OKC Thunder 30 for 30 roundtable: Teams benefiting most by suspension

The next two questions in the OKC Thunder 30 for 30 roundtable series ponder which teams will benefit or suffer most from the layoff.

Continuing the OKC Thunder 30 for 30 roundtable the next segment finds the T.I. writing team opining on which teams benefit the most from the hiatus.

With that, I give you question 15 from the series…

Q15: Which team(s) benefits the most from the suspension?

Shontelle Matano:

I believe the Toronto Raptors, Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers benefit the most from the suspension. The Raptors went into the break with Norman Powell, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet hurt. This season they have experienced being shorthanded more than any other playoff team, yet they prevail and are second in the East with four games to make 50 wins. Imagine what they will be like at full strength?

The Clippers will benefit because of the injuries they have had to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley throughout the season. They will have more time to fully recover and recharge for a hectic playoff run with a lot to prove.

There is still a chance the Trail Blazers can make the playoffs and their best bet would be the 8th spot in the West. Damian Lillard has done everything he can for his team this year despite them slipping out of the postseason frame. He’ll have more time to rest and for his team to figure out how they can push for the top eight.

Rylan Stiles:

I think a team like the Bucks or 76ers, and even the OKC Thunder benefit the most from this delay. It really just comes down to rest. While the Bucks were having a great season, Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a knee injury. And we all know that time is the best thing to heal a possible nagging injury in such a serious spot.

That is really the common theme for all these teams you look at the 76ers with a banged-up Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, they need time to regroup and sadly for them, they will be on the opposite side of this coin as well.

For the OKC Thunder, two of their biggest factors are Chris Paul and Steven Adams. While the team has had a ton of success in their chemistry and a sharpshooter like Gallo would prefer to stay in the groove, with CP3 and Adams, they are both consistently breaking down in the postseason. This delay gives them the best shot to finish out a playoff run strong.

Dustin McGowen

The Brooklyn Nets benefit most from the suspension. If the season starts again in the mid to late summer, the currently seventh-ranked Nets could see returns from the four players who were injured in March. A Brooklyn squad with Kyrie Irving and a fresh Kevin Durant could go deep in the playoffs.

Tamberlyn Richardson:

Teams with core players injured will benefit from the rest as well as clubs who were suffering slippage. The one team fitting in both categories is the Milwaukee Bucks. Just prior to the hiatus Milwaukee suffered their first back to back losses of the season which extended into three in a row. Additionally, Giannis Antetokounmpo got injured in a freak (no pun intended) fall in LA.

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The 76ers were missing Ben Simmons and losing more than winning. Back injuries are precarious at best, therefore, additional time to heal is highly beneficial.

One caveat for the 76ers however, is if the NBA elects to have all games played in one central location it’s Philly and the Heat who’ll suffer the most since they feast at home and struggle on the road.

As long as the NBA doesn’t just jump into the playoffs with the teams currently seeded then the Trail Blazers will benefit as Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins were both nearing a return.

Five seeded teams were 5-5 in their last 10 games including the Celtics, 76ers, Nets, Nuggets, and Jazz while the Grizzlies were 4-6. All six teams will be happy they get a clean slate when games resume.

Up next on Tuesday the team looks to which clubs suffer the most from the long hiatus.

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy day.