NBA Teams Poised to Make a Late-Season Run
The NBA stretch run is upon us, although not everyone will travel through the final portion of their schedule at the same speed.
Some may saunter to the finish, either reaping the rewards of a strong start or lacking the ability to change their postseason fate. Some might welcome a few stumbles to increase their odds of hitting the draft-lottery jackpot.
But we're focusing on the late-season sprinters, those who come from the Chris Webber school of thought and are ready to run through the tape.
These squads just juiced their fuel tanks by addressing critical needs at the trade deadline or welcoming back key players from injury. And they all have motivation to keep the pedal pressed down while chasing the best possible playoff seeds.
Honorable Mention
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland can retain the East's No. 1 spot without a crazy stretch run, but it has a path to peak at the perfect time. Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are expected to return from their respective injuries sometime in March, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The Cavs' lengthy search for a backup floor general will reportedly yield three-time All-Star Deron Williams, per The Vertical's Shams Charania. The buyout market could produce even more depth.
But it could take a while for this group to heat up. There will be a lot of moving parts—internally and externally—and not a ton of practice time to build chemistry. Cleveland's surge may come after it works through a hefty chunk of its remaining schedule.
Miami Heat
The Heat took a flamethrower to the last six weeks, posting a 16-2 mark since Jan. 17. They have scored and defended at top-10 rates over that stretch, with the likes of Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters and James Johnson playing some of the best ball of their careers.
But this is still the same team that lost 30 of its first 41 games. It didn't have an All-Star and may not have any players who ever suit up for the event. While that doesn't mean the Heat will fall as quickly as they've climbed, the likelihood of regressing to the mean is significant.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans left the trade deadline with the league's most talented frontcourt in hand, having paid pennies on the dollar for three-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to pair with Anthony Davis. The superstar duo combined for 56 points, 23 rebounds, seven steals, six assists and six blocks in its first game together—which the Pelicans lost by 30 points.
The roster is severely lacking around the bigs, and Boogie and Brow need time to mesh their styles together. The Pelicans could prove they have no business of being mentioned here—they're 0-3 since doing the deal—but having two franchise players on the same roster typically produces good-to-great results.
Houston Rockets
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Self-awareness is an underrated strength of NBA teams, and few clubs have a better understanding of their identity than the Houston Rockets.
The analytical creation of general manager Daryl Morey approaches offense how the numbers say you should. No squad launches more threes. Houston attempts the third-most free throws and the third-most shots inside the restricted area.
There isn't a better coach to oversee this style than Mike D'Antoni, nor a better run-and-gun focal point than James Harden. The supporting cast is armed with rocket launchers aplenty, including perfect-fitting deadline addition Lou Williams.
Houston understands, embraces and appreciates its greatest strength. Morey sought to make that weapon as potent as possible.
"We're probably not going to guard our way to the Finals," he said, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "It's probably going to have to be with our spacing, our uptempo play, three-pointers, attacking the hoop. We wanted to make sure that's something we had on the floor at all times and we added one of the best in the league we think."
Williams has 44 points and nine triples over his first two outings with the Rockets—both double-digit victories. The roster has so many explosive scoring threats, and opponents can only take so much away.
Offense will guide the Rockets through their stretch run, but having Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela will ensure this defense isn't a pushover. And with two open roster spots, the Rockets can shop the buyout market for even more help.
Los Angeles Clippers
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Despite standing pat at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers quietly emerged with the week's biggest addition—Chris Paul, who had been sidelined by a torn ligament in his thumb since mid-January.
The floor general's impact on the club is astounding. When he plays, the Clippers bash opponents by 15.8 points per 100 possessions—a better net rating than the Golden State Warriors' league-best plus-12.8. When he doesn't, they're outscored by 5.3 points per 100 possessions, which would be the NBA's fifth-worst mark.
Paul is a two-way terror. His 8.99 real plus-minus is miles ahead of everyone else, per ESPN.com. The gap between him and No. 2 (Jimmy Butler, 6.83) is wider than the one separating second from 16th (DeMarcus Cousins, 4.76).
When the Clippers are whole, they're still a dangerous team. The quartet of Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan boasts a plus-15.5 net rating together. But it's been limited to 27 games by injuries to Paul and Griffin, and L.A. went just 17-15 in its other contests.
"We've dealt with so many injuries in the past that everything is somewhat irrelevant until you get the whole crew out there," Paul told reporters following the Clippers' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. "No matter how we play with Blake out, no matter how we play with me out, we need both of us as well as everyone else in order to see what we really look like."
