The Beneficiaries of the NBA Hiatus

Even with the NBA season on hold, some teams are benefiting from the time off. Today, I will be giving a list of some the teams that are benefiting the most from the NBA hiatus.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors had nothing going for them. They had the worst record in the NBA. Their franchise players of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were either recovering from injury or still injured and unable to play.

But, now with the hiatus, the Warriors get a chance to rest and heal. Klay Thompson will be getting rested and getting some physical therapy. He will be able to return to the court next season if everything goes right for the Warriors. And, if the 20-21 season gets delayed, then Thompson gets even more time to heal and get back to 100%.

Another positive is the Warriors management and coaches getting the opportunity to getting to watch more film and make the right draft choice. And, the Warriors have a very vital draft coming up for them, and they will need to make the right decision to get their team back to a championship contender. But, now they get more time to evaluate their options.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers were a mess before the hiatus. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were in and out of injuries, with Ben Simmons set to being out for weeks before the hiatus. They could not win a road game at all, and they were destined for an abysmal playoffs.

But, with this time, Ben Simmons is going to be able to get better from his back injury. Through all of the drama with the 76ers, Ben Simmons has been great for the 76ers this season, and with him healthy, they will be much better off in the playoffs.

Another thing that the 76ers can do is think. Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Josh Richardson have been inefficient and inconsistent all year, and maybe they could find a way to get back into rhythm or find better ways to contribute. They could also figure out a better way to run the offense. With Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there is virtually no floor spacing. They might need to figure out a better system to give both Simmons and Embiid time to use their talents in the paint.

Nonetheless, the 76ers really needed this time to re-evaluate their team, and maybe if the NBA season resumed, we would see if they were a better team.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets had a very promising look going into this season. Even knowing they that would we without Kevin Durant, the Nets were still favorited to do big things in the Eastern Conference this season.

But, things fell apart. Kyrie Irving did not play much, and the chemistry was never there. But, with this hiatus, the Nets could still figure things out.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now get more time to recover from their injuries. There are two ways that this could benefit the team;

#1 – They could both return in the playoffs and become instant contenders in the east. They would likely win a lot more games against the #2 seeded Raptors than they would be expected too, or even win the series with the dynamic duo. With KD and Kyrie back, the Nets would be instant contenders for the Championship.

#2 – the 2019-20 season could be cancelled, and even more time could be missed with the 2020-21 season. This would mean that Irving and Durant would have more time to rest and get better. This would mean that they would come out of the hiatus in 2020-21 season rested and ready to take on the rest of the league. And, even if the 2020-21 season gets delayed, KD and Kyrie get more time to rest.

Both of these are win-win for the Nets, and I don’t think that the Nets have a problem with either. But, either way, the Nets are going to come out of hiatus a better team.

Honorable Mentions

Utah Jazz
Rudy Gobert – Donovan Mitchell Repairing Relationship

Indiana Pacers
Oladipo Gets Back To Old Form

Portland Trail Blazers
Injuries to Key Players Fixed

I hope you have enjoyed my list about the teams who are benefiting from the NBA hiatus period, please leave a comment on any teams you would add from this list, and any players specifically that are benefiting from the hiatus.