By Kevin Pelton | ESPN, 2025-04-17 20:00:00
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
随着2024-25赛季NBA常规赛的落幕，是时候对所有30支球队进行最终的评级了。虽然已经确定季后赛席位的14支球队和仍在为最后两个席位而战的四支球队将继续征战，但联盟的其他球队已经将注意力转向了休赛期及以后。
在周六季后赛开始之前，让我们回顾一下常规赛，对所有30支球队进行评级，其中一些球队的表现大大超出了预期，因此获得了高分。同样，也有一些球队抱有很高的期望（和很高的薪资），但本赛季表现不佳，现在需要在今年夏天努力恢复状态。
我的评分很大程度上受到球队赛季初期望的影响。对于一支在9月份看起来平平无奇的球队来说，同样的战绩可能会获得A级评价，但对于另一支怀有现实冠军希望的球队来说，可能只有C级。除了胜负之外，我还考虑了球队在实现目标方面的表现，包括培养年轻人才和确保乐透区选秀顺位。
跳转到评分范围：
A | B | C | D | F
跳转到球队：
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTA | WAS
‘A’ 级
克利夫兰骑士
评分： A
在抵制了解散核心阵容的呼声后，骑士队在新任主教练肯尼·阿特金森的带领下，在东部积分榜上突飞猛进，队内有三名球员入选全明星赛（达里厄斯·加兰(Darius Garland)，多诺万·米切尔(Donovan Mitchell)，埃文·莫布里(Evan Mobley)），这在球队历史上仅是第四次。现在，克利夫兰将在整个东部季后赛中拥有主场优势，以寻求自1992年以来首次在没有勒布朗·詹姆斯的情况下进入东部决赛。
底特律活塞
评分： A
前所未有的转变让活塞队在一个赛季内从NBA最差的战绩一路打进了季后赛。虽然新人的投篮有所改善——尤其是最佳第六人奖的竞争者马利克·比斯利——但底特律队还是凭借年轻的天赋实现了突飞猛进。前状元秀凯德·坎宁安(Cade Cunningham)首次入选全明星，也是进步最快球员的热门人选，而最近的乐透秀杰伦·杜伦(Jalen Duren)和奥萨尔·汤普森(Ausar Thompson)在新任主教练J.B.比克斯塔夫的带领下，在发展方面取得了巨大的进步。
休斯顿火箭
评分： A
火箭队快速重建的第三阶段提前到来了。在2023-24赛季末表现强劲之后，进入季后赛似乎是有可能实现的，但除了休斯顿，没有人期望火箭队能够以西部第二的身份进入季后赛，而且队内只有两名年龄超过23岁的球员场均出场时间超过15分钟。虽然休斯顿的半场进攻在季后赛中将受到考验，但任何结果都不应削弱对由首次入选全明星的阿尔佩伦·申京(Alperen Sengun)和年度最佳防守球员的竞争者阿门·汤普森(Amen Thompson)率领的年轻核心阵容的热情。
俄克拉荷马城雷霆
评分： A
雷霆队以NBA历史上最高的胜率之一轻松晋级，超越骑士队，以68胜14负的战绩锁定了联盟最佳战绩。俄克拉荷马城的统治力甚至超过了战绩所显示的，他们创下了NBA历史上最高的净胜分：场均净胜12.9分。这样的成功让谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大(Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)成为赢得他第一个MVP奖项的热门人选。雷霆队必须证明他们能在季后赛中与西部最强的对手抗衡，但在常规赛中他们已经做到了最好。
洛杉矶快船
评分： A-
在保罗·乔治(Paul George)离开和科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)接受手术后，快船队被认为是要进入乐透区的球队，但在伦纳德缺席的情况下，快船队凭借联盟第三的防守效率，以及复苏的詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)和进步的诺曼·鲍威尔(Norman Powell)的得分，取得了19胜15负的开局。在休息之后，伦纳德打出了全明星级别的水平，快船队进入了更高的档次，在过去的21场比赛中取得了18胜3负的战绩，冲到了第五种子。
波士顿凯尔特人
评分： A-
卫冕冠军在常规赛中看起来就像是百无聊赖的学生，轻松地通过了一门入门课程。凯尔特人队对阵胜率低于50%的球队的战绩为联盟第五，为38胜10负，但只有雷霆队和骑士队对阵胜率高于50%的球队的战绩更好。没有主场优势不太可能困扰波士顿，他们在客场的战绩为联盟最佳，为33胜8负，而凯尔特人队仍然与俄克拉荷马城并列夺冠热门。
‘B’ 级
亚特兰大老鹰
评分： B+
这是亚特兰大在过去四年中第三次参加附加赛，但老鹰队在经历了36胜46负的赛季以及交易了首发后卫德章泰·穆雷(Dejounte Murray)之后，人们对他们的期望值降低了。今年的亚特兰大队更加年轻，特雷·杨(Trae Young)26岁，是一旦奥涅卡·奥孔古(Onyeka Okongwu)取代克林特·卡佩拉(Clint Capela)担任中锋之后，球队中最年长的常规首发。在穆雷的交易中获得的戴森·丹尼尔斯(Dyson Daniels)成为了进步最快球员和年度最佳防守球员的候选人，而老鹰队摆脱了第二得分手杰伦·约翰逊(Jalen Johnson)因伤只打了36场比赛的影响。
