The trade deadline and All-Star break are done, and most NBA teams have played about two-thirds of their 2023-24 schedules.

We've officially hit the stretch run, and it's time to take stock of every team in the league.

For today's exercise, Bleacher Report's NBA staff challenged itself to describe where each of the 30 squads are right now in five words or less.

Is your team ready to contend for a title? Is the rebuild about to accelerate? Will deadline-day acquisitions put your team over the top?

Answers to those questions and so many more, as well as the aforementioned five-word descriptions, can be found below organized by division, starting out east in the Atlantic and finishing out west with the Pacific.

Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics

Can the Playoffs Start Already?

It's going to be difficult for the Boston Celtics to find ways to motivate themselves over the final eight weeks of the season.

They hold a six-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for first place in the East and are now 8.5 games up on the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that was supposed to push the Celtics for the No. 1 seed.

This is a veteran-heavy group that doesn't need many more regular-season reps together and should be more concerned with just entering the playoffs healthy.

This is a championship-or-bust season for Boston, the NBA's best team thus far. Staying awake through the remainder of the regular season will the greatest challenge until mid-April.

—Greg Swartz

Atlantic Division: Brooklyn Nets

Maybe Ollie is The Answer

After beginning the season a respectable 12-9 overall, the Nets have plummeted to 9-24 since, causing general manager Sean Marks to make yet another move at head coach.

This represents the fifth coaching change in the last five seasons for Brooklyn and 10th in 12 years since moving from New Jersey. That's a remarkable amount of turnover for a franchise that now turns to Kevin Ollie as its interim leader.

Brooklyn is in a bit of a mess overall, with its first-round pick owed to the Houston Rockets in 2024 and 2026 with swap rights in 2025 and 2027. As bad as the Nets could be, they won't control their own first-round pick for another four years.

Brooklyn has no incentive to be bad, which puts even more pressure on Ollie to win. This isn't a rebuild, it's a "here's what we've got, now go win with it" deal.

Good luck.

—Swartz

Atlantic Division: New York Knicks

Healthy Bodies Wanted, Please

Just when the Knicks looked like they were rolling toward a No. 2 or 3 seed in the East, OG Anunoby joined Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson on the shelf with an injury.

Now, a four-game losing streak has New York clinging to the No. 4 seed, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers not far behind.

The Knicks have set themselves up beautifully yet need some bodies back. The two-man combo of Jalen Brunson and Anunoby was knocking off teams by a whopping 30.2 points per 100 possessions whenever both shared the floor, easily ranking in the 100th percentile via Cleaning the Glass (734 total possessions).

The additions of Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks will help, especially since Evan Fournier was simply collecting dust.

When the Knicks get their core back, this will be an extremely dangerous team.

—Swartz

Atlantic Division: Toronto Raptors

Painful Present, Bright Future

This current version of the Raptors looks quite different from the one that began the season, although no one can fault them for shaking up what had become a stale core.

Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Dennis Schröder are all gone, with RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji and others taking their place, along with three extra first-round picks.

However, all this youth movement has made for a painful present, as Toronto's net rating over its last 10 games (minus-10.8) ranks dead last in the NBA.

This was the right move, though, as there's a real base to build on, especially with Scottie Barnes now getting to play more point guard.

The Raptors even have a better chance to keep their 2024 first-round pick (top-six protected), which would really help to speed up this reset of the franchise.

—Swartz

Atlantic Division: Philadelphia 76ers

When is Embiid Back, Again?

No disrespect to Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris or new Sixers such as Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry, but this is really the only thing that matters to Philly's title hopes.

The short answer to the question is that it's too early to tell. Philly isn't putting a timetable on Embiid's return, although ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the team is hoping for a comeback during the regular season.

The 76ers are 26-8 with their MVP center this season and just 6-14 without him, as he was leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points per game and was named to his seventh All-Star game.

Treading water is all we can ask of the Sixers, trying to stay in the top six seeds and away from the possibility of playing the Boston Celtics in the first round.

—Swartz

Central Division: Chicago Bulls

The Definition of Insanity

It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

If this is true, the Chicago Bulls are very much insane.

Sitting pat at the trade deadline without buying or selling was the worst thing this franchise could have done. After finishing two games below .500 last season (40-42), the Bulls are on near-identical path (currently 26-29) while playing mostly the same core.

