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We are about three weeks away from the closing of the 2023-24 season NBA regular season, so let’s be clear: things could still change. But with respect to the five teams that I have listed as the lowest performers of the season, it is not likely.
He phoenix suns It would be the exception, I would say. If they go red hot and finish above 50 wins, when you consider the injuries they’ve faced, I wouldn’t necessarily call the season an underachievement. But I don’t see that happening. We’ll talk more about the Suns, in addition to the other four teams that make up the list of the lowest performers this season.
Here we go.
Atlanta has been the biggest disappointment in the league and it’s not even close. There is legitimate talent on this team. Quin Snyder and his faster-paced system aimed at scoring more 3-pointers were supposed to unlock things. It is not like this.
The Hawks, whose over/under win total was set at 42.5 at the start of the season, are on pace to win 35 games. Its net rating has fallen two points compared to last season, a significant drop. They are the third-worst defense in the league, and the offense continues to rely too much on individual creation and tough shooting, as evidenced by Atlanta’s 28th-ranked assist percentage. Trae Young He is still a statue without a ball.
The Young/Dejounte Murray duo was supposed to lead Atlanta into serious talks. Once again, not so. They’re being outscored by nearly six points per 100 possessions with those two on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass, with an offense that registers in just the 59th percentile leaguewide. Simply put, it’s not good enough to compensate for such defensive porosity.
It’s likely that one of Young or Murray will be traded this offseason, if not both. If Snyder didn’t have that pedigree, he would have been fired by now. You can argue about why, but the bottom line is that the team is worse than when Snyder came along, and that was true long before Young’s injury, so don’t try to blame that on that.
Like the team that will next be on this list, the Lakers’ over-under win total is set at 47.5 this season. They are well short of that number despite the fact that, contrary to what seems like a canned excuse for this team, their best guys have been remarkably healthy. Austin Reaves He has played all the games. Anthony Davis he has lost four. D’Angelo Russell five. Lebron James nine.
He Gabe Vicente signing was a failure. Vincent, christian wood and Jarred Vanderbilt they are all supposedly out for the rest of the seasonbut still, if you told the Lakers before the season that they would get so many healthy games from LeBron, AD and Reaves, not to mention a record-breaking campaign for Russelland they would still be fighting for one of the last spots in the Play-In tournament with a negative point differential, they would be hugely disappointed.
All that being said, unlike the next team on this list, I would still fear the Lakers in the playoffs, if they get there. At the end of January, I chose the Lakers return to the Western Conference Finals for a rematch with the nuggets. I don’t feel very good about this shot. But I’m still willing to defend it.
Golden State’s over/under win total was set at 47.5, which was probably too high, but still, this is a team approaching the low 40s after a home loss to the pacemaker on Friday. The Warriors are clinging to last place in the Play-In tournament that begins Saturday, with a real chance of finishing in the lottery; the number 11 rockets They’re just two behind Golden State in the loss column, and the Warriors play seven of their next eight games on the road.
The Warriors have simply gotten old. Klay Thompson Now he’s a bench boy. Draymon Greenafter timing Jordan Poole Before the start of last season, he had a hand in ruining the momentum of another season with his MMA routines and subsequent suspensions. Andrew Wiggins He is experiencing the worst season of his career. cris pablo It no longer moves needles.
Even Stephen Curry shows signs of wear and tear, if only from the exhaustion of carrying too disproportionate a burden of scoring and creating all year; He’s averaging just 21 points on 35% three-point shooting in March.
Golden State simply doesn’t have that kind of leeway anymore. Curry has to be brilliant virtually every night, and even then his margin for error is small; too small, for example, to allow for a defense close to the bottom 10. The Warriors’ run is over, even if they are surely fooling themselves into thinking they can still compete at the highest level.
Sure, at 45-25 for second place in the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to call the Bucks underperforming, but we’re obviously not basing this solely on history; They fired Adrian Griffin with a 30-13 record. Still, the Bucks are just 13-12 under Doc Rivers, and since Rivers was hired, the offense has dropped five points per 100 possessions; from 2nd in the entire league to 13th.
Damian Lillard He was supposed to turn this team into a juggernaut, but instead they looked more vulnerable defensively with the loss of Jrue vacation. Lillard has failed to make up for this balance between offense and defense by having one of the worst shooting seasons of his career.
Milwaukee is going to win 50 games and is probably a second-tier title contender, so we’re splitting hairs a bit here. But again, the fact is that this was supposed to be a juggernaut and, against that expectation, they haven’t pulled it off.
5. Phoenix Suns
Look, the Suns have only played 28 games with Kevin Durant, David Booker and Bradley Beal all active. They are 17-11 in those games. That’s a 49-win pace. The over/under for this team was set at 51.5. They’re currently on pace for 48 wins, which basically means they’ve been winning at the same rate with Beal, Booker and Durant playing as they did when they didn’t have the “Big 3” together.
The Suns are also 19-20 against teams with a record of .500 or better. His offensive rating with the “Big 3” on the court is better than the league leader. celts, but defense and depth, or lack thereof, have predictably been issues. Personally, I don’t love a stagnant offense, even if they have three elite shot creators. The ninth-ranked offense and 13th-ranked defense inspire as much excitement as this team overall. It’s a which situation.
Entering play on Saturday, the Suns would have to win Play-In Tournament game No. 7 vs. No. 8 just to have the right to play, currently, against the Denver Nuggets in the first round. If that happens, they will go home early and this season will officially be a bust.
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