The Warriors and Hawks each face a key offseason after missing the 2024 playoffs.
We’re almost a week into the 2024 NBA postseason, and for the 14 teams sitting at home watching, the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough.
The 2023-24 regular season featured five 60-loss teams, the most since 1997-98, when six teams suffered 60 or more losses. But a look at the current playoff standings will give hope. The current field includes five teams that failed to reach the postseason last season.
Perhaps some of these teams are ripe for a similar revamp in 2024-25.
Atlanta Hawks
2023-24 record: 36-46
Having missed the postseason for the first time since 2020 due, in part, to missing the seventh-most games to injuries, Atlanta can now prepare for a crucial offseason. This draft marks the last time the Hawks will have control of their first-round pick until 2028. If Atlanta decides to split its backcourt, it can reshape the roster around a young group that includes Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, Kobe Bufkin, Onyeka Okongwu and AJ Griffin.
Brooklyn Nets
2023-24 record: 32-50
The Nets continue to deal with the fallout from chasing the title on superteams with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden and are without control of their first-round pick for the next three seasons. With 11 players under contract for next season, new coach Jordi Fernandez inherits a decent pool of talent. Cam Thomas more than doubled his scoring average from last season. That should give Brooklyn optimism for its matchup with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
Charlotte Hornets
2023-24 record: 21-61
Charlotte has the league’s fifth-youngest roster with eight players 23 and under. So as the Hornets conduct their coaching search, they will likely look for a candidate who specializes in player development. There is concern for LaMelo Ball who has missed 58 games over the past two seasons with ankle injuries. The 22-year-old said he will use the summer to add strength to prevent injury. It’s also worth noting that Charlotte added two future first-round picks at the trade deadline.
Chicago Bulls
2023-24 record: 39-43
We all saw the rise of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. There were also some positive developments with injured point guard Lonzo Ball, who has not played since January 2022 due to three separate knee surgeries. Ball has been cleared to run and cut and is thought to be back around August or September if he doