Following the conclusion of the regular National Basketball League on April 13, the SoFi Play-In Tournament will take place between April 15 and April 18, the first playoff game taking place the day after. Teams that finished between the seventh and tenth standings during the regular season enter the Play-In Tournament to face off for the seventh and eight playoff seeds. Although the regular season is still underway, it is still possible to make informed predictions about the contending teams, the tournament’s results and the 16 teams that will face off in the following playoff games.

The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network's analytics team launched a Basketball Power Index in 2015. The index is “meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance for the rest of the season.” The BPI accounts for factors such as game-bygame efficiency, strength of schedule, days of rest, game location and preseason expectations. ESPN then uses each team’s BPI to make predictions about their chances of making the playoffs, Play-In Tournament, Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. 

Teams with a 100% chance of reaching the playoffs based on their BPI scores include: the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Milwaukee Bucks. According to ESPN’s Oct. 21, 2025 NBA season preview, the Boston Celtics had a 99.9% chance of reaching the playoffs from the start of the season. Concurrently, this season preview estimated the Oklahoma City Thunder would have a 97.3% chance, the Cleveland Cavaliers would have a 96.3% chance, the Los Angeles Lakers 56.1%, the New York Knicks with 64.6% and the Milwaukee Bucks with 93.4%. As of press time, these predictions stand the test of time. 

Other teams with a high chance of entering the playoffs per their BPI are the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Nuggets, the Detroit Pistons, the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors. Each of these teams have more than a 90% chance of reaching the playoffs. In comparison, the pre-season preview evaluated that the Denver Nuggets would have an 81.6% chance, the Milwaukee Bucks a 93.4% chance, the Grizzlies with 69.3%, the Pacers with a 69% possibility, the Golden State Warriors with 47%, the Houston Rockets 49.6% and the Pistons 2.1%. 

Columbia Broadcast System Sports points to a “storm brewing” in the Western Conference between leading teams the Thunder, the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Grizzlies and the Rockets. Although the Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorite to win the conference, CBS explains that “underneath them the power structure is shifting rapidly,” CBS explains, meaning their position could prove precarious. The Grizzlies and Rockets started and maintained the season adeptly, but are hastily falling to the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. 

CBS suggests that these California teams’ sudden advancements come as a result of their star trade deadline acquisitions. In early February, the three-team trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and Anthony Davis to the Mavericks was a “blockbuster trade that figures to impact the Western Conference balance of power for years to come,” ESPN writes. Another CBS article highlights that the Lakers’ acquisition of Doncic reinvigorated LeBron James, relieving him of playmaking responsibilities and allowing him to take a break from his offensive possessions. 

The Golden State Warriors’ addition of Jimmy Butler also helped improve their prospects for playoffs and the remainder of the regular season. Just as Doncic and James compliment one another as “co-stars” on the court, Butler has also proven himself a valuable offensive aid to Stephen Curry. CBS explains that Butler’s “playmaking and ability to get to the free-throw line gives the Warriors a source of uncomplicated offense,” and his competence has taken pressure off of Curry. In his relief, Curry’s performances have improved significantly, allowing him to successfully sink a dunk for the first time in six years on Mar. 1, for instance. 

The trade acquisitions of Doncic and Butler have created considerable competition beneath Oklahoma City Thunder’s leading example as several teams fight for the second seed in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the East Conference pits the Celtics against their closest challengers, the Knicks and the Cavaliers. Last year, the Celtics won the NBA championship — if their season unfolds as planned, they will secure their 19th championship title. The rosters for the NBA playoffs will be set on April 14, and ESPN’s standings and projections will be updating continuously in the meantime.