The NBA season is just around the corner and teams are finalizing their rosters with training camp already in full swing. Some notable stars have been moved, completely shifting the landscape of the league while others are betting on the potential of their young core to develop and become stars in the future.
In today’s list, we will be ranking all 30 NBA teams from worst to first for the 2023-20214 season. Let’s get into it.
30. Washington Wizards
Can Jordan Poole take the leap and become a consistent scorer for the team? Will Deni Avdija finally be a major contributor nightly? They have the potential to be good but maybe not this season.
29. Detroit Pistons
Detroit is banking on their lottery selections in the past few years and hopes one or two of them will become long-term assets for the team. They are young and inexperienced as a group.
28. Charlotte Hornets
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The team struggled mightily with the absence of Ball and Bridges last year. This team also lost a lot of momentum after making the play-in a couple of seasons ago. Will they take a significant leap next season?
27. Portland Trail Blazers
With Lillard gone, the Blazers are finally entering the rebuilding phase. The good thing is that they already have the pieces to speed things up and still be competitive on any given night.
26. San Antonio Spurs
The arrival of Victor Wembanyama has brought excitement to San Antonio this season. But their struggles will likely continue as they are still missing quite a few pieces in order to make the jump into the next tier.
25. Houston Rockets
This rank may be too low for a team that has the potential to be a playoff team next season. The addition of VanVleet and Brooks should lead to some additional wins for Houston but their ceiling will still be dictated by Green and Sengun’s improvement.
24. Chicago Bulls
In all honesty, Chicago’s core has peaked. The trio of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic are not championship material. They will be a mediocre team that could go on a surprising winning streak but will inevitably go on to have losing streaks within the season.
23. Toronto Raptors
Toronto has been stuck in the middle since their title run in 2019 but the good thing is that they also have a collection of young players in their roster. Siakam and Anunoby will mostly carry the scoring load for them next season.
22. Indiana Pacers
Indiana is poised to take a leap this season after Halliburton’s unexpected emergence last year. But they are still a relatively young team that will commit a lot of mistakes on a nightly basis. They should be able to grab a play-in spot if their young core continues their improvement.
21. Brooklyn Nets
Mikal Bridges has been a revelation and Nic Claxton’s emerging game should excite Nets fans all over the world. Ben Simmons is on a redemption tour and that could possibly help the team secure a playoff spot next year.
20. Utah Jazz
Utah had an unexpected rise last season despite missing the playoffs. Markkanen made the All-Star team for the first time and has quickly established himself as the team’s franchise player for years to come.
19. Orlando Magic
The Magic has a great collection of young players who could all end up as franchise cornerstones. Wagner and Banchero will definitely take a leap next season and for the first time since the Dwight Howard era, Orlando’s future looks bright again.
18. Atlanta Hawks
The Murray-Young tandem has yet to yield results on the court for Atlanta. Both players need the ball in their hands in order for their games to thrive. Maybe a full training camp under coach Quin Snyder can do wonders for this team’s chemistry.
17. Dallas Mavericks
For a team that has Luka and Kyrie, ranking this low is a disappointment. Aside from those two, this team is lacking depth on the roster which could hurt their chances for a playoff berth. Aside from their roster construction, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd also plans to start two rookies on opening night.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Gobert-Towns experiment will enter its second year but to be honest, the pairing has looked bad on the court. Their fate will completely rest on the shoulders of Anthony Edwards and the 4th year guard knows it.
15. New Orleans Pelicans
Whenever Zion Williamson plays, this team has looked like a real threat in the West. But without Zion, this team’s potential plunges. Williamson has looked great in his offseason workouts but don’t get your hopes too high as he only played in 29 games the past couple of seasons.
14. New York Knicks
The Knicks had a surprising second-round appearance in last season’s playoffs and there’s optimism that their success was not just a fluke. Brunson has been great for New York and he’s now entering his prime years as a player which bodes well for the team’s future.
13. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento finally ended their playoff drought last season due to the prolific duo of Fox and Sabonis. This team is on the rise but they need to take their game to another level in order to be considered as contenders in the brutal Western Conference.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
This young Thunder team is poised to make some serious noise in this upcoming season. The Gilgeous-Alexander/Giddey backcourt is one of the best in the league. And yes, Chet Holmgrem’s debut is on track and he has looked great in training camp so far.
11. Philadelphia 76ers
It’s hard to fathom that a team like Philadelphia – anchored by league MVP Embiid – isn’t considered a contender by pundits. James Harden’s desire to be traded hasn’t materialized yet and the situation could potentially become ugly for the them this season.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers
While the duo of Garland and Mitchell has been great, the team’s frontcourt players can’t spread the floor due to their inability to hit open jumpers. If they could address that problem, then teams should watch out.
9. Los Angeles Clippers
The Leonard-George pairing hasn’t really brought any significant success for the team in the last few seasons. The duo hasn’t shared the court much but when they do, the team instantly looked like contenders. Let’s just hope they’ll stay healthy this year.
8. Memphis Grizzlies
With Marcus Smart’s addition, this young Grizzlies team has the potential to make some serious noise in the West. If Ja Morant can stay out of trouble throughout the course of the season, then nobody in the league would want to meet them in the playoffs.
7. Miami Heat
The Heat didn’t land Lillard this summer but don’t count them out yet. They’ve made it to the NBA Finals twice in the last four seasons and it would be a mistake to overlook Jimmy Butler and the rest of the team again. They are gritty, physical and scrappy.
6. Los Angeles Lakers
LA’s success will largely be dependent on Anthony Davis’s ability to stay healthy. In the last three years, he hasn’t played more than 56 games in a season. Although they have depth in every position, a healthy Davis and a determined LeBron will dictate how deep this team can go next year.
5. Golden State Warriors
Chris Paul’s addition could go either way for Golden State. However, their core has been at it for years and it’s a big mistake to underestimate their capabilities even though they are no longer young. At 35, Curry is still one of the NBA’s best players and that won’t change anytime soon.
4. Phoenix Suns
The trio of Beal, Booker and Durant will surely bless fans with some absurd scoring numbers next season. Anybody from those three could get hot in an instant. The huge question is: will it work in Phoenix? There’s optimism it can and if it does, they’ll be tough to go against in a seven-game series.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks surprisingly won the Lillard sweepstakes this offseason. The Giannis-Dame pairing will be a nightmare for opposing teams to deal with in this upcoming season. Khris Middleton is still there and so is Brook Lopez. The Bucks are definitely one of the favorites to win it all next year.
2. Boston Celtics
Jrue Holiday’s addition has finally given the Celtics a championship-caliber point guard to facilitate their offense. Will their starting lineup of Holiday, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis and Horford finally get them over the hump? On paper, they have the most well-balanced starting five in the league today. A potential clash against Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals would be awesome.
1. Denver Nuggets
As the 2022-2023 NBA Champions, the Nuggets still sit on top despite the improvements made by other teams in the league. The Jokic-Murray duo is one of the best in the NBA and both of them are poised to defend their championship title next season.
