Nobody could have predicted the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament being as successful as it was. There was so much chatter about if players would actually compete and if there was enough motivation early on in the season for everyone to care about this in-season tournament, yet here we are wondering how the NBA is going to make it better.
The NBA In-Season Tournament concluded on Saturday night in Las Vegas with a Los Angeles Lakers victory. LeBron James took home the first in-season tournament MVP award and, now, the focus for the 2023-24 season shifts back to the race for the postseason.
Between the competitiveness of the games and the playoff-like atmosphere in almost every arena, the in-season tournament was a major win, especially for the Lakers and Indiana Pacers. However, not everyone can walk away from this tournament feeling good about how things are going early on this season.
From those who made it all the way to the championship to those who were ousted during the knockout rounds of the tournament, here are the biggest winners and losers from the very first NBA In-Season Tournament.
Winner: Adam Silver and the NBA
When Adam Silver and the NBA first announced that they were thinking about forming an in-season tournament, many were unhappy and did not believe it would work out. Everyone was completely wrong about the reception to the NBA In-Season Tournament, as the players, coaches, and fans all bought into this event. In fact, these tournament games may have featured the best competition we have seen in quite some time during the first few months of the season.
Obviously, there are some adjustments and tweaks that will be made to the tournament moving forward, but the league achieved everything they had hoped for. Teams had a reason to fight for something, and the championship game turned out exactly how the NBA wanted. Tyrese Haliburton, a young, emerging star, led his Indiana Pacers to the title game to face off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The new era vs. the older era, giving the NBA two early title contenders to discuss.
This was a risk that the league took, but it really could not have been any better from a competitiveness standpoint.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers finished 7-0 in their tournament games en route to their in-season tournament championship. Winning this tournament obviously matters to them, especially LeBron James, but this championship win alone is not why Los Angeles is a big winner. What the Lakers did on the defensive side of the court, turning up the intensity when it mattered most, is why they are once again championship contenders.
During the in-season tournament, the Lakers held their opponents to an average of 103.0 points per game. In fact, Los Angeles only allowed over 110 points once against the Phoenix Suns, a game they won, 122-119. The NBA In-Season Tournament was the exact level of competition the Lakers needed to get their heads right. Now, there is serious momentum surrounding if this team can actually get back to the Western Conference Finals and compete for a title.
A championship during the in-season tournament has given the Lakers new life at a time where they were beginning to trend down in the West. If this team can play with the same intensity and defensive effort the rest of the season, they can claim the 1-seed heading into the playoffs.
Loser: Zion Williamson and the Pelicans
Zion Williamson helped lead the New Orleans Pelicans to the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. As soon as the Pels got to Las Vegas and were surrounded by the bright lights, though, they looked like a completely different team. Actually, they just showed their true colors as a young, immature group.
The Pelicans really have some soul-searching to do, for two main reasons. The first is they still have a lot of work to do on the court in order to reach their full potential, and the second revolves directly around Zion's willingness to adapt.
Since he entered the league, Williamson's weight and his conditioning have been major concerns. Now in his fifth NBA season, these are still the two main concerns surrounding the Pelicans All-Star, especially since he does not seem to go out on the court every night and dominate his opponents like he is more than capable of doing.
With a core of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Williamson, and a plethora of depth, New Orleans can absolutely be a title contender by the end of the year. All of their potential success hangs on the shoulders of Zion, a young star who has yet to fully realize what he is capable of achieving. The in-season tournament proved that Williamson is not yet ready to take that next step in his career.
Winner: Pacers' future
Tyrese Haliburton is an absolute stud at the point guard position. While we knew about the potential he still had, Haliburton has officially become a superstar with his play during the in-season tournament. The Pacers are the league's best offensive team because they have the best facilitator in the league; it's not that complicated to figure out.
Numerous players on the trade block and in free agency moving forward are going to want to play with Haliburton. Not only is he an extremely unselfish player, but the All-Star guard can make those around him All-Stars. The future in Indiana is very bright, and the Pacers are well on their way to snapping their playoff drought.
Loser: San Antonio Spurs
Quite honestly, the San Antonio Spurs are one of the biggest losers of the 2023-24 season so far. Even though Victor Wembanyama has played well, especially during the group stage of the in-season tournament, the Spurs seem to be worse this season than they were last year.
The Spurs went 0-4 during group play of the NBA In-Season Tournament and lost their games by an average of 14.5 points. In fact, San Antonio had the worst point differential in the tournament at -58.
Currently finding themselves on a 16-game losing streak, not many good things have happened in San Antonio.
Loser: Phoenix Suns
We have all seen the play that took place during the NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinals game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. With 7.4 seconds left in the game and the Lakers leading by two points, LeBron James inbounded the basketball to Austin Reaves, who seemed to fumble the ball and turn it over. However, the officials ruled that James had called a timeout while Reaves had the ball pinned to his leg right before he effectively “turned it over.”
If you were playing at the local YMCA or LA Fitness, this is a turnover 100 percent of the time. At the park, in a high school game, or in a college basketball game, this is a turnover 100 percent of the time.
Did LeBron call a timeout? Yes, he was motioning for the timeout, the only person on the Lakers to do so, as Reaves was losing possession of the basketball. The problem here is that the whistle was blown well after Reaves had lost possession and this single call altered the outcome of this game. The Suns would have had possession under the Lakers basket and would have tied the game up with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
It is okay to make mistakes and own up to them. The NBA officials do not seem to think they made a mistake here, though, and they have double-downed on their stance that Reaves had full possession of the basketball.
The referees took a chance to advance to the semifinals of this tournament out of Phoenix's hands, making it a difficult way to go out. When the Suns are fully healthy, they can be a force in the Western Conference, and they're set to welcome back Bradley Beal this week.
Will they actually stay healthy? That's a huge question mark.