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There probably isn’t a perfect roster in the NBA right now. Even the teams that look completely loaded have that one thing where you stare at the depth chart for a little too long and go, “Hmm, I don’t love that.” Sometimes it’s pretty minor, and you can survive it for 82 games; other times it’s exactly the type of problem that shows up in the postseason at the worst possible moment. That is basically what we have with these four. The Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic and the best offense in basketball, but getting stops was already a problem before they lost one of their better defenders this summer. The Warriors can throw Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis on the floor and look scary for about five seconds, then you remember how many games those guys actually missed last year. Philadelphia went completely insane this offseason and might have the best starting five in the league, but the drop after those first six or seven guys is worrisome. Detroit is almost the opposite, because the Pistons have depth everywhere and just won 60 games, yet once the defense forces them into half-court basketball, Cade Cunningham still ends up doing way too much. None of these flaws are what will drag them down from title threat to pretender. They are contenders for a reason. But if each team fails in 2026-27, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking about one of these exact problems when it happens. 1. The Nuggets Still Can’t Play Elite Defense Denver scoring isn’t something I’m worried about for even one second. Nikola Jokic just finished with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists; Jamal Murray gave them 25.4 points and 7.1 assists, and the Nuggets finished No. 1 in offensive rating at 122.6. You can change role players, move stuff around, and make the rotation kinda weird; Jokic is still going to create an elite offense because that has basically become his most elite skill. The other end was a completely different story. Denver allowed 117.4 points per 100 possessions, only 21st in the NBA, and that gap between offense and defense is a pretty giant reason why a 54-win team still felt uneasy. The Wolves exposed it in the first round too, beating Denver 4-2 before the Nuggets could even get into the deeper part of the bracket. For a team with championship expectations, being closer to the bottom 10 than the top 10 defensively isn’t something I’d just shrug off. And then the offseason didn’t exactly scream “we fixed the defense.” Peyton Watson left for the Cavs after putting up 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 41.1% from three, and more importantly, he was one of Denver’s few long, athletic defenders who could take on superstars and protect the rim from the weak side. The Nuggets did get an unprotected 2031 first-round pick back in the sign-and-trade, but it doesn’t help them guard Anthony Edwards in October. Then DeMar DeRozan showed up after that. I actually like the signing a lot for what it is, because getting an 18.4-point scorer on a one-year deal is great, and DeRozan gives the second unit that player who can create something when Jokic sits. But the Nuggets already had enough offense, and adding a 37-year-old scorer while losing Watson doesn’t really attack the weakness we’re talking about. Aaron Gordon staying healthy would change a lot because he only played 36 regular-season games last year, while Christian Braun was limited to 44. Those are probably Denver’s two most important defenders now, and getting back to at least average defensively is one of the main goals for this roster. That’s pretty much my issue. I can easily see Denver scoring 120 every night again, and I can even see DeRozan making the bench offense way better. I’m just not sure who is changing the defensive equation. If Gordon and Braun miss time again, Jokic might have to win an uncomfortable amount of 126-122 games, and that’s not exactly the playoff formula I’d want. The Warriors Need Everyone’s Body To Cooperate Trying to project the Warriors feels impossible because the healthy version and the unhealthy version are basically two different teams. Start with Stephen Curry. He was still a superstar when he played, giving Golden State 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.3% from three, but he only appeared in 43 games after a right knee issue cost him 27 straight. Jimmy Butler got through just 38 games before tearing his right ACL in January, while Kristaps Porzingis played only 15 games for the Warriors after arriving at the deadline. Put those three together when everybody is right, and, yeah, I can talk myself into it fast. Curry still generates the best ball-screen efficiency in the league, with Golden State scoring 1.13 points per chance when teams set a screen for him last season. Butler gives them the downhill pressure and free throws Curry can’t create every possession, while Porzingis at 7-foot-2 can pull a center completely away from the rim. That’s a nasty offensive combination in theory. The words “in theory” are doing a ton of work there, though. Butler was still described as being in the relatively early stages of his ACL recovery and had only recently started getting back onto the court. Curry is 38 now, Butler turns 37 this month, Draymond Green is 36, Al Horford is 40, and Porzingis has his own long injury history. Golden State basically looked at the oldest contender problem possible and said, okay, let’s add more veterans. Last season showed how ugly the downside gets. The Warriors went 37-45, missed the playoffs in the Play-In, and finished 19th offensively at a 113.8 rating. That is pretty wild for a Curry team, but it makes sense when you remember that Curry and Butler were barely available together and Porzingis arrived too late to save much. Their offseason basically doubled down instead of changing direction. Porzingis came back on a two-year, $40 million deal, Green returned for one year and $27.7 million, Horford re-signed, De’Anthony Melton came back, and they added Georges Niang. The basketball names are good. The birth certificates are kinda terrifying. Maybe Curry plays 65, Butler comes back in January or February looking good, Porzingis stays upright, and suddenly everybody laughs at worrying about their age. That’s absolutely possible. But if Curry misses another 30 games or Butler struggles physically, I don’t think Golden State has enough young creation to fake it. Brandin Podziemski had a nice 13.8-point season, but he isn’t replacing Curry or Butler for two months. The Warriors don’t need some tactical fix here. They need their best guys available, and that’s probably the most uncomfortable weakness on this whole list because Steve Kerr can’t coach his way around an ACL or a 38-year-old knee. The 76ers Might See A Drop-Off Behind The Stars Philadelphia basically built a 2K roster this summer. Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid can genuinely rule the East as arguably the best starting group in the league. Brown just came off career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, Maxey had 28.3 points and 6.6 assists, while Embiid still produced 26.9 points in the games he actually played. But then you move one line down the depth chart, and that’s where the doubts come creeping in. Anfernee Simons is a legit sixth man after putting up 14.3 points and shooting 38.5% from three last season, so I don’t want to pretend the 76ers have no bench at all. He’s a very good offensive option, especially on a two-year, $12.3 million deal, and there will be plenty of nights where Nick Nurse can let him cook second units. After Simons, though, you’re leaning on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, rookie Labaron Philon Jr., and Ariel Hukporti. KCP is a championship veteran but just had 8.4 points on 41.0% from the field and 31.6% from three. Wade gave Cleveland 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds, Barlow had 7.7 and 4.8, while Bona was at 4.8 points in 17.4 minutes. Those guys can absolutely play roles, but the difference between Philadelphia’s first group and its second is enormous. Normally I’d say whatever, shorten the rotation in the playoffs and enjoy having five stars. Philadelphia can’t really think like that because two members of that starting five are exactly the guys you don’t want carrying ridiculous regular-season workloads. Embiid only played 38 games in 2025-26, while LeBron is entering Year 24 at 41 years old. The Sixers basically need the bench to protect their stars during the season before the stars can protect the bench in the playoffs. The frontcourt is where I’d be most nervous. If Embiid sits on a random Wednesday, you’re going from a former MVP to Bona, Hukporti, or maybe a smaller Barlow/Wade combination. If LeBron rests too, now you’re taking two giant creators out of the lineup and asking the Maxey-Brown-Edgecombe group to carry a much bigger load. That’s manageable for a night, maybe even for a couple of weeks, but it can get ugly if injuries stack up. Philon is the wild card because he was awesome at Alabama, putting up 22.0 points and 5.0 assists on 50.1% from the field and 39.9% from three before Philly took him No. 22. If he can play actual rotation minutes immediately, the depth looks better. Still, relying on a 20-year-old rookie to solve a contender’s bench problem before he has played one NBA game is asking a lot. So yeah, I love the Sixers. If everybody reaches April healthy, there might not be a more talented five in basketball. Getting everybody to April healthy without squeezing the starters too hard is the part I don’t love nearly as much. Cade Still Has To Do Way Too Much On Offense The Pistons might be my favorite contender to talk about because they completely surprised everybody last year. They went 60-22, grabbed the No. 1 seed in the East, finished second in defensive rating at 109.7, and had a +8.2 net rating, third-best in the NBA. Jalen Duren became an All-Star, Ausar Thompson made First Team All-Defense, and Cade Cunningham finished fifth in MVP voting. This team was freaking good. My problem isn’t talent or depth: it’s who creates the difficult shot when everybody knows what’s coming. Cunningham finished with 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 9.9 assists, and those 9.9 assists look even crazier when you see what everybody else did. Ausar was next among the regular starters at only 3.1, Tobias Harris had 2.5, Duncan Robinson 2.1, and Duren 2.0. Daniss Jenkins gave them 3.9 off the bench, but there wasn’t another guy consistently creating for the rest. Then the Magic made the issue as glaring as it could be. That first-round series went seven games, Detroit escaped after falling behind 3-1, and Cade had to play 40.4 minutes per night while exploding for 32.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists. He took 156 field-goal attempts and 74 free throws in seven games, while Tobias was the only other Piston over 11 points per game. Cade wasn’t just the point guard anymore; he was basically the only one who could give this team some life in tough moments. The Pistons knew this was a weakness too. Additional scoring and backcourt help for Cunningham was their primary hole after Cleveland knocked them out in seven games in the second round. Detroit then changed pieces, but I’m still not sure it solved that exact thing. John Collins brings more scoring and just shot 40.6% from three while giving the Clippers 13.6 points, Isaiah Joe is another much-needed shooter, and Kevin Huerter can pass a little more than people remember. Those are good additions, but none of them is a second primary creator, though. Collins is a finisher, Joe a spacer, Huerter some sort of combo two. Cade is still the guy who has to create everything in the first place. Detroit’s own projected rotation basically admits that, with Jenkins the likely backup point guard, and his secondary playmaking is a way to punish teams for double-teaming Cunningham. I like Jenkins, but if your answer to playoff teams trapping Cade is hoping Daniss Jenkins becomes the second creator on a contender, I’m still a little nervous. This is also why I wouldn’t call Detroit’s flaw “lack of playmaking.” They finished with a top-10 offense, Cade is one of the best passers in basketball, and they have plenty of smart players. The issue is creation concentration. Too much of the offense starts because Cunningham beat the first defender, forced help, or manipulated the pick-and-roll. That can work for 60 wins because Detroit’s defense and rebounding are ridiculous. In the playoffs, when the same opponent sees you six or seven times and spends every day designing another way to get the ball out of Cade’s hands, I’d love one more guy who can say, “Okay, give it to me, I’ll make something happen.” Until they find that guy, Cunningham is going to carry a pretty stupid amount of the offensive burden again.