if he’s even a good rebounder)
Yeahhh there are plenty of reasons to want Zion but his rebounding prowess ain’t at the top of the list😂. When he puts the effort in defensively, he’s shown promise to box out and rebound well. We just only see it in spurts (and it’s usually when he’s performing well already offensively).
Are you really concerned that they won’t be able to rebound in 2 years? They have so many tradable assets that they might have a very different team in 2 years. Look at Phoenix and Boston. Compare their rosters now to 3 years ago.
How many contenders still have 3 of the same starters from 3 years ago?
I was just stating an issue they have rn just like every other team. Obviously they can eventually fix it just like i think orlando will eventually fix their spacing too
Its wild how people are crowning a team for years to come that hasn’t even made the playoffs yet
Just trade Mitchell Robinson for Shai, fixes all the rebounding issues
I couldn’t imagine looking at OKC’s core, then the wolves core, and thinking the wolves core of Ant, Jaden, KAT and Naz isn’t capable of winning championships but OKC who hasn’t even made it past the play in are? Care to elaborate on that logic?
At least a portion of it comes from the idea that the Thunder’s additional picks and longer timeline (because they’re so much younger) will give them additional optionality… Whether they have to draft replacements for some of their guys that get too expensive, or push those picks in for a disgruntled star, they can do that. The wolves have fewer options in that regard, and Gobert has a bunch of miles on his legs and is on the wrong side of 30.
“Because they’re so much younger” is a sentiment I can see why someone would believe, but Wolves only have two less players 25 and younger than the Thunder do, and their main star is 3 years younger than Thunder’s main star.
OKC has players aged 20-31, with 14 players 25 or under. Wolves have players aged 20-36, with 12 players 25 or under. KAT is only 28. Wolves are younger than people think.
The post says 2-3 years away. Arguably the Wolves should be at it now due to their all in trade for Gobert
The front office is one of the biggest factors.
The front office of Tim Connelly who built the championship Denver nuggets? lol
The difference is the draft picks. The wolves team is more or less what it’ll be moving forward. (Maybe a little unfair, they have a couple trades they could make). The thunder may not even have their best player yet. They could trade a dragons hoard of picks for a superstar in the next couple years. So right now? Yeah I’d take they wolves in a 7 game series but the thunder have the potential to boat race the league in the next few years.
But the difference is also 2 more years of playoff experience/development and experienced vets to guide them.
Draft picks don’t equate to championships. Yes it gives flexibility but to win you usually need playoff seasoned stars and years of chemistry built in the playoffs. Ant at 22 has been to the playoffs twice as the #1 option, by the time he is in his prime (26) he could have 6 years of playoff experience.
Doesn’t work like that. Only so much salary to go around. Wolves traded all those picks but unless the new owners are willing to shell out a ton in luxury tax they’ll have to go. The new CBA prevents what you’re saying.
OKC can do the same thing but let’s not pretend whoever they get with those picks and their current core can stay together. Chet and SGA will demand super maxes
It restricts things like signing mle for teams who are over the luxury tax, but it doesn’t restrict drafting, which is where the thunders picks come in. Teams over the tax can also make trades as long as they take less salary in then what they send out. So the thunders could still do a sign and trade for example.
Orlando is exciting but which of their guys will become a top 5 player? It’s early but I’m not seeing it
I guess Banchero or the skinnier Wagner brother are the closest. I can see them being a top ten team for a sustained period of time within 2-3 years tho
Calling him the skinnier Wagner makes it seem like they have a Wario-Waluigi dynamic.
Paolo scored 20 ppg in his rookie year something that last two guys before him to do were Luka and Blake Griffin. Paolo is at 19.4 right now, which is a bit below last year, but mostly that’s him recovering from his first four games where he was not playing well. I’m pretty sure that was because of how Steve Kerr was using him over the summer and it took him a few games to break out of it honestly.
Take off those first four games and he’s averaging 21.9 shooting 47.7 and 45.5 from 3 (yes it’s true). That 3 point number is even more impressive when you consider he was at 22% after the first four games. For November he’s 51.4% from 3.
Now, most guys don’t actually peak and start showing top five NBA hints until their 4th year in the league. So for example Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Giannis, Jokic were all sub 20ppg prior to year 4. SGA did it the first time in year 3 which is faster than most. Paolo is ahead of those guys, even at 19.4 he’s ahead of SGAs second year. Point is, just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
The only reason why the Cavs won a chip is LeBron
Cavs, Kings, Wolves, and Grizzlies front offices aren’t good enough to be consistent over time
Ample draft capital is an understatement. The Thunder are the surefire answer here because they have 2 excellent young players and the ability to go get 2 more. No team has ever been in this position before. Right now, this team probably tops out at a western final appearance. I don’t think that have the elite elite talent to go beyond that. Usually, a team has to live with that reality and just try try try to get over the hump (hello 76ers, Harden Rockets, Dame Blazers). But the Thunder have a nitro button in the form of an insane cache of draft picks they can hit anytime to juice the team and put them over the top. To me, that, plus the depth and the excellent talent fit of existing players, makes them arguably more dangerous than the KD-Russ team.
The issue for OKC is keeping those young pieces once their rookie contracts are up. Guys will want to get paid and there is only so much to go around. OKC doesn’t strike me as a franchise that is willing to go deep into the luxury tax so keeping those guys may be a challenge.
They’ve gone deep in the luxury tax before and it’s safe to assume they’ll do it again if it looks like they have a championship window.
https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2784460-thunder-to-become-1st-team-in-nba-history-to-top-300m-in-salary-and-luxury-tax.amp.html
Honestly I would mind seeing it. I am not as optimistic about it as you are, but I guess we should know in a few years.
This! Chet and JWill will be entering their fourth year of their rookie contracts in 2 years and will likely get max extensions so that’s essentially the core trio with SGA. How they pay or move the remaining assets will be the key