Today’s NBA is so thoroughly overflowing with talent that there is not a single unwatchable, uninteresting, or completely hopeless team. Given that, while we'll spend most of this year focused on superstars and the contenders they lead, we should also take this moment to highlight what makes the teams who are just beginning their hopeful journeys to the top wildly intriguing and worthy of your attention. So, here are the most interesting aspects of each (clearly) rebuilding NBA team.
Houston Rockets: The continued development of Kevin Porter Jr.
Maybe I’m on an island here, but I am intrigued by almost every piece on Houston’s roster. Their rookie class is fascinating — Jalen Green is the most impressive perimeter scoring prospect of the last five years, Alperen Sengun is a tremendously skilled option who they got at excellent value, and Josh Christopher has the kind of shotmaking tools and defensive upside you don’t always get with the 24th pick. I love their young role guys, from Jae'Sean Tate to K.J. Martin, and I was obsessed with Christian Wood long before he started dropping 20 and 10 every night. But, if there is one fascinating swing element for this team, it’s Kevin Porter Jr.
Midway through last season, Porter was basically given the keys to a miserable Houston offense, and he showed some remarkable flashes, including a 50-point, 11-assist performance against the Bucks, but he also struggled to consistently produce efficiently.
Porter’s shot may be the biggest question in his game, as he converted just 31.1% of his attempts from deep last year, but he has an advanced perimeter shotmaking skillset, with a nasty handle and a step-back he trusts. If that shot becomes more reliable, you’ve got a shifty, confident, high-level scorer and playmaker who can run offense, dictate pace and help set the table for your extremely gifted pure scorers like Green and Wood. He’s also just 21 years old.
The intrigue is there with Porter, but what we saw last year was up-and-down and it was only over a 26-game sample size. Now, it’s time to see if he can smooth the edges of his game — limiting turnovers (which he had nine of in this year’s season opener) and hitting that shot more consistently, both for his pure efficiency and his ability to play off-ball at times as a spot up shooter, which would make him a more versatile and appealing option.
Playing alongside Wood should really amplify Porter's skillset, given that he'll have a dynamic pick-and-roll partner both attacking the bucket and spacing the floor, but it's ultimately up to him to demonstrate that he doesn’t just project as some sort of electrifying sixth-man (which I think has become his floor) and can be a genuine foundational piece for a team.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Is Isaac Okoro a part of this team’s future?
Perhaps this one is a little bit off the beaten path. I think Darius Garland could take the legitimate leap to stardom this season, and the Cavaliers just landed who I feel is the most impressive draft prospect in years in Evan Mobley, who already balled out in his debut. But, while I am extremely confident in those players, I view Isaac Okoro as much more of a question mark.
Okoro falls into a strange mold of players as a 6-foot-5 wing who was selected fifth overall and, as of now, can’t shoot. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of the pick largely because of that limitation, but Okoro undeniably does a number of things well: He plays with exceptional defensive effort and instincts and has great tools there given his strength and 6-foot-8 wingspan, and he’s an explosive athlete and an excellent cutter, which should always give him some off-ball value in spite of his shooting deficiencies.
Because of his defensive tools and athleticism, Okoro was always billed as a three-and-D prospect still waiting on the three, but he was entrusted with more ball-handling duties as last season progressed, and as that happened, his raw production skyrocketed. He averaged 16.2 points over his last 12 outings of 2020-21, but still struggled mightily as far as efficiency, shooting 41.7% from the field and 26.7% from deep.
Fascinatingly, Okoro’s pace as a pick-and-roll ball handler is one of the most impressive aspects of his game — he plays at his own tempo, bobbing and weaving as a mature floor general would, and is a willing and aware passer.
However, he’s still greatly limited in that respect by his lack of floater or shooting touch to keep defenses honest and punish them for dropping under screens, and he’s not dynamic enough to justify taking the ball out of Garland or Collin Sexton’s hands.
Right now, Okoro's not even starting — the Cavaliers decided to go with 7-foot Lauri Markannen at small forward in their season opener, which was totally sweet.
So, the sophomore has several essential questions to answer this year.
How far along is his shot? (Based on what we saw in summer league and preseason, I’m not loving the returns there.)
What is his best role in this league: off-ball, defensively-oriented wing or secondary playmaker who can help facilitate offense as a ball handler? (Either way, that shot sure would help him a lot.)
Is he all that good at either role, and does he work in Cleveland at all? (Right now, they probably don’t need more ball-handling and they certainly need more shooting, as nobody was worse from beyond the arc last year — so there may be some conflict there.)
It may just be his second season, but it feels like this year will tell us a huge amount about the trajectory of Okoro’s career, especially in Cleveland.
Orlando Magic: Mo Bamba.
