NBA 2023-2024 Quick Guide: A tough battle for the play-ins

There is less than a week left until the start of the 2023-2024 season. NBAThere is expected to be fierce competition for positions this season. play-in We then look for the final two tickets in each conference for the playoffs. The Access to the Final Phase tournament has been a major attraction of the competition since its introduction in the 2019-2020 season, and its fifth edition promises to be highly competitive and exciting.

In that fight to gain the position of play-in And the teams participating in the playoffs will likely be dallas mavericks Last year, they sank to 11th place despite having one of the most lethal duos in the league. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. In the Western Conference, this parity will result in some interesting teams such as: Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder It’s a salve to extend your campaign.

Similarly, in the Eastern Conference, there are very good levels to determine who ultimately makes the playoffs.There may be teams like Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn NetsPerhaps it may be a novelty for some people orlando magic with all the pieces Paolo Banchero Very motivated to take the next step in medium- to long-term projects.

This is the second part of our quick guide to NBA 2023-2024, with a quick review of how these teams are doing.

minnesota timberwolves

Confirmation year

The Wolves will look to see if their commitment to a strong interior game is the right one.injury Karl Anthony Towns Last year, he didn’t really show his potential. Rudy Gobert by his side. Naz ReidHe signed a new contract this summer, increasing his investment in painting to $90 million per season.Despite this curious focus under the hoop, the franchise’s star and benchmark is now anthony edwards. His 2023 World Cup and most updates confirm this.From the development of young works with him such as jayden mcdaniels The ceiling for this team, which has qualified for the playoffs for two seasons, may be affected.
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🆕High key: shake milton
⏏️Main victims: Toren Prince
⏪Last season: West 8th place (42-40). The experiment was halted due to the playoffs.

brooklyn nets

Assertion as a flag

The first real test of the stature of these Nets.A very good team on paper, with good loose pieces inherited from the previous team’s transfers. big three. Can they maintain last year’s playoff level? In February, they inherited a very good balance of wins and losses from the stage. KD and Irvingand the season again ben simmons This was a disappointing result due to repeated injury problems.He’ll be the first to want to prove himself right, and that inner flame could be the key to a team of interesting cuts like Mikal Bridges, Nick Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie etc. The ceiling is high and it’s difficult to match, but they have the motivation and the weapons. If they’re lucky, they might be able to rejoin the team, but in the summer they lost some of their best performers without accurately replacing them with players of the same caliber.

🆕High key: Lonnie Walker IV, Darius Bazley, Dennis Smith
⏏️Main victims: Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Yuta Watanabe
⏪Last season: 6th place in the East (45-37). KD and Irving leave in February, a clean slate, and hold out until the playoffs.

new orleans pelicans

The Year of Zion…Finally?

A solid team with all the fundamentals for success. His major limitation in recent years has been the fragility of his great star’s health. Zion Williamson. Interior, one of the biggest media players of its generation, has promised to prepare better than ever for this important season, which could indicate the before and after of the project. The quintet is solid, the support group is strong, and they got some great talent in the draft. jordan hawkins. They have everything to improve and maybe fight to get into the playoffs. play-in. Let’s not forget that Zion played in 29 games over the last two years, while Ingram missed 64 games due to injury over the same period.First, Mr. T.king murphy He will be out of the starting lineup for two months, which could affect the team’s 3-point shooting ability.
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🆕High key: Cody Zeller, Jordan Hawkins
⏏️Main victims: Jackson Hayes, Willie Hernangomez, Josh Richardson, Garrett Temple
⏪Last season: West 9th place (42-40). Failed in the play-in against OKC.Zion’s injury still continued to mark his ceiling

toronto raptors

Stagnation without a clear direction

Canadians are losing a lot of powder and are not hitting the jackpot in the summer market. Although their situation can be summarized as stagnation, there is still a group with plenty of potential to compete for positions. play-in And advance to the playoffs. It depends on whether the threat of a possible advance of P increases.Askar Siakam and OG Anunoby Summer free agency could lead to a move in February, which would likely mean a step back from an already disappointing year.Franchise hopes are tied scotty burns But everything points to the Raptors missing something else, and the Raptors also changed coaches with the arrival of their coach. Darko Radjaković In place of Nick Nurse.
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🆕high key: Dennis Schroder, Jalen McDaniels
⏏️main casualties:Fred VanVleet
⏪last season: 9th place in the East (41-41). I was disappointed in the play-in in a very irregular season.Questions about whether to start rebuilding?

