The much ballyhooed NBA In-Season Tournament has finally arrived, with the first group play action tipping off Friday night.
I’ve been following this thing from the very beginning, making predictions for who I thought would win each group and the entire tournament all the way back in July. And because I still feel good about my Sacramento Kings versus Boston Celtics championship matchup, I’ll stick with it.
But what should we expect from the other teams with NBA title aspirations? While some teams have come out of the gates firing on all cylinders, are there any we can rule out of winning the in-season tournament due to slow starts or other factors? I believe so.
Before we get to those teams, here’s a look at tournament odds at BetMGM.
Now, let’s get into the list.
Phoenix Suns
Mike Christy/Getty Images
Did you see what Victor Wembanyama did to Phoenix Thursday night? He had a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds, while putting together one of the most impressive rookie highlight reels you’ll see.
To be fair to Phoenix, he’ll be doing that a lot this season. But the bigger issue is the Suns lost to the San Antonio Spurs … for the second game in a row. This is a team very clearly still gelling, and they’ll have to adjust again when Bradley Beal returns from injury for his team debut. I wouldn’t count on them making a deep run anytime soon.
Los Angeles Clippers
AP Photo/Richard Vogel
The Clippers just made the biggest splash of the early season, trading for James Harden, and nobody knows exactly how that team is going to come together. What does seem apparent is that it’ll take some time for a team full of All-Stars with overlapping skillsets to figure out roles and become a smooth operation. Until that happens, fade the Clips.
Miami Heat
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
I could have went with the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been underwhelming during a 2-2 start to the season, but their group is too weak to rule them out. That group includes the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, who are 1-4, with one of those losses coming to the Bucks.
Miami is struggling, and to make matters worse, you never know who’s going to be in the lineup from night to night.
