Check out Victor Oladipo’s Pacers.
The stretch run is upon us, and a familiar cast of NBA teams will likely dominate the conversation over the final six weeks of the regular season. That doesn’t mean those are the only storylines worth watching.
Let’s dive into five teams that aren’t getting a ton of attention but are worth your time over the remainder of the regular season. (Note: Standings positions going into Feb. 25 games.)
Kings
The race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference will be fierce, and a young, hungry Kings team figures to be in the thick of it. De’Aaron Fox has emerged as one of the best young point guards in the league and Buddy Hield as one of the best outside shooters. They have size and versatility on the perimeter and capable young bigs inside.
Sacramento made moves at the trade deadline to end the league’s longest playoff drought. The Kings lack veteran experience but won’t back down from anyone as they pursue their first playoff berth since 2006. Without a first-round pick in the draft, there’s no incentive to tank down the stretch. Plus, it would be poetic if they kept their one-time nemesis Lakers out of the postseason.
Pacers
Perhaps not quite as underthe-radar as others, the Pacers were essentially written off by everyone outside Indiana after Victor Oladipo’s season-ending injury. The expected free fall hasn’t happened, though, and the Pacers still occupy third place in the East.
Bojan Bogdanovic has increased his scoring since Oladipo went down, and Myles Turner anchors a defense with the NBA’s second-best rating.
The Pacers are a lock to make the playoffs and likely no worse than the fifth seed. But do they have enough to stay where they are and crack the Milwaukee-Toronto-Boston-Philadelphia quartet that everyone has penciled in as the top four?
Nets
One of the biggest surprises, the Nets appear to be the safest bet to make the playoffs among teams in the lower half of the East chase. They are relatively young but have been consistent. A playoff appearance would be a huge boost for a franchise that was in salary-cap hell a few years ago.
D’Angelo Russell matured into an All-Star. Caris LeVert is back after an early-season foot injury that looked like it could cost him the rest of the year. Spencer Dinwiddie is expected to return from a thumb injury this month or in early March.
The rebuild in Brooklyn should take a big step forward this spring.
Heat
The final two East spots likely will be filled from a group of a number of teams, all currently under .500. The Heat enter in the 10th spot, but they’re also just 2 games behind the seventh-place Piston.
Miami lacks a true No. 1 option but has a better collection of talent than other teams in the mix like Charlotte, Orlando or Washington. Goran Dragic is on the verge of returning after December knee surgery. And the postseason will be much more fun if retiring Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance includes one final playoff appearance.
Mavericks
Dallas finds itself in a tough spot. The Mavs don’t have a guaranteed first-round draft pick. Their selection transfers to the Hawks if it falls outside the top five, which presents a dilemma: Tank to improve their lottery odds and hope for a topfive pick, or try to push for the playoffs and start conveying the many first-rounders they owe?
It will be interesting to see the direction Dallas takes. Another high draft pick to pair with rookie sensation Luka Doncic and recently acquired Kristaps Porzingis might be the smarter long-term strategy. But Doncic’s stellar play could keep the Mavericks out of the top five selections.