SH NBA Fantasy Postseason (Week 21-23) Preparation

As the regular season winds down, NBA teams generally fall into three distinct groups:

1. Clinched Playoff Teams
These teams have already secured their playoff spots and often practice load management. Their star players and starters typically see reduced minutes to minimize injury risk—after all, playing too many minutes has been strongly linked to increased injuries.

2. Playoff or Play-In Contenders
Teams still fighting for a playoff spot or a place in the play-in tournament ramp up their efforts in the final three weeks. Expect their starters to log more minutes, even if it means a slight dip in field goal percentage; this would be of small considerations for Fantasy gamers. In their eyes, every win is worth the potential minor decline in shooting efficiency.

3. Eliminated Teams
For teams with no chance of making the playoffs, the focus shifts to strategic rest and preparation for next season. Star players, especially those dealing with minor injuries, are often benched to preserve their health. Even teams that are effectively tanking still have to play hard—NBA rules prevent them from deliberately underperforming with % lottery for draft picks, so you still see a decent level of effort on the court.

This framework not only adds an interesting strategic layer to the game but also impacts how we evaluate team performance as the season reaches its climax.

So, which teams fall into each group, then?
The table below has segmented teams into three groups (2025-03-22)

Eastern Conference Standing, 2025-03-22

Western Conference Standing, 2025-03-22

How would this apply to my current roster?

Core members of my team would be classified as follows according to macro perspective

Current roster grouped according to W-L for playoffs

1. Clinched Playoff Teams
Luckily, Shai is running for his MVP race, which requires minimum amount of games played to be qualified candidate
Shai would do some 'rest' load management but should be good to go for reliable player
Phoenix Suns are 10th place at the moment so Durant will be fully utilized to escape Play-In tournament
Randle just came back from minor injuries so would have enough rest, so far

2. Playoff or Play-In Contenders
Rank 4~7 of my roster would still be on their edge to put their teams in Playoffs seeds

3. Eliminated Teams (Unlikely, but still struggling for daylight)
Miami Heat, recording 10th place in eastern conference , would still put their 100% (Also considering the trade they made for Jimmy who put GSW in 6th place in western conference; to prove their judgement right)

Eight members I've mentioned are the core of my roster 
The rest would be solely determined by recent stats and predicted team management strategies

In conclusion, it is good to go with core members of my roster for now

The rest of frequently-replaced FA picks will determine my performance for Fantasy playoffs