Between player movement, coaching changes, and the potential last season of the greatest player of all time, this year’s NBA season is set to be an exciting one. Before the season tips off, however, who do I think will be first and worst in each conference?

Note: All team records are rough estimates and are not mathematically accurate.

Eastern Conference

#1 – Boston Celtics – 64-18

The defending champions show no signs of slowing down. With long-term extensions to key pieces such as Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser, there have been minimal changes to this roster which ranked #1 in offense last season. After an underwhelming playoff and Olympic run, Jayson Tatum has a chip on his shoulder to prove he can be the #1 guy on this team, and Jaylen Brown looks to grow upon his Finals MVP season in 2024. Barring major health issues with the injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis and aging Jrue Holiday, not many teams have the talent and depth to compete with Boston this year.

#2 – Philadelphia 76ers – 56-26

Philly looks to take a major jump after an underwhelming 2024 campaign. The main story with this team is the addition of perennial All-Star Paul George, but there are many more developments to this roster to keep an eye on. Prior to the injury to MVP candidate Joel Embiid, the Sixers were the second-best team in the East, with a weak and top-heavy roster. Key bench additions such as Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond make the sixers one of the deepest teams in the league in my opinion. Young 2024 All-Star Tyrese Maxey looks to improve his game even further, and I anticipate him becoming a 25-27 point per game scorer alongside Embiid and George. The main story with this team however, cannot be ignored. Embiid and George are known playoff underperformers, so will their success translate to the postseason, or will they both fall short yet again?

#3 – New York Knicks – 55-27

As much as I hate to say it, the Knicks look legit this year. New additions such as Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges add further shooting expertise to a team that ranked #13 in the leauge in 3-point percentage. The chemistry of former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges makes this team a well-oiled machine of basketball, with an unlimited offense. Their talent on the defensive side of the ball cannot be understated as well, with O.G Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson holding down that end of the floor incredibly well. Gritty bench pieces such as Miles McBride and Josh Hart make this team one of the toughest in the league. Paired with the fast-paced and mentally tough coaching of Tom Thibodeau, nobody will be able to out-run and outcompete the Knicks. Despite their toughness, the lack of talent comparatively with other teams in the league makes it impossible for me to put the Knicks any higher. In addition, the prices they paid for Towns and Bridges are absolutely egregious, as they gave up 7 first-round draft picks, as well as two elite shooters in Donte Divencenzo and Bojan Bogdonavic. However, if this team can put it together and win a championship, it will all be worth it.

#4 – Milwuakee Bucks – 52-30

Is the Bucks’ reign of terror finally over? After a brutal coaching disaster last season, Doc Rivers was thrown into the Head Coach position, a place he himself does not want to be. Damian Lillard looks to be on the decline, and the overall 3-point shooting is abysmal. The roster, which has one of the worst bench units in the association, made no real improvements, and the oldest team in the NBA continues to regress. On the bright side, star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP caliber play guarantees this team a top four seed, and a slim championship chance.

#5 – Indiana Pacers – 49-33

The Pacers are one of the most entertaining teams in the league, but in terms of real success, I don’t see too much in their future. Tyrese Halburton looked like one of the best players in the league during the start of last season, but after a hamstring injury in January, his play majorly declined and has not recovered yet. Co-star Pascal Siakam is one of the least efficient scorers in the league, and he lacks any real offensive talents. Despite the inconsistency from their stars, the team’s elite offensive scheme designed by coach Rick Carlisle allows for this team to run one of the most efficient and fast-paced offenses in the NBA. On the defensive side, however, they always rank in the bottom 10 teams in the league, which is the main thing holding them back.

#6 – Orlando Magic – 47-35

Orlando looks to maintain their success from last season, and their identity has not shifted. Orlando is still one of the best defensive teams in the league, with the valuable addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope further increasing that defensive potential. 22-year-old Paolo Banchero, one of my favorite players in the league, continues to improve his game while serving as the #1 scoring option for the team. However, 3-point shooting is still a major flaw in this roster, but the growth of Anthony Black and Jett Howard as well as the addition of KCP hopes to improve this issue. For me, this team has one of the largest margins on where they could place. Realistically, they could be anywhere from 4th to 8th, but I personally trust in them enough to place them 6th.

