We are about one-eighth of the way into the NBA season, and some teams are blowing up the preseason rankings while others are falling way short of expectations. While injuries and growing pains are a part of the process, there were some teams expected to make a major jump or drop in this year’s season. Needless to say, the season is living up to the exciting expectations that went into the 2022-23 year.
- The Best – Milwaukee Bucks
- The Hottest – Cleveland Cavaliers
- The Biggest Surprise – Utah Jazz
- Overachieving – San Antonio Spurs
- The Coldest – Golden State Warriors
- The Most Disappointing – Los Angeles Lakers
- Underachieving – Brooklyn Nets
- The Worst – Orlando Magic
- Next
- 2022-23 NBA MVP Race: Giannis Antetokounmpo Looks Unstoppable
- NBA Rumors: 3 Panic Trades That Could Happen Right Now
- 20 Lowest Paid NBA Players For The 2022-23 Season
- Kobe Bryant’s MVP Points Per Season: The Black Mamba Deserved At Least 3 MVP Awards
- Michael Jordan vs. Magic Johnson Career Comparison: The GOAT Against The Best Point Guard In NBA History
Among the storylines, the rumors around Russell Westbrook are circling more than ever. The Warriors look far from being able to defend their title. The Milwaukee Bucks took 10 games before finally losing, while the Utah Jazz traded away their starting lineup, which included two All-Stars, for a plethora of draft picks only to be in first place in the Western Conference, which is pretty shocking for everyone, especially Danny Ainge.
When sorting the NBA teams per category, we will take a look at the best, hottest, coldest, and worst in the league.
These are the NBA teams per category.
The Best – Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks began the season 9-0 and did not lose a game until recently against the Atlanta Hawks. Giannis Antetokonmpo was pegged as a potential MVP candidate before the season began for good reason. Antetokounmpo is third in the scoring race with 31.8 points per game, with an additional 12.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. He owns seven double-doubles, which is tied with Nikola Vucevic for second in the league.
Now, the Bucks have had a favorable schedule to begin the year. Seven of the team’s first 10 games were at home, but the team won every single game. With a 7-0 home record, teams are starting to wonder if traveling to Milwaukee is going to be easy. Keep in mind that Khris Middleton has not played this season.
Jrue Holiday is having an All-Star season to begin the year with 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.5 steals. Meanwhile, Bobby Portis is averaging 13.1 points and 11.1 rebounds off of the bench, while Grayson Allen is shooting 41.2% from three-point range. When Middleton comes back, this team is going to be a juggernaut.
The Hottest – Cleveland Cavaliers
When the Cavaliers made a trade for Donovan Mitchell, there was plenty of hype around the team. The Cavaliers were a top defensive team last year, while Darius Garland emerged as an All-Star. Now, the team has that clutch shooter that can take over late in games. Mitchell has led the team in scoring six times this season, which includes a season-high of 38 points. The Cavaliers are the hottest team in the league with an 8-2 record and are chasing the Bucks not only for the Central Division title but also the league’s top record.
Mitchell is fourth in the scoring race at 31.2 points per game and has no signs of slowing down. Garland has played in just four games this season but will be back. In those games, he averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 assists. Evan Mobley has taken a step offensively at 15.2 points but has taken a step back defensively with just 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. Jarrett Allen is going to get looks at being an All-Defensive player this season and owns a double-double average of 13.5 points and 12.2 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Caris LeVert could pop off anytime this season. Averaging 13.4 points and 5.8 assists, he already owns a game of 41 points. Finally, the work Kevin Love is doing off of the bench with 12.6 points and 7.7 rebounds will see him in the Sixth Man of the Year race. The Cavaliers are the real deal.
The Biggest Surprise – Utah Jazz
Let’s recap the Jazz’s offseason. The team traded Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale. If we told you they would own the best record in the Western Conference, would you have stopped reading our content? In reality, no writer was going to believe that the Jazz would be this good right now. The Jazz are 5-0 at home, and Will Hardy looks like the runaway frontrunner for Coach of the Year right now, which is even more impressive given that he is 34 years old.
Lauri Markkanen looks like an All-Star with 21.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The backcourt of Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton are reaping huge benefits on offense. Clarkson, a former Sixth Man of the Year, has not taken a step back in a larger role by averaging 18.3 points and 5.2 assists. Meanwhile, Sexton has flourished in a sixth-man role with 14.6 points, which includes 38.1% shooting from three-point range.
Mike Conley Jr. continues to be a steady point guard in this league with 12.5 points and 7.5 assists, while Kelly Olynyk, the player received in the Bogdanovic trade, is producing 12.2 points with a three-point shooting percentage of 58.8% with 2.8 attempts per game. Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Talen Horton-Tucker are all playing huge minutes. All of these pieces that the Jazz received have worked out. While Mitchell is thriving in Cleveland, the Timberwolves are 5-6 to start the season. The Jazz also has three first-round picks in 2023, as well as two first-round picks for 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029 drafts.
Overachieving – San Antonio Spurs
A four-game losing streak has brought the Spurs back down to Earth. When the Spurs began the season 4-2, there were a few heads turned. If the season ended today, the Spurs would be participating in the play-in game. It’s not a bad start for a team that was picked to finish dead last in the standings. With the little proven talent on the roster, plus the trade that dealt their lone All-Star, Dejounte Murray, in the offseason, there were very few expectations going into this season.
