Eight of the NBA's 30 teams won't be traveling to Orlando when the 2019-20 campaign resumes July 30 at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Here are the three clubs we'll miss watching the most.
Atlanta Hawks
The inexperienced Hawks didn't sniff a playoff spot this season largely because of their defensive ineptitude. Atlanta ranked 28th in both defensive rating (114.4) and net rating (minus-7.4) when the NBA suspended play.
However, the Hawks were highly entertaining. Second-year point guard Trae Young emerged as an All-Star this season and gave fans plenty of incredible highlights to salivate over thanks to his elite floor spacing and court vision. Despite Young's lackluster defensive capabilities, we'll miss his exciting offensive skill set, which resulted in him averaging 29.6 points per game this season, tied for the third-highest mark in the Association.
Forward John Collins also took a step forward in his third NBA campaign. Additionally, there's a realistic chance we could've seen Clint Capela make his long-anticipated Hawks debut alongside the Young-Collins duo if Atlanta was invited to Orlando.
For Young and the Hawks, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews, the omission is "really motivating us to not be in this position next year."
Minnesota Timberwolves
With the midseason acquisition of D'Angelo Russell and the implementation of an offense that relied more heavily on pace and space, the Timberwolves were in the midst of an identity overhaul, as Minnesota finished the regular season ranked third league-wide in 3-point attempts per game with 39.7.
Now that the T-Wolves' season is over, we'll have to wait until the 2020-21 campaign to see how competitive this team can be with a core of Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns missed 11 of the 12 games Russell appeared in for Minnesota due to a wrist injury, preventing us from being able to evaluate how the duo fits together, especially in pick-and-roll sets.
We'll also have to wait to see more of Malik Beasley's emergence as a full-time starter. The impending restricted free agent averaged 20.7 points on 42.6% shooting from 3-point range in 14 games after arriving in a trade from Denver. The trio of Towns, Russell, and Beasley - along with young guards Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie - could help Minnesota flirt with a playoff spot next season.
Golden State Warriors
The injury bug really took its toll on Golden State this season, with Klay Thompson missing the entire campaign rehabbing a torn ACL and Stephen Curry playing in just five games because of a broken hand. Unsurprisingly, the Warriors - who had won three titles over five years - finished last in the NBA without their two stars.
Much like the revamped T-Wolves, we never got a real chance to see the Warriors perform with a core of Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and a healthy Curry. Despite Golden State's 15-50 record, it would've been intriguing to see that trio develop chemistry over the remainder of the regular season. Also, who wouldn't want to watch more games featuring a superstar of Curry's caliber and one of the league's fiercest competitors in Green?
This group, with Thompson returning and the likely arrival of a top-five pick, won't be in the West basement next season.