印第安纳步行者
评分： B+
步行者队在去年不可思议的东部决赛之旅之后，迎来了自2013-14赛季以来的第一个50胜赛季。在常规赛还剩一个多月的时候，步行者队的战绩为35胜28负，但印第安纳队凭借控球后卫泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿(Tyrese Haliburton)的出色表现，在最后阶段取得了15胜4负的战绩，并确保了季后赛首轮的主场优势。
洛杉矶湖人
评分： B+
特别是考虑到在赛季中期交易得到卢卡·东契奇(Luka Doncic)打乱了球队的阵容深度，湖人队超额完成了任务，拿到了西部第三的种子——这是自2020年夺冠以来的最高排名。湖人队大大超过了他们不起眼的+1.2的净胜分，这在西部排名第八。事实上，自ABA-NBA合并以来，唯一一支净胜分低于+1.4却能赢得50场比赛的球队是2017-18赛季的克利夫兰骑士队（也是由勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)率领），他们在通往NBA总决赛的道路上击败了两支排名更高的球队。
金州勇士
评分： B
在常规赛最后一周主场输给圣安东尼奥马刺队，让勇士队失去了避免参加附加赛的机会，但他们看起来仍然是一个异常危险的七号种子。金州在吉米·巴特勒三世(Jimmy Butler III)出战的情况下取得了20胜3负的战绩，虽然这与NBA的愚蠢赛季相吻合，但全明星赛后只有波士顿和俄克拉荷马城的净效率更高。勇士队的成功在于给了斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)另一次在他职业生涯末期在季后赛舞台上闪耀的机会。
波特兰开拓者
评分： B
开拓者队凭借内部发展，成功地从西部积分榜的底部一路冲进了附加赛。前锋德尼·阿夫迪亚(Deni Avdija)和图马尼·卡马拉(Toumani Camara)成为了球队的基石，而斯科特·亨德森(Scoot Henderson)也取得了重要的进步。一个令人担忧的问题是：帮助主教练昌西·比卢普斯(Chauncey Billups)和总经理乔·克罗宁(Joe Cronin)获得合同续约的防守改进，部分建立在对手糟糕的三分球命中率上。然而，波特兰也迫使对手投出更难的投篮，并在最后41场比赛中迫使对手失误的次数排名第三。
华盛顿奇才
评分： B
评估那些没有现实夺冠希望的球队是一项挑战，但奇才队似乎已经巧妙地将培养他们在2024年首轮选中的三名球员（以及在赛季中期增加的第四名球员，AJ·约翰逊）与让自己处于乐透区的有利位置结合起来。在交易得到老将克里斯·米德尔顿(Khris Middleton)和马库斯·斯马特(Marcus Smart)之后，华盛顿甚至变得活泼起来，在全明星赛后取得了9胜19负的战绩——这足以让犹他爵士队最终获得联盟最差的战绩。
纽约尼克斯
评分： B-
尼克斯队取得了自2012-13赛季以来的最多胜场，为51胜，并且他们建立了足够的优势，让他们在朱利叶斯·兰德尔(Julius Randle)缺席一个月的情况下，仍然轻松地获得了第三种子。那么为什么麦迪逊广场花园会感到如此焦虑呢？这要归咎于尼克斯队对阵胜率高于50%的球队的战绩为15胜23负，比老鹰队（18胜25负）还差。尼克斯队在对阵精英球队时的挣扎——包括对阵骑士队、凯尔特人队和雷霆队的总战绩为0胜10负——是一个令人担忧的迹象。但纽约有希望连续第三年赢得季后赛系列赛，这上次发生在杰夫·范甘迪担任教练的时候。
犹他爵士
评分： B-
任务完成：奇才队在常规赛最后一天的最后一刻获胜，确保了犹他队获得联盟最差的战绩，并获得了前五顺位的选秀权，这是自2014年以第5顺位选中丹特·艾克萨姆(Dante Exum)以来的首次。尽管如此，如果能看到犹他队阵容中已有的年轻球员取得更多进步，那就更好了。新秀后卫以赛亚·科利尔(Isaiah Collier)和科迪·威廉姆斯(Cody Williams)不出所料地遭遇了挫折，而2023年乐透秀泰勒·亨德里克斯(Taylor Hendricks)的发展也因11月份的赛季报销伤病而受阻。
‘C’ 级
芝加哥公牛
评分： C+
东部的附加赛专家连续第三个赛季在季后赛前被淘汰。至少这次公牛队可以对自己的方向感到更好。尽管交易走了老将亚历克斯·卡鲁索(Alex Caruso)、德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)和扎克·拉文(Zach LaVine)，后者在截止日被交易，但芝加哥队的最终战绩仍为39胜43负。年轻后卫约什·吉迪(Josh Giddey)和小科比·怀特(Coby White)配合默契，新秀马塔斯·布泽利斯(Matas Buzelis)在截止日后成为了首发。
丹佛掘金
评分： C+
一方面，掘金队以西部第四的身份结束了比赛，这与我们进入赛季时的预期大致相同。（丹佛队在西部第二好的胜场总数上并列，仅次于达拉斯小牛队，后者排名第四）。另一方面，掘金队在常规赛最后一周解雇了冠军教练迈克尔·马龙(Michael Malone)和总经理卡尔文·布斯(Calvin Booth)。丹佛队不稳定的常规赛本身不会削弱球队在尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)继续打出MVP级别水平的情况下赢得总冠军的机会，但如果掘金队想要再次在季后赛中走得很远，他们必须提高其排名第21位的防守。
