Taking stock of 76ers, Eastern Conference playoffs

Previous ranking: 30

In what was a lost season for the Wizards, you have to like what Washington received from rookie Bilal Coulibaly. He appears to be a fundamental piece going forward as he has shown the ability to defend at a high level and he has been a bright spot in what otherwise would have been a dismal season in the nation’s capital.

Previous ranking: 29

The Pistons have benefited from exceptional play from Cade Cunningham as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has been fantastic since the All-Star break. What Detroit needs to do now is put the right pieces around itself. The Pistons need more shooters and some adults to guide the young guys.

Previous ranking: 28

It’s been another lost season in Buzz City, but the Hornets have a good future star in young rookie Brandon Miller. He’s been great across the board and Charlotte needs to make sure their new franchise player doesn’t fall into bad habits in order to help turn around the Hornets’ fortunes.

Previous ranking: 27

The Spurs have lost a lot of games, but Victor Wembanyama has been as good as advertised. He was fantastic on both ends of the court and held his own against the toughest players in the NBA while making things look easy.

Previous ranking: 26

The Blazers have shown promise. There is a lot to like about this young core as guys like Duop Reath have taken advantage of the opportunities that have come their way. Portland should probably consider moving Jerami Grant this offseason.

Previous ranking: 25

The Grizzlies have shown a lot of discouragement and fight throughout the season and that is a testament to coach Taylor Jenkins and what he has built in Memphis. Once the Grizzlies are healthy again for 2024-25, they should be considered contenders in the West again.

Previous ranking: 24

The Raptors have been struggling lately. Scottie Barnes’ injury hurt any playing chances they could have had and Toronto is at a point where it should just focus on developing young players.

Previous ranking: 23

Technically, the Nets have a chance to make the play-in tournament, but with their ups and downs and the low number of games remaining on the schedule, that doesn’t seem likely. Brooklyn recently suffered losses to Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando and it appears the Nets will miss the play-in.

Previous ranking: 21

The Hawks deserve a lot of credit for staying in the play-in race despite injuries to Trae Young and others, but at some point, management has to make a decision. If things stay the same, this will be the third straight season Atlanta has made the play-in tournament. There needs to be some sort of direction for this franchise.

Previous ranking: 20

The Jazz lost three straight and continued to fall in the play-in race. At 28-37, the Jazz are now six games behind the Warriors for play-in with 17 games remaining. It’s been a good run for Utah, but it looks like the run is over.

Previous ranking: 22

The Rockets hung on in the race for play-ins in the West. They’re running out of time, but they’re only four games behind the Warriors with 17 to play. The loss of big man Alperen Sengun is a big blow to their hopes, but coach Ime Udoka has done a great job with this young Houston team.

Previous ranking: 19

The Bulls pulled off an impressive win in Indiana thanks to the heroics of DeMar DeRozan. Chicago has some really solid players on the roster and will give everyone a battle in the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, they would face the Hawks, which is a winnable game for them in the play-ins to give themselves a chance.

Previous ranking: 14

The Warriors were surging despite being healthy on the court. However, Stephen Curry’s injury took their breath away a bit. Golden State will look to others to fill in until Curry can return to the court, which the team hopes will be sooner rather than later.

Previous ranking: 18

The Lakers will be a team that no one wants to face in the playoffs because they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If Los Angeles can revive D’Angelo Russell and the rest of the players, then the Lakers will be in business.

Previous ranking: 16

The Sixers are still awaiting the return of Joel Embiid as the season comes to a close. Tyrese Maxey returned from a concussion in a 106-79 loss to the New York Knicks, which is a good sign, but Philadelphia still needs Tobias Harris to step up and give them a boost until Embiid returns.

Previous ranking: 11

The Heat have lost four straight, including a bad home loss to the Wizards. This team is still dangerous because they know what it takes to win in the playoffs, but Miami needs to figure that out and string together a few wins to stay out of the play-in tournament.

Previous ranking: 17

The Mavericks have won four games in a row by showing their potential on the court. Luka Doncic has been absolutely fantastic averaging a ridiculous 33.3 points, 11.5 assists and 10.1 rebounds over his last eight games. However, he left Wednesday’s win over the Warriors with a

Previous ranking: 15

The Pacers had a tremendous win in Oklahoma City and beat the Thunder, but they followed that up with a home loss to the Bulls. Indiana currently holds the tiebreaker over the Sixers, giving them an advantage in the standings.

Previous ranking: ten

The Magic are still well placed in 5th place in the East, but blowout defeats against the Knicks and Pacers show how far they still have to go. Orlando has a lot of young pieces and the Magic will look to continue to develop this generation of young talent to continue reaching contender status.

Previous ranking: 13

The Knicks are in a pretty good spot as the No. 4 seed in the East. The return of OG Anunoby should do wonders for New York as it begins to prepare for the playoffs. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Co. need to have home-court advantage through at least the first round of the playoffs.

Previous ranking: 9

The Suns will fight to stay out of the play-in tournament throughout the season. While their playoff position may not be what they expected, the Suns will be a dangerous team with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all healthy.

Previous ranking: 12

The Kings picked up two big wins against the Bucks and Lakers as Sacramento begins to get back into playoff shape. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will be a tough duo to stop when the playoffs roll into a 7-game series.

Previous ranking: 8

The Pelicans are currently one game ahead of the No. 7 seed Suns to stay out of the play-in tournament. New Orleans continues to benefit from a healthy Zion Williamson as well as solid play from other guys such as Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III and Jonas Valanciunas. This team will be tough once the playoffs start.

Previous ranking: 6

The Clippers have struggled a bit recently and now all eyes will be on the health of Kawhi Leonard after he left the arena during Tuesday’s loss to the Timberwolves. If Leonard misses an extended period of time, it seriously jeopardizes Los Angeles’ title chances.

Previous ranking: 7

The Cavaliers currently sit in second place in the East and own the tiebreaker against the Bucks. However, it’s hard to really consider Cleveland a serious contender given the Knicks’ injuries and poor playoff performance in 2023.

Previous ranking: 5

The Bucks took their pieces out West. They had a nice win against the Clippers, but suffered blowout defeats against the Kings and Warriors and a heartbreaking defeat against the Lakers. However, coach Doc Rivers has done wonders for this group defensively and Milwaukee once again needs to be considered a serious contender in the East.

Previous ranking: 3

The Thunder are still contenders in the West. As long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are healthy, OKC will be tough to stop. Coach Mark Diagneault has done a tremendous job with this young group.

Previous ranking: 2

Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury comes at a terrible time for the T-Wolves, but as long as Anthony Edwards is there, everything will be fine for Minnesota. Edwards has taken the next step toward stardom in the NBA and he’ll make sure Minnesota stays afloat without its star big man.

Previous ranking: 4

The defending champions are on a roll. The Nuggets have won four straight and are 10-1 since the All-Star break. Even as other teams in the league continue to improve, the Nuggets remain the class of the league. Nikola Jokic and Co. should be considered NBA favorites and teams will target Denver.

Previous ranking: 1

The Celtics remain at the top. They are the first team in the league to reach 50 wins and have been the class of the Eastern Conference all season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were fantastic as a duo while Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Al Horford and others played their roles wonderfully.