A play-in tournament loss is now the best realistic outcome for a team that should have traded off some of its veterans, stocking up on draft picks in what will become an inevitable rebuild.

Chicago could well lose DeMar DeRozan in free agency to the Philadelphia 76ers or another contender when it probably should have traded him (and others) all along.

—Swartz

Central Division: Cleveland Cavaliers

Don't Go Breaking Our Hearts

Only three teams in the NBA have a better record than the red-hot Cavs, a group that's navigated in-season surgeries to both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland and still risen all the way to No. 2 in the East.

For every accomplishment, though, there's still a dark cloud hanging over this franchise from their awful showing against the New York Knicks in the 2023 playoffs.

Whether this is fair or not, Cleveland has officially crossed over into the "prove it in the postseason" category, especially with Donovan Mitchell entering the final year of his contract this summer.

The Cavaliers are fun to watch, play elite defense and are led by a superstar in Mitchell who should be far higher in the MVP rankings. But this team needs to have real playoff success this spring or all of this will have been for nothing.

—Swartz

Central Division: Detroit Pistons

Improvement is Showing

A strange thing has happened over the last month in Detroit: The Pistons look like a real basketball team.

While this is setting the bar extremely low, we first had to find the bar after the early-season Pistons buried it. Now, Detroit is a respectable 5-10 over its last 15 games, with a net rating that actually ranks 19th (minus-2.8) over this stretch, besting even the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Jaden Ivey is finally being used more by Monty Williams, putting up 19.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shooting 46.3 percent over his last 15 games while Simone Fontecchio and Evan Fournier have provided floor spacing.

Perhaps Detroit truly is starting to turn things around.

—Swartz

Central Division: Indiana Pacers

Good, Great or Eh?

It's too early to judge the Pacers in the Pascal Siakam era just yet, although we do have questions.

The team's shooting is suspect after trading Buddy Hield, and the two-man combo of Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam has a net rating of just plus-3.9 without Hield this season (341 total possessions, per Cleaning the Glass).

With the Philadelphia 76ers fading, the Pacers should maintain the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the East, even if they're still figuring things out. Jumping the New York Knicks for home-court advantage in the first round is a tough ask, though.

The next eight weeks should tell us just how good of a team the Pacers really are before the real season begins.

—Swartz

Central Division: Milwaukee Bucks

Broken, but Fun to Fix

Ever see a busted record player laying on the side of the road, asking for a new owner? You know that technically, yes, this machine could return to making beautiful music, but the process isn't going to be easy.

Well, the Bucks are the record player, and you are Doc Rivers. Good luck.

A 3-7 record under Rivers isn't exactly inspiring, but Milwaukee is too talented to not be fixed at some point. Grabbing the No. 2 seed in the East is still attainable (currently 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers), setting up an eventual conference finals clash against the Boston Celtics.

With the help of Patrick Beverley and now Danilo Gallinari, the Bucks' season can still be saved.

Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks

Heading Toward a Breakup

Since soaring to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, the Hawks have had their wings clipped. First, there were the back-to-back first-round exits that punctuated the past two seasons, and they're now clinging to the conference's final play-in tournament spot.

Obviously, this isn't what Atlanta had in mind when it paid a premium to acquire Dejounte Murray in 2022 and hopefully form an elite backcourt combo with Trae Young. The whole of that guard group has yet to equal the sum of its parts, though, and the Hawks may have seen enough.

While Atlanta kept its team intact at this trade deadline, the roster already feels like it's on borrowed time. As Howard Beck reported for The Ringer, "it's considered a near certainty" the Hawks will trade away one if not both of Murray and Young this offseason.

Could a deep playoff run change that tune? In theory, sure, but there is zero reason to believe that's about to happen.

Once the curtain drops on this campaign, that will almost certainly be the last time we see this cast of characters together.

—Zach Buckley

Southeast Division: Charlotte Hornets

Thank Goodness Brandon Miller Delivered

This has been, objectively speaking, a truly atrocious season in Charlotte.

No, the Hornets may not have the league's worst winning percentage (they're fourth-bottom at .241), but they easily bring up the rear in net efficiency rating (minus-10.8). They've played in 28 games decided by double-digit points, and they've lost 27 of them.

