2024-25 Best and Worst Case
Predicting the best and worst case scenario for last year's playoff teams.
Let’s take a look back at the 12 playoff teams last season (excluding seeds 7-10 due to play-in tournament). I’ll discuss my take on the absolute best case scenario and the absolute worst case scenario for each team. Obviously these opinions may not come true, but they also may… Only time will tell. Let’s meet our contestants!
6-seeds
Phoenix Suns
Best Case: West Finals
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker help the Suns maintain one of the best offenses in the league with help from Bradley Beal, Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen and new point guard Tyus Jones. Mike Budenholzer is ready to take this team to the next level after replacing Frank Vogel. Unfortunately, the Suns just didn’t have enough, falling short of the NBA Finals.
Worst Case: NBA Lottery
The first year of the Budenholzer era left more questions than answers. Kevin Durant struggled to stay healthy after getting another year older plus the miles he put on during the Paris Olympics. Devin Booker couldn’t do it alone and it was clear that Bradley Beal’s days of being a reliable true second option are behind him. The Suns find themselves in a state of panic as they fail to finish in the top ten of the west.
Indiana Pacers
Best Case: A Return to the East Finals
The Pacers prove all doubters wrong and make a return to the East Finals. Even though Tyrese Haliburton didn’t see many minutes in Paris, the experience of playing under a great group of coaches and alongside some of the best talent in the world helped him make a leap. Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are among the league’s best duos. Myles Turner got some buzz as a candidate for one of the NBA All-Defensive teams. The Pacers are seeing steady production from TJ McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Tobbin, a healthy Bennedict Mathurin, and more. This team is showing they will be a problem for years to come.
Worst Case: Play-In Tournament
The Pacers ran out of steam in the first round of the playoffs after having to battle in the Play-In Tournament. Some people are arguing if last season was a fluke or this season. The Pacers still have reason to feel confident in the future thanks to their young and talented core led by one of the league’s best coaches, but it is clear they need one more piece to really compete with the top teams in the league.
5-seeds
Dallas Mavericks
Best Case: A Trip Back to the NBA Finals
The offseason acquisition of Klay Thompson helped Dallas be even better than last year. It was obvious he wanted to show the world that he was still a valuable player. Luka, once again, is a finalist for MVP and has led his team back to the NBA Finals. Kyrie Irving has played some of his best basketball in recent memory. PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II all look more comfortable in year two. This team seems poised to eventually win a title led by Luka Doncic.
Worst Case: Play-In Tournament
Dallas struggled to ride their momentum from last season’s NBA Finals trip. Klay Thompson is another year older and is a shell of himself. Luka has played like Luka but it is nearly impossible to be a top seed in the dominant West. To make matters worse, Kyrie Irving has missed time throughout the season (either due to an injury or more of his antics). More and more questions pile up on Coach Jason Kidd and it is clear he is on the hot seat. If Luka is healthy, a spot in the Play-In Tournament should be attainable.
Orlando Magic
Best Case: East Finals
The Orlando Magic have taken a huge leap in the right direction. Paolo Banchero is among the league’s top forwards, Franz Wagner has found his shot again, Jalen Suggs has shown once again he can be a great perimeter defender in this league, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of the best free agent signings of last off-season. The Magic don’t quite have enough to win the East just yet, but the future is bright in Orlando.
Worst Case: Another First-Round Exit
Many people are questioning what happened with Franz Wagner’s shooting as he saw another disappointing season from behind the arc. The Magic failed to see any leaps from players like Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, or Cole Anthony. It seems that the Magic will never get over the hump unless they add some major talent. Paolo Banchero is a great player but some say he can’t be the #1 option on a contender.
4-seeds
Los Angeles Clippers
Best Case: Clinching a Playoff Spot
The LA Clippers looked a lot different without Paul George and didn’t have quite the same amount of success, but Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were healthy enough to avoid the Play-In. With Paul George gone, players like Amir Coffey, Bones Hyland, Terrance Mann, and Norman Powell stepped up big. Kevin Porter Jr. reminded the NBA what he is capable of when he is out of trouble. They don’t have enough talent to make any major noise in the playoffs but they were a solid team and are happy to play a playoff game in the new arena.
Worst Case: Rebuild
No surprise, the Clippers found themselves with another season ruined by injury. Kawhi Leonard missed a large portion of games, they could not withstand the loss of Paul George, and James Harden appears to be unhappy… AGAIN. Conversations are flying around about rebuilding and parting ways with veterans like Kawhi, Harden, PJ Tucker, and Powell to gain picks since they pretty much sent all of their picks to Oklahoma City.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Best Case: East Finals
The Cavaliers seemed to be much improved after Coach Kenny Atkinson took over. Gone are the days of the Donovan Mitchell trade rumors (for now), Evan Mobley has improved offensively and has maintained his status as one of the best defenders in the league. Darius Garland’s play has shown flashes from his all-star season a few years ago. An added bonus for this Cavs’ team is rookie Jaylon Tyson has gotten some buzz as a dark horse for ROY. The Cavaliers are happy to make it to the East Finals but need a little more to make it all the way.
Worst Case: First-Round Exit
The Cavaliers had hopes of making it further than last year, but may need another year to get comfortable with the new system from Kenny Atkinson. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen cannot seem to figure out how to fully maximize both of their potential when on the floor together. Questions are being floated around asking if Donovan Mitchell may regret the extension or if he will request a trade sometime in the near future. All signs point to Mitchell being happy in Cleveland though. Darius Garland hasn’t impressed nearly as many people as he used to. The Cavaliers still have hope though as they have a lot of talent within their core.
