After a chaotic trade deadline, a monotone All-Star Weekend and the shocking news that phenom Victor Wembanyama was shut down for the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the NBA returned over the weekend for the final seven-week sprint to the end of the regular season.
There are plenty of storylines to digest — from Luka Doncic’s acclimation in Los Angeles to the playoff races in each conference to what, if anything, can be done about the league’s two most disappointing teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns.
As a result, we canvassed the league on the 10 most important questions for the stretch run, including where key postseason and award races could be headed.
But we start with the new-look Lakers and what executives said about their championship timeline.
Before Doncic’s 32-point performance Saturday in Denver, he had been a slow start with the Lakers after sitting out six weeks because of a calf injury before his stunning trade to Los Angeles.
“There’s still an adjustment period to play with LeBron,” an East executive said. “But he’s going to be just fine once he gets his feet wet and gets comfortable.”
Everyone also agreed that the fit between Doncic and LeBron James — two of the most cerebral and creative players in NBA history — will eventually be seamless this season. But with a roster still featuring some significant flaws, including a lack of outside shooting and need for an interior presence after the rescinded Mark Williams trade with Charlotte, it will take time for the deal’s impact to manifest — time that might extend beyond this season.
“When Jaxson Hayes is your only lob threat, it’s only going to look so good,” a West executive said. “[Doncic] is a great player, so I assume it will all level itself out, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen this year.”
With Cleveland still sporting a six-game lead in the East after wiping out the New York Knicks on Friday night at home, the consensus was that the Cavaliers will cruise to the top seed in the conference.
It hasn’t been debated for some time, given they’ve been projected to finish several games ahead of the Boston Celtics for months. What created more diverse opinions, however, was whether the Cavaliers would be favored to beat the Celtics in a potential conference finals showdown.
For some, Boston is still a sizable favorite to come out of the East for a third time in four seasons.
“I see the Cavs as where Boston was three years ago,” a West scout said. “A lot of promise, going the right way, but not there yet. They can definitely overachieve and make me look foolish for saying that, but I suspect the Celtics beat them.”
That, however, was not a universal opinion. With the growth from first-time All-Star Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers’ consistent level of play and the addition of De’Andre Hunter from Atlanta at the trade deadline, Cleveland was given a real shot to beat Boston, multiple people told ESPN.
“Before the Hunter trade, I would’ve said the Cavs were shakier,” an East scout said. “Hunter isn’t a lockdown guy, but he’s another option to throw on [Jayson] Tatum and [Jaylen] Brown, he’s having a career year, and they didn’t have a guy like that before.
“I think they can beat anybody. They are so balanced and steady, and they’re really not going to beat themselves.”
With Wembanyama’s season cut short, the West playoff — and play-in — picture is a race among 11 teams for 10 spots. The top seven teams — the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves — are expected locks.
That leaves four — the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Suns — fighting to see who gets left without a seat at the table. The belief among sources is that the Warriors, with the addition of Jimmy Butler, are likely safe, especially after impressive weekend victories over the Kings and Mavericks. The three other teams, though, were each tabbed to miss the cut.
“Phoenix, which is wild to say,” a West exec said. “They look like they can’t stand being around each other.”
“I don’t trust the Kings,” a West scout said. “I think Dallas is the biggest threat to drop, thanks to all the injuries and the timelines for all of them to come back.”