布鲁克林篮网
评分： C
在第一年担任主教练的乔迪·费尔南德斯(Jordi Fernandez)的带领下，篮网队的表现可能过于出色了。在交易从休斯顿换回未来两个首轮选秀权后，布鲁克林队的胜场总数在联盟中垫底，为19.5场。篮网队在全明星赛前就超过了这个数字，而后期的下滑（在过去的26场比赛中取得了5胜21负的战绩）仍然让布鲁克林队以第六名的身份进入乐透抽签。如果篮网队的年轻天赋提前出现，那将是件好事，但布鲁克林没有找到任何明确的长期贡献者。
孟菲斯灰熊
评分： C
在全明星赛之前，灰熊队是本赛季最精彩的故事之一，他们已经摆脱了伤病缠身的2023-24赛季，在西部排名第二。然后事情迅速崩溃，下半赛季8胜11负的开局让当时的教练泰勒·詹金斯(Taylor Jenkins)丢掉了工作。在临时教练图奥马斯·伊萨洛(Tuomas Iisalo)的带领下，孟菲斯的表现并没有好转，他们跌入了附加赛，并错失了在周二击败疲惫的勇士队的机会。现在灰熊队必须在周五主场获胜才能进入季后赛。
密尔沃基雄鹿
评分： C
以八连胜结束本赛季，让雄鹿队保住了第五的位置，并且在分区中与凯尔特人队分居两边。在达米安·利拉德(Damian Lillard)缺席的情况下，密尔沃基队得以维持，利拉德因深静脉血栓缺席了常规赛的最后14场比赛（并且将缺席季后赛的开始）。但是，在利拉德健康的情况下，雄鹿队的进攻还不够好，扬尼斯·阿德托昆博(Giannis Antetokounmpo)打出了前三名的水平，但他们在NBA中仅排名第10。
明尼苏达森林狼
评分： C
也许是本赛季NBA最令人困惑的球队，森林狼队以+5.0分排名联盟第四，但却勉强挤进了西部前六名，最终以一场之差落后于附加赛。明尼苏达似乎总是找不到任何一致性，2月份莫名其妙地输给了犹他队（这是全明星赛后爵士队仅有的四场胜利之一），3月份在主场输给了新奥尔良，阻止了森林狼队如预期般获得季后赛首轮主场优势。
奥兰多魔术
评分： C-
魔术队因为伤病得到了一些宽容。奥兰多仅打了六场比赛，队内的三名年轻球星（保罗·班凯罗(Paolo Banchero)、杰伦·萨格斯(Jalen Suggs)和弗朗茨·瓦格纳(Franz Wagner)）都出场了，而魔术队在莫里茨·瓦格纳(Moritz Wagner)的ACL撕裂后也缺席了比赛。尽管如此，魔术队在没有萨格斯的情况下得分的困难令人担忧。不知何故，魔术队排名第27位的进攻是自2021-22赛季以来最差的——那个赛季让他们获得了用于选中班凯罗的状元签。
圣安东尼奥马刺
评分： C
圣安东尼奥的赛季有很多积极因素。在因深静脉血栓过早结束他的赛季之前，首次入选全明星的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)是年度最佳防守球员的最热门人选，并朝着成为超级巨星的方向迈出了又一步。第四顺位新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)成为了年度最佳新秀的热门人选，他以场均14.7分领先所有一年级球员。尽管如此，马刺队需要弄清楚如何更好地发挥达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)的作用，后者在赛季中期从萨克拉门托国王队交易到马刺队后，场均仅得到19.7分。自2018-19赛季以来，福克斯还没有在一个完整的赛季中得分这么少。
夏洛特黄蜂
评分： C-
黄蜂队的胜场总数为30.5胜——高于公牛队、活塞队和开拓者队——他们本不应该差到有14%的机会获得状元签。在拉梅洛·鲍尔(LaMelo Ball)的带领下，他们的战绩为16胜31负（胜率.340），还算可以接受。没有鲍尔的情况下，他们的战绩为3胜32负（胜率.086），胜率比2011-12赛季的夏洛特队（7胜59负）还要差。在某个时候，我们需要看到鲍尔的出场次数超过自2021-22赛季入选全明星以来他平均出战的35场比赛。理想情况下，这应该与在杜克大学闪耀的库珀·弗拉格(Cooper Flagg)一起实现。
迈阿密热火
评分： C-
从热火队自2007-08赛季以来最差的战绩（并列）中可以汲取一些积极因素。泰勒·希罗(Tyler Herro)成为了全明星，新秀凯莱尔·韦尔(Kel’el Ware)确立了自己作为首发球员的地位——这对未来来说都是令人鼓舞的迹象。尽管如此，这仍然无法克服破坏常规赛的巴特勒交易传闻。在没有巴特勒的情况下，并且在巴姆·阿德巴约(Bam Adebayo)退步的情况下，热火队不再有更高的档次可以达到。
萨克拉门托国王
评分： C-
在增加了德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)之后，国王队希望有所进步并避免参加附加赛。相反，他们在元旦前解雇了教练迈克·布朗(Mike Brown)，并在截止日交易走了达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)。在临时教练道格·克里斯蒂(Doug Christie)的带领下短暂反弹后，萨克拉门托队在本赛季最后20场比赛中取得了7胜13负的战绩。只有西部附加赛的疲软才让国王队的位置与上赛季相同。
‘D’ 级
达拉斯小牛
评分： D+