Normally, when a team is down this bad, fans can at least take some solace in the development of its young talent. But the injury bug has kept LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams off the floor for agonizingly long stretches. Presumed building block P.J. Washington was traded away, and the pre-deadline release of James Bouknight ended any hopes of reviving the recent lottery pick (No. 11 in 2021).

It's been rough from almost all angles, but at least Brandon Miller has made the front office look smart for snatching him up with last summer's No. 2 pick.

The 6'9" swingman seemingly grows his game every time out, an ascension encapsulated by his Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award in January.

Miller looks the obvious choice for bronze medalist in the Rookie of the Year race, a better-than-it-sounds distinction given how great the top two rookies (Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren) have been.

—Buckley

Southeast Division: Miami Heat

Not Feared, But Definitely Respected

The Heat have zero statistical indicators of a championship contender. Their defense is good but not great (eighth in efficiency). Their offense is simply not good (22nd). Their 30-25 record is solid but not spectacular, and based on point differential, they're probably fortunate to have won as many games as they have (28-27 expected record).

If we only knew this squad through the lens of this season, there would be no reason to even give them a peep during championship conversations.

Our brains don't work like that, though. We know what this club has done in recent seasons (three conference finals and two Finals berths over the past four years) with similar rosters and the same mastermind coach in Erik Spoelstra. Just last season, the Heat were even wobblier than this (.537 winning percentage) and still #culture'd their way into the championship round.

This team has flaws—primarily connected to the offensive end—that are serious enough to potentially derail its playoff run before it ever gets started. But no team has leveled-up more the past few postseasons than Miami. And no player has elevated on that stage quite like Jimmy Butler.

So, while there may not be tangible reasons to fear this team, it surely has the attention and respect from everyone.

—Buckley

Southeast Division: Orlando Magic

Hard To Play—And Trust

When teams face this season's Magic, they feel it the next morning.

Orlando plays with a force matched by few others. There is clear purpose in every action it makes, though that can't always compensate for this squad's shortcomings.

When the Magic have it rolling, they lean on their fifth-ranked defense to overwhelm opponents, then count on rising stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to supply just enough offense to get by. It has been a winning formula, but it doesn't create a ton of margin for error.

To that end, Orlando is tied for the ninth-most minutes in clutch situations—final five minutes with a scoring margin of five points or less—so far.

The Magic's biggest issue is a severe shooting shortage. They are dead-last in made threes and 29th in three-point percentage. In other words, they're almost losing the mathematical portion of the modern NBA, and there are nights when this offense simply can't overcome it.

Granted, they've still found their way to a 30-25 record, but a lot of that was propped up by a 16-7 start. Over the two months since, they've gone just 14-18 with a bottom-third net rating (minus-2.1, 21st).

There is a lot to like about this team's defense and young talent, but the stretch run could be tricky to navigate, particularly since so many of the club's key contributors have never faced real NBA pressure before. Among the Magic's top six players in minutes per game, only Markelle Fultz has playoff experience.

—Buckley

Southeast Division: Washington Wizards

Untimely, But Necessary, Tanking

After logging an absurd amount of mileage on the treadmill of mediocrity, the Wizards finally took the plunge last offseason. By trading away both Kristaps Porziņģis and Bradley Beal, Washington ditched an average-at-best present in search of a brighter tomorrow.

The Wizards surely wish they had pulled the plug sooner.

This tank job—intentional or not—has Washington positioned to pull a top prospect from the upcoming draft, but no one seems to love this class. Not in terms of its high-end talent, at least.

"We are far from the type of star power atop the 2024 NBA draft we've come to expect over the past decade, in terms of prospects you can reasonably hope will develop into franchise-caliber or All-Star-type players," ESPN's Jonathan Givony wrote.

Bottoming out is never pleasant, but at least fans can usually hope all of those losses will eventually lead to a blue-chip talent. The consensus view on this draft class all but dash those dreams.

And yet, the Wizards have no choice but to let the tank roll on and pray that all these pundits are wrong about these prospects. Because Washington is so new to rebuilding, it doesn't have as much young talent as its fellow bottom-feeders.

The Wizards desperately need to nab a prized prospect, even if they are less prized than normal.

—Buckley

Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks

Better After the Trade Deadline

Luka Dončić and the Mavericks weren't great last year after giving up too many viable rotation pieces to acquire Kyrie Irving. The franchise would always take some time (offseason, trade deadline, etc.) to put the right pieces around its two elite scorers.

