3 NBA Teams Set to Boom or Bust Next Year
In lieu of the Detroit Pistons experiencing an organizational resurgence while the Philadelphia 76ers endure a grueling disaster of a season, here are three NBA teams that will either boom like the Pistons or bust like the 76ers next season.
Boom – The Portland Trailblazers
Donavan Clingan (Left) and Toumani Camara (Right) moments before a dap.
(Photo via - Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
At the beginning of the season the Trailblazers were unanimously expected to be amongst the NBA’s foremost bottom feeders in an attempt to “Capture the Flagg”, but as the season nears its end the plucky Blazers are neck-and-neck with the Phoenix Suns, a team with the 12th best preseason championship odds, in the western conference standings.
Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has instilled a never-say-die mentality in his roster, with the consistently outgunned and undermanned Blazers competing throughout each game and refusing to roll out intentionally flawed lineups, rotations and substitutions, which is much more than you can say for teams in similar situations, such as the Utah Jazz.
Former #2 overall draft pick, Scoot Henderson, is having a promising sophomore campaign following his disastrous rookie season that had many eager to label Henderson a draft bust.
Shaedon Sharpe, despite still not having found his shot, has developed a dynamic downhill playmaking ability, demonstrating his ability to improve in facets other than scoring.
Suns outcast Deandre Ayton has shown off great touch around the rim, but more importantly has repeatedly played some of the best individual defense against the toughest big men in the league, such as reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Portland Trailblazers are currently having their best season in half a decade.
(Data via - BasketballReference.com)
(Graph via - Mitchell Davis)
Deni Avdija, nearing the conclusion of his first full season in Portland, has continued to blossom with the Blazers. The 24-year-old forward is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals, while continually making strides as a shooter and downhill attacker.
The Blazers also feature two of the premier young defenders in the league with Toumani Camara on the wing and Donovan Clingan at the rim. Camara in his second year has increased his aggression offensively and emphatically established himself as one of the league’s very best perimeter defenders. Clingan leads all rookies in blocks and seems to be reviving an archetype of plodding, strong, big-bodied rim protectors.
Under the tutelage of Chauncey Billups, who refuses to tank this team, the Portland Trailblazers seem primed to make yet another leap going into next year as they continue to rebuild post-Damian Lillard trade.
Bust – The Milwaukee Bucks
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo (Above) demand a trade next year?
(Photo via - Profimedia)
On January 23rd, 2024, the Milwaukee Bucks suddenly fired head coach Adrian Griffin amidst what was unanimously considered a successful first half of a season. The Bucks boasted an impressive 30-13 record and looked primed for another deep playoff run before Griffin’s sudden firing.
Replacing Adrian Griffin was none other than Doc Rivers, infamous for his storied history of underachieving with exceptionally talented rosters and experiencing cataclysmic playoff meltdowns. The uninspired hire resulted in the Bucks going 17-19 under Rivers and being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Following the disaster that was year 1 of Rivers reign, Bucks brass decided that Rivers was their guy, signing him to a multi-year deal and allowing him to recruit perhaps the only coach more maligned than himself, former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, to be his lead assistant in Milwaukee.
To Rivers’ credit the Bucks are 45-36, which is far from ideal given that they have perhaps the best player on the planet, Giannis Antetokounmpo, at their disposal, but at least it’s two games better than the Detroit Pistons. Just try not to think about the fact that the Pistons are less than a year removed from potentially being the worst team in NBA history.
Damian Lillard was meshing well with the team through the first three quarters of the season before it was revealed that he had a blood clot in his calf and may potentially miss the remainder of the regular and post season.
Beloved former Buck, Khris Middleton, was traded to the Washington Wizards, which is sort of like being an American citizen getting deported to a Venezuelan gulag. In exchange the Bucks received Shaqtin’-a-Fool legend, Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has at least been a live body for Milwaukee but has continued to devolve as a shooter, which is concerning given his that his rare effectiveness is typically as a result of volume shooting.
3 years removed from their NBA finals victory, have the Bucks missed their window?
(Data via - BasketballReference.com)
(Graph via - Mitchell Davis)
Brook Lopez is 36 years old and has the lateral mobility of the Empire State Building. Darvin Ham’s obsession with Taurean Prince has carried over from the Lakers to the Bucks, with Prince consistently finding himself starting despite Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming increasingly visibly irritated at Prince’s uncanny knack for making mistakes and forgetting plays.
The Milwaukee Bucks roster is rapidly aging out of effectiveness and lacks sufficient young talent to replace their underwhelming veterans. Thank God that they also traded away AJ Johnson, one of the youngest and most athletic guard prospects in the league, as part of the Middleton-Kuzma deal.
With no end to the Bucks decline in sight, it is increasingly becoming a likelihood that Giannis Antetokounmpo will demand a trade as he has stated prior. The Milwaukee Bucks are prime candidates for having a complete bust of a 2025-26 season.
Boom – The Washington Wizards
Alex Sarr (Left) and Jordan Poole (Right) dap up after forcing a Pacers timeout.
Photo via - Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Washington Wizards are the absolute worst team in the NBA’s absolute worst conference. Earlier in this post I compared the Washington Wizards franchise to a Venezuelan gulag and given the Wizards’ history, that was grossly unfair to any and all Venezuelan gulags. If you asked an NBA fan to name which franchise has historically been the worst in the league, they’d probably say “The Hornets? The Pelicans? Maybe the Timberwolves?” They’d likely say that because hardly anyone remembers that the Wizards even exist.
All of that said, I do believe that the Wizards fortunes are about to change for the better. At least I’d hope so because if they get any worse, they’ll be evicted from both the Capital One Arena and the NBA. Snide remarks aside, the Washington Wizards have been quickly accumulating notable talent.
Washington had one of the best drafts of 2024, selecting Alexandre Sarr 2nd overall, Bub Carrington 14th overall and Kyshawn George 24th overall. Sarr, a true 7-footer, has been an impressively impactful defender both at the rim and on the perimeter with a rapidly improving deep shot. Carrington has been one of the NBA’s best midrange scorers from the jump while improving his lead guard skills. Kyshawn George has been an absolute defensive menace, fearless and aggressive on both sides of the ball.
Washington has developed versatile wing-defender, Bilal Coulibaly, into an exceptional defender with the ability to push pace and occasionally initiate offense. Corey Kispert has shown a knack for positional flexibility while continually proving himself to be one of the best 3-point shooters on the planet which has not gone unnoticed by the Wizards, who signed Kispert to a team friendly contract (with the potential to age poorly due to unforeseen CBA amendments).
Everything is looking up for the Wizards following their consecutive nightmare seasons.
(Data via - BasketballReference.com)
(Graph via - Mitchell Davis)
The Wizards were also active traders this year, shipping out Jonas Valanciunas and Kyle Kuzma while acquiring veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, a promising prospect in AJ Johnson as well as draft capital. Middleton and Smart have provided a much-needed veteran presence and consistency while Johnson has shown flashes of dynamism when given the opportunity.
Despite their history of being a moribund franchise that effectively served as basketball purgatory, the Washington Wizards seem to be trending in a very positive direction with a clear defensive identity. Couple their promising young talent and newly acquired veterans with the increasingly valuable draft capital from the floundering Phoenix Suns as a result of the Bradley Beal deal, and it is clear to see a path to playoff contention for the Wiz for the first time in over seven years.