NBA (Future) Power Rankings: Which team will run the league in 2021?

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NBA Los Angeles Clippers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

28. Detroit Pistons

It was great to see the Detroit Pistons make the playoffs this year, their fans deserve it. I don’t see that being the trend though. I’ve been a Blake Griffin apologist since he came into the league, but with his injury history, I could see his body being a shell of itself in three seasons while he takes up a large portion of their cap space.

Outside of Griffin, there are a lot of unknowns and they won’t have much unless they win big in the lottery the next couple of years. Luke Kennard is a decent young player and I like Sekou Doumbouya‘s long-term potential, but similar to the Wizards, they are going to need a lot of time to see results.

27. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder now hold a lot of draft picks after the Paul George trade, no doubt about that. Looking just three seasons away though, those picks likely won’t have a big impact yet. Combine that with the fact that I think the Thunder will go deeper into tanking mode over the next few years and you’re left with a team that isn’t going to win a lot of games.

It’s been a wildly successful run for the team since they moved from Seattle, but this next chapter is going to take a lot of patience. I will say though that it will be exciting to see what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can develop into over the next few years. He proved he could play this season and looks the part of a player who is going to be in the league for a long time.