The big-picture goal is making sure Dončić has a reason to stay in Dallas, and that may weigh on how competitive the team is over the coming seasons.

The good news for Mavs fans is that the deadline acquisitions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford give the team much greater depth up front.

Coach Jason Kidd still needs to figure out rotations with Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber, but having too many players is a good "problem" to have.

—Eric Pincus

Southwest Division: Houston Rockets

Was It Worth It?

Houston won 22 games last season as a franchise built around young, developing players like Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün.

To speed up the team's progress, the front office went after experienced veterans like Fred VanVleet (at a high salary), Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green. Several recently drafted players were moved out, with the Rockets hoping to make the playoffs.

And the team has taken a step forward, already at 24 wins, but was it worthwhile? The Rockets are currently 12th in the Western Conference. While the play-in remains within reach, Houston has to overtake the Utah Jazz and one of the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors for the outside chance of a first-round series against one of the top seeds.

The short-term answer is "probably not," though the front office would probably ask for another year to make its case.

—Pincus

Southwest Division: Memphis Grizzlies

Good to Bad Overnight

The Grizzlies were good enough last year to give the Lakers a playoff challenge, but seemingly overnight, the franchise has gone from "inexpensive darling" to bloated disaster.

After the postseason run, Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games for posing with a gun on Instagram Live, and then he helped the team win enough games to fall out of the top of the lottery before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the season.

Amid rule changes punishing high-spending franchises (Memphis has consistently avoided luxury taxes, let alone apron penalties), the team gave a significant extension to Desmond Bane.

Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke were also sidelined with injury, and then Adams was traded, in part, to cut costs for 2024-25. Now, the Grizzlies may be able to keep Luke Kennard (team option for $14.8 million) and hope a healthy Morant will lead to a different result next season.

Memphis may look instead to shed payroll.

—Pincus

Southwest Division: New Orleans Pelicans

Are They Legit?

The Pelicans have been flirting with contention the last few years but have struggled to keep its full cast of players healthy simultaneously.

If New Orleans can get Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram and the rest of its cast on the floor for the postseason, what's the ceiling?

The initial goal is to avoid falling out of the No. 6 slot in the West into the play-in, but it will take a real push to climb into the top four to gain home-court advantage.

It's one of the more challenging calls in the West. Will the Pelicans take a big step forward, or will they flame out again this postseason?

—Pincus

Southwest Division: San Antonio Spurs

All About Wembanyama

With just 11 wins, the Spurs are deep into a successful season. So, too, was last year's 22-win team that led to the No. 1 pick and Victor Wembanyama with the first selection in June's draft.

Now that San Antonio has a true franchise player, it needs to give the 20-year-old big man some time to develop.

Every decision moving forward is about finding the right complementary pieces. A poor record means another high draft pick. In the meantime, coach Gregg Popovich must find who fits best alongside Wembanyama next season. His development is paramount—the record this season (outside of lottery position) is irrelevant.

—Pincus

Northwest Division: Minnesota Timberwolves

Ready to Break Out

Teams needing to take their lumps, so to speak, before making deep playoff runs has been an NBA axiom for years.

And after losing in the first round in each of the last two postseasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves have broken out to the tune of first place in the West, a 58-win pace and the league's best defense.

And one of their All-Stars thinks they're ready to advance beyond the first round.

"We've made young mistakes in the playoffs in big key moments, and that's OK," Karl-Anthony Towns told Bleacher Report over the All-Star Weekend. "That's part of the learning process. For us to have gone through that process, to garner that experience, it's going to help us tremendously in these playoff runs."

He and Anthony Edwards now have some legitimate seasoning on the league's biggest stage. Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert have already won series together. And right now, everything is coming together brilliantly.

It should come as little surprise that Minnesota, with its stifling defense (at least relative to 2023-24 standards), is seen as the most likely team from the West to win the Finals, according to Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report ("based on 10,000 simulations of the remainder of season, including the play-in round").

—Andy Bailey

Northwest Division: Oklahoma City Thunder

Underestimate at Your Peril

Fans and local analysts for big-market or legacy teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are already salivating over a potential playoff matchup against the unproven Oklahoma City Thunder.

