So far this season, 19 of the NBA’s 30 teams have played at least .500 basketball, and many of the clubs that have fallen short of that mark are ones we expected to do so. The Magic, Pistons, Hornets, Rockets, Spurs, and Thunder, for instance, were widely considered during the preseason to be lottery-bound.
If we set aside those six teams, along with the 19 who are .500 or better, five clubs remain. These are the teams that entered the season expecting to be in the playoffs and have fallen short of their expectations so far.
Let’s start with the most obvious one of the five: the Lakers got off to a miserable start to the season, losing their first five games and 10 of their first 12. They’ve bounced back to some extent as of late, winning six of their last eight contests, but three of those victories came against San Antonio, and L.A. is still just 8-12 overall, good for 13th in a competitive Western Conference.
With Russell Westbrook adapting well to a sixth man role, Lonnie Walker enjoying a breakout year, Anthony Davis looking like a superstar again, and LeBron James back in the lineup following a groin strain, there’s some reason for optimism in Los Angeles. But it’s still not clear if the supporting cast is strong enough for the Lakers to make a real run, and it remains to be seen whether the front office has the appetite to move one or two first-round picks to acquire real upgrades.
While they’re ahead of the Lakers in the standings, the 10-11 Mavericks are currently out of the play-in picture too, holding the No. 11 seed in the West. Like L.A., Dallas has a top-heavy roster, with Luka Doncic submitting an MVP-caliber performance this fall. But Doncic can’t do it all himself, and the Mavs’ supporting cast beyond Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie hasn’t produced like the team had hoped.
Over in the East, the Heat (10-12), Knicks (10-12), and Bulls (9-12) find themselves out of the top nine and vying for the No. 10 spot in the standings.
Of these three teams, Miami probably has the most reason for optimism. The Heat have been hit hard by the injury bug in the first quarter of the season, but appear to be getting healthier, with All-Star forward Jimmy Butler on the verge of returning. This iteration of the Heat may not get back to the NBA Finals like the 2020 squad did, or even to the Eastern Finals like last year’s team, but it would be pretty shocking if they missed the postseason, given how much talent is on the roster.
Chicago and New York, meanwhile, were both considered borderline playoff teams entering the season — oddsmakers had them as the East’s ninth- and 10th-best teams ahead of training camps. So it’s perhaps not a surprise that they’re both hovering around .500 and looking more like play-in contenders than serious candidates for a top-six seed.
Still, both teams had higher aspirations than simply contending for a play-in spot, so it will be interesting to see how they approach the trade deadline if their inconsistent performances continue.
Will the Knicks put some of their future first-round picks back on the table in search of an impact player after missing out on Donovan Mitchell? Will the Bulls – who have already traded away two of their own future first-rounders – continue to push their chips into the middle of the table or will they pull back and hope for the possible return of point guard Lonzo Ball can help fuel a second-half surge?
We want to know where you stand on these five teams. Do you expect the Lakers, Mavericks, Heat, Bulls, or Knicks to finish the season as a top-six seed, securing an automatic playoff berth? Are you counting on some of them to have to clinch postseason spots via the play-in tournament? Will some finish outside the play-in altogether as bottom-five teams in their respective conferences?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Bulls need to be a seller in the next 2 months and load up on draft picks. This roster as it is constructed cannot win consistently.
In all honesty, the Bulls aren’t built for the playoffs. DeRozan is a phenomenal midrange scorer, but the league and the rules have changed to the point that it’s no longer a dominant strategy. Vucevic is a mediocre defensive big and he doesn’t pack the scoring and playmaking abilities of guys like Sabonis. LaVine is still recovering from his knee surgery. Ball is nowhere. And the rest of the roster can’t pick up the slack.
You described the Chicago Bulls perfectly.
However bad the lakers cast is the mavs is much worse ! Lebron has ad Luka has nobody esp Christian wood who will ever be under consideration for a all star team or current top 50 player in the nba! And mavs still likely win more then lakers ! Hail luka from a lakers fan
The NYK, like any team, can and should aspire to be more than they actually are. But the pre-season consensus on the latter had them finishing somewhere in the back end of the “play-in” mix. I can’t think of a single pundit I read or fan I speak with that had them in their top 6. I had them in the play-in and .500 or a couple of games better, and that was considered (relatively) bullish.
After the one-quarter pole, its too soon to reach a final conclusion, but it does look like the NYK are essentially who people thought they were. Not sure how that creates any immediacy for a major trade. However, I can see how Begley having nothing to write about can create an immediacy for him to write an article predicting a major trade.
DAL and LAL are gonna be fine, no need to worry about them!
MIA, CHI and NYK ain’t so good, so it looks pretty bleak for them!
I see the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami being top 6 playoff teams. I don’t see the Dallas Mavericks Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks being anything better than a play in team. Luka Doncic definitely need way more help over there.