UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

PANIC BUTTON TEAMS:

DALLAS MAVERICKS - This is the easiest to identify and the easiest to talk about. Yes, their depth was decimated by COVID and they slid down the rankings. The problem is, even when healthy, that have not looked very good. This team greatly misses Seth Curry as they rank 23rd in scoring, 21st in 3-pointers made, and dead last in 3-point percentage. Their inability to bring in a guy like Valanciunas or Tristan Thompson has also hurt them, as they rank 28th in rebounding and 22nd in blocks. Looking around the league, it is possible for them to get better. JJ Redick has been noted as being available and Whiteside appears to have fallen out of the Kings' regular rotation. The Mavs do not have a treasure trove of draft picks to help them shop, but they have 3 young players they drafted this year that all appear to be projects that could be helpful on a rebuilding team. With Powell still working himself back into shape from an Achilles injury, Kleber being mostly ineffective, and WCS incredibly inconsistent, they need to start shopping around. Their 2021 1st Round pick is unprotected and owned by New York, so if they continue down this path, it's going to be a tough off-season as they don't have the luxury of tanking for an elite prospect. Mavs fans are slamming the panic button right now.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS - I was quite optimistic about this team going into the season. Westbrook is not the same player he was even a couple a years ago, but he's still a consistent double-double threat, can score at will, and has incredible rebound awareness. Match him up with one of the best offensive 2-guards in the league, it almost looked like a comparable set-up to Houston, but younger. This has not been the case thus far. Despite his willingness to work hard in the gym, he has done nothing but drag this team down. His empty stats and poor efficiency have led to only 5 wins on the season. While Beal has refused to say he'd like to leave, he's become sort of a meme at this point during every loss. A lot of the young prospects on this team have yet to really breakout - Bryant is out for the season due to injury, Rui is about the same as last year, Bertans is playing atrociously with his new contract, Avdija is still getting up to NBA-speed, and guys like Troy Brown and Jerome Robinson are barely in the rotation. They still have their pick, so that is really the only thing the Wizards have to look forward to. Don't be surprised if they blow this team up at the deadline.

ORLANDO MAGIC - After a promising start to the season, they seem to have completely stalled and are on the decline. They've lost 4 in a row, rank toward the bottom in most statistical categories, and lack an semblance of a superstar player. Aaron Gordon looks miserable, Fournier is likely gone next year, the lost Fultz for the year, their #6 overall pick in 2018, Mo Bamba, is getting almost no playing time, and while Cole Anthony has shown some flashes, he's a role player at this stage in his career. They don't have Isaac, they don't have Okeke, they have literally no hope and almost no chance at making playoffs. Gordon and Fournier have moveable contracts and they need to consider freeing up some cap space to try to bring in a guy in the summer. The Magic have been fringe playoff team for several years now, so it seems like now would be a good time to tank in a pretty loaded draft.

MIAMI HEAT - Their panic button is more like a soft tap at this point. They were without Jimmy Butler for a long time and it really slid them down in the rankings. Right now they are 7.5 games back of .500, but only 2.5 games back of an 8-seed. Both their offense and defense are off this year, but most of their team from last year is in tact and with them regaining health, they should continue to edge back up as the season progresses. They may not finish the year as a top-4 seed, yet I'm still very optimistic they will make the playoffs, as teams like the Cavs, Hornets, and Knicks are bound to slide out of the playoff conversation and the Heat and Raptors slide into their normal spots.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2021]

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