Which teams have the most to look forward to this season? Which players have the most to gain from the second half of the season?
Our NBA Insiders pick the East and West teams and players that have the brightest outlooks.
1. Which East team should be most excited about its upside?
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Boston. Right now the Celtics are in the gravy portion of their life cycle: not good enough to warrant expectations but good enough to beat anyone in the East. The home stretch and playoff run awaiting Boston will give valuable experience to its young roster, experience that will carry over to future permutations of the Celtics and/or increase trade market value this summer.
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: Boston Celtics. They have a great coach, a winning franchise, a top-notch culture, young talent and assets galore. Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers have the highest ceiling, that also comes with enormous expectations. The Celtics can play out the season feeling giddy about their future whereas the Cavs might feel burdened by it.
Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Insider: Boston in a runaway. For the remainder of this season, if the Celtics play to their point differential, they'll win a playoff series and pose a major challenge for whoever they play in the second round. They'll enter the offseason perceived to be "one step away." By then, they might own the top pick of the draft if the lottery goes well. Then free agency hits, where Danny Ainge has the cap flexibility and pieces to acquire an upper-tier star.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: The Boston Celtics. On May 17, the NBA will hold its draft lottery before Game 1 of the conference finals. It's conceivable the Celtics could win the lottery (via the Brooklyn Nets) and then take the court in the Eastern Conference finals. And if that dream scenario unfolds, Boston would become a very interesting player in free agency this summer.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: Gotta be the Pistons. Think about it. Andre Drummond is still just 22, Stanley Johnson is a teenager and both have significant upsides to uncover. But that's just the beginning. Tobias Harris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are 23 and each has a solid future ahead, while Reggie Jackson has made the big jump to playing like an All-Star. Combine these "kids" with a coach who knows how to build cohesion around a team identity of defense and playing the right way and you have an attractive team to veteran free agents.
2. Which West team should be most excited about its upside?
Doolittle: Golden State. If the possibilities for your immediate future include: 1. shattering the league record for wins; 2. winning a second straight title; 3. signing Kevin Durant -- that's about as upside as it gets.
Haberstroh: Golden State Warriors. You might break the record for wins in a season and there are stories every other day about the 2014 MVP joining your team this summer. When people are arguing whether you might be too dominant for the sport's own good, that's a great place to be.
Thorpe: Portland. The Trail Blazers' dynamic guards have been empowered by coach Terry Stotts to focusing on their talents and not their weaknesses (size). A fifth-place finish in the West is in reach, and then the fun begins after the season, because one star added to this mix can immediately place them into contention. Quick shout-out to their acquisition of Ed Davis, quietly doing so many little things for his team off the bench (but often next to starters).
Pelton: The Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have a realistic opportunity to post the best record in NBA history and then win their second consecutive championship. Come on, who could possibly have more upside than that?
Elhassan: Golden State. What upside could be better than back to back?
3. Which East player's upside is most exciting?
Thorpe: Hassan Whiteside. He is about to turn 27 but is still learning how to play offense in that huge body, and not having Chris Bosh alongside him (in the short term) gets him to be more assertive on that end. Just a little improvement as a screener and passer and in his overall basketball IQ will thrust him into being one of the elite centers in the game. If he gets his head straight, of course.
Pelton: Myles Turner. This time a month ago, the 19-year-old rookie had yet to start an NBA game. Now, Turner might already be the Indiana Pacers' second-best player, and the team is going to rely heavily on him down the stretch and into the postseason. Buckle up.
Haberstroh: Kristaps Porzingis. A 7-foot-3 big man with a legitimate 3-point shot and great instincts who also happens to move like he's 6-3? That's a heckuva player. That's a generational talent once you consider he's just 20 years old.
Elhassan: John Wall. The combination of a healthier roster and the addition of Markieff Morris gives Washington a good chance at making the playoffs despite underachieving for most of the season. That only happens if Wall continues the stellar pace of play he's exhibited.
Doolittle: So much of the news from Cleveland revolves around LeBron James and -- for drama -- Kevin Love, that we tend to forget just how good Kyrie Irving is. He's been freakishly consistent during his career but in the past few weeks has turned up the volume. In February, he has averaged 24 points on a .610 true shooting percentage. Now, consider his opportunity: To confront the MVP (Steph Curry) in the Finals and become the difference-maker in Cleveland ending a half-century-long championship drought.
4. Which West player's upside is most exciting?
Pelton: Stephen Curry. Along the same lines as the Warriors, by maintaining his current level of play, Curry has the chance to put together one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history. Performing like this on the playoff stage would put Curry in the conversation as one of the league's all-time greats.
Thorpe: With apologies to Damian Lillard, who seems to be on a personal mission to make opponents pay for his All-Star snubbing, I nominate Anthony Davis. He had fallen way back on the list of "best in the league" and is now marching toward the front. The Pelicans are healthier for now, far more so than earlier in the season, so seeing him win two "player of the month" awards wouldn't surprise me in the least.
Elhassan: Damian Lillard. Almost no one envisioned the Blazers to be in the playoff conversation at this stage of the season. Lillard has been on a mission since the All-Star break to avenge his snubbing. Portland might miss the playoffs after all but I have a strong hunch that it won't be due to Lillard's lack of trying.
Haberstroh: Kawhi Leonard. He's already the full package and yet it feels like he's just getting started. We're talking about a defensive player of the year who leads the league in 3-point shooting and averages 20 points per game as a 24-year-old. Looking long term, in the Spurs' system that keeps guys playing at an elite level until they're almost 40, I feel better about buying low on him than anybody.
Doolittle: It's good to be Kevin Durant. His numbers have climbed back to his pre-injury levels and I think OKC still has a hellacious playoff run in it. I don't know if the Thunder can get past Golden State or San Antonio, but we know he's going to leave it all on the floor. Then he gets to sign with whoever he pleases since there's not a team in the league that wouldn't move mountains to bring him in.
5. Which team or player's long-term upside do you find most fascinating?
Haberstroh: LeBron James. I used to think the King was going to bring a title to Cleveland. But that was before Golden State and San Antonio became all-time juggernauts. And that was before I realized that James was going with the old-school approach with his minutes and rest. I have my doubts if his body will hold up after five straight Finals appearances. I hope he proves those worries wrong.
Pelton: Minnesota Timberwolves. Don't look now, but the Timberwolves have been competitive since moving Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine into the starting lineup alongside holdovers Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. That fivesome hasn't been able to stop anyone but has presented problems for opposing defenses with its shooting.
Elhassan: Without a doubt, the most intriguing future in the NBA (outside of Golden State's reign of terror) is in Minnesota. Between Andrew Wiggins and surefire stud center Karl Towns, the Wolves have all the necessary ingredients for an Oklahoma City-like decade of excellence.
Doolittle: This season, the Bucks have largely slipped back into the obscurity in which they've always dwelt. But even if this year's season of regression is disappointing, Milwaukee's long-term vision continues to come into focus. That vision is centered around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker and both of them get better by the week. The Bucks have plenty of other high-upside pieces locked down to support that duo and time to add an impact point guard before Parker has to be extended. Whether or not Milwaukee gets into this postseason, the Bucks are an emerging power.
Thorpe: Imagine a scenario where the Timberwolves hire a super sharp CEO and a great head coach. Every talented person for both categories would now consider a job there, thanks to the talent that team has, and the owners' interest in selling (at least a part) of the team. The franchise has been down for so long, victims of bad luck and poor management, but with the right hires it is ready to launch an era of basketball that should become its best ever.