#7 – Cleveland Cavaliers – 47-35

The 5-8th seeds in the Eastern Conference will be an extremely tight race this year, and Cleveland unfortunately falls victim to that. With no real changes to a second-round exit from last year, Cavaliers fans, along with myself, are quite puzzled with the roster construction. Small guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland cannot, under any circumstance, run the floor together if you hope to win a championship. Both of them are highly ball-dominant, as well as complete defensive liabilities. In the front court, Cleveland is still attempting to make the duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley work. Mobley and Allen both provide elite rim protection, but the combination of the two of them leads to redundancy as well as a lack of spacing. Despite all of these flaws, Cleveland’s ownership refuses to make any moves as to not upset superstar Donovan Mitchell. This core is talented enough to make a conference finals run, but until they can learn to blend their play styles with each other, that will never happen.

#8 – Miami Heat – 44-38

I don’t think Heat Culture will be enough this season. Miami has been 8th the past 2 years, and without any additions to the roster, I believe it will happen again. The incredible chemistry and work ethic of this team allows for them to still perform, but there comes a time when that simply isn’t enough to succeed. I highly anticipate Miami being one of the worst shooting teams in the league this year after the departure of Caleb Martin, and bad shooting teams usually have limited success in this modern era. And then, there’s the Jimmy Butler problem. Jimmy Butler is demanding a 3-year max contract from owner Pat Riley, despite constant injuries, a lack of respect for the regular season, and the main issue; being 35 years old. This contract dispute has led to an incredibly agitated Butler, which has shown itself even before the season starts. Jimmy thinks he’s the long-term future of this team, but he needs to accept the truth that he isn’t. Despite these roster issues, the Heat coaching staff is one of the best in the association, which always gives them a slim chance to win any one game.

#9 – Atlanta Hawks – 40-42

Atlanta has had a troubled few years. After their conference finals run in 2021 in which they terrorized the league and Trae Young became the most hated player in the world, the Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray from San Antonio. Whenever they added Murray, they were supposed to be great… but they weren’t. Murray and star Trae Young could not play together, and it’s proven. Atlanta had a higher point differential without Murray on the floor than with him. So, this offseason, after a tumultuous past few seasons, Atlanta finally traded Dejounte Murray to New Orleans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr, and one first-round pick. Atlanta definitely won this trade in my opinion, as they add the young elite defensive guard Daniels to their retooling roster. 2024 #1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher will be an impact player from day 1, and I see much success in the future of this team. Unfortunately, that success won’t be now.

#10 – Toronto Raptors – 37-45

Toronto is preparing to bounce back. Last season, they traded multi-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana, jumpstarting their rebuild after 2 years of early playoff losses. Toronto, however, went about their rebuild in a very interesting way. Rather than trading star players for draft compensation, Toronto exchanged players for impactful role players such as Bruce Brown, as well as young players who have generally been deemed failures so far in R.J Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. These pieces, combined with young wing star Scottie Barnes, allow Toronto to still maintain slight success while retooling their roster. However, if Scottie doesn’t make the jump to an elite player this year, they may be in trouble for years to come.

#11 – Charolette Hornets – 34-48

I believe Charolette will make one of the largest jumps in record this year. News regarding LaMelo Ball’s frequent ankle injuries looks to be in the bright side, with hopes he can return to All-Star form this year. With Ball, young standouts Brandon Miller and Mark Williams give this team one of the elite young trios in the association. Fan-favorite role players Grant Williams, Tre Mann, and Vasilije Micic give this team a strong identity and connection. With the progression of their core, Charolette is hoping to become a perennial playoff contender for the first time in their franchise’s history.

#12- Chicago Bulls – 30-52

Chicago is stuck in the same spot as last season. After the trade of elite defensive stopper Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City (which was the first trade in the past 5 years for Chicago) and the loss of Demar Derozan in free agency, there are definitely some major holes to fill in their lineup. New acquisition Josh Giddey hopes to serve as a primary playmaker and key young talent for this team, and the highly-anticipated return of injury-riddled Lonzo Ball adds one of the most impactful defensive players in the association. I anticipate Chicago being one of the worst defensive teams in the league, however, as Ball slowly readjusts to basketball. I believe 2024 Most Improved Player candidate Coby White will make a jump to becoming an All-Star with the increased scoring opportunities after the loss of Derozan, but that won’t be enough to give this team any real success.

