With the NBA Playoffs crawling to a culmination at some point over the next couple weeks, the focus of most teams has turned to what promises to be an interesting summer.
There’s going to be a whole heck of a lot of money thrown around to what might end up being the best free-agent class in recent NBA history. In this, some downtrodden teams might find themselves in positions to improve their rosters.
From a talent-laden young Minnesota Timberwolves squad to the Orlando Magic back east, here are five teams that could be set to surge next season with a strong performances this summer.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
There’s little doubt that Minnesota is primed to make a playoff run next season. The hiring of Tom Thibodeau also reflects the team’s belief that it can contend in the not-so-distant future.
This isn’t false optimism. Boasting the past two NBA Rookie of the Year performers, Minnesota has a solid inside-out nucleus upon which to build.
Karl-Anthony Towns put up one of the best rookie seasons for a big man in the history of the Association, averaging 18.3 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field. His ability to extend that offensive game to the perimeter was also huge as a rookie. This dude is going to be a perennial All-Star performer and a potential MVP candidate.
While still a tad one dimensional, second-year stud Andrew Wiggins saw all of his major numbers improve as a sophomore. He averaged 20.7 points while shooting 46 percent from the field. Minnesota’s progression to contending status will depend heavily on Wiggins’ ability to improve his overall game. If he does, watch out.
The better news here for Minnesota is the progression we saw from high-flyer Zach Lavine, who proved himself to be more than an athlete this past season. The freak athlete shot 39 percent from three-point land.
With these three set to lead the charge under a coach that’s going to emphasize defense, Minnesota has an opportunity to climb the ladder out west.
Also helping is the fact that the team will be picking No. 5 overall in July’s draft. That should enable Minnesota to add another perimeter player in either Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield.
2. Phoenix Suns
This past regular season was an unmitigated disaster for the Suns. They entered the year with playoff aspirations, only to find themselves without a full-time head coach and missing the team’s top-two players.
It resulted in one of the most disappointing campaigns for any team around the Association.
After starting the season with seven wins in their first 12 games, the Suns would go on to post a 16-54 record for the remainder of the year. Losing Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight for a combined 81 games sure didn’t help there.
Though, the emergence of rookie Devin Booker should be a great sign for Phoenix moving forward.
Flying under the radar behind Towns out west, Booker actually averaged 21.5 points while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field over the final quarter of the season.
With Booker entrenched in as the starting shooting guard, Phoenix can now look to trade either Bledsoe or Knight for another asset during the summer. This should give head coach Earl Watson the traditional backcourt he seeks.
The emergence of former top-five pick Alex Len at center was also a bright spot for Phoenix. Len put up nine double-doubles and tallied double-digit points to go with nine-plus rebounds in nearly one third of his starts. With the Suns’ perimeter ability, this type of consistency upfront will come up big moving forward.
While fans in the desert were surely disappointed by the team’s performance, it did not come without something. Phoenix boasts the fourth overall pick in the upcoming draft, one of the most-talented classes in recent history. That’s going to give the team yet another core guy to build with moving forward.
3. Utah Jazz
Without a postseason appearance since 2011-12, Utah came unbearably close to snapping that streak this past season, missing out on the playoffs by just one game.
The honest truth here is that Utah likely would have been a more difficult out for the west’s top teams than the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets. That’s how close this squad is to making some noise in the conference.
More than anything, the improvement we saw from Rodney Hood as the season progressed was huge for Utah. While the focus had in the past been on fellow back-court members Trey Burke, Alec Burks and Dante Exum, Hood is the one that proved he could be a solid scorer for this front-court loaded team.
The Duke product increased his scoring average by nearly six points per game from his rookie season while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
With Exum slated to return after missing the entire 2015-16 campaign to injury, Utah’s backcourt could very well turn into a strength. Considering the team has a loaded frontcourt with Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Trevor Booker and Rudy Gobert, there’s a ton of talent on this young roster.
General manager Dennis Lindsey has a real opportunity to get creative with these assets this summer. If he’s sold on Hood at the two, it’s possible that the team could look to move either Exum or Burks (maybe both) in order to add a top-end point guard.
Set in the frontcourt with Hayward, Favors and Gobert, this could make Utah one of the most well-rounded young teams in the Association.
4. Orlando Magic
Much like Phoenix, the Magic entered this past regular season with playoff aspirations. A young core that seemed to be molding into something started the year with a 19-13 record before things came tumbling down like like an old barn in a tornado.
Orlando would end up losing 34 of its final 50 games to miss out on the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Though, it must be noted that the Magic’s 35 wins represented 10 more than they won the previous season.
There’s a lot to look at here for Orlando this summer. Flush with what promises to be a fortune in cap room, the team will likely look to add a top-end free agent. Who Orlando decides to target with that cash is anyone’s guess, but there are building blocks on this roster.
Nikola Vucevic may be the most-skilled center in the entire Eastern Conference. The 25-year-old big man averaged 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field. There’s little doubt that he’s going to excel in a Frank Vogel system that gets the most out of its centers (see Myles Turner in Indiana).
Looked at as someone that plateaued during a breakout 2014-15 campaign, the ultra-athletic Victor Oladipo struggled earlier in the year before picking it up big time down the stretch.
Playing more of a shoot-first role as the season progressed, the still young 24-year-old averaged 20.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field from the field over the past 16 regular season games.
Both Vucevic and Oladipo should excel in Vogel’s system. Add in a free agent or two as well as a lottery pick, and there’s a lot to work with here.
Besides, no one is really talking about the fact that Orlando upgraded at head coach after Scott Skiles resigned. Vogel will have this team ready.
5. Denver Nuggets
Unlike some of the other teams on this list that faded down the stretch, Denver actually picked it up when its young players took on larger roles as the season progressed.
Despite finishing with a 33-49 record, the Nuggets actually closed the season with a 20-25 record. This might not mean a whole lot, but it’s the progress of the youngsters that matters the most here.
The most-interesting dynamic here is just how much better Denver performed with its veterans taking a back seat. With Wilson Chandler lost for the season and leading scorer Danilo Gallinari out for the final 29 games, others had to step up to make the Nuggets competitive.
This is where the likes of Will Barton, Gary Harris, Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic come into play. All had their moments down the stretch. All also averaged double digits during the regular season.
Should Denver decide to move Chandler, Gallinari and/or Kenneth Faried during the summer, it would enable the team to bring in younger assets to go with its growing core. Factor in the seventh pick in July’s draft, and there’s a lot to like about this team moving forward.