oklahoma city thunder

enthusiasm and popcorn

One of the teams that attracts the most attention and enthusiasm even before the season starts.and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Consolidated the best players in the tournament and added injuries Chet Holmgren, it is a promise that he will be able to compete with Victor Wenbanyama for Rookie of the Year. They are a young team, but as they showed last season, they have enough ability to compete again this year. Josh Giddy and Le Dorte They have already shown extraordinary maturity at the World Cup, and thanks to all the capital accumulated in the form of draft assets, the wardrobe of a team that can push the keys in a better direction at any time is huge. They’ll be a lot of fun, but they’ll probably give you more headaches than you’ll ever have in the Wild West. play-in And the playoffs.
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🆕High key: Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic
⏏️main casualties: Dario Saric
⏪Last season: West 10th place (40-42). They almost made the playoffs with a play-in. SGA confirmed as league star

orlando magic

What kind of animal is Banchero?

They have enough talent and experience to make a big jump this season, and with a little improvement they could be in contention for the title. play-in. Paolo Banchero He put up the same numbers as LeBron, Doncic, and Williamson in his debut season, and they all rose to All-Star level in their second year. Their growth could make them a team to watch not only this season, but especially next summer as well. They have a lot of cap space and will have some interesting free agents to target. This may not be the year they establish themselves as a playoff team, but it could be the first stone for a talented group with names like: Banchero, Wagner, Carter, Fultz. After years lost on the ocean floor, they need to be considered.
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🆕high key: Anthony Black, Jett Howard, Joe Ingles
⏏️main casualties: Bol Bol, Michael Carter Williams
⏪Last season: East 13th place (34-48). Plenty of talent, Banchero’s presentation and draft No. 6.

dallas mavericks

Between the promise and the abyss

The Mavs are focusing on strengthening the defensive side of their game. I was disappointed last year when I couldn’t even qualify. play-in After reaching the 2022 conference finals, the project will be left in the abyss. This season’s couples are doncic irving We need to prove that they can complement each other. This, along with the health of the Slovenian star to start the season in question, will be the main key for Dallas this year. After that, it will be essential that the new force knows how to utilize the space vacated by this talented duo, and most importantly plays at the back where it has the least impact. williams He is one of the best players at his position in the league. Jones Jr. and Holmes They provide a physical presence. What is expected of newcomers is vibrancy and prosperity Expect a few minutes and a chance. It’s hard to imagine the Mavericks being at the level they were in 2022, but there’s no doubt they’ll make the playoffs. minimum goal For a team that features two NBA superstars.
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🆕High key: Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Dante Exum, Derrick Jones Jr., Richaun Holmes, Derek Lively, Olivier-Maxence Prosper
⏏️Main victims: Davis Bertans, Christian Wood, JaVale McGee, Reggie Bullock
⏪Last season: West 11th (38-44). A notable setback. This is the first time since Doncic’s rookie year that he hasn’t made the playoffs. They had one of the best offenses and one of the worst defenses.

chicago bulls

Stopped due to ball injury

The Illinois franchise has been stuck on its current project for several years. Injuries are a major obstacle to his development, and his continued loss of ability lonzo ball, the big gamble to lead the team has cost them dearly in the past two campaigns. Last year ended with rumors about a possible separation of the team’s current core members. LaVine, Vucevic, DeRozan. The latter’s contract is expiring, but if things don’t work out, he’s a clear candidate to be traded in February and hopes not to renew his contract with the Bulls.In his two seasons in Chicago, he all star, And the quality of Hardcore was enough for franchise executives to choose to give them another chance. Ball is another story, but the Bulls will probably struggle with patching up their starting point guard position.
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🆕High key: Torrey Craig, Jevon Carter, Julian Phillips
⏏️Main victims: Patrick Beverley, Derrick Jones Jr., Javonte Green, Marko Simonovic
⏪Last season: 10th in the East (40-42). They passed the qualifying round only through the play-ins, and were one win away from advancing to the playoffs. Another blank year for Lonzo Ball.