#13 – Detroit Pistons – 27-55

Despite key shooting additions, Detroit won’t be much better than last year. Despite what many sources are saying, Tim Hardaway Jr, Malik Beasley, and Tobias Harris, are not moving the needle for any team in 2024. This roster is outright bad. You don’t lose 27 straight games, add the scraps other teams didn’t want, and improve significantly. Barring a legendary improvement from Cade Cunningham or Jalen Duren, this team has no real cornerstones of their franchise. I absolutely hate their draft pick of Ron Holland at #5, as he acts as another poor spacing wing to pair alongside their other poor spacing wing in Asaur Thompson. The Pistons are in for another rough season.

#14 – Brooklyn Nets – 23-59

The Nets are preparing for a #1 overall draft pick in 2025. After trading Mikal Bridges, whom many fans (unreasonably) considered a future cornerstone, to the Knicks for a massive haul of 6 first-round draft picks, this team is prepared for a full-on tank. Young draft busts Killian Hayes and Zaire Williams act as both project players as well as active contributors to the intentional losing in Brooklyn. Former All-Star Ben Simmons is set to return this year, and although it’s a good 4 years too late, his presence this season will undoubtedly drag this team to a couple of wins down the stretch. Cameron Thomas will probably rank within the top 10 in scoring this year with the large green light given to him. Although this season will be rough, as a Nets fan myself, I’m highly looking towards the future with a top-5 selection in 2025, which is said to be one of the deepest draft classes of the past decade.

#15 – Washington Wizards – 19-63

The Wizards are another team deeply in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. The team in D.C has a horrid roster from last year, which added zero meaningful impact players over the offseason. Malcom Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas are good veterans for their young roster, but at this point in their careers neither of them will have any impact on winning. Throughout Summer League and Preseason play, #2 overall pick Alexandre Sarr has been looking completely awful on offense. His defensive impact is still greatly valuable, but I anticipate it being quite a few years until he can develop a meaningful offensive game. The small amount of fans in Washington are looking forward to another rough season.

Western Conference

#1 – Oklahoma City Thunder – 63-19

Oklahoma City is ready to assert themselves as the new elite of the NBA. The additions of defensive stalwart Alex Caruso and quintessential big man Isiah Hartenstien fill the only two major holes present in OKC last year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is my personal pick for MVP this year, and his sheer talent paired with the developing co-stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams gives this team the ability to outscore anyone on any given night. Their current excellence is great and all, but OKC has a major luxury not many other teams have— 12 first round picks in the next 4 drafts. This gives the team an elite level of roster flexibility, with the assets to acquire any star player they wish to. With this, Oklahoma City will dominate the NBA for the next decade.

#2 – Dallas Mavericks – 57-25

Dallas has a good shot to make it back to the finals. Their roster, which was elite after trade deadline acquisitions such as Daniel Gifford and P.J Washington, has made marginal improvements to maintain their pace. The addition of future Hall-of-Famer Klay Thompson gives them a highly impactful wing player to replace the lost Josh Green and Derrick Jones Jr. Luka Doncic has a high case for the MVP this year, and there’s a good chance he wins it if the Mavs can maintain last year’s success. However, Doncic and Kyrie Ivring create one of the

#3 – Minnesota Timberwolves – 56-26

Despite the loss of longtime Minnesota veteran Karl Anthony-Towns, the Wolves show no signs of slowing down after a Western Conference Finals run in 2024. New faces Julius Randle and Donte Divencenzo, the return players of the Towns trade, add secondary playmaking and shooting. Young superstar Anthony Edwards continues to improve his game, and the loss of Towns allows for increased opportunities for 2024 Sixth Man of The Year Naz Reid. My only real concerns with this time lie in their lack of a primary playmaker, as the aging Mike Conley enters what is likely his last season in the league. Along with this, their listed starting lineup has a major lack of shooting, as all of their elite 3-point players play off the bench. However, if the defense can hold up like it did last year, and Edwards can average 28+ points per game, Minnesota is a real threat out west.