Yes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of this roster is young. They haven't experienced the intensity of playoff battles together. They play a five-out style that doesn't really scream "ready for postseason physicality." On talent alone, though, this team is as good as any in the West.

And while the teams in the middle of the conference wouldn't be a cakewalk for OKC, they can create significant matchup problems for any of them.

SGA is a bona fide MVP candidate. With his relentless slashing, ability to hit from the mid-range, knack for drawing fouls and nose for the ball on defense, he's arguably been better than all of Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić this season.

The team's No. 2 scorer, Jalen Williams, is a nightmare in the fourth quarter, where he averages 36.5 percent of his points. And its second-best player, Chet Holmgren, is one of the league's more dynamic perimeter centers on offense and among its best rim protectors on the other end.

With those three surrounded by a strong supporting cast recently supplemented by the addition of Gordon Hayward, the Thunder might be able to skip some steps this postseason and win a series or two.

—Bailey

Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets

Is It April Yet?

The reigning champion Denver Nuggets are only three games out of first place in the West, and Nikola Jokić is the current favorite to win MVP, but the team has often looked disengaged during its first title defense.

Denver lost three straight heading into the All-Star break. It's outside the top 10 in both offense and defense. It's 10th in net rating and 15th in double-digit wins. That's not the profile of a title contender, which may be why Basketball Reference's Playoff Probabilities Report only gives the Nuggets a 1.6 percent chance to repeat.

But we're really not that far removed from June, when Jokić, Jamal Murray and the rest of the squad capped off a dominant 16-4 playoff run to win their first title. And occasionally, they'll give us a reminder of how their ceiling is, like when they handed the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season in January.

It's sort of funny that after Jokić was unwillingly made the face of analytics over the last several years, his team is now the one that sort of makes us ignore the numbers.

No, the Nuggets don't look like a juggernaut right now, but they've earned the benefit of the doubt until the playoffs start in April.

—Bailey

Northwest Division: Utah Jazz

What Now?

For the second year in a row, the Utah Jazz got to the trade deadline with a better-than-expected record and a chance to make the play-in tournament. And for the second year in a row, the front office undercut the on-court success of the team by trading rotation players for little short-term help in return.

Last season, it was Mike Conley who was shipped off to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the deadline. In 2023-24, it was Kelly Olynyk. And the players left on the roster who are ready to win now—like Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and one of this season's surprise guards, Collin Sexton—have to be wondering: What now?

Is the rest of the season about on-court development for Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Kessler and maybe even Brice Sensabaugh? Even if Markkanen and company continue to push toward the play-in, do they have enough help to get there (especially with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors surging)?

An eye toward the future is fine for front offices and plenty of fans. Some veterans might even be fine with it too. But at some point, Utah might have to commit to more competitiveness in the short term.

—Bailey

Northwest Division: Portland Trail Blazers

Welcome to the Scoot Show

There's no question the first few months of Scoot Henderson's NBA career have been rough. You might even be able to describe them as disastrous.

His outside shot has been dreadful. He turns the ball over way too much (relative to his assist rate). He's often lost on defense. And he can't score around the rim.

All of that has contributed to a minus-6.3 box plus/minus ("a basketball box score-based metric that estimates a basketball player's contribution to the team when that player is on the court") that ranks 937th among the 944 three-point-era rookies who logged at least 1,000 minutes.

But he also just turned 20 this month. Adapting to the NBA is hard, even for rookies who get started in their mid-20s. And for the last month and change, he's shown subtle signs of development. He's reading defenses a bit more patiently out of the pick-and-roll. He's playing with pace more often. And over his last 24 games, he's shooting a still-below-average but respectable 35.4 percent from deep.

With the Portland Trail Blazers clearly out of the running for a spot in the play-in tournament, it's time to cut Henderson loose for even more minutes in which he's the unquestioned lead ball-handler. That will lead to more rough patches, for sure, but on-the-job training goes a long way in the NBA.

—Bailey

Pacific Division: LA Clippers

Is This Finally It?

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined forces for the LA Clippers in the 2019 offseason. It's been almost five years, and it doesn't feel like the duo has meaningfully contended for a title once.

The Clippers made the Western Conference Finals in 2021, but Leonard was already out with an injury by that point. Beating the Phoenix Suns without him would have been a pretty massive upset.

