With the all-star break behind us, the NBA is looking forward to the playoffs as they enter the ultimate stretch of the common season.
A lot has already occurred this marketing campaign, however there are nonetheless many questions left to be answered.
Will superstars return? Will superstars sit at residence? Are we seeing some new contenders out East?
Listed here are storylines to comply with by means of the second half of the NBA season.
It has been simply 9 months since Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles towards the New York Knicks within the Jap Convention semifinals. An harm of that magnitude usually means at the least a yr on the shelf, however that might not be the case for the Celtics celebrity.
Tatum has been rehabbing at an unheard-of tempo and was not too long ago assigned to the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine the place he might be a restricted participant in observe. There, he participated in his first five-on-five scrimmage with different gamers.
All indicators level to Tatum being near full well being.
The six-time all-star refused to say if he’ll be again or not, however his return would, indisputably, make the Celtics the perfect crew within the East. Boston, led by Jaylen Brown, already sits second within the Jap Convention with a 35-19 document — a degree of success no one noticed coming. It appeared the Celtics had been heading towards a reset yr after unloading Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Vacation within the offseason, however that hasn’t been the case.
With all of the victories, the Celtics determined to purchase on the commerce deadline and introduced in former all-star Nikola Vucevic to lock down the centre place. Tatum, who averaged 26.8 factors, 8.7 rebounds, six assists and 1.1 steals in 2024-25, would slot proper into the lineup alongside Brown and Vucevic for a playoff push.
Did the Cavaliers make a mistake?
The Cleveland Cavaliers had one of many largest shocks of the commerce deadline after they despatched Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in alternate for James Harden. It was a daring win-now transfer for Cleveland as they paired up a former MVP with Donovan Mitchell.
The transfer very properly may work out for Cleveland, however there’s a probability every thing may go unsuitable. Harden is 11 years older than Garland, and he holds a participant choice for subsequent season, so he may very properly go away in free company. Harden has develop into recognized for steadily switching groups over the previous few years, with Cleveland being his fourth crew since 2020.
Harden has additionally had little or no playoff success in his prolonged profession; he’s reached the NBA Finals simply as soon as, and it was as a sixth man for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in 2011-12. Since then, he’s made it previous the second spherical simply twice in 13 seasons.
The six-foot-eight guard holds profession playoff averages of twenty-two.5 factors, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 42.5 per cent capturing from the sphere and 34 per cent from three. These aren’t unhealthy numbers by any means, however they fall wanting the usual Harden has been held to all through his profession.
Including a participant who has by no means gained something to a crew that has notoriously choked within the postseason since LeBron James departed, simply looks like a recipe for catastrophe.
Are the Raptors contenders or pretenders?
The Toronto Raptors had been anticipated to be good this season with the addition of Brandon Ingram to enrich a proficient beginning unit; nonetheless, not many anticipated them to carry out at this degree.
The Raptors sit fifth within the Jap Convention at 32-23, had an emphatic nine-game win streak in November, and had two representatives within the all-star sport in Ingram and Scottie Barnes. They’ve simply clicked and have had a variety of success regardless of a number of accidents hampering their lineup, together with one to beginning centre Jakob Poeltl, who not too long ago missed 24 video games with a again problem.
So, to many, it could seem the Raptors are again to being one of many East’s elite groups, however there are nonetheless some points that can’t be ignored. The principle problem is their offence. They lack cutters and shot creation and have additionally been inconsistent from three all season.
One other main drawback for Toronto is its lack of dimension within the frontcourt. Past the seven-foot Poeltl, there is no such thing as a different participant on the roster above six-foot-nine. The Raptors have tried to work round this with a mix of Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting reps on the 5, but when they run into Jalen Duren, Jarrett Allen or Joel Embiid within the playoffs they could possibly be in heaps of hassle.
Possibly Darko Rajakovic will discover a approach to make issues work, however solely time will inform if Toronto can recapture the 2019 magic or return to the drafting board.
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo play once more this season?
The issues between the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been stealing headlines all yr. One second, they hate one another, then they love one another, earlier than going proper again to hating.
