{"id":605219,"date":"2026-04-14T01:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/605219\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T01:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T01:09:11","slug":"nba-play-in-preview-one-big-question-for-each-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/605219\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Play-In Preview: One Big Question for Each Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re diving deep into the players, matchups, and tendencies that will determine which four teams earn a spot in the playoffs<\/p>\n

Almost by definition, NBA teams that make the play-in tournament are maddeningly inconsistent: good enough to qualify for a postseason entrance exam, but not good enough to lock themselves into the security of a top-six seed. Each of them is curbed by several questions. Some of those questions are existential. Some are technical. Pretty much none have solid answers. Nonetheless, here\u2019s one for each of the eight play-in teams that will determine whether their season will end this week or whether they\u2019ll survive to compete in the first round of the playoffs. Let\u2019s have a look.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis on April 12<\/p>\n

Getty ImagesGolden State WarriorsCan Steph Curry and Kristaps Porzingis build chemistry on the fly?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nothing about any recent iterations of the Golden State Warriors suggests that they can advance out of the play-in tournament. Can they really win two straight games with genuine stakes? Both on the road? After a humiliating loss against the Sacramento Kings that made Devin Carter look like Tyrese Maxey? And another defeat at the hands of the Kawhi Leonard\u2013less Los Angeles Clippers in their season finale? Unlikely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reality is dark. But if Golden State is 100 percent healthy and 100 percent focused, they deserve a thimble of hope. Their ceiling depends on two new teammates who have zero chemistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis did not share the floor until April 5, a loss against the Houston Rockets. Curry scored 12 points in the 15 possessions they spent together. A few of them were off direct hookups\u2014fast, intentional actions that might be irrepressible even against defenses that know what\u2019s about to occur.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Curry and Porzingis can play off each other directly in the pick-and-roll or in a variety of off-ball actions that leverage their gravity. Here, Curry sets a wedge screen for Porzingis as the ball gets swung to Draymond Green on the opposite wing. Houston switches it, but there aren\u2019t any defenders below the free throw line who can rotate over to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is there a world where the planets could align and allow this duo to unleash a devastating two-man game, on and off the ball? Curry and Porzingis are the two most formidable shooters at their respective positions. They\u2019re also more than able to create good looks for themselves when granted a mismatch. Time is definitely not on their side. But it would be cool to see what happens if Curry and Porzingis lean into each other\u2019s strengths, even if it\u2019s against the Clippers defense, which should be able to match up with them pretty well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charlotte HornetsCan anyone stop Coby White?\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still wild to me that Charlotte was able to get White at the trade deadline without sacrificing anything particularly meaningful This is someone who averaged 19.1 points two years ago and 20.4 points last season! He\u2019s a professional scorer! \u00a0<\/p>\n

Before the trade deadline, Charlotte went limp whenever LaMelo Ball was subbed out of the game. White changed that. Plugging him in as an overqualified backup point guard has filled a gaping hole that the Hornets needed to address if they wanted to not only make the playoffs but also win a series. When Ball is off the floor but White is on, Charlotte\u2019s offensive rating is an absurd 9.2 points per 100 possessions above league average.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s largely because White\u2019s skill set perfectly equips him to exploit and underline all the spacing offered within one of the league\u2019s most electric ecosystems<\/a>. White can drill stepback 3s. He can blow by big men on a switch. He can bank in running floaters from seemingly impossible angles. Equally important: He\u2019s interchangeable in the small-small actions that make the Hornets buzz and he has enough gravity to come off a screen and command the defense\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

White\u2019s minutes have dropped significantly from what they were in Chicago, but his usage percentage and assist rate have leapt to career-high marks. Most of his playmaking simply rolls off the pressure he puts on drives into the paint, forcing rotations and then finding the open man, but he\u2019s also more than capable of running a high pick-and-roll with Moussa Diabate or Ryan Kalkbrenner, eating up drop coverage with the right amount of aggression and patience:<\/p>\n

And yes, I already mentioned this at the top, but I can\u2019t really overstate how explosive his scoring has been. Here\u2019s every leaderboard-qualifying player who averaged more than<\/a> the 39.3 points per 100 possessions that White generated in a Hornets jersey: Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Victor Wembanyama, and Donovan Mitchell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Add all this up, and there\u2019s a nonzero chance that we\u2019ll look back at February\u2019s trade deadline and view Charlotte\u2019s acquisition of White as the most pivotal move any team made this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Portland Trail BlazersHow does anyone score on the Blazers?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start here: Since March 1, Portland has had the second-best defense in the NBA. And when you take stock of who\u2019s in some of those five-man units, it\u2019s actually kind of surprising that they don\u2019t rank even higher.<\/p>\n

Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, Matisse Thybulle, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, Jerami Grant, and Deni Avdija all range from \u201cdependably solid to \u201cmaybe the very best at what they\u2019re asked to do. It\u2019s a complementary bunch, featuring mean rim protectors; switchable guards, wings, and forwards; relentless off-ball chasers; and turnover-generating machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They do an excellent job of limiting 3s (no team has been better at limiting 3s since March 1<\/a>) and have enjoyed some luck on the looks that opponents do get off. The Blazers are committed to running shooters off the line, knowing that elite shot blockers will be there to protect the rim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the play below, there are even instances when those elite shot blockers will basically do everything all by themselves. (Remember, we\u2019re only four years removed from Time Lord nearly winning Defensive Player of the Year):<\/p>\n

Portland is also smart about allowing the \u201cright\u201d shooters to shoot. Clingan and Time Lord in particular will often roam off a forward or wing and allow them to launch a few open 3s. It helps explain how the Blazers are also fourth in opposing field goal percentage at the rim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Portland\u2019s versatility and size force precise offensive execution from its opponents. Mismatch hunting is a waste of time and energy. In the play below, most defenses wouldn\u2019t even consider switching a guard onto Zion Williamson\u2014let alone one who\u2019d fight for position and deny him the ball, like Holiday does\u2014even if there\u2019s help coming from the backside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u2019re smart and physical. If the game plan requires Holiday, Camara, or Scoot to top-lock their assignment and funnel back cuts at Clingan or Time Lord, they\u2019ll do it. If Tiago Splitter wants Camara or Holiday to spend one stint hounding the opposing point guard up and down the floor and then the next moonlighting as the primary defender on a center, he has that luxury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaedon Sharpe\u2019s reintroduction into the rotation could create a defensive soft spo\u2014the Clippers went at him repeatedly on Friday night\u2014but right now, the Blazers are still a brainteaser that can punch you in the face. Good luck to the Suns offense, which hasn\u2019t been able to shoot straight for about a month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Paolo Banchero during a game against the Chicago Bulls on April 10<\/p>\n

Melissa Tamez\/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesOrlando MagicDo the Magic even care?<\/p>\n

A bleak, albeit reasonable point of concern about the Magic is their occasional disinterest in trying as hard as they can. After a humiliating two-point loss against the Indiana Pacers on March 23, Jamahl Mosley pleaded for his squad to start games with the urgency of a team that\u2019s down by 10 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not even one week later in Toronto, Orlando stumbled into its nadir, when the Raptors went on a record-breaking 31-0 run that turned everyone watching it live into a \u201cMichael Jackson eats popcorn\u201d meme. The boat race wasn\u2019t just about silly turnovers or an unwillingness to hustle back in transition\u2014although, to be fair, there was a 5-on-1 fast break.<\/p>\n

It was also a strategic blackout, full of nonsensical decisions on both ends. One of several examples can be seen in the play below: Why did Tristan da Silva chase RJ Barrett over the top on this dribble handoff 30 feet from the basket? Meanwhile, Goga Bitadze confuses Jakob Poeltl for Kristaps Porzingis:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s stunning that they\u2019re here in the first place, having me write a blurb about their chances in the play-in. On the last day of the season, they suffered one last humiliation, falling to the Maine Celtics in a game that meant nothing to their opponent and so much to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just about hustle. In a broader sense, it also applies to mental focus: sloppy shot selection, missed rotations, and avoidable self-owns. When their transition defense is bad, it\u2019s abhorrent. When they take contested pull-up jumpers with 16 on the shot clock\u2014looks that they can get anytime they want against defenses that will roll out a red carpet to allow them\u2014you wonder why Mosley\u2019s brain matter is not leaking out of his nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The critical injuries up and down this roster shouldn\u2019t be ignored, Orlando’s spacing is what it is, and Paolo Banchero’s disappointing trajectory can\u2019t be argued. But there\u2019s still no excuse for so many spells of apathy for a roster that entered this season with a spine made of steel. Great teams have a firm handle on everything they can control. The Magic have been willing to let most of those controllables eat them alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Miami HeatDo the Heat have another gear to tap into?<\/p>\n

