Ranking NBA teams by tiers for 2018-19 season
The Fringe Playoff Hopefuls
Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets
Based on these tier projections, only one of the “Fringe Playoff Hopefuls” from the East will make the cut for the postseason, and both Western teams will be on the outside looking in.
The final playoff spot in the East could come down to the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets. That Andre Drummond–Blake Griffin duo under head coach Dwane Casey should be enough to revive playoff basketball in Motown, but injury concerns for Griffin and Reggie Jackson loom large.
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The Cavs lost the best player in the world this summer, which creates an interesting dynamic with Kevin Love naturally expected to revert back to his Minnesota Timberwolves days. The question is, with a more experienced supporting cast around him, can he lead a team to the playoffs as the alpha for the first time in his career?
The Hornets have won 36 games two years in a row, so unless Miles Bridges plays as advertised during preseason action and steps up as Kemba Walker‘s secondary star, this virtually unchanged roster lacks the firepower to sneak past Detroit and Cleveland into the postseason picture.
Out West, the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are two teams to keep an eye on, for very different reasons. For the Grizz, a healthy Mike Conley, plus the additions of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyle Anderson, should see a return to proper Grit-N-Grind form. Unfortunately, with both Conley and Marc Gasol on the wrong side of 30, it’s hard to see that making a difference in such a brutal conference. Injury luck certainly isn’t on their side.
As for the Mavs, they should be one of the more entertaining non-playoff teams in the NBA this year. Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. hold plenty of intrigue alone, but throw in an elite screener and rim-running lob threat like DeAndre Jordan and mastermind Rick Carlisle? Dallas could be downright delightful, even if it’s a long shot to actually make the postseason.