#4 – Denver Nuggets – 54-28

I anticipate a far worse Denver team this year compared to previous years. The Nuggets are without many bench pieces from their 2023 championship season, Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being the most impactful losses. To counteract these losses, the Nuggets have Mande only one meaningful move— signing a 36 year-old role player Russel Westbrook. If the year was 2017, the Russ move would be an elite addition, but it’s 2024, and the former MVP is a shell of himself. Jamal Murray has shown major inconsistencies during the Olympics this summer, in which he was supposed to be a primary scorer, and underperformed. Along with this, Murray has lingering health issues which continue to sideline him for massive amounts of regular-season games. Normally, this is not an issue, but this year, without depth, Denver is relying on him a lot more than usual.

#5 – Memphis Grizzlies – 52-30

Memphis is my personal pick for the largest jump in record this year. After a completely injury hobbled 2024 campaign, in which they had 25+ players suit up for multiple games, the return of their depth pieces as well as elite point guard Ja Morant will lead to a much improved Grizzlies team. The absolute X-Factor for this team’s success in my opinion lies in rookie center Zach Edey. Despite his dominance in both man and zone defense, former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. is an incredibly weak rebounder and inside scorer, two aspects where Edey excelled last year at Purdue. If Edey and Jackson can play off of each other’s strengths and supplement their weaknesses, this Memphis defense will no doubt be one of the top 10 in the league. After only playing 9 games in 2024, Ja Morant has been almost forgotten about by many across the league, and he’s on a mission to remind the world of the player he is.

#6 – Sacramento Kings – 52-30

Sacramento is another team set to make a massive jump in the standings. The biggest story involving this Kings team is the trade for future hall-of-famer Demar Derozan from Chicago. In this trade, they were able to shed themselves of the burden that is Harrison Barnes. Barnes was, by almost every metric, the worst starter in the NBA last season, and the addition via his subtraction may be more valuable than the addition of Derozan himself. Young power forward Keegan Murray is thoroughly prepared for a breakout this year. The All-Star trio of De’aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and Derozan provides elite scoring from anywhere inside the 3-point line, and Murray’s scoring will leap as he takes the role of the primary 3-point threat for this team.

#7 – Phoenix Suns – 49-33

Phoenix may still be stuck in limbo. Their two largest moves this offseason were the signing of coach Mike Budenholzer as well as the efficient point guard Tyus Jones on a veteran minimum deal. Jones has led the league in assist/turnover ratio for a few years now, and he fills a massive hole in playmaking that the Suns had last year. However, the addition of Jones raises a massive question with this lineup— who on earth is playing defense? At this late stage in their careers, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant are both complete cones on that side of the floor, Jusuf Nurkic has always been one of the weakest defensive centers, and Jones’ 6’1 stature limits him greatly. Devin Booker showed his defensive potential at the Olympics this summer, but if he’s gonna serve as the #1 scoring option again, how much of his effort is gonna go to that side of the ball? However, Jones’ ability to find all 3 elite scorers on his team in scoring situations will make this one of the best offenses in the league, and if rookie defensive star Ryan Dunn can play his way into a key 3 and D role on this team, I doubt many will be able to get more buckets than these Suns.

#8 – Los Angeles Lakers – 47-35

Despite the drama, I think the Lakers will be a lot better than people give them credit for. The largest story with this team over the offseason was the addition of USC guard Lebron James Jr, pairing him with Lebron James Sr. to form the first father-son duo in NBA history. As James Jr. is a very raw prospect, this addition won’t do much on the court, but in terms of team chemistry it’s an excellent addition. The most impactful on-court addition will be the hiring of new coach J.J Reddick. Reddick brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the game as well as intelligently created plays and rotations, something the Lakers heavily lacked under former HC Darvin Ham. If James Sr. and Anthony Davis can continue to be two of the top 15 players in basketball, this Lakers roster is scary on any given night, and primed to go on a deep playoff run. However, the general roster construction around their two stars is incredibly weak, and it will come back to bite them during the regular season.

#9 – New Orleans Pelicans – 46-36

No matter what offseason additions they make, the story always seems the same for the Pelicans. This year, they made a trade for disgraced former All-Star Dejounte Murray from Atlanta, but to me, this move changes nothing. Murray fills a role of another perimeter scorer and secondary playmaker, something the Pels already have twice in Brandon Ingram and C.J McCollum. The Pelicans intend to start all 3 of these players, and then place another guard in Herb Jones at the center position. This, paired with 6’9 power forward Zion Williamson, leads to an incredibly small and weak defensive lineup. The Pels offense will be clicking with all of their scoring and shooting talent alongside Zion— but their defense absolutely will not be able to contain the elite bigs of the Western Conference.