通常情况下，对于一支处理了如此普遍的伤病问题的球队来说，会有更多的回旋余地；早在三月份就考虑了可能无法拥有参加比赛所需的八名球员的情况。小牛队因中期交易安东尼·戴维斯(Anthony Davis)和卡莱布·马丁(Caleb Martin)而陷入了这种境地，当时两人都受伤了，因此他们得到的回旋余地较小。仅在9-10名的附加赛中获胜并不能扭转达拉斯的赛季，如果没有后卫凯里·欧文(Kyrie Irving)，季后赛之旅似乎不太可能，根据ESPN的沙姆斯·查拉尼亚(Shams Charania)的说法，他可能会在2026年1月完全康复并从左膝前交叉韧带撕裂中复出。
多伦多猛龙
评分： D+
没有一支球队在积分榜上与猛龙队（30胜52负）的差距小于四场比赛，这象征着他们在竞争附加赛的球队和优先考虑乐透区选秀顺位的球队之间的漫无目的的位置。猛龙队无法避免在三月和四月在历史上疲软的赛程中取得12胜12负的战绩，并将以第七名的身份进入乐透抽签。虽然有一些发展成功的故事，包括奥查·阿格巴吉(Ochai Agbaji)和未选秀的新秀贾米森·巴特尔(Jamison Battle)，但最重要的猛龙队球员（斯科蒂·巴恩斯(Scottie Barnes)和伊曼纽尔·奎克利(Immanuel Quickley)）的进步因伤而停滞。
新奥尔良鹈鹕
评分： D
一系列的伤病只会加剧鹈鹕队阵容的弱点，这导致了前厅部的变动，乔·杜马斯(Joe Dumars)在本周早些时候取代大卫·格里芬(David Griffin)成为首席决策者。交易得到穆雷适得其反，他在跟腱断裂之前表现挣扎，而丹尼尔斯在亚特兰大表现出色。与此同时，新奥尔良队缺乏经验的中锋群体是鹈鹕队在锡安·威廉姆森(Zion Williamson)恢复健康之前就被淘汰出局的一个重要原因。鹈鹕队将不得不希望通过乐透抽签获得安慰。
‘F’ 级
费城76人
评分： F
76人队在本赛季开始时考虑的是如何让他们的最佳球员在春季保持新鲜。但他们没有一个人走到那一步。乔尔·恩比德(Joel Embiid)无法留在球场上，或者在他在场时打出全NBA级别的水平，以及保罗·乔治(Paul George)从上赛季的下滑，突出了阵容中其他位置的弱点。费城有一些成功的故事，包括格尔雄·亚布塞莱(Guerschon Yabusele)重返NBA以及在截止日交易得到昆汀·格里姆斯(Quentin Grimes)，但即使是其中之一（早期年度最佳新秀的领跑者杰里德·麦凯恩(Jared McCain)）也因伤病而提前结束。
菲尼克斯太阳
评分： F
至少76人队可以指出伤病是他们失落赛季的解释。菲尼克斯队即使在全员健康的情况下也不好，在布拉德利·比尔(Bradley Beal)、德文·布克(Devin Booker)和凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant)一起出战的37场比赛中，他们的战绩为19胜18负，净胜分为负。教练迈克·布登霍尔泽(Mike Budenholzer)证明自己无法触及他的球星，并在一个赛季后失去了工作，而太阳队试图通过交易增加吉米·巴特勒(Jimmy Butler)的计划疏远了比尔和杜兰特。新秀瑞安·邓恩(Ryan Dunn)和奥索·伊格达罗(Oso Ighodaro)的稳健首秀无法挽救一个失败的赛季。
点击查看原文：Grades for all 30 NBA teams after the 2024-25 regular season
Grades for all 30 NBA teams after the 2024-25 regular season
With the 2024-25 NBA regular season in the books, it’s time for the final report card for all 30 teams. While the 14 teams who have clinched playoff spots and four still fighting for the last two seeds play on, the rest of the league has already turned its attention to the offseason and beyond.
Before the playoffs begin Saturday, let’s look back on the regular season to grade all 30 teams, including some high marks for teams that dramatically exceeded expectations. Similarly, there’s a couple of teams that had high hopes (and high payrolls) that flunked this season and will now have a lot of work this summer to get back on track.