Call me crazy — I don’t care. I reclaimed my status as a Mo Bamba investor in April, when he started seeing some legitimate floor time again and demonstrated the kind of shooting stroke, shot blocking instincts and flashes of ball-handling that you just can’t totally ignore. Over Orlando’s last 24 games, he averaged 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 33.7% from deep on 3.6 attempts per game.
He followed that up by again stroking triples and obliterating shots taken in his paint during preseason, when he averaged 3.8 blocks per game.
Then, he opened up this season with 18 points, four assists and four blocks against the Spurs on 3-4 shooting from deep.
Now do I have your attention?
The truth is, after three years of borderline ineptitude, Bamba has figured some stuff out.
That shot has gone from a “maybe someday” pipe dream to a legitimate weapon that he trusts. Although he’s struggled as a positional defender in the past and has been bullied due to his lack of strength, he had good moments guarding the pick and roll both dropping and switching against the Spurs, and he held opposing players to 9-23 shooting when he was their primary defender. Plus, his absurd length and shot blocking instincts will always help him make up for mistakes on that end.
The Magic actually ran offense through him, trusting him out of dribble handoffs, and he made a couple nice passes to cutters, as well. Adding to his offensive value, he attacked the glass hard and created second chances.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you Mo Bamba is some stud — I still worry plenty about his awareness defensively and overall physicality — but he has a chance to be a legitimate player.
I, for one, am fascinated by that. He was a sixth overall pick who didn’t look like he even knew where he was for much of three years, and now he’s balling out in season openers and somehow propelling the Magic to win the minutes he played in a game they lost by 24.
So, sure, I’m fascinated by how far the Magic’s sheer heart can take them, I’m interested in the hierarchy of their young backcourt, and I want to see how Chuma Okeke can build on a strong finish to last season — but what could top a Mo Bamba redemption arc? Nothing.
Detroit Pistons: The sophomores
The Pistons have their franchise star in Cade Cunningham — I have very little doubt about that. The pieces around him, though, are fascinating. Detroit has some underrated veterans in Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk, but they’re ultimately going to rely heavily on their three first-round choices from last season.
Isaiah Stewart is basically certain to be a productive big, given that he already averaged 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and hit 20 of 58 threes after the all-star break last season. He’s big, strong, plays with effort, can protect the rim and has touch — really, the only swing factor in his success this season is how reliably he shows the ability to stretch the floor, which could make him a great long-term option at center.
Saddiq Bey was an All-Rookie honoree alongside Stewart last season and was similarly impressive after the all-star break, when he averaged 14.5 points per game.
As a 21-year-old rookie and Villanova product, Bey projected as a high-floor, sharpshooting wing, but he was somewhat limited creating for himself, as was reflected by the fact that 54% of all his shots were catch-and-shoot threes last season. He progressed as a creator towards the end of last year, but already looks to be significantly more advanced as a ball-handler this season, with some newfound craftiness, change in pace and playmaking. He had 13 points and four assists while taking 11 shots inside the arc in Detroit’s opener, which we didn’t often see from him last year. Bey will always likely primarily be a three-and-D player, but it will be interesting to track how much he can develop as a ball handler and ultimately raise his value.
Then, there’s Killian Hayes, the seventh overall pick last season. Stewart and Bey are certain to be quality players in this league, but Hayes is a real question mark at this stage.
He has amazing natural vision and feel as a playmaker, but he cannot score the basketball. Last season, he put up 6.8 points per game on 35.3% shooting in 25.8 minutes per night. He opened this year up with a good old goose egg on the scoreboard.
Hayes wasn’t blessed with overwhelming athleticism or brilliant finishing at the rim, but he does have some craftiness and a promising floater— he just really needs that three-point shot, which he hit just 27.8% of last year, to come along.
If it does, he can play off-ball alongside Cunningham in stretches and knock down shots while also running offense on his own at times with the ability to take the top off of a defense with his pull-up jumper.
If he doesn’t, he will almost certainly be a bust by the standards of a seventh overall pick, and I do not see how he starts alongside Cunningham. He’s only 20 and he came to the NBA from the worst team in the Bundesliga last year, when he was asked to start immediately and then had his season derailed by injury, so sure, maybe he needs time — but he needs to show something as a scorer this season.
Also, yes, I do like Saben Lee. 38th pick last year. Savvy playmaker. Good touch. Keep an eye out for him to be a longtime, quality bench point guard in this league.
San Antonio Spurs: How good is Devin Vassell?
Vassell had a pretty middling rookie campaign after he was the 11th pick of the 2020 draft, averaging just 5.5 points per game, but he looks like a different player this season.
Vassell suggested that progress was on the way in summer league — he wasn’t overwhelmingly efficient, but he demonstrated some intriguing change in pace and shotmaking off the dribble from midrange.