3-seeds
Minnesota Timberwolves
Best Case: NBA Finals/NBA Champions?
The Minnesota Timberwolves took another jump and made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Anthony Edwards makes yet another jump thanks to his experience in Paris. He even won MVP and has solidified himself as a top 5 player in today’s game. This team has an elite defense, similar to last year, and have put up great offensive stats and learned from their experience last post-season and got over the hump. The vibes in Minnesota are immaculate.
Worst Case: 6th Seed
The Timberwolves seemed to regress from last year. Rudy Gobert’s confidence has taken another hit since the Olympics and the Timberwolves do not want to sign him to an extension. Karl Anthony-Towns and Gobert were unable to play well together. Trade rumors have floated out about both KAT and Gobert. The defense is still pretty good but several teams have figured out how to exploit it. Anthony Edwards had another good year and they escaped the Play-In Tournament but it wasn’t good enough to make them a true contender.
Milwaukee Bucks
Best Case: NBA Finals
The duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have finally reached their potential. The past season was very confusing for Milwaukee and ended in a disappointing fashion with an injured Giannis. Giannis was healthy and reminded people how great he truly is. Damian Lillard put together one of his most complete seasons and Khris Middleton seemed to be back as a reliable third option. The depth pieces, some new and some old, complimented the star duo and Doc Rivers was a finalist for Coach of the Year.
Worst Case: 6th Seed
The Bucks continued to disappoint. The star duo couldn’t seem to figure out how to fully maximize their potential together and Khris Middleton took another step back with more injuries and another year. Trade rumors are swirling about Giannis and Dame. Doc Rivers was not the best coach for the job as the Bucks fell to the 6th seed. The Bucks were not a terrible team but a team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo should have been better.
2-seeds
Denver Nuggets
Best Case: West Finals
The Denver Nuggets lost a valuable piece in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but they still had a pretty solid season thanks to Nikola Jokic. He had another impressive season and made yet another case to win the MVP. The Nuggets made it all the way to the West Finals but Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray couldn’t quite lead the team back to the Finals. It was an improvement from last year but still not good enough.
Worst Case: Play-In Tournament
It appears that the Nuggets missed KCP more than they thought. Their young players didn’t take the leap they hoped, Nikola Jokic was great but unable to finish in the top half of the West all by himself. Jamal Murray dealt with some injuries and to make matters worse Michael Porter Jr. struggled in certain points of the season and now the trade rumors are full steam ahead. Russell Westbrook wasn’t able to help the Nuggets and found himself towards the end of the rotation which started to distract the team. They look to retool and return to dominant form next season.
New York Knicks
Best Case: NBA Finals
The Nova Knicks looked great and part of that is because of the elite chemistry their core had. The New York Knicks made it all of the way to the NBA Finals and proved that they are a top team in the NBA. Jalen Brunson found himself in the MVP conversation and the addition of Mikal Bridges was flawless and elevated both the defense and the offense of New York. The Knicks are looking to string together multiple seasons of elite play and hope to win at least one title with their core.
Worst Case: East Semis
The New York Knicks were a fine team but not as good as they hoped. Things got pretty awkward between Julius Randle and there was talk of trades. Players like Josh Hart and Donte Divincenzo were upset because their minutes were cut due to the acquisition of Mikal Bridges. They hope to solve those issues one way or the other but overall this team was overhyped and failed to make it past the 2nd round.
1-seeds
Oklahoma City Thunder
Best Case: NBA Champions
The new acquisitions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein helped the Oklahoma City Thunder finish in the best way possible. The Thunder were crowned champions and the league should be terrified. They have an elite team who is young and hungry. They have a ton of draft picks to either extend their dominance for years to come or to gain more talent to win right away via trade. The Thunder dominated a very good Western Conference and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was award MVP.
Worst Case: West Semis
The Thunder were a good team but should have finished better. The core and the new pieces may need more time to gel and maybe an injury or two plagued their season. The West is a tough conference and they were eliminated in the West Semis. They still have hope for the future thanks to their young core and load of draft picks.
Boston Celtics
Best Case: Back-to-Back NBA Champions
Banner 18 was a fever dream but Banner 19 is even better. The Boston Celtics were dominant once again. The world of basketball motivated the Jays to be even better than before. Jayson Tatum finished as MVP of the league and got his Finals MVP. The Jays both finished as all-stars and as All-NBA recipients. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White once again received All-Defensive honors and Kristaps Porzingis got healthy and returned to form at the perfect time. The depth pieces of Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Xavier Tillman once again played their role perfectly. Somehow Brad Stevens seemed to find diamonds in the roughs with Neemias Queta and Lonnie Walker. Boston even saw flashes from their young players in Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman that should give them hope for if any of their role players leave for bigger contracts or bigger roles.
Worst Case: Finishing Without Banner 19
The Celtics failed to win another title which is a failure for this organization in general but especially when the team is loaded with talent. A lot went wrong for this championship pursuit. Kristaps Porzingis has an injury that may be a bigger issue than they’d like to admit. Al Horford’s age is starting to show more and more. The Jays couldn’t quite lead this team back to the parade. The Celtics still made the playoffs and still were a very good team but sadly, it wasn’t enough to get Banner 19.
New to my work? Check out my over/under predictions for each team. Links are down below!