Which Non-Playoff Teams Have Joined Postseason Picture During 2015 Offseason?
While the NBA's postseason party extends invitations to more than half of its teams, it can still be challenging for newcomers to gain entry.
Just look at how the playoff tickets were divvied up a few months back for the 2015 field. Of the 16 teams that qualified for the second season, 12 of them were making return trips from the previous year.
The quantity of postseason spots might feel inclusive, but the results don't always appear that way.
However, the 2015 offseason could push a number of non-playoff teams into the 2016 race. There are a number of factors—both internal and external—playing into that.
Internally, teams improved their own odds by getting healthy, bringing young prospects along and adding key pieces through the draft and free agency. Externally, those chances have been strengthened by 2015 playoff participants moving in the wrong direction.
The Portland Trail Blazers lost four starters from a 51-win team. The Los Angeles Clippers are going forward without interior anchor DeAndre Jordan and have no comfortable way to replace him.
Out East, the Atlanta Hawks lost three-and-D ace DeMarre Carroll. The Boston Celtics failed to make a free-agent splash (though they reportedly landed former All-Star David Lee in a trade, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein). And the Milwaukee Bucks still haven't addressed their need for floor spacing.
There should be at least a handful of playoff berths up for grabs. Each of the following five teams is a major threat to claim one. The clubs have been ranked by their likelihood to secure a postseason spot, as determined by past production, future potential and the difficulty of their playoff path.
Unless otherwise noted, signings and other player moves are used courtesy of ESPN.com's tracker.
5. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz kept change to a minimum this offseason. They drafted Trey Lyles (12th overall) and Olivier Hanlan (42nd), re-signed Joe Ingles and lost Jeremy Evans to free agency. Outside of that movement, the Jazz are going forward with what they already had.
While this group only secured 38 wins last season, a furious finish to the campaign suggests the Jazz are ready to crash the Wild West's postseason party.
When Utah moved Enes Kanter at the deadline and promoted Rudy Gobert to the starting lineup, this team's identity changed. The Jazz seemingly became a defensive powerhouse overnight. They ranked 27th in defensive efficiency before the All-Star break, then skyrocketed to first after the midseason classic.
And with that newfound defensive discipline came previously unseen levels of success. The Jazz went 19-34 before the All-Star break, then closed the campaign with 19 wins in their final 29 contests.
Utah's lineup boasts tremendous size at all five positions, bookended by the 7'1" Gobert in the middle and the 6'6" Dante Exum at point guard. Power forward Derrick Favors is absurdly athletic for his size (6'10", 262 lbs), 6'8" small forward Gordon Hayward is superbly skilled in a lot of different areas and either slasher Alec Burks (6'6") or sharpshooter Rodney Hood (6'8") can fill the starting 2-guard spot.
None of those players is over the age of 25. And head coach Quinn Snyder just so happens to specialize in player development.
"There isn't just a chance the group will be better; it should be expected," wrote Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey. "But even if the Jazz only maintain the defensive pace they set last season, they should be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. That alone should put them into contention for a playoff spot."
Postseason berths are hard to claim out West, home to both premier teams at the top and a throng of capable clubs behind them. But the youthful Jazz might have the (long) legs needed to stay alive in this race.
4. Orlando Magic
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The Orlando Magic haven't come close to sniffing a playoff berth since Dwight Howard's exit in 2012. But their three-year postseason drought could soon come to an end.
Their impressive collection of young talent continues to expand. The quantity of potential future stars on this roster is nearly too numerous to count.
Nikola Vucevic (19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds), Victor Oladipo (17.9 points, 4.1 assists) and Tobias Harris (17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds) all took significant steps toward reaching their ceiling in 2014-15. Elfrid Payton was an All-Rookie first-team selection after filling the stat sheet with 8.9 points, 6.5 assists and 4.3 boards. Evan Fournier attempted to scratch this team's itch for floor spacing by connecting on 37.8 percent of his long-range looks.
Sophomore Aaron Gordon has steamrolled through the Orlando Summer League, tallying 21.7 points and 11.7 rebounds over his first three games. Lottery pick Mario Hezonja (the fifth overall selection) has flashed both top-shelf athleticism and a coolness in the clutch.
The Magic need some seasoning, but new coach Scott Skiles could be the right man to bring them along.
"They're a team of skilled, young athletes who need direction. They need to learn the game, commit to defending and embrace the sacrifices required for winning," wrote ESPN.com's Michael Wallace.
