The Question Every NBA Team Has Failed to Answer in 2019-20 – Bleacher Report

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With roughly 20 percent of the NBA regular season left to be played, every team could use some extra time to sort out unanswered questions.

Whether it be lottery-bound teams developing young cores or playoff hopefuls that are trying to incorporate trade-deadline additions, every team still needs more time to evaluate its roster.

When the NBA resumes, these are the biggest issues teams should seek clarity for.

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The Atlanta Hawks gave up the Brooklyn Nets' first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and Evan Turner to get Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets in a four-team deal at the trade deadline. Two months later, we still have no idea how he fits on the roster.

Capela had been sidelined with plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in his heel since Jan. 29 and was scheduled to be reevaluated March 18. At that point there would have only been 13 games left on Atlanta's schedule.

Since the team is stocked with young talent at the four other positions, Atlanta's trade for the 25-year-old Capela made sense. Heaveraged 14.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game and shot 64.5 percent from the field in Houston over the past three years, playing strong defense that should help the Hawks'No. 28 ranking (114.8 rating) in the category.

Spacing could become an issue given Capela's lack of shooting, but power forward John Collins is up to a career-high 40.1 percent mark from three to help ease any concerns.

Depending on the severity of Capela's injuries, we may not get our answer until next season.

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While the Boston Celtics were probably hoping to snag Tristan Thompson or John Henson on the buyout market, they'll have to settle for a center combination of Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter and Robert Williams III.

With Theis locked in as starter, the 28-year-old is averaging 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and shooting 56.5 percent in just 23.8 minutes per game. Despite his modest size, the 6'8", 245-pound Theis is a good athlete who times his shot contests well.

Come the playoffs, however, his lack of size could be an issue.

If the postseason started with the current seedings, Boston would face the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round in a No. 3 vs. No. 6 series. That means a Theis-Joel Embiid matchup, with Embiid standing four inches taller and outmuscling Theis by 35 pounds.

If Boston were to advance, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol of the Toronto Raptors would likely be up next, followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez in the Eastern Conference Finals.

While Theis has done a solid job, can he hold up night after night against much bigger, stronger competition in the playoffs?

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Taking over for the fired Kenny Atkinson, Jacque Vaughn coached just two games with the Brooklyn Nets before the NBA was suspended March 11.

While he went 2-0 in those games, which included an impressive road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, he'll likely need a far bigger sample size to make a case for keeping the job past this season.

Slapped with the interim tag, Vaughn does bring an impressive resume with him to get a contract extension.

He's a former NBA point guard, playing 12 seasons for the Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs. He's played alongside guys like John Stockton, Karl Malone, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Tim Duncan, learning from some all-time coaching greats in Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich.

He also brings head-coaching experience, leading the Magic from 2012 to 2015.

While former head coaches like Tyronn Lue, Mark Jackson and David Fizdale may all be considered, Vaughn shouldn't be ruled out.

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Devonte' Graham began his season on the Charlotte Hornets'bench before the organization quickly figured out he was its best player.

Averaging 18.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game, Graham has become a beacon of hope on a miserable Hornets roster that still has to pay Terry Rozier $36.8 million over the next two years.

Still, it's fair to question Graham's ceiling and role on a playoff team.

Despite his high scoring and assist marks, the 25-year-old is shooting just 38.2 percent from the field. Of the 57 players who have taken at least 750 shots this season, heranks lastin field-goal percentage.

A split from playing alongside Rozier may help, as Graham has a true shooting percentage of 59.0 off the bench, compared to 52.9 percent as a starter. On the season, he owns a net rating of minus-6.0 when sharing the court with Rozier, compared to minus-1.5 when Graham is in the game and Rozier sits. His true shooting jumps from 51.1 percent to 57.3 percent when getting the floor to himself, as well.

If the Hornets don't want to move Rozier and his contract to the bench, then letting Graham thrive as a reserve may be the better option.

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Is the Chicago Bulls' rebuild at the point of drafting for position, or is this still a best-player-available sort of deal?

