The 2022-23 NBA season is off to a great start, filled with many surprises. The fact that the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and the San Antonio Spurs are just 3 teams who were expected to tank but have had great starts to the season. On the flip side, many teams were expected to have strong seasons from the jump but have struggled tremendously.
Teams with traditional powerhouse players who have carried their team to a lot of success before are struggling mightily this season. The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-5 and could fall to 0-6 if they lose to the Denver Nuggets tonight, despite having LeBron James. The Brooklyn Nets are 1-5 despite having Kevin Durant.
The Heat are 2-5 while being led by Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard isn’t playing enough to help the Clippers past their 2-5 start, and the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, haven’t been able to stop consecutive losses to the Hornets and the Pistons. These 5 teams have started the season a combined 8-18.
Lakers 0-5
Nets 1-5
Heat 2-5
Clippers 2-4
Warriors 3-4
What is happening pic.twitter.com/mXHNEe5ilZ
— Mink Flow (@currypistonn) October 31, 2022
All 5 teams don’t have the same issues but, ultimately, have to work their way out of being .500 this season, with some teams possibly having to make serious roster changes before doing anything.
Should All 5 Teams Be Concerned?
Good teams can have slow starts to the season, and it usually is something they move on from relatively quickly. That is the best-case scenario for all 5 of these teams and might just be a likely one for the Clippers and the Warriors, who have the talent on their roster to be successful.
The Lakers, Nets, and Heat have severe roster deficiencies that is going to limit their success unless some moves are made. The Nets need to change their defensive schemes or coaches because they are the leakiest defense in all of basketball. The Heat need to fix their frontcourt depth issues and trade for someone like Jae Crowder.
The Lakers are the trickiest because even a Russell Westbrook trade might not be enough to improve the only winless squad in the entire league. It’ll be interesting to see how these teams pivot from here to save their season.
