18. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors‘ success over the next few years will be directly correlated to the development of Pascal Siakam. He was the NBA’s Most Improved Player this past season but will soon be the most important player on the Raptors if he isn’t already.
Masai Ujiri is one of the best executives in the league so I think he’ll be able to figure something out, but Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol will be out of there relatively soon due to their age and contracts, leaving a shell of the team that just won a championship only a few months ago.
17. San Antonio Spurs
I don’t feel great about putting the San Antonio Spurs this high on the list. They are really only this high because they’ve attained such a level of consistent organizational excellence for basically my entire life so it’s impossible for me to imagine them not being competitive. The core is aging fast (again), but they have some solid young players like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker.
I don’t think any of those guys are players that you can build a team around, though. Plus, there’s probably a good chance Gregg Popovich is no longer with the team. That being said, this front office has proven time and time again that they are as smart as any team not just in the NBA, but sports in general.