This is a broad question, but it\u2019s one I\u2019ve asked myself approximately 250 times this season. Maybe it\u2019s a me thing. I like the Heat\u2019s depth, admire their style of play, and believe that Erik Spoelstra is still one of the best basketball coaches on the planet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also aware that Miami\u2019s ability to get stops has been nonexistent for weeks. Since Bam Adebayo\u2019s 83-point game, it\u2019s gone 7-10 and ranked 27th in defensive rating. To get a little more specific: Last week, Miami gave up 249 points in back-to-back losses against the Raptors. Even with Adebayo on the court, they looked like a frazzled bunch of Wal-Mart employees getting trampled at the front door on Black Friday. In the past month, the Cavaliers dropped 149, the Celtics dropped 147, the Spurs and Hornets dropped 136, and, disgracefully, the Pacers dropped 135\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still! There\u2019s something to like and\/or trust about pretty much everyone in Spo\u2019s rotation. Since the All-Star break, Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins have both flirted with 50\/40\/90 splits. Jaime Jaquez Jr. continues to be a downhill wrecking ball off the bench. Norm Powell\u2019s strained groin has put a damper on his first All-Star season, but if he can run around and knock down shots, it adds a different layer to Miami\u2019s attack. Pelle Larsson is a timely cutter who, on the other end, habitually invades his man\u2019s personal space and brings the competitive spirit Spoelstra loves to talk about every time he steps on the floor. Trying to score on the zone that\u2019s deployed when Bam and Kel\u2019el Ware share the floor is extremely unpleasant. (Lineups featuring these two bigs have been excellent\u2014the issue is more about limiting groups that have only Ware in them.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

But for whatever reason, there\u2019s a general malaise in the air. Just speculating, but maybe this team hasn\u2019t coalesced because some people on it are thinking ahead to the highly likely shake-up that\u2019s coming this summer. Whether that\u2019s the long shadow of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Powell\u2019s unresolved contract situation, a looming extension for Herro that may never come, or the trickle-down effect of Nikola Jovic being arguably the most disappointing player in the league, who knows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can score with anybody,\u201d Wiggins, who has a player option to deal with this summer, recently said<\/a>. \u201cWe can defend like anybody. We\u2019ve just got to put it together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sentiment makes enough sense to me, yet, at the same time, Miami\u2019s inability to \u201cput it together\u201d has made the Heat one of this season\u2019s most frustrating enigmas. Something is infecting this team from the inside out. Unfortunately, basketball teams can\u2019t be diagnosed with an MRI. If there is a cure, Miami has only 24 hours to find it\u2014against a Hornets team that can score 125 points in their sleep.<\/p>\n

Phoenix SunsWill Devin Booker look like the star he\u2019s purported to be?<\/p>\n

Watching Booker this season\u2014the best player on the Western Conference\u2019s most pleasant surprise\u2014I toggle between underestimating and exaggerating his impact. How weird is it that Booker, who was an All-Star, is rarely cited as the primary reason for Phoenix\u2019s miraculous U-turn?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of that is the perception that he\u2019s overpaid. (Booker\u2019s estimated salary<\/a> based on his DPM is $20.6 million less than the $52.6 million he\u2019s making.) Some of it\u2019s because he\u2019s a holdover from last season\u2019s embarrassing campaign, ceding credit for the turnaround to new faces like Jordan Ott and Dillon Brooks. And some of it\u2019s thanks to how iffy his jumper has been this season. Booker is dead last in pull-up 3-point percentage<\/a> among all 23 players who\u2019ve attempted at least 200 of them this season. His true shooting percentage is league average, and his long 2s haven\u2019t been this inaccurate since 2020<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Booker didn\u2019t play enough games to qualify for All-NBA and, for me, would\u2019ve had next to no shot at cracking any of the three teams even if he did. That\u2019s not great considering how many other stars\u2014Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, etc.\u2014did not meet the 65-game threshold. This is not an attempt to besmirch Booker\u2019s ability. I\u2019m bringing all this up because I\u2019m curious about how great he can be on the type of stage that may demand a fireworks display against one of the very best defenses in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aside from Booker, I want to quickly shout out my favorite Sun, Oso Ighodaro. Whether he\u2019s sprinting into a ball screen, applying an unreasonable amount of defensive pressure, or moonlighting as Phoenix\u2019s point guard, Ighodaro absolutely rules. He thinks the game at a speed that keeps the Suns offense one step ahead of the opponent:<\/p>\n

He\u2019s reason no. 23,987,397 why no one will ever convince me that the NBA draft is not a crapshoot. How did nobody draft him in the first round last year?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Darius Garland passes the ball past Gui Santos and Al Horford during a game on April 12<\/p>\n