My grades are strongly influenced by a team’s expectations entering the season. The same record that produces an A for a team that looked like an also-ran in September could be a C for another with realistic championship hopes. Beyond wins and losses, I also considered how well teams executed their goals, including developing young talent and securing lottery positioning.
Jump to a grade range: \
A’s | B’s | C’s | D’s | F’s
Jump to a team:\
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE\
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND\
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN\
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX\
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTA | WAS
‘A’ grades
**Cleveland Cavaliers\
Grade:** A
After resisting calls to break up their core, the Cavaliers surged to the top of the East standings under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, putting three players in the All-Star Game (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley) for just the fourth time in franchise history. Now Cleveland will have home-court advantage throughout the East playoffs in pursuit of the team’s first conference finals trip not including LeBron James since 1992.
**Detroit Pistons\
Grade:** A
An unprecedented turnaround saw the Pistons go from the NBA’s worst record to the playoffs in a single season. Although the improved shooting provided by newcomers – particularly Sixth Man award contender Malik Beasley – helped facilitate it, Detroit surged with its young talent. Former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, a first-time All-Star, is the favorite for Most Improved Player, and recent lottery picks Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson took huge strides in their development under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Houston Rockets\
Grade: A
Phase 3 of the Rockets’ rapid rebuild arrived ahead of schedule. Making the playoffs seemed realistic coming off a strong close to 2023-24, but nobody outside Houston expected the Rockets to claim the No. 2 seed in the West with just two players older than 23 averaging more than 15 minutes. Though Houston’s half-court offense will be tested in the playoffs, no result should dampen the enthusiasm for a young core led by first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun and Defensive Player of the Year contender Amen Thompson.
