NBA Bracketology: Projecting the full 20-team postseason field as Knicks, Thunder take steps back — SkimNews
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- Oklahoma City Thunder project to the third seed in the West after losing three of five starters to injury: Jalen Williams (ankle and fibula) and Cason Wallace (shoulder) expected to miss most, if not all, of the season, and Chet Holmgren (knee) out at least two months.
- San Antonio Spurs earn the West's top seed as the defending conference champions and the one team untouched by the league-wide injury wave, though the backcourt fit among De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper remains crowded as long as Victor Wembanyama is available.
- Philadelphia 76ers sit atop the East at 7-1, lead the league in clutch victories — six of their seven wins came in games decided by five points or fewer with under five minutes to go — rank top five in defensive rating and allow the second-fewest points per game, yet land only third in the projection.
- New York Knicks, coming off the first championship in 53 years, opened the season 0-3 but remain projected fourth in the East on the strength of what the analysis calls the best starting five in the NBA.
- Detroit Pistons are projected to finish as the East's No. 1 seed for a second straight year, even as the same analysis says they are in desperate need of more shot creators to ease the burden on Cade Cunningham, with Jalen Duren playing all 38 minutes.
- Memphis Grizzlies were the last team in the league to lose their first game, going down to the Pelicans in overtime at home Monday night, but are projected 10th in the West after a hamstring injury to Ja Morant.
- Los Angeles Lakers are projected fourth in the West with Luka Dončić leading the league in scoring, though JJ Redick has openly questioned the roster and what the ancillary parts can be trusted with on a nightly basis.
Why it matters: With San Antonio healthy and the defending West champion, the Spurs take the West's top seed while Oklahoma City drops to third after losing three starters — the clearest roster-health swing in the projection. In the East, Philadelphia's 7-1 start and league-best clutch record still yields just the third seed, behind a Pistons roster the analysis says needs more shot creators.
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