It appeared the breakup was imminent on the commerce deadline, however the Bucks finally determined to carry on to the two-time MVP, and transitioned to purchasing to enhance the roster for a playoff push. A questionable transfer contemplating Antetokounmpo was reportedly “prepared for a brand new residence.”
Regardless of Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee, he hasn’t returned to the court docket as he recovers from his second calf pressure of the season. The Bucks are additionally nowhere close to competing and sit twelfth within the East.
With the Bucks struggling and the sweepstakes for Antetokounmpo anticipated to choose again up this summer time, it doesn’t actually make sense for the Greek Freak to hurry again onto the court docket. Antetokounmpo remains to be a top-five participant within the NBA, nevertheless it doesn’t seem that even he may also help the Bucks, and additional harm would damage his commerce worth.
If the Bucks need to be sensible about issues, they’d let Antetokounmpo sit for the remaining video games and guarantee they will obtain the very best return for him come the low season.
The reigning NBA Champions, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, picked up proper the place they left off final season as they opened the yr with a 24-1 document. They seemed past dominant, and it appeared they’d cruise to back-to-back titles, nevertheless it doesn’t current as simple as many might have thought.
Since Dec. 13, they’ve gathered 13 losses, and their first-place lead within the West has shrunk to simply three video games over the San Antonio Spurs. Accidents have additionally begun to pile up. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the moment sidelined with an belly harm, and Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein have all missed prolonged durations all through the season.
The three losses to the Spurs this season can’t be ignored, and will mess with the Thunder’s confidence come the postseason if the 2 sides match up.
Even with a rocky couple of months, the Thunder are nonetheless indisputably the perfect crew within the NBA, and their depth is off the charts. They even added on the deadline with former Duke Blue Satan Jared McCain.
So even with the current losses and harm hassle, if the Thunder are wholesome come playoffs, there’s a actual probability we may see the primary back-to-back champs because the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Can LeBron discover his outdated kind earlier than the postseason?
While you speak in regards to the best of all time, the talk usually revolves round Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
James seemed to be on the lookout for the sting over Jordan along with his longevity, enjoying at a celebrity degree by means of 22 seasons within the NBA. Nonetheless, now in his twenty third marketing campaign, it seems Father Time might have lastly caught up with The King.
The 41-year-old is averaging 22 factors, 5.8 rebounds and seven.1 assists whereas capturing 30.5 per cent from three. Each his factors per sport common and three-point capturing proportion are the bottom of his profession since his rookie season in 2003-04.
James additionally missed the beginning of the season for the primary time in his profession attributable to a sciatica problem, and for the primary time in over 20 years, he wasn’t named as an all-star starter.
It is smart that at his age, he gained’t be as productive as he as soon as was, and he’s enjoying behind Luka Doncic, who’s at the moment main the league in scoring. Nonetheless, the Los Angeles Lakers want James to search out only a smidge of the participant he was if they’ve any hopes of competing with groups just like the Thunder, Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Right here’s one thing that hasn’t been stated possibly ever: the Charlotte Hornets are one of many hottest groups within the NBA.
On Jan. 21, the Hornets had been sitting at 16-28 following a loss to the Cavaliers, it appeared like every other loss, nevertheless it clearly modified one thing in that Hornets’ locker room. Following that defeat, Charlotte launched into a nine-game win streak and has gained 10 of its final 11 contests.
The Hornets improved their document to 26-29 and have jumped into an Jap Convention play-in spot. That 10-1 document since Jan. 22 is the perfect within the NBA, and they’re additionally boasting the fifth-best net-rating (10.2) within the league throughout that span.
Charlotte’s younger core of Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner have all been clicking. Miller has been placing up 22.2 factors per sport on 44.5 per cent capturing throughout this current streak, and his 11.6 plus/minus is the eighth finest league-wide.
The Hornets even added to their roster on the commerce deadline by bringing in Coby White from the Chicago Bulls, who ought to slot in as a spark plug off the bench.
Charlotte’s 15 wins in 2026 are tied for essentially the most within the NBA. If this success carries on by means of the rest of the season, the Hornets’ rebuild might lastly be over.