**Oklahoma City Thunder\
Grade:** A
The Thunder cruised to one of the six highest-winning percentages in NBA history, outlasting the Cavaliers to secure the league’s best record at 68-14. Oklahoma City was even more dominant than that record indicates, posting the NBA’s highest point differential ever: plus-12.9 points per game. That success put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the role of front-runner to win his first MVP award. The Thunder must prove they can be as good against the West’s best foes in the playoffs, but there’s nothing more they could have done during the regular season.
LA Clippers\
Grade: A-
Left for the lottery after Paul George’s departure and Kawhi Leonard’s surgery, the Clippers managed to start 19-15 without Leonard thanks to the NBA’s third-best defensive rating and enough scoring from resurgent James Harden and improved Norman Powell. The Clippers shifted into a higher gear with Leonard playing at an All-Star level after the break, going 18-3 over their last 21 games to surge into the fifth seed.
Boston Celtics\
Grade: A-
At times, the defending champions looked like bored students coasting through an intro-level class during the regular season. The Celtics had the league’s fifth-best record against below-.500 teams at 38-10, but only the Thunder and Cavaliers were better against above-.500 ones. Not having home court is unlikely to bother Boston, which went a league-best 33-8 on the road, and the Celtics remain essentially co-favorites with Oklahoma City to win the title.
‘B’ grades
****Atlanta Hawks\
Grade:**** B+
This is Atlanta’s third play-in trip in the past four years, but expectations were lower for the Hawks coming off a 36-46 campaign and after trading away starting guard Dejounte Murray. This year’s Atlanta team is much younger, with 26-year-old Trae Young as the oldest regular starter once Onyeka Okongwu supplanted Clint Capela at center. Dyson Daniels, acquired in the Murray deal, emerged as a Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and the Hawks shook off injuries that limited second-leading scorer Jalen Johnson to 36 games.
********Indiana Pacers\
Grade:******** B+
The Pacers followed up last year’s improbable Eastern Conference finals run with their first 50-win season since 2013-14. Just 35-28 with a little over a month left in the regular season, Indiana rode a strong finish from point guard Tyrese Haliburton to go 15-4 down the stretch and secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers\
Grade: B+
Particularly given the disruption of a blockbuster midseason trade for Luka Doncic that depleted the team’s depth, the Lakers overachieved to nab the No. 3 seed – their highest since winning the 2020 title. The Lakers massively outperformed their modest plus-1.2 point differential, which ranked eighth in the West. In fact, the only other team since the ABA-NBA merger to win 50 games with a differential worse than plus-1.4 was the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers team (also led by LeBron James) that beat two higher-seeded teams en route to the NBA Finals.
******Golden State Warriors\
Grade:****** B
A home loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the last week of the regular season cost the Warriors a chance to avoid the play-in tournament, but they still look like an unusually dangerous No. 7 seed. Golden State went 20-3 with Jimmy Butler III in the lineup, and while that coincided with the NBA’s silly season, only Boston and Oklahoma City had better net ratings after the All-Star break. The Warriors have succeeded by giving Stephen Curry another chance at starring on the playoff stage in the tail end of his career.
******Portland Trail Blazers\
Grade:****** B
The Blazers managed to go from the bottom of the West standings to an unlikely play-in push by virtue of their internal development. Forwards Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara emerged as building blocks, while Scoot Henderson showed important progress. One concern: the defensive improvement that helped earn coach Chauncey Billups and GM Joe Cronin contract extensions was built in part on poor opponent 3-point shooting. However, Portland also forced more difficult shots and ranked third in forcing turnovers over the final 41 games.
******Washington Wizards\
Grade:****** B
It’s challenging to grade teams with no realistic aspiration of winning this season, but the Wizards seem to have threaded the needle of developing their three 2024 first-round picks (and a fourth, AJ Johnson, was added midseason) while putting themselves in prime position for the lottery. Washington was even frisky after dealing for veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, going 9-19 after the All-Star break – just enough wins for the Utah Jazz to end up with the league’s worst record.
