The NBA is beginning to hit the final stretches of the regular season and as such, the postseason is starting to take shape. Teams can get overly optimistic or pessimistic with every win or loss during this time of the year. Not every team has an equal chance at winning a championship this year, and that is why, with one month left in the regular season, today feels like a perfect time to properly categorize each team into a tier list.
True Championship Contenders
Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers
This is the tier of teams who have a real chance at a championship this season. Filled with recent champions in the Nuggets and Bucks, and four other teams that seem to have finally broken through as serious contenders. Although some of these teams are dealing with injuries, Khris Middleton's ankle injury in Milwaukee, Karl Anthony-Towns torn meniscus in Minnesota, and Russell Westbrook’s broken hand in LA, these teams still have a chance at making the Conference Finals without them. Each one of these teams has a roster filled with superstar talent and it should not surprise anyone if any of these teams end up in the finals.
Great teams Without Top Tier Talent
Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat
These are all teams that probably don’t have a realistic chance at a title this season. Any of these teams could get hot, and with some injury luck, all of them are good enough to beat a team with more talent. Whether these teams have limited ceilings like the Knicks, Kings, or Pacers, or they might just be a year or two away like the Cavaliers, Magic, or Pelicans, these teams just aren’t good enough right now. There's a reason why the Heat went after Damian Lillard in the offseason. Most of these teams understand that they are a superstar away from competing. I view these teams similarly to the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks or the pre-Kawhi Raptors, where even if they have great regular seasons, their lack of a true superstar player will always hold them back from competing with the greatest teams and players in the league.
Superstars Give Them Hope
Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks
These teams are not very good right now and have looked bad for many stretches of the season. The reality is that it probably isn't these team's year to win a championship. Struggling supporting casts or injuries and suspensions (Draymond) to key players are the reasons for these teams to be where they are in the standings. The difference with these teams, is if their superstar players are healthy, they will always have a chance. Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic are true superstar players, that if they get hot in the playoffs, all of them can single handedly win their team’s a playoff series against anyone. Would any of us be surprised if we saw Luka beat the Clippers early in the playoffs, or LeBron and Anthony Davis humble the Timberwolves early? While these teams definitely aren’t great right now, their stars give them a chance in April and May.
Hey, at Least There’s Next Year
Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers
It is painfully obvious that these teams are not good enough this year, but at least each one of these teams have major reasons to be excited for the future. Each team’s young players seem to be improving immensely, and could put them in position to compete in a couple years. The Spurs have rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, who leads the league in blocked shots at 3.4 blocks per game and looks to be the next face of the NBA. The Rockets have emerging star Alperen Sengun, who outplayed Wembanyama last week. The Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson has started to show real flashes. The Hornets Brandon Miller seems to be a perfect fit next to fellow star LaMelo Ball, and Raptors Scottie Miller continues to flourish as their number one option. In the Grizzlies case, if Ja learns not to play with guns and doesn't get suspended for the first 25 games of the season, and is available for the entire 2024-25 season, he has proven to be electric. All these teams are not good right now, but fans have great reasons to be excited for the future.
Irrelevant Franchises
Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets
None of these teams have mattered at all in the last 5-10 years, unless you want to count the 16 games of Brooklyn's Durant, Kyrie, and Harden Big 3. Even the most relevant times of these teams recent history, will go down as one of the most underwhelming teams of all time. Looking at these teams now, it is hard to be optimistic about any of their futures, as they don't have much young talent. They have chose to build around mid tier starters in Trae Young, Zach Lavine, Ben Simmons, and Lauri Markkanen. This has caused each team to consistently stay in a range of not good enough to win in the playoffs, and not bad enough to draft any difference making talent. They will all probably stay as mediocre franchises for at least the next few years as well, and if you are a fan of these teams, I am truly sorry.
Would Have a Chance in the G League
Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons
The main draw of these teams this season has been the possibility of breaking the all-time NBA losing streak record. Detroit tied the 76ers record earlier this season, during their 28 straight losses, and the Wizards were seemingly getting close to that 28 game losing streak, until last night when they finally broke their 16 game losing streak against the Hornets. I wouldn’t be surprised if their losing streak starts anew in their next game, tomorrow against the Heat, though, as both of these teams are easily the worst two in the league and are very tough to watch. Unlike some of the other worst team's in the league, it's hard to find any optimism for the Pistons and Wizards.
Photos by Winslow Townson (Getty Images), Jim Rassol (USA-Today Sports), Erza Shaw (Getty Images), and Gregory Shamus (Getty Images).
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