In his debut against the Magic, he showed that development was real by setting career-highs with 19 points and five assists, confidently drifting into pull-up jumpers and repeatedly getting to his spots, flashing impressive footwork to create space, and making solid decisions as a passer.
I don’t think there’s much of a star ceiling for Vassell, given that he hasn’t shown that he can regularly get downhill and he has a long ways to go establish himself as a legitimate playmaker, but if he can give you a three-and-D skillset with some high-end perimeter and midrange shotmaking off the bounce, you’ve got yourself a player.
Ultimately, somebody has to separate himself out of this Spurs’ young core — I like Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker, and they all do several things at a high level, but none of them project to be a top-two offensive option on any strong team, in my opinion. They have their Swiss Army Knife role guys, but they need a star. I don’t think Vassell is that guy, but he may still have the tools to be quite the valuable complementary piece, and he’s come out of the gate as a surprisingly impressive player to me.
Maybe you think Josh Primo, who they selected 12th this year, is the guy, but I find it unlikely that he’ll play much this year given that he’s only 18 and Gregg Popovich has been extremely conservative playing his young guys as rookies over the past several years.
So, for now, I’ll keep my eyes on Vassell.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Rookies, rookies, rookies
Last season, the Thunder had one player who I thought was undeniably a part of their future plans — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Everybody else was a crapshoot. Then, they even offered up SGA for some ungodly reason.
So, naturally, they’ve got a lot riding on this rookie class.
Josh Giddey, who the Thunder selected sixth overall, is undeniably exciting. I loved him early on in the draft process because I’m a fiend for great passing and he filled up the stat sheet while facing legitimate competition in the NBL, but I was shocked when he went as high as he did.
My primary concern with Giddey was his ability to create for himself as a scorer in the half-court, which I’d say remains valid.
Giddey balled out in preseason, averaging 13.5, 7.0 and 5.0, but didn’t give much reason to believe in what is probably the biggest question about his game — his jump shot off the dribble.
Giddey made 4-10 threes in preseason, but all of his makes came off the catch as he struggles to get his feet aligned properly or generate a fluid motion when he’s shooting off any kind of movement. If he wants to be a great pick-and-roll ball handler, major parts of his shot mechanic will therefore need to change.
Right now, I think he’ll be overly reliant on his ability to attack in transition and his floater, because everybody’s just going to drop under screens set for him until he proves he can knock down a triple off the bounce — so don’t expect a ton of gaudy scoring numbers from Giddey as a rookie. The four points he scored on 2-7 shooting in his debut against the Jazz will probably not be a complete outlier.
However, he really is a jaw-dropping passer. At 6-foot-8, he delivers creative bounce passes, whips to the corner with crazy velocity, mid-air drop-offs — really, just about everything in the book, and his ability to read the floor out of the pick and roll and in transition is outstanding, as he excels at various different paces of play.
-Ultimately, his shot will probably determine whether or not he can be a true offensive star and primary ball handler, and we’re just not going to see a super developed version of it this year — but I’m absolutely here for the flashy passes, and his development long-term is going to be fascinating.
18th overall pick Tre Mann also has the tools to be a nasty bucket getter in the league, with an advanced handle and a dynamic shot off the dribble, featuring a nasty step-back, at 6-foot-5. We’ll see how he develops in the non-scoring aspects of his game, but he looked confident in his debut, when he scored nine points.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, one of my favorite picks of the draft at No. 32 overall, is also going to be a great role player in this league — he can guard multiple positions, space the floor and make good decisions as a passer. Really, he just has a winning skillset, and it helped him score 10 points in 13 minutes versus Utah.
So, I think they got some impact guys in this draft, and given the nature of the Thunder’s roster, we will get to see them plenty this season, which should be a lot of fun.
NOTE:
I do not consider the Minnesota Timberwolves to be rebuilding. They are the best team in basketball and will likely win 60-70 games. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most gifted offensive centers we’ve ever seen, Anthony Edwards has already arrived as a legitimate star, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell are dynamic third and fourth options, and Jaden McDaniels is a future top-50 player in the league. These guys care now, they’re energized, they’re healthy and they’re constantly improving. Play-in season incoming.
I suppose you could argue the Kings, Raptors or Pelicans belong in this group, too. I don’t project any of them to make the play-in, but I think they’re all further along than any of the teams written about here and expect to win now.
As mind-boggling as it is, I also don’t think the Wizards are “rebuilding” right now — they’d probably say they’re “retooling” around their centerpiece guy. They won’t win very many games and they have a couple of recent lottery picks on their roster, but it’s tough to categorize a group that’s completely directionless. Regardless, keep an eye out for what we see from Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, and appreciate the ludicrous depth this team has.
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