There is obvious upward mobility for the full-strength Clippers, particularly with their bench appearing deeper than normal. And that's without knowing whether rookie first-rounder Brice Johnson can make an impact after his recent return from a back ailment.
Oklahoma City Thunder
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Russell Westbrook, in all of his Oscar Robertson-like glory, is the game's best one-man show going. But the Oklahoma City Thunder look ready to better support his solo act.
Their biggest adjustment came on deadline day, when they swapped Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne for the better-fitting combo of Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott. That's grit, toughness, frontcourt defense and perimeter scoring for a roster needing all of the above.
"In adding McDermott, the Thunder see a high-level, young shooter who can play multiple positions," ESPN.com's Royce Young wrote. "... Gibson is a bruiser, a rugged, physical power forward who will make the Thunder's front line pretty imposing as he pairs with Steven Adams."
McDermott will give Westbrook more breathing room and a needed offensive outlet. The former Creighton star is hitting 37.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes this year after converting 43.3 percent last season.
Gibson may leave his biggest imprint in the postseason, where his experience and savvy both shine under the bright lights. OKC could overwhelm opponents with the Gibson-Adams frontcourt, and Gibson is versatile enough defensively to share the floor with Enes Kanter. Gibson is also a rim-runner, a skill Westbrook is well-equipped to maximize.
Speaking of Kanter, his return also improves the Thunder's odds of a late-season charge. He might be a defensive sieve, but he's absurdly effective in other areas, having averaged 22.5 points and 12.9 rebounds per 36 minutes since the start of last season. The offense is also getting an extra lift from rookie Alex Abrines, who's shooting a scorching-hot 43.1 percent outside in 2017.
Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors needed relief.
Their speedy start had slowed to a crawl, and their momentum was tilting the wrong way since the calendar flipped to 2017. They had neither the defense nor the power forward of a full-fledged contender. Oh, and their clock was ticking at a deafening decibel with 30-year-old franchise player Kyle Lowry likely hitting the open market at season's end.
Fortunately, the All-Star break provided rest and reinforcements. The latter came in the form of rim-protecting, three-point sniping big man Serge Ibaka and lockdown three-and-D wing P.J. Tucker.
"The Raptors went all-in defensively," NBA.com's Shaun Powell wrote. "Team president Masai Ujiri gave Toronto the dimension and depth it badly needed with Tucker and Ibaka, and with the East up for grabs behind Cleveland, he possibly gave the Raptors the necessary edge."
Toronto only parted with one of the two 2017 first-rounders it possessed and one significant rotation player in Terrence Ross, who can score at will but did little to help the Raptors' defensive woes.
This is the Raptors' best chance to find the two-way balance history says is a necessity for contention.
The offense can ignite at any time with Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, one of only six teammate pairs both among the league's top 20 scorers. Jonas Valanciunas still feels capable of more, and his scoring chances should improve alongside a marksman like Ibaka. The defense should be dramatically different, especially if DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph become consistent contributors again.
Washington Wizards
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The long-term cost of the Washington Wizards' deadline dealing could be more than enough to cause buyer's remorse. Parting with a first-round pick in what's supposed to be a loaded draft is never easy. Doing it for an impending free agent who will never be confused for a star might be criminally shortsighted.
That said, the Wizards' line of logic is clear and understandable.
Washington's starting five is besting opponents by 12.8 points per 100 possessions. But the bench has been so anemic—29th in scoring, per HoopsStats.com—the Wizards either give up ground or lean too hard on their best players. John Wall had surgery on both knees last summer and is already logging a team-high 36.7 minutes. A year after discussing the possibility of a career-long minutes restriction, Bradley Beal is at 34.6.
Bojan Bogdanovic can assist with everything. He can be a self-sufficient scorer leading the second team or a supplemental piece alongside the starters. He averaged 14.2 points and 1.8 triples (on 35.7 percent shooting) over 55 games for the Brooklyn Nets this season.
"Bojan is a very good shooter and a talented overall scorer whose versatility gives us an added dimension as we gear up for the stretch run," Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld said in a release. "He is a proven starter that will provide us an added boost off the bench and allow us to be creative with our lineups."
Clearly, the Wizards think they're close enough to prioritize the present over the future. Bogdanovic will boost what's been one of the league's hottest teams in 2017 (18-7).
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com and accurate through Feb. 26.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ZachBuckleyNBA.
