BBNBA Roundtable: KSR's NBA Play-In Preview

The NBA Play-In rounds begin Tuesday night, with eight former Kentucky Wildcats ready to help their respective teams make the actual Playoffs, which begin on Saturday.

For starters, let’s break down how the Play-In format works.

The seven and eight seeds from each conference will face off in a one-game setting, with the winner immediately securing the seven-seed and a showdown with that conference’s two-seed. However, the loser will have another chance to earn the eight-seed in another one-game setting. Elsewhere, the nine and 10 seeds will go head-to-head, with the loser knocked out of the postseason completely and the winner taking on the loser of the seven-eight seed matchup. The winner of that final Play-In game will take control of the eight seed and secure a matchup with the conference’s top overall seed.

Tuesday night will see six of the eight ‘Cats in action with the final two set to play on Wednesday night.

Up first, we have the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks taking on a pair of one-time ‘Cats on the No. 7 Miami Heat in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT Tuesday night. After that, the most anticipated Play-In matchup of the bunch between the No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves (Karl-Anthony Towns) and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (Anthony Davis, Wenyen Gabriel, Jarred Vanderbilt) will take place at 10:00 p.m. EST on TNT.

Wednesday’s slate is lighter on former Kentucky players, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Olivier Sarr ready to suit up for the No. 10 Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC will take on the No. 9 New Orleans Pelicans at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. Prior to that, the No. 10 Chicago Bulls and No. 9 Toronto Raptors will go head-to-head at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Ahead of the Play-In rounds, KSR’s NBA correspondents have some thoughts on what to expect from our former Wildcats.

Can Karl-Anthony Towns save the Timberwolves from themselves?

Last season, the 7-seed Minnesota Timberwolves gave the 2-seed Memphis Grizzlies everything they wanted in the first round, but ultimately fell 4-2 on some fairly epic collapses. The Patrick Beverley effect seemed to influence Karl-Anthony Towns into a bizarro version of himself, but no one could argue the team wasn’t a pesky playoff exit.

This year, the Wolves traded away one bad apple in Beverley and brought in a rotting watermelon in Rudy Gobert. While they both are prone to taking cheap shots, at least Beverley took them at his opponent and not his own teammates. So, can Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed 51 games this season with a calf strain, pull this team through the Play-In tournament without Rudy Gobert for game one and without Jaden McDaniels (their best defender) for the entirety of the playoffs?

My instinct says no, but he put up 30 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, a potential opponent if they were to drop the 7-8 seed game to the Lakers on Tuesday, against similar improbable odds. On a team with a handful of villains, Towns might be the superhero they need, though, arguably, don’t deserve.

— Adam Stratton

Can the Lakers complete their season turnaround?

While the Minnesota Timberwolves are busy imploding, the Lakers look better than ever. Since adding D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, the Lakers are 18-8. In a month and a half, the historic franchise went from being a measly 13-seed begging to make the playoffs to becoming a terrifying 7-seed.

The Lakers’ unlikely turnaround is thanks to a crew of former Kentucky Wildcats. After an injury-ridden season, Anthony Davis played in 29 of the Lakers’ final 31 contests. The 2012 NCAA National Champion looked like a winner during the period, averaging 25.1 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Other once-Wildcats are succeeding in their roles, as well. Vanderbilt, whose teammates affectionately refer to as “The Energizer Bunny,” averages 7.2 points and 6.7 boards per outing. To pile on, Vanderbilt is the team’s top defender and, according to Austin Reaves “the best defender in the NBA.”

Add on Wenyen Gabriel’s 5.5 points a night on nearly 60% shooting, and the Lakers have a mean, lean Kentucky machine. Karl-Anthony Towns is a great player, but if he wants a win on Tuesday night, he’ll have to claw his way out of a ‘Cat den.

— Grant Grubbs

Can SGA Carry Young Thunder to Playoffs?

Over the past 20 years, there have been just five players with 45+ 30-point games in a season. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Allen Iverson. At just 24 years old, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined that list this season.

SGA has blossomed into a superstar this year, averaging 31.4 PPG and 5.5 APG. He led the Thunder, which has an average team age of just 22.8, to the Play-In Tournament without No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren. Many Thunder fans entered the season looking forward to the future, but the future is now.

The Thunder squeaked into the Play-In as a 10-seed and will take on the Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday. The winner of the game will play the loser of Lakers/Timberwolves for the final spot in the Playoffs on Friday.

— Daniel Hager

Can Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro lead Miami back to the ECF?

It’s no secret that the Miami Heat has been up and down all season long. Their inconsistency leads them to a home Play-In matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. If the Heat win, they get a shot to avenge last season’s Eastern Conference Finals loss against Boston in a best-of-seven series. Last year, Miami took Boston to seven games, so if we get Heat-Celtics in the first round… brace for impact.

Last year’s ECF saw Bam Adebayo start each of the seven games. Adebayo was a solid piece for Miami, averaging 15.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG in the series. Since then, Bam has crushed both numbers. He goes into the Play-in averaging 20.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG. Safe to say that his growth is exponential. Tyler Herro didn’t have as big of a role in last year’s series.

Herro didn’t start any game last time around vs. Boston. He averaged a measly 9.3 PPG and saw less than 20 minutes per game, opposed to Bam’s 30-plus minutes on a nightly basis. Now though, Herro is a new hooper. He’s a starter for Miami and averages 20.1 PPG. If Miami gets past Atlanta and set up a marquee showdown against Boston, expect a different Herro and Adebayo to go up against the C’s.

— Ian Alvano