Beneath, around, and exactly at Kawhi's boring surface are multitudes. All he does is drain tough jumpers, lock down scorers, and mumble. Put another way, all the moon does is reflect the sun's light back at us. Read more »

The mark of Kawhi Leonard's spirit on the Raptors' Finals run is unmistakable. They are no longer any more prone to mental or spiritual lapses than any other title fighter; in fact, they are noticeably allergic to the psycho-emotional flights. Read more »

This offseason is about adding the pieces around Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner to enable the team to take the next step. The ability to do so is there this summer given their cap situation. Read more »

The Warriors are currently far from what you imagine when you hear their name or see their colors. Stephen Curry's Game 3 was heroically futile. Great players have limits and Toronto is too deep and skilled. Read more »

The variance in Pascal Siakam's play is hard to explain or make sense of, but he needs to find some semblance of stability, enabling the rest of the team to feel secure and to ensure that good games from other players do not go to waste. Read more »

Both Kemba Walker and the Hornets have a complicated $221 million question to deal with this summer that will determine just about everything for both parties. Read more »

With few free agents and only Ryan Anderson as a real roster decision, it could be a quiet start to the offseason for the Heat. Read more »

The Warriors are going to perform their third quarter act more often than not. If the Raptors don't respond with panic and dread, at least they give themselves a chance. But life is sometimes cruel for no reason. Read more »

This summer is about taking the next step by adding more talent around the young core, especially if they can find a backup combo guard. Read more »

The symmetry is nice: in Toronto's first ever Finals victory- a long time coming in the sense that it's been 24 years of existence without a single trip to The Finals, longer-seeming due to their habitual postseason collapses- they relied on a pair of projects, one fading from stardom and one emerging into it, who took a circuitous route to top of their field. Read more »

With John Wall out and Bradley Beal playing at nearly an All-NBA level, the Wizards are too good to tank but not good enough to be a real contender. This offseason is about hiring the right GM and beginning to put a long-term plan in place. Read more »

Klay Thompson is too good to grace these power rankings but his luxuriousness to the Warriors gives him a unique pass, while the way Patrick McCaw has proven himself to be a man past surprise sneaks him onto the list as well. Read more »

There are multiple paths available to the Lakers this offseason, all of them involve a quick turnaround to maximize the presence of LeBron Jame. Read more »

We strive to explain the Raptors' Finals run because it's a dense question to puzzle over and we've got time to kill. But there is something else to do, less active but no less worthy: appreciating the moment, and everything that's come before, not divining a straight line through it but drinking in the beauty and ugliness of the broader pastiche. Read more »

The Warriors seem once again buoyant as though they're feeling a certain weight lifted when not having to work with a guy who's so domineeringly miserable. Read more »

The Wolves now have a new front office lead, but this offseason will likely be more of a subtle reset than significant overhaul. Read more »

Building through the draft is usually an exercise in compiling as much talent as possible and letting things sort themselves out over time. For the Hawks, they have been doing this while also assemblings players who complement each other. Read more »

This offseason is about retaining Kristaps Porzingis on as team-friendly a contract as possible, and then filling out the roster with depth. Read more »

This trio of secondary stars are all crucial to their respective team's success. Yet they also operate on a level without the burden of legacy building. Read more »

This offseason is all about finding the right Anthony Davis (and possibly Jrue Holiday trade) to immediately begin building around Zion Williamson. Read more »