Skiles has built some formidable defenses before. And he has orchestrated some impressive turnarounds. The Chicago Bulls won 30 games in 2002-03. During the 2004-05 campaign, his first full year on the job, that number jumped to 47. He had similar success with the Milwaukee Bucks, inheriting a 26-win group and transforming it into a 46-win outfit during his second season on the sideline.
Most of Orlando's growth will come internally—outside of drafting Hezonja, the Magic also brought in veteran C.J. Watson—but with so many in-house avenues to improvement, some organic development could be all it takes to get the Magic back in the playoff hunt.
3. Indiana Pacers
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The Indiana Pacers are proving that it's possible to rebuild without a complete demolition.
Three of the five starters from their 2013-14 Eastern Conference Finals team no longer call the Circle City home: Lance Stephenson, David West and Roy Hibbert. But the Pacers retained arguably the two best players from that group—Paul George and George Hill—and they have surrounded them with better complementary pieces.
Even at their peak, the old Pacers seemed too one-sided to contend. They had the league's most efficient defense in 2013-14 and 2012-13, but they finished each campaign with a bottom-half offense (22nd in 2013-14, 19th in 2012-13).
When the Pacers entered this summer, they sought out better balance and more speed.
"We'd like to play a little faster tempo," Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said, per Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. "And that means we've got to run a little faster, maybe at times play a little smaller. ... I would like to score more points, and to do that, you've got to run."
Indiana has been forming a smaller, more mobile group since. The Pacers dumped the plodding Hibbert onto the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne, and Indy added speedy scoring guard Monta Ellis. Rodney Stuckey, another backcourt burner, agreed to a new three-year deal.
The Pacers have the bodies to go small. George is big enough (6'9", 220 lbs) to play power forward in today's league. George Hill, who just completed the best season of his career, is long enough to defend multiple positions. Ditto for swingman C.J. Miles.
And Indy should still have an interior anchor, though not one who bogs down the offense. Rookie Myles Turner projects as the rare player who can protect the rim and drill perimeter shots. Ian Mahinmi is athletic enough to get out in the open floor. Plus, the Pacers should be flexible enough to add another big if they see someone they like.
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2. Miami Heat
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At full strength, the Miami Heat have one of the most complete starting lineups in the business.
Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade form an electric pairing in the backcourt. Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside give the frontcourt size, strength and two-way versatility. Luol Deng has made a career out of filling in wherever he's needed.
"Knock on wood, you stay healthy, I think we're a good team," Wade said, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. "I like our chances."
As he should.
To be clear, the Heat aren't a guaranteed contender. Injuries kept these five from taking the floor together last season. One would assume Miami won't hit as many medical roadblocks next season, but this lineup does feature three players on the wrong side of 30: Deng, Bosh and Wade.
Still, the collective talent is staggering. In 2014-15, these five players averaged a combined 84.7 points, 29.2 rebounds and 13.5 assists. All five also shot at least 46 percent from the field.
Bench production was an issue last season—Miami's reserves ranked 28th with only 26.6 points per game, via HoopsStats.com—but there are reasons to believe that area will improve. The Heat might have made the draft's biggest steal grabbing Justise Winslow with the 10th selection, and this team should have versatile forward Josh McRoberts back after he was limited to only 17 appearances in 2014-15.
On-paper potential doesn't always translate to on-court success, but it's easy to drool over what Pat Riley and Co. have assembled in South Beach.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
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The injury bug is the only thing capable of stopping the Oklahoma City Thunder, and even it has had a hard time holding this contender down.
OKC had just two players clear the 70-game mark last season: starting center Steven Adams and reserve sniper Anthony Morrow. Russell Westbrook lost 15 games to injury. Serge Ibaka missed another 18. Kevin Durant more than twice as many games (55) as he played (27).
And still, this squad was a tiebreaker shy of cracking the jam-packed Western Conference playoff field.
Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka is a championship nucleus. Even with last year's health hits, the Thunder own a .667 winning percentage over the past three seasons combined. With lottery pick Cameron Payne joining the party and new coach Billy Donovan potentially invigorating the offense, it's not hard to imagine this being OKC's best team yet.
But it all depends on the health of Durant's right foot. What started out as a fractured bone in October eventually required three different surgeries. The former MVP is still rehabbing now, but he sounds confident about his health.
"We're doing X-rays every two weeks, and it's looking good," said Durant, who expects to be fully cleared in August, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. "So I'm excited to get back, man. There's no pain, and looking forward to getting back."
Over the past three seasons, Durant has combined per-game averages of 29.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists. For all of the talent that changed hands in free agency, no one added a premier player like the one OKC is getting back.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")