2025 marks the fifth year the Play-In Tournament has been a part of the NBA postseason. The tournament is double elimination, where three teams in each conference play for a spot in the playoffs. This year, the teams taking part in the tournament are the Chicago Bulls (ninth seed), Miami Heat (tenth seed), Atlanta Hawks (eighth seed), Memphis Grizzlies (eighth seed), Golden State Warriors (seventh seed), Dallas Mavericks (tenth seed), and Sacramento Kings (ninth seed).
One of the main storylines of this year’s Play-In Tournament is the fall-off of the Memphis Grizzlies. Led by the star trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr., this team had high expectations going into the season, and up until the All-Star break, they lived up to the hype. They held the second seed in the Western Conference and had a top five record in the NBA. However, due to complications (both on and off the court) with their top scorer and playmaker, Ja Morant, and the firing of their head coach, Taylor Jenkins, the Grizzlies went into the second half of the season depleted. “After their head coach was fired, they just weren’t the same team,” says HHS freshman Will Vanderweil. He has a solid point. Taylor Jenkins was the franchise’s winningest coach, and it was a questionable decision to fire him. Along with numerous injuries and social media drama with their star Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ season ended up being another disappointment.
Perhaps the opposite story to the Grizzlies is the Golden State Warriors, who have revived their season. The Warriors started their season in the NBA equivalent of purgatory. With an aging Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, their younger players could not pick up the slack, and they held one of the worst records in the NBA for the first half of the season. However, a major move at the trade deadline, the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, turned their season around. HHS freshman Liam O’Toole speaks to Jimmy Butler’s impact, saying “he’s been the missing piece for their team.” Since the all-star break, the Warriors have gone 20-7. Along with Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry returning to their former selves, the young talent on the Warriors has started to blossom. Players like Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski have come into their own and have contributed winning minutes for this competitive team.
One interesting statistic about the Play-In Tournament is that Jonas Valanciunas has participated in every Play-In Tournament since its inception. The seven-foot Lithuanian big man holds the all-time scoring and rebounding records for the tournament. He hopes to continue his Play-In prowess with the Kings this year, although he will be competing for minutes with star center Domantas Sabonis. The Kings recently traded their star point guard, De’Aaron Fox, and are looking to be competitive in this year’s tournament.