Gregg Popovich proves that we should never count out what a great head coach can do. The Spurs could still finish last in the standings, but for now, the team is overachieving with their 5-6 record. Assuming that Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott can keep playing at a fairly high level, those will be two names to keep an eye out for as the deadline approaches. Jakob Poeltl is another name, but the Spurs might like to have him in the future. Poeltl is averaging 11.5 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Keldon Johnson is looking like the next best prospect. With 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals, Johnson could be in the mix for Most Improved Player if the Spurs can keep hovering around the back part of the playoff standings. In seven games, Devin Vassell is averaging 20.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Both Johnson and Vassell are shooting incredibly from outside. Johnson is averaging 3.8 three-point field goals out of 8.9 for a 42.7% shooting percentage, while Vassell is 3.4 of 7.4 for 46.2%. If that shooting continues, the Spurs could remain in the mix.
The Coldest – Golden State Warriors
The Warriors retained their core from a championship team and then double-down by signing Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole to long-term extensions. All eyes were on this team as the favorite to win their fifth championship. If the season ended today, the 4-7 Warriors would be the No. 12 seed and out of the playoff picture. Again, we have plenty of time for the Warriors to turn things around, but this start has been brought with distractions. From the start of the season, with Draymond Green punching Poole to questions about their age, the team looks ice cold right now.
The most concerning state should be that the team is 0-6 on the road this season. The Warriors and the Lakers are the only Western Conference teams to not own a road win. Collectively, Charles Barkley said it best when he believed that the team is going to need the younger players to step up. Quite frankly, that has not happened yet. James Wiseman looks lost and is averaging 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. Moses Moody is averaging 5.2 points and shooting 40% from the field. Jonathan Kuminga has regressed to 14.0 minutes per night and 4.9 points.
Curry has been dominant to start the season with 32.6 points per game, which is second in the scoring race. Wiggins and Poole are living up to their contracts, while Thompson is supplying 15.1 points but is shooting a dreadful 32.6% from three-point range. Poole’s percentage has dropped to 30.1%. We have seen hangovers for championship teams before. You don’t have to be the No. 1 seed to win the NBA championship. However, you have to make the playoffs, and that is not something the Warriors would be in right now if we ended the season today.
The Most Disappointing – Los Angeles Lakers
The definition of insanity is making the same mistake over again. The offseason featured rumors about the departure of Westbrook and his fit with the team. The team knew they didn’t have any outside shooting. Doesn’t this sound familiar to the 2021 offseason? Everyone in the NBA world knew that the Lakers had these problems, but very little was done to fix them. That is why we stand here with a 2-8 Lakers team that is tied with the Houston Rockets for the least amount of wins in the conference.
The Lakers are really bad. The team owns the 26th-best offense at 108.4 points per game, while the defense is 24th in the league with 116.3 points allowed. Teams are aware of how to play the Lakers. The Lakers do not have any true outside shooters, so they can sit in the paint and let the team try to drive inside with nowhere to go. The Trail Blazers even sent center Jusuf Nurkic out to guard Westbrook because they knew that he was more than likely going to miss an outside shot.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are averaging a combined 47.5 points per game, but the rest of the team’s drop-off is significant. Westbrook’s 16.3 points per game are overshadowed by the 3.6 turnovers. James is averaging 3.4 turnovers himself. Lonnie Walker IV has been a nice surprise, but the team owns just four double-digit scorers. Matt Ryan is the team’s best outside shooter at 41.4%, while Austin Reaves is second at 36.0%. Unless a major move is on the horizon, this looks like it could be one of the worst seasons in team history.
Underachieving – Brooklyn Nets
Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving. Ben Simmons. We heard these names all summer long. These are three All-Star players that can lead this team to the NBA Finals. The team dealt a first-round pick for the addition of Royce O’Neale. Joe Harris was back and healthy, while Nicolas Claxton was ready to take a step into his development. Instead, this looks like a team that could be ready to implode. The team and Steve Nash parted ways. Irving remains a distraction for his off-the-court antics. It’s a bad situation in Brooklyn.
Simmons looks like one of the worst players in the league right now. He is averaging 5.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals and is shooting 43.2% from the field and, of course, 0.0% from three-point range. Simmons is making over $35 million this season and has fouled out of multiple games. That is a high premium for a player that is not going to contribute significantly on offense and then play bottom-of-the-line defense as well.
This has gone way south of what has projected for this team a year ago. With Durant, Irving, and James Harden, this team was viewed as a championship trio. Instead, the group played less than 20 games together, and Harden was shipped off for Simmons. In the end, making the NBA Finals seems like a long shot for this team.
The Worst – Orlando Magic
Statistically, the 2-9 Magic are tied with the Rockets and Lakers with the worst offensive rating in the league. Defensively, the team is not all that much better at 25th. The Pistons are going to push the team for the worst record in the Eastern Conference, but the Magic appear to be okay with going through the growing pains. The Magic and Pistons are the only teams in the East that do not own a road win. Both teams are playing younger lottery picks and allowing growth on the team.
For now, the Magic are going to ride their way to another lottery pick. Their lone saving grace is that 2022 No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero looks to be legit. Banchero is averaging 23.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in his first 11 games. Meanwhile, Franz Wagner looks like a perfect complement with 18.1 points of his own. Wendell Carter Jr. is flirting with a double-double at 15.9 points and 9.2 rebounds. These three players are the only ones to start all 11 games this season.
The team would like to see consistently chrome Cole Anthony and some development from Jalen Suggs. Bol Bol might have revived his NBA career with 11.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in 22.7 minutes of action in 11 appearances. Keep an eye out for Terrence Ross being traded at the deadline, but this developmental project will run its course, and the Magic will look to find Banchero, an All-Star teammate in the draft in 2023.