#10 – Golden State Warriors – 44-38

The Warriors’ roster could be as bad as ever, but Stephen Curry will still drag this team to a .500 record. This offseason, the Warriors lost long-time veteran Klay Thompson, and the only meaningful additions they made were Buddy Hield and De’anthony Melton. The concept of Hield and Curry as a shooting duo sounds great, but when you remember Hield’s true colors of being one of the absolute worst defenders in basketball, that concept becomes a lot less of a dream. Along with that, this roster is shallow at almost every position, with 36-year-old Draymond Green being Steph’s second best player. This team will have to fight for every single win they’ll get this year, but with Curry’s heroics, anything is possible.

#11 – Houston Rockets – 42-40

Even accounting for progression from their young roster, Houston is still nowhere near good enough to compete in this year’s crowded Western Conference. There were no meaningful roster changes this year for Houston, except for a trade in which they sent Brooklyn their draft picks this year and next year back in exchange for Pheonix’s picks in 2025 and 2027. This is likely in preparation for a deal between Houston and Phoenix, so keep yourself aware for one of the 3 stars in the valley to be sent to H-Town. Houston’s success for the future is fully dependent on the progression of Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, two players who they dedicated a combined $70 million per year to this offseason, marking them as clear franchise cornerstones.

#12 – San Antonio Spurs – 36-46

Victor Wembanyama won’t be enough for the Spurs’ success. The 2023 #1 pick and highly touted prospect put up an impressive rookie season, in which he was selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive team for his efforts on that end of the floor. This year, Wemby has put on an impressive amount of muscle, as well noticeably increased his court awareness and mechanics, as he prepares to make the jump to an All-NBA player this year. No matter how impactful he may be, however, a 20-year-old can never carry a horrible roster to the playoffs. The Spurs had a generally successful offseason, with additions of two well-seasoned veterans in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, who help to supplement and aid the youth of their roster at many spots. This team, however, is still just beginning to end their past years of being one of the worst in the league, and the general roster is filled with inexperienced youth and bad shooting. In the future, with Wemby, the Spurs will be absolutely dominant, but that future is not today.

#13 – Los Angeles Clippers 33-49

There’s a lot of trouble brewing for LA’s other team. After the departure of Paul George, this Clips roster shows weakness at almost every position. Kawhi Leonard, the sole remaining star on this team, is one of the most unreliable in the history of the NBA. Reports are now surfacing that Leonard will miss indefinite time to start the season to rehab a knee injury, and a roster led by James Harden for a sustained amount of time in 2024 is winning nothing. Even when Leonard comes back, this team will have to battle for most wins, and the chances of him playing the rest of the season once he rehabs his knee is almost 0. All of this would be fine, to just have a down year, but the Clippers have one major issue— they don’t own their 2025 draft pick. There’s no way to cut it, the Clippers are completely doomed for this year, and for the future.

#14 – Utah Jazz – 21-63

The Jazz have yet to fully commit to a tank in previous years, but I believe they will this year. In this conference, you must be the best of the best, and that’s jut not what the Jazz are. Although he signed a massive extension this offseason, All-Star forward Lauri Markannen is a lot more of a supplemental piece than he is a main one, and the Jazz are using him as the cornerstone of their franchise. I anticipate a lot of trades for Utah this year, as multiple players such as Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler will likely be dealt to contending teams across the leauge. If the Jazz do even try to be competitive, which is a possibility with this roster, there’s absolutely 0 chance they do so much as sniff the play-in tournament.

#15 – Portland Trailblazers – 20-62

The Blazers are outright one of the bottom-barrel teams in the association. They lack any solid players, with a roster made up of other team’s scraps as well as young unproven players. After 2023 #3 pick Scoot Henderson’s disastrous rookie campaign, the Blazers have a roster completely filled with inefficient young guards. Unless Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe make a massive leap this year, these next few years are gonna be very rough for Portland, without a semblance of a definitive future.