The New York Knicks sit on the precipice of snapping one of the longest playoff-less streaks in professional sports. Now they’re preparing to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year. If they succeed, such an accomplishment would be historic for the Knicks. It would be their first real success since the days of head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Meanwhile, the Hawks endured a season of unrelenting youth and change. Even after trading away their starting guard Dejounte Murray early in the campaign, they still ended at 36-46.
Along with San Antonio, the Hawks’ roster is one of the youngest in the league, with 25-year-old Trae Young as the oldest regular starter. The uncertainty of this transition phase has affected their execution, resulting in lowered expectations heading into this season. The Knicks, under new coach Tom Thibodeau, look to have built enough overall team fortitude to make a deeper playoff run.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have been through the gauntlet as they surged up the standings all season long. They hit their over/under win total of 19.5 by the All-Star break. Yet their play soon fell off a cliff, leading to a horrific 5-21 mark over the last 26 outings. This late fade was too much to overcome, but they still finished sixth in the East standings. This impressive achievement puts them into the lead as they head into the lottery.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly became one of the biggest threats with their new head coach Kenny Atkinson. And just like that, the Cavaliers were on top of the leaderboard! They recently flexed their deep talent pool by sending three—Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley—to the All-Star Game. It was just the fourth time in franchise history that 2 or more players have made the team in this honored event.
The Dallas Mavericks might have had the worst injury luck of all in a season full of injury misfortune. When the seriousness of these injuries was uncovered, it raised alarm. From doubting if the independent team could put together the required eight players to suit up for games last March. This challenge prevented their quest for excellence as they found it impossible to keep the pendulum from swinging.
Plus, the Washington Wizards have put themselves as well as anyone in the league in position to succeed down the road, growing their three first-round picks for 2024. Due to the team’s track record in player development, they’ve set themselves up nicely to be one of the biggest winners in this upcoming lottery.
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