NBA Tiers of Contention: 10 Teams That Can Make Lottery Reservations Now

With NBA training camps opening soon, it’s time to set our expectations for the coming season.

Let’s break up the 30 teams into groups of three to determine the contenders, middle-of-the-road squads and also-rans. And seeing as this was an Olympic year, we’ll kindly refer to them in tiers of gold, silver and bronze.

As nice as “bronze-medal winner” may sound, as we kick off our look around the league with the also-rans, we know these lottery-bound teams are sure to be given much worse monikers as the season progresses. But just competing in the Olympics is a reward, right? Right?

No matter, let’s take a look at the key questions and answers for each team in the NBA’s lowest third, counting up from the bottom to those franchises that could sneak into the playoffs if everything breaks right but likely won’t…. 

    

BRONZE MEDAL TEAMS   

10. Brooklyn Nets

What’s going on here?

Here we have the results of mortgaging the future with minimal regard for the percentage chance of winning a championship in the present. This roster would have three, four, maybe five legit young players if owner Mikhail Prokhorov patiently invested the war chest of draft picks the Nets once had instead of dealing them every which way for the honor of adding past-their-prime stars and losing early in the playoffs.

     

What would make this season a success?

Fast-forwarding to the 2018 draft? With next year’s pick likely headed to the Boston Celtics (who have the right to swap first-rounders with the Nets), Brooklyn’s fight will be for relevance amid all the moves the team in Manhattan made. Luckily, it may have just the vehicle in Jeremy Lin, who returns to the city where he built his legend. Should Lin rekindle the magic he found with Kenny Atkinson, who was a Knicks assistant during the Linsanity era, he may make a whole lot of underdog-minded folks proud to think of the Nets for a minute.

    

Who’s the most interesting player on the team?

Chris McCullough. When you are rebuilding, you have time—the kind of time that allows you to take a first-round flier on talent over polish. The Nets drafted McCullough, who barely played at Syracuse before tearing his ACL, 29th overall in the 2015 draft with the realization he likely wouldn’t play much as a rookie. He’ll have every opportunity to learn on the fly how to apply all that athleticism and 7’3″ wingspan in a 6’11” forward’s body, but he sure looks like the kind of guy who will figure stuff out right about the time his rookie contract expires in three years.

         

9. Philadelphia 76ers

What’s going on here?

The next steps. Former general manager Sam Hinkie and his manifesto may be a memory, but the results of his radical tank-and-draft plan are under the stewardship of a front office that wants to win games, not more lottery balls. Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel will draw a lot of attention, for sure. But how No. 1 pick Ben Simmons pulls everything together is how this team will be judged.

Attendance isn’t enough. Simmons is the one the fans and team are counting on to be special. Not only would Simmons playing up to expectations help the Sixers finally take a big step out of the league basement, it would answer all of those NBA folks who are not sold that he has the drive (or shooting ability) to be truly special.

    

What would make this season a success?

It can’t be any worse than it has been, but for it to be substantially better, an awful lot of parts have to spring forward—like, say Simmons. Competent guard play from retreads Jerryd Bayless and Gerald Henderson—old men on this squad at 28—would also help, but any night when Robert Covington’s three-point stroke is off is likely a loss, too. Covington’s ability to be a floor-spreader is one of the few perfect fits on this funky roster.

      

Who’s the most interesting player on the team?

Embiid. Yes, even with the focus on Simmons. Please do not forget just how mind-blowing Embiid’s potential was before his foot broke down. Besides his hellacious social media skills, Embiid has such upside to his game and aptitude in every way that it would not be shocking for him to shake off all that rust and look as if he had not missed the first two seasons of his career.

    

8. Phoenix Suns

What’s going on here?

If you don’t have the talent and experience to win, you can still feel good if you’re growing toward winning. The Suns have accepted their state, and general manager Ryan McDonough not only has settled on his vision, but also has sold it to a fanbase that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2010. That’s impressive. Second-year sharpshooter Devin Booker will keep improving, but do teenage forwards Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss have the types of tools that will be worth building around in this league for a long time? If they do, McDonough will have an easier time selling Suns fans on brighter days ahead.

      

What would make this season a success?

Man, it was exciting for a sec! Now it’s just, well, awkward. The Suns signed Tyson Chandler (four years, $52 million) last summer with the possibility LaMarcus Aldridge would follow and bring immediate legitimacy. He didn’t, and now the Suns embark on year two of a team built to contend that doesn’t have all the pieces it needs to do so.

Chandler, who will turn 34 during training camp, isn’t likely to slog through a massive rebuild for long. But as long as he stays healthy, his future salary is reasonable enough in the upgraded salary-cap landscape that he could bring back the type of assets a rebuilding team needs.

   

Who’s the most interesting player on the team?

Tyler Ulis. For as many guards on this team who are flat-out better players right now, Ulis may be the Suns’ little engine that can. Though 5’10”, the No. 34 overall draft pick aced summer league, averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals in six games in Las Vegas. That’s one sweet showcase.

    

7. New Orleans Pelicans

What’s going on here?

For the sake of Anthony Davis—and because the franchise needs to get good at some …

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