The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are underway, beginning the two-month journey to the Finals. But which teams are truly built for the grind?
Sure, every team that has made it this far has its strengths, but the postseason is also designed to expose a roster's flaws. Each of these playoff squads are carrying statistical red flags -- some brighter red than others -- that could derail a deep run.
To determine what those flaws might be, I rated every team relative to league average across key metrics from the regular season, including pace, shooting frequencies and percentages, turnovers, star power and playoff experience. I then searched for the categories that have correlated most with making the Finals in the modern NBA -- since 2012-13, when the era of 3-point shooting really took off -- and which haven't. Finally, I applied that research to this year's playoff squads, looking for the teams whose main weaknesses are magnified by their importance in the playoffs.
The result is a tiered list of teams, grouped by how detrimental their worst statistical category might be to their title hopes.
Let's get to it!
Jump to a tier:
Big problems
Moderate concerns | Minor issues
Big problems?
These four teams have glaring weaknesses in highly predictive stats -- issues that could seriously undermine a deep playoff run.
Orlando Magic
Stat category: 3-point percentage (31.8%, 30th)