That's what Chicago has to figure out, and it has more questions than answers regarding foundational pieces.

Wendell Carter Jr. is safe at center, having averaged 11.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game, with a plus-4.0on/off rating this year. Injuries have stalled his first two seasons, but he's got star potential and can anchor a defense.

Coby White has made major improvements as the year's gone on from the point guard position, but he's not a true pass-first floor general. Zach LaVine is averaging 25.5 points per game but has spent more time at small forward this season than his native shooting guard.

Otto Porter Jr. was brilliant after coming over in a trade from the Washington Wizards last season but has played in just 14 games this year because of foot problems and holds a player option for 2020-21. Power forward didn't look like a need with Lauri Markkanen in tow, but his production has dipped across the board.

Center looks like the only position the Bulls should avoid in the draft, with more time needed to evaluate the other spots.

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While the Cleveland Cavaliers can be patient with their young backcourt of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr., they may need to make a decision on 26-year-old Andre Drummond soon.

Acquiring him for a pair of expiring contracts and a 2023 second-round pick was fine, especially with the level of production (17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks in 28.1 minutes per game) he's given Cleveland in his first eight games.

With the Cavs' three young guards averaging 20 years in age, does Drummond still fit a rebuilding timeline when he's set to turn 27 in August? General manager Koby Altman seems to think so.

"Absolutely, we consider him a potential long-term play," Altman said in a conference call after the trade deadline. "Obviously, he has a player option that if he picks up, we think we're in good shape in terms of our cap space. There's no better money spent than on Andre Drummond if he picks up his option."

Barring a trade, Drummond will almost certainly be back with the Cavaliers next season on a $28.8 million player option.

After that, the Cavs may be wary of investing in a non-modern center who's approaching 30.

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When talking NBA title contenders, the Dallas Mavericks often get left out of the conversation.

But why? Dallas has the NBA's sixth-highest net rating (plus-5.8), ahead of teams such as the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets.

They've also had the No. 1-ranked offense nearly all season (115.8 rating), with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis thriving in their roles.

While this makes the Mavs seem underrated, they have their faults.

They have fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. The defense is just 17th overall, and losing Dwight Powell to a torn right Achilles in January was a devastating blow.

Getting out of the seventh seed is a big deal, as moving up to sixth means the difference between playing the Los Angeles Clippers or the Nuggets in the first round.

But without a postseason, we probably won't know how to properly value this team.

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Michael Porter Jr. has all the makings of a star.

He possesses a 6'10", 218-pound athletic frame that seems a model for today's power forward. His 42.2 percent shooting from three on 102 attempts proves his outside game should be sustainable, and his 16.5 total rebound percentage is already better than Paul Millsap's (13.5).

Despite all these positive qualities, Porter Jr. is averaging just 14.0 minutes in his 48 games, starting just once.

While head coach Michael Malone doesn't appear to be the biggest fan of playing a rookie for a team with title hopes, the Nuggets will need clarity on his progress before the offseason.

Millsap is 35 and set to become an unrestricted free agent. Backup Jerami Grant has a player option for $9.3 million that he could easily decline.

At some point, Porter Jr. will play a big role for the Nuggets. They need to find out if he's ready for the promotion.

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By keeping veteran point guard Derrick Rose at the trade deadline, the Detroit Pistons signaled they may not be ready to dive into a deep rebuild.

While Drummond was essentially traded for cap space and Reggie Jackson waived, Rose remains under contract for next season, and Blake Griffin has two years and $75.8 million remaining on his deal.

Griffin had season-ending knee surgery in early January, meaning the Pistons will be hard-pressed to find a taker for his contract.

If Griffin and Rose are both coming back, should Detroit still try to make the playoffs?

One of the few teams with significant cap space this summer, the Pistons could try to entice a player such as Fred VanVleet or DeMar DeRozan (player option) to jump on board if they don't want to go the rebuilding route. Bringing back center Christian Wood (21.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game, .560/.408/.734 as a starter) is a must as well.