********New York Knicks\
Grade:******** B-
The Knicks’ 51 wins were their most since 2012-13, and they built enough cushion to coast to the No. 3 seed despite losing Jalen Brunson for a month. So why does Madison Square Garden feel so angsty? Blame New York’s 15-23 record against above-.500 teams, worse than the Hawks (18-25). The Knicks’ struggles against elite teams – including a combined 0-10 record against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Thunder – are a worrisome sign. But New York is in position to win a playoff series for a third consecutive year, which last happened when Jeff Van Gundy was coach.
******Utah Jazz\
Grade:****** B-
Mission accomplished: The Wizards’ last-second win on the final day of the regular season assured Utah the league’s worst record and a top-five pick, their first since taking Dante Exum No. 5 in 2014. Still, it would have been nice to see more progress from the young players already on Utah’s roster. Rookie guards Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams predictably took their lumps, and the development of 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks was upended by a season-ending injury in November.
‘C’ grades
******Chicago Bulls\
Grade:****** C+
The East’s play-in specialists were eliminated leading up to the playoffs for the third straight season. At least this time the Bulls can feel better about their direction. Despite trading veterans Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the latter at the deadline, Chicago finished with an identical 39-43 record. Young guards Josh Giddey and Coby White meshed well together, and rookie Matas Buzelis stepped into a starting role after the deadline.
******Denver Nuggets\
Grade:****** C+
On the one hand, the Nuggets finished with the West’s fourth seed, about where we expected entering the season. (Denver was tied for the West’s second-best over/under win total, just ahead of the Dallas Mavericks in fourth). On the other hand, the Nuggets moved on from championship coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth during the final week of the regular season. Denver’s uneven regular season alone won’t sink the team’s chances of winning a title with Nikola Jokic continuing to play at an MVP level, but the Nuggets must improve their 21st-ranked defense if they’re going to make another deep playoff run.
******Brooklyn Nets\
Grade:****** C
The Nets might have overachieved too much under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez. After dealing to get its next two first-round picks back from Houston, Brooklyn had the league’s lowest over/under win total at 19.5. The Nets beat that by the All-Star break, and a late fade (5-21 in their last 26 games) still left Brooklyn sixth entering the lottery. That would be great if the Nets’ young talent was ahead of schedule, but Brooklyn didn’t find any clear long-term contributors.
******Memphis Grizzlies\
Grade:****** C
Through the All-Star break, the Grizzlies were one of the season’s best stories, having moved past an injury-marred 2023-24 season to rank second in the West. Then things collapsed in a hurry, with an 8-11 start to the second half costing then-coach Taylor Jenkins his job. Memphis has been no better under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, slipping into the play-in and missing an opportunity to beat the fatigued Warriors on Tuesday. Now the Grizzlies must win Friday at home just to make the playoffs.
******Milwaukee Bucks\
Grade:****** C
An eight-game winning streak to end the season kept the Bucks in the fifth seed and on the opposite side of the bracket from the Celtics. Milwaukee was able to stay afloat without Damian Lillard, who missed the final 14 games of the regular season (and will miss the start of the playoffs) because of deep vein thrombosis. But the Bucks’ offense wasn’t good enough with Lillard healthy and Giannis Antetokounmpo playing at a top-three level, ranking just 10th in the NBA.
******Minnesota Timberwolves\
Grade:****** C
Perhaps the NBA’s most confounding team this season, the Timberwolves finished with the league’s fourth-best differential at plus-5.0 points per game yet barely sneaked into the top six in the West, finishing one game out of the play-in tournament. Minnesota could never seem to find any consistency, and inexplicable losses to Utah in February (just one of four Jazz wins after the All-Star break) and New Orleans at home in March prevented the Timberwolves from securing home-court advantage in the first round as expected.
******Orlando Magic\
Grade:****** C-
The Magic get some grace because of injuries. Orlando played just six games with all three of its young stars (Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner) in the lineup, while the Magic also missed Moritz Wagner after his ACL tear. Orlando’s difficulty scoring without Suggs was worrisome nonetheless. Somehow, the Magic’s 27th-ranked offense was their worst since 2021-22 – the season that landed them the No. 1 pick used to take Banchero.
