3 Lottery Teams That Will Make the Playoffs Next Year

Posted on April 12, 2019

The road to title contention always starts at the bottom. This pertains to a lot of really good teams that aren’t making the playoffs this season.

The reasons as to why these good teams aren’t making the playoffs this season are because of injuries, youth, and/or bad coaching.

Fear no more, lotto teams, the regular season is coming to an end, and the lottery is a month away with the draft following.

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are a team that missed the playoffs because of every reason I proposed. Fred Hoiberg lost the spirit and showed no energy to the team which led to his firing. The Bulls are the youngest team in the NBA. And the Bulls were riddled with season-ending injuries.

After acquiring Otto Porter Jr. in February, the Bulls went on a winning record with him and Zach LaVine in the starting lineup. When you watch the Bulls play, it’s obvious to see how big of an impact Otto has while on the court. His 3&D ability allowed him to space the floor for slashers as well as defend the best player on the opposing team. But alas, once the Bulls traded for him and started winning, it was too late to make the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty ImagesRob Pelinka

This might seem like the most obvious choice, but it’s not. Only a few predicted the Lakers to miss the playoffs this season, like my friend, Noel, who I constantly expressed to about how the Lakers were a lock for the playoffs.

In a way, they were victims of my three reasons as well. They had a young nucleus, terrible coach in Luke Walton, and an injury bug.

Now, the Lakers have to make a choice whether or not to keep the young nucleus, or to trade them for a star player that can help LeBron James and the team win immediately.

I see the Lakers going with the second option!

Sacramento Kings

After a long duration of losing seasons, the Kings found themselves with a promising record of 39-42 after 81 games. This, however, still does not place them in the playoffs.

Their young core is impressing the league. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley III look to be a strong big three if the Kings can keep them during their prime. Once they finally acquire better role players and another year of experience, they’ll indubitably become one of the best teams in the west.

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