Getty ImagesLos Angeles ClippersAre the Clippers more dangerous with Darius Garland?<\/p>\n

The blockbuster trade that swapped James Harden for Garland has kinda gone swimmingly for the Clippers. Not to say they wouldn\u2019t have remained pretty good had they done nothing at all, but L.A. is 10-6 when Garland starts<\/a>\u2014a stretch that\u2019s seen the two-time All-Star reestablish himself as an enticing spark plug. With the Clippers, he\u2019s averaging 21.5 points and 6.5 assists, making 46.7 percent of his 3s and 51.2 percent of his 2s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a step too far to say that Garland is \u201cbetter\u201d than Harden, but he plays with a zip that better suits a roster that\u2019s gotten younger and more dynamic over the past few months. His release is quicker than Harden\u2019s, and he\u2019s more of a headache when he\u2019s fading off a flare screen or sprinting to his spot in transition. Want to force the ball out of Garland\u2019s hands? Easier said than done!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since April 1, the Clippers have tweaked their rotation to ramp Kawhi Leonard up for the playoffs. Instead of subbing out of the game a little over halfway through the first and third quarters, he\u2019s gone the distance in each frame. That puts Leonard on the bench at the start of the second and fourth quarters, when Garland, too, has sat. It\u2019ll be interesting to see whether Ty Lue staggers his two leading scorers in the play-in, eliminating five-man units that have neither guy on the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The case against making any change is, well, that the Clippers have decimated everything in their path when Leonard and Garland share the floor. Those lineups boast an offensive rating that\u2019s 16.5 percentage points above league average. That is the dead center of a pizza oven. (Even if you \u201cpad\u201d the numbers to account for the small sample size, the Clippers are still<\/a> charring your crust.)<\/p>\n

Maximizing their time together makes sense. Unlike Harden, Garland can run a more sensible two-man game with Leonard because the opponent is less likely to switch when they come together\u2014it\u2019s not always the case, but Harden and Leonard tend to be guarded by like-sized defenders, whereas Garland\u2019s man is typically going to be a smaller, quicker guard (i.e., someone Kawhi will annihilate in 0.4 seconds). The tandem is still developing chemistry, but we have examples of how they can push their opponents\u2019 pressure points on and off the ball:<\/p>\n

Garland\u2019s slight frame makes him a perennial target on defense, but L.A. may have an easier time tolerating the weak spot he presents than Cleveland did. (Kris Dunn, Leonard, and Derrick Jones Jr. are not Donovan Mitchell.) The best way to mitigate those issues in a two-game playoff? Score a bunch of points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Philadelphia 76ersIs Paul George \u2026 back?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s spring, which means the Sixers are sad. Joel Embiid\u2019s appendectomy all but ended a season that was part hopeful passage, part depressing hamster wheel. Even if they make it out of the play-in, Philly\u2019s ceiling is threatening to collapse. Unless \u2026<\/p>\n

Since George returned from his 25-game suspension, there have been glimpses of the confident, assertive, two-way star who, once upon a time, was obviously worth the max contract Philadelphia gave him. Hot 3-point shooting\u201442.3 percent on 8.7 attempts per game!\u2014can explain part of the surge, but most of the optimism still attached to this nine-time All-Star springs from how confident he\u2019s looked hunting his own shot.<\/p>\n

George is just above 50 percent from the midrange (in non-garbage time minutes<\/a>) and, for the season, he\u2019s 16.2 percentage points (!) more accurate at the rim<\/a> when Embiid is not on the floor. (It could be a coincidence, but is worth monitoring.) Whether he\u2019s curling off wide pindowns, isolating at the elbow, or running a pick-and-roll, George\u2019s playmaking instincts are intact. He can still upshift from secondary (or tertiary) option to the lead guy.<\/p>\n

The Sixers aren\u2019t going to accomplish anything meaningful without Embiid, but it\u2019ll be fascinating to see whether George can go at least a week or two masquerading as the template-setting wing he used to be. If the answer is yes, in a faster tempo that relieves pressure from Tyrese Maxey and lets VJ Edgecombe detonate on defenses that are suddenly preoccupied, Philly may beat Orlando and rise to the proverbial \u201cteam nobody wants to play!\u201d standing that\u2019s felt like their destiny for the past couple of weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Pina<\/p>\n

<\/a>Michael Pina is a senior staff writer at The Ringer who covers the NBA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re diving deep into the players, matchups, and tendencies that will determine which four teams earn a spot…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-605219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}