What is the biggest takeaway from the NBA Playoffs so far?
Rossman-Reich: Role players matter. In the Playoffs, everyone is going to find a way to shut down or slow down your stars. Scoring is down and defenses have reasserted themselves. But having a strong supporting cast makes life easier for the stars. Joe Johnson has stepped up in a big way as the LA Clippers try to clamp down on Gordon Hayward. Bobby Portis stepped up for the Chicago Bulls early in their series. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s loss was notable for the lack of role players — including Victor Oladipo — rising to the occasion and giving Russell Westbrook the support he needs. To win in the Playoffs, you need depth.
Scricca: The playoffs expose your weaknesses more than they highlight your strengths. You need to be prepared to deal with that. For example, the Boston Celtics’ rebounding woes, the Chicago Bulls’ point guard/spacing issues, the Los Angeles Clippers’ and Washington Wizards’ depth, etc. All have been exposed to some degree. How a team responds says everything about ho to cut out whether they are ready for championship-level basketball. The teams that are most successful either have utterly overwhelming strengths (like having LeBron James on your team) or are good at adapting and creatively solving problems with versatile players and good coaching, like the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics or Golden State Warriors. Never underestimate what a good coach, like the Jazz’s Quin Snyder, can do for a team.
Palmer: People need to show some respect to Mike Conley. That dude is a legitimate superstar and somehow he cannot manage to make an All-Star team. Let’s expand this, superstars matter. Mike Conley, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and so on. Heck, you can add Paul George to that list even though his team got swept. These players have the ability to take over and change a series. Even if the Magic end up becoming a playoff team, it is hard to imagine them getting out of the first round without adding one of these superstars.
Next: Coaching continuity could be big for Orlando Magic
Iwanowski: You really cannot afford to have guys with poor jump shots offensively and big men who cannot move defensively. The Magic, funny enough, have built their team around both of those player types. Players like Andre Roberson are getting completely ignored by the defense, and that in turn ruins the offensive flow and makes the paint too difficult for guys to penetrate. So many spread pick-and-rolls happen in the playoffs, specifically from the strong offensive teams, and you really need to have mobile defenders who can guard multiple positions and still be able to rotate. Guys like Enes Kanter and Pau Gasol get exposed defensively to the point where their offense is neutralized and their coaches do not feel too comfortable with them on the court. The Magic have consistently been behind the rest of the league in filling their wings with shooters and their bigs with versatile defenders. It appears they are now on the right track, but it brings up a concern about whether Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton can ever be real contributors on a playoff team. It also makes me think that perhaps Aaron Gordon’s future could be a small-ball 5 on a playoff team, at least for stretches. I always wanted Aaron Gordon’s game to emulate that of Draymond Green, and it is looking more and more like he will need to in order to play a big role on a playoff team.