******San Antonio Spurs\
Grade:****** C
There were plenty of positives from San Antonio’s season. Until his campaign ended early because of deep vein thrombosis, first-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, taking another step toward superstardom. And No. 4 pick Stephon Castle emerged as the Rookie of the Year favorite, leading first-year players with 14.7 points per game. Still, the Spurs need to figure out how to better spotlight De’Aaron Fox, who averaged just 19.7 points after a midseason trade from the Sacramento Kings. Fox hasn’t scored so little over a full season since 2018-19.
******Charlotte Hornets\
Grade:****** C-
With an over/under total of 30.5 wins – more than the Bulls, Pistons and Trail Blazers – the Hornets weren’t supposed to be bad enough to have a 14% chance at picking No. 1. With LaMelo Ball, they were a semi-respectable 16-31 (.340). Without Ball, they were 3-32 (.086), a worse winning percentage than the 2011-12 Charlotte team that went 7-59. At some point, we need to see Ball play more than the 35 games he has averaged since being an All-Star in 2021-22. Ideally, that would come alongside Cooper Flagg, who starred down the road at Duke.
******Miami Heat\
Grade:****** C-
There were positives to take from a season that tied Miami’s worst finish since 2007-08. Tyler Herro emerged as an All-Star and rookie Kel’el Ware established himself as a starter – both encouraging signs for the future. Still, that couldn’t overcome the Butler trade saga that marred the regular season. Without Butler and with Bam Adebayo taking a step back, the Heat no longer had a higher gear to hit.
******Sacramento Kings\
Grade:****** C-
After adding DeMar DeRozan, the Kings hoped to improve and avoid the play-in. Instead, they fired coach Mike Brown by New Year’s Day and traded De’Aaron Fox by the deadline. After a brief bounce under interim coach Doug Christie, Sacramento went 7-13 over the season’s final 20 games. Only the weakness of the West play-in race kept the Kings in the same spot as last season.
‘D’ grades
******Dallas Mavericks\
Grade:****** D+
Ordinarily, there would be more slack for a team that dealt with such pervasive injury issues; the possibility of not having the eight players required to dress for a game back in March was considered. The Mavericks get less slack by virtue of trading their way into this position with midseason deals for Anthony Davis and Caleb Martin, both injured at the time. It’s going to take more than a win in the 9-10 play-in game to turn around Dallas’ season, and a playoff run seems unlikely without guard Kyrie Irving, who could be fully recovered and return from his torn left ACL by January 2026, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
******Toronto Raptors\
Grade:****** D+
No team finished closer than four games in the standings to the Raptors (30-52), symbolic of their aimless position between the group competing for the play-in and those prioritizing lottery positioning. Toronto couldn’t avoid going 12-12 in March and April against a historically weak schedule and will enter the lottery in the seventh spot. And while there were some development success stories, including Ochai Agbaji and undrafted rookie Jamison Battle, the most important Raptors (Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley) saw their progress stalled by injuries.
******New Orleans Pelicans\
Grade:****** D
A rash of injuries only exacerbated the weaknesses of the Pelicans’ roster, which resulted in a front office change with Joe Dumars replacing David Griffin as lead decision-maker earlier this week. The trade for Murray backfired, as he struggled before an Achilles rupture and Daniels surged in Atlanta. Meanwhile, New Orleans’ inexperienced center group was a big reason the Pelicans were out of it by the time Zion Williamson got healthy. The Pelicans will have to hope for consolation through the lottery.
‘F’ grades
******Philadelphia 76ers\
Grade:****** F
The Sixers started the season thinking about how to keep their best players fresh for the spring. None of them made it that far. Joel Embiid’s inability to stay on the court, or perform at an All-NBA level when he did, and Paul George’s decline from last season highlighted the weaknesses elsewhere on the roster. Philadelphia had some success stories, including Guerschon Yabusele’s return to the NBA and a deadline deal for Quentin Grimes, but even one of those (early Rookie of the Year front-runner Jared McCain) was fittingly cut short by injury.
******Phoenix Suns\
Grade:****** F
At least the 76ers can point to injuries as an explanation for their lost season. Phoenix wasn’t good even at full strength, going 19-18 with a negative point differential in the 37 games Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant played together. Coach Mike Budenholzer proved incapable of reaching his stars and lost his job after one season, and the Suns’ ill-fated attempt to add Jimmy Butler via trade alienated Beal and Durant. Solid debuts for rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro couldn’t salvage a failed season.
By Kevin Pelton | ESPN, via ESPN