With the NBA season now two weeks in, there has definitely been some shocking results in the standings for certain teams. Here’s what I take from it when looking farther ahead into the postseason in tiers of what each teams hopes and realistic futures will pertain to.
Capture the Flagg
As hinted to in the title, these teams will be fighting with eachother in June on who can get the best chance to land Duke prospect Cooper Flagg.
30. Wizards (2-4)
The slow start from Alex Sarr, interesting rotation placement for Jonas Valanciunas, and Malcolm Brogdon Sidelined, it looks like the Wizards are preparing for another sell at the trade deadline for better lottery chances.
29. Trail Blazers (3-5)
A bit of a disappointing start from Deni Avdija after the high praise from coach Chauncey Billups. It’s likely the Blazers still entertain options of moving older pieces like Jerami Grant and Robert Williams to create more opportunity for younger players.
28. Jazz (1-6)
An unfortunate start for many reasons as they’ve had a tough schedule, slow start from Keyonte George, and heartbreaking Taylor Hendricks injury.
27. Raptors (2-6)
Injuries have been a tough to the Raptors so far this season effecting franchise stars Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes. As they drop games, it’s likely the Raptors look to get younger and move valuable veteran pieces like Jakob Poeltl and Bruce Brown.
26. Nets (4-4)
Standing at an even .500, the Nets have shown some sparks of talent, but nothing convincing enough to do anything but tank and trade. Pieces like Dorian Finney Smith, Cameron Johnson, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Dennis Schroder have no realistic value in the Nets new direction after trading Mikal Bridges.
25. Bulls (3-4)
The new system and long-awaited return of Lonzo Ball has been interesting to see with the Bulls but the big difference in them avoiding being mediocre at best and committing to better lottery odds sits on the futures of Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic.
24. Pistons (3-5)
After a convincing win against the Lakers, the Pistons might pick up some momentum in the next week, but in the long run I don’t see this team flirting with play in odds late season.
23. Hornets (2-5)
With many of their losses coming from other Eastern Conference teams and a healthy Lamelo Ball playing at All Star level, I still believe the Hornets are one to two pieces away from any real postseason hopes.
Bottom Half Play in Contenders
These teams have postseason hopes, but it’s most likely going to start or finish in the play in tournament.
22. Clippers (3-4)
A rollercoaster of emotions has hit Clippers fans since the season began and the team all things considered have had a respectable start to the season. If James Harden can continue to keep the Clippers afloat until the return of Kawhi Leonard, they might still have some things to look forward to.
21. Hawks (3-5)
The loss of Dejounte Murray has appeared to be addition by subtraction for Trae Young, that said it seems like the Hawks are going to continue their historic mediocrity with Zacharie Risacher having an extended Rookie slump.
20. Spurs (3-4)
Very promising flashes of the Chris Paul Victor Wembanyama experiment for the two especially but also supporting cast members like Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson. Wembanyama seems to only get better every game just coming off an incredible nine block outing, but definitely great concerns with Gregg Popovich out indefinitely and Devin Vassell still sidelined.
19. Pelicans (3-5)
The Pelicans roster has all the talent they need to comfortably make the play in but this year, as always, health is a prominent issue. With Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and C.J. Mccollum already having consistent health issues, and Brandon Ingram very publically on the trade market, everything about the Pelicans is shaky.
18. Heat (3-3)
This team is one move away from being one move away and Jimmy Butler is not getting any younger on top of entering free agency this summer. If things don’t get better for the Heat this season as they haven’t so far, they might decide to go in a very different direction.
17. Rockets (4-3)
Coming off a big win against the Knicks and a win against the Mavericks earlier in the season, the Rockets seem to have improved for this season. Alperen Sengun has had fantastic outings filling up the stat sheet so far, the only concerns are consistency and health.
Top Half Play in Contenders
These teams have playoff hopes, and most likely they’ll get the chance to achieve them; after the play in tournament.
16. Grizzlies (4-4)
Unfortunately the Grizzlies so far seem to not be the same team they were two seasons ago with a healthy Ja Morant. In a stacked Western Conference, this team seems way too disconnected from each other, and lacking depth to be a real late playoff run contender.
15. Bucks (1-6)
Possibly the biggest buzz in the NBA right now is the Bucks catastrophic start to the season. Coaching staff and perimeter defense is certainly a concern for the Bucks, but they have also had a decently difficult schedule including two late games toss up losses against the undefeated Cavaliers. The Bucks need to be losing at this rate for at least another month for me to be convinced they won’t at least be an eigth seed in the weaker Eastern Conference.
14. Warriors (6-1)
In contrast, I believe the Warriors have had everything work in their favor that the Bucks haven’t. With their upcoming games being the Celtics, Cavs, Thunder, and Mavericks, I realistically see the Warriors drop in standings significantly this time next week. I also believe that players like Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters, who have been detrimental to their success, are due for a cold spell sooner than later.
13. Magic (3-5)
The Magic started off the season continuing to prove themselves as a top team in the East, along with Paolo Banchero having 3 30+ point outings, one being a 50 point near triple double. Since then, Banchero has come down with a torn right oblique and is to be re–evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks. Assuming they can stay healthy once Paolo is back, they most definitely will be able to string together wins to keep their postseason alive, but it’s no question the odds are against them in the next two months.
12. Nuggets (4-3)
Losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green two offseasons ago, and now Kentavious Caldwell Pope this past offseason has seem to catch up with the Nuggets as they are clearly far from their championship form. Struggling through a seemingly easy schedule and a blistering inefficient shooting debut from Russell Westbrook, the Nuggets are trending in the direction for having to prove their playoff position in April.
Playoff Teams
These teams will have elongated success in the regular season giving them a guranteed playoff spot, but they’ll have to work their way up from there.
11. 76ers (1-5)
As crazy as it seems putting a team that is 1-5 nearly top 10 with the return of Paul George last night and Joel Embiid reportedly ramping up for a return soon things are trending in the right direction for Philadelphia. I wrote in my preseason predictions that the trio of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid is the best conventional big 3 in the NBA and I still strongly believe that.
10. Kings (4-3)
Starting off the season dropping winnable games the Kings are likely to develop legitimate chemistry that secures them a top 6 seed in the conference. It’s likely there are rotation or roster adjustments to be made for fixing their early perimeter defense issues.
9. Pacers (3-4)
A controversial path to the Eastern Conference Finals last year put the Pacers in an interesting situation when approaching this season. As the record of 3-4 doesn’t seem great on paper, Tyrese Haliburton has had a slow start to the season and the supporting cast has still seemed to keep them in postseason ability so when he picks up his play they are bound for a top Eastern seeding.
8. Lakers (4-3)
Starting off the season 3-0 and since going 1-3 the Lakers have had many upsides and downsides to their start this season. It’s likely JJ Redicks system running the offense through Anthony Davis who is still topping the MVP charts will work in their favor but concerns of Lebron and Davis’s health are always raised along with the incredibly poor performance from the second unit. There is always hope for the Lakers to make a deep postseason run but like recent years they might have to make a late season stretch to secure that position in the first place.
2nd Round At least
These are teams that are likely to make it past the first round, with great potential past that point aswell
7. Timberwolves (4-3)
The Timberwolves have not obviously improved or gotten worse through 7 games. I still think Anthony Edwards has a lot in the tank offensively that we haven’t gotten a full view of just yet. The newest additions of Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo seem to not be harming the Timberwolves on either end but not necessarily adding too much either.
6. Mavericks (4-3)
Facing one of the tougher opening schedules in the league the Mavericks have remained positive for their new look with Klay Thompson. If things went their way the Mavericks could easily have been 6-2 so far and I believe they will continue to compete for a top spot in the Western Conference.
5. Knicks (3-3)
The new look star studded Knicks have had some expected growing pains establishing chemistry. This said, the highs greatly outweigh the lows, and I see the Knicks start putting together multiple winning streaks in the near future.
4. Suns (6-1)
After barely escaping the play in last season and getting swept by the Timberwolves in the first round the Suns had a lot to prove this season which they have. While they have had a somewhat easy schedule the Suns new offensive movement under Mike Budenholzer looks like a completely new team. I think now even with the unfortunate likelihood of injuries with this team, the newest addition of Tyus Jones, Monte Morris, Mason Plumlee, and once again Coach Buds offense locks them into a promisingpostseason.
Contenders
Even if they have setbacks at any point throughout, these teams are proving that they are ready to achieve the ultimate goal
3. Cavaliers (8-0)
The Cavaliers so far have seemed to polish all the things holding them back last season. Evan Mobley is an early contender for Most Improved, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are back in All Star form, and Donovan Mitchell is like usual playing at an All-NBA level. Kenny Atkinson has really made this team look fresh and ready for the moment; as of now the team in the East to beat the Celtics is without doubt the Cavaliers.
2. Thunder (7-0)
Removing Josh Giddey has allowed Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams to step into the appropriate role of being the Thunders stars along with Shai Gilgeous Alexander. On top of this, Alex Caruso as expected has fit into the Thunders playstyle like a glove, and Isiah Hartenstein has yet to play. Mark Daigneault once again this season is proving he makes the most out of his players given the right system.
1. Celtics (7-1)
The defending champions have not lost a step in the slightest. The accomplished starting star duo has only improved as Jayson Tatum is charting in early MVP ladders and Jaylen Brown is starting to shoot even more efficiently from long range. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White continue their blue-collar championship DNA role all while center Kristaps Porzingis has yet to play this season. If Boston is healthy, the rest of the league still has a lot to prove on why they can beat them four times in a seven-game series.