With the Eastern Conference still incredibly weak toward the bottom, it's reasonable to think of Detroit as a playoff team next season.

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Andrew Wiggins has built a reputation for being an inefficient scorer who doesn't provide much rebounding or ball distribution, despite his obvious athletic gifts.

So far with the Golden State Warriors, that hasn't changed.

Wiggins' true shooting percentage has remainedabout the samegoing from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Warriors (53.5 percent to 54.2 percent), as have his rebounding (7.9 total rebound percentage to 7.4) and passing (18.1 assist percentage to 18.2).

The 25-year-old small forward has never been a good defender, either, an issue that could show up more on a title-hopeful Warriors team.

So much of Golden State's success over the past decade has revolved not just around outside shooting, but also ball movement and defense. Those aren't Wiggins' strengths.

Six years into Wiggins' career, can the Warriors instill some of those things, or do they just have to accept that this is who he is?

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By swapping center Clint Capela in a trade for Robert Covington, the Houston Rockets committed to a small-ball unit that's worked really well.

An 8-6 record with Covington in the lineup doesn't seem that special, but the lineups he's joined have been extremely successful.

The five-man unit of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, P.J. Tucker, Danuel House and Covington has a net rating of plus-10.7 in 164 total minutes. With Eric Gordon instead of House, Houston is still a plus-7.1 in 45 minutes together.

In theory, this should work in the postseason when defenses regularly switch. Having extra wings on the floor who can move, contest shots and cut off driving lanes should help.

Having to play a series against one of the Western Conference's premier bigs (Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic) could prove problematic for the Rockets, however.

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Victor Oladipo only played 13 games this season before the NBA went on hiatus and looked far from the player who's been named a two-time All-Star with the Indiana Pacers.

Without him, Indiana would probably be lucky to make it past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. With him at his best, the Pacers have a chance at winning multiple series.

We've seen what Oladipo can do as a No. 1 option in the postseason, pushing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in 2018. During that series, he averaged22.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and shot 40.4 percent from three..

In his first eight contests back from a quad injury this season, Oladipo predictably struggled. His averages of 10.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on 33.3 percent shooting were far from what we've grown accustomed to from the 2013 No. 2 overall pick.

In the five games after that, however, Oladipo looked much better, putting up averages of 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals and shooting 47.1 percent overall in 27.4 minutes per contest.

The extra time off may be good for Oladipo.

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The Los Angeles Clippers were playing some of their best basketball before the suspension, claiming second place in the Western Conference behind the additions of Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson.

Since the All-Star break, the Clippers had the best net rating in the NBA (plus-11.5), comfortably ahead of the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers (plus-6.9).

Only the Lakers had posted a better record since the break, going 8-2 to the Clippers' 7-2 mark.

This means no ground gained for the Clips, who trail the Lakers by 5.5 games in the West. Getting the No. 1 seed would mean home-court advantage in a potential Western Conference Finals matchup with the Lakers, a meeting that seems inevitable.

While it wouldn't be a typical home-court advantage situation, given both teams play in the same arena, changing out the court to the Clippers' logo and covering up the Lakers' championship banners could create a psychological advantage, especially since would mean they had caught James and Co. for the No. 1 seed.

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As unbelievable as it may be, a James-led team hasn't finished with the NBA's best record since the 2012-13 Miami Heat went 66-16.

This year, the Los Angeles Lakers have a chance.

Sitting at 49-14, they trail the Milwaukee Bucks by only three games with 19 contests to go, assuming the NBA plays out the rest of the regular season.

While there's still a chance the Clippers close the 5.5-game gap in the West, the Lakers should be motivated to get home-court advantage because of a potential Finals against the Bucks.

James has begun his last five NBA Finals on the road, ever since starting in Miami in 2013. Opening a Finals in Los Angeles for a pair of games would be huge, especially considering Milwaukee is 28-3 at home this season.

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The Question Every NBA Team Has Failed to Answer in 2019-20 - Bleacher Report