But now? Leonard and George have missed five and three games, respectively, all season. James Harden has fit in better (and quicker) than most could have imagined. Russell Westbrook has willingly adapted to a reserve role. And the depth beyond the big names, which includes Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell and Mason Plumlee, looks locked in.

When at least four of the seven players named above are on the floor, L.A. is plus-12.1 points per 100 possessions.

If the Clippers are healthy in the postseason (that's a big if, of course), this might be the year they finally make a real push for a championship.

—Bailey

Pacific Division: Los Angeles Lakers

2023 Déjà Vu?

After spending most of the first few months of 2022-23 underwhelming, the Los Angeles Lakers caught fire after trading Russell Westbrook, mostly stayed healthy and made a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

And after starting this season 22-23, L.A. has suddenly won eight of its last 11. Instead of a Westbrook trade, the impetus for change this time around seems to be improved production from D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Coach Darvin Ham finally trusting those guys more than Taurean Prince certainly helped too.

On the season, the Lakers are plus-9.3 points per 100 possessions when Russell, Reaves and Hachimura are on the floor. And if they remain consistent fixtures alongside LeBron and AD for the rest of this campaign and into the playoffs, another unexpected surge isn't out of the question.

—Bailey

Pacific Division: Phoenix Suns

An Offensive Juggernaut

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have combined to miss 17 games. Bradley Beal has missed 25 of 55. Availability has been (and will likely continue to be) a concern.

When these three are all playing, though, the Phoenix Suns look legitimately unstoppable (or about as close to that as a basketball team can get).

On the season, Phoenix is putting up a whopping 127.2 points per 100 possessions when all three are on the floor. Booker and Durant can generally get what they want against any team's top perimeter defender, but opponents are forced to deploy their second best on at least one of them. And that often leaves Beal to attack players typically reserved for far less dangerous third options.

The Suns are quietly getting important contributions from Grayson Allen (12.8 points and a 48.2 three-point percentage), Eric Gordon (12.6 points and a 38.8 three-point percentage) and Jusuf Nurkić (11.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 27.2 minutes) too. And the recent addition of Royce O'Neale should help with both floor spacing and perimeter defense.

Again, injuries are a concern. And the Suns' defense will probably cost them shootouts with other Western Conference powers in the playoffs. If everyone's generally available, though, this team can win it all.

—Bailey

Pacific Division: Sacramento Kings

The Push for Top Six

After a "light the beam" fueled breakout that captured the imagination of plenty of fans and analysts last season, the Sacramento Kings have sort of stagnated in 2023-24.

They're coming out of the All-Star break in 14th place on offense and 21st on defense. And beyond De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk, they haven't gotten a ton of inspiring play from the rest of the roster.

And this sort of middle-of-the-road version of the Kings almost feels like cannon fodder for the rest of the play-in range. Sacramento is currently seventh in the West and slated to play Luka Dončić and the recently reinforced Dallas Mavericks in the first play-in game. If they were to lose that, they'd then have to face the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors.

Of course, the standings can shift between now and the playoffs, but there's a decent-sized cushion between 10th and 11th in the West. The Kings could well be stuck in that group of four teams, and the risk there is high.

As obvious as this seems, the rest of the season is about avoiding that mix. Sacramento can still get to sixth, where it would have to lose four times to be eliminated, rather than the one or two for play-in teams.

Pulling that off will require more consistent contributions from Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and maybe even Trey Lyles. A legitimate leap from Keegan Murray wouldn't hurt either. And everyone, including Fox and Sabonis, will have to be more engaged defensively.

—Bailey

Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors

The Last Dance?

The Golden State Warriors are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Stephen Curry has gone supernova, with averages of 32.3 points, 6.7 threes and 5.3 assists over his last 12 contests.

Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga have emerged as high-end contributors, despite the fact that both are under 22 years old. And Draymond Green looks like his old self since returning from a second suspension.

The return and future availability of Chris Paul could become a factor, and Klay Thompson's ability to adjust to a reserve role will be important too.

But after spending most of the campaign looking mediocre, the Warriors are suddenly showing flashes of title-contending upside again.

And while it seems like we've run out this phrase for pretty much every Golden State team since The Last Dance aired on Netflix, this really could be the last real dance for the core that's been together for a decade.

Thompson is already showing pretty clear signs of decline. This recent stretch shows it's not time to count this team out yet, but this could be the last time this group pushes for a championship.

—Bailey