The NBA playoff image adjustments yearly. Final season, 4 groups who missed the playoffs the earlier 12 months jumped into the playoff bracket. That checklist included the Detroit Pistons going from 14 wins to 44 wins and the No. 6 seed within the East, and the Houston Rockets going from 41 to 52 wins to leap to the No. 2 seed within the West.
I spy a minimum of three playoff spots up for grabs within the ‘25-26 season, and doubtlessly extra. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers every really feel poised to take a spot 12 months within the East after shedding their famous person engines to torn Achilles tendons. The Memphis Grizzlies will most likely take a step again within the West, too, after buying and selling Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for 4 first-round picks.
The NBA season all the time has just a few surprises for us, so you may most likely financial institution on one other playoff spot or two opening up by the point the postseason rolls round. Till then, right here’s three groups we predict will crash the playoffs in 2026 who missed the bracket final 12 months.
Victor Wembanyama appeared poised to guide the Spurs to a play-in event run final season earlier than he was recognized with a blood clot in his shoulder that ended his 12 months. The Spurs are placing their finest roster but round Wemby as he enters his third season, and there’s a path to the playoffs if every little thing comes collectively. The 7’5 French tremendous freak would be the finest defensive participant within the league this 12 months, and must be a top-10 offensive participant, too. The Spurs will lastly have extra ball dealing with round him with a full season of De’Aaron Fox (who performed solely 5 video games with Wembanyama final 12 months after being acquired from the Sacramento Kings on the commerce deadline) and No. 2 total choose Dylan Harper. Including Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk to the entrance courtroom ought to assist bolster the rotation a bit, too. I’m nonetheless frightened that the Spurs don’t have sufficient taking pictures, and that the roster nonetheless feels prefer it has too many guards and never sufficient wings. Nothing comes straightforward within the West, however the Spurs have a pathway to 45+ wins if Wembanyama stays wholesome.
The Hawks have been the doorstep of the playoffs final 12 months earlier than blowing two possibilities within the play-in event to make the bracket. This 12 months’s workforce has an opportunity to be considerably higher. Trae Younger continues to be the first initiator in Atlanta, and this feels just like the strongest roster his entrance workplace has ever put round him (sure, that features the 2021 Jap Convention Finals workforce). Hawks optimism begins with the return of Jalen Johnson, who appeared like he was on his strategy to growing into the workforce’s finest participant final season earlier than he suffered a torn labrum that ended his 12 months. Johnson is a big and athletic ahead who can grab-and-go in transition with the perfect of them, and has some critical downhill scoring juice. His taking pictures will the most important swing think about how excessive his ceiling can go. The Hawks aren’t simply betting on inner enchancment: in addition they added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard to the rotation this 12 months. Porzingis is never wholesome, but when that possibilities, he provides a stretch-five dimension Atlanta has by no means had within the Younger period. Alexander-Walker can play both backcourt spot with gives extra point-of-attack protection subsequent to Younger, and extra scoring juice than Dyson Daniels has. I wasn’t the most important fan of 2024 No. 1 total choose Zaccharie Risacher, however he must be a serviceable 3-and-D model wing in his second season at minimal. Lots must go proper for the Hawks to succeed in their potential, however there’s one thing nearer to 50-win upside right here if every little thing falls into place. Having the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round in hand simply makes this season even higher.
Is Joel Embiid accomplished as an elite participant? Can he even be counted on to play ~60 video games in a season anymore? If each of these questions are a no, the Sixers don’t make the playoffs this 12 months. The middle depth behind Embiid is poor (please notice I’m holding onto my Adem Bona inventory) and there’s nonetheless nothing resembling a beginning energy ahead on this roster. Philly does have loads of superior younger guards: Tyrese Maxey is a confirmed stud, Jared McCain was the perfect rookie final 12 months earlier than he acquired harm, Quentin Grimes might be good in a large number of roles, and No. 3 total choose VJ Edgecombe must be playable at minimal as a rookie. It actually all comes all the way down to Embiid, and to a lesser extent, Paul George. In a worst case state of affairs, these is perhaps the 2 worst contracts within the NBA proper now. If the 2 veteran stars may even return as a B-version of themselves, the Sixers have sufficient gasoline to blow previous the Raptors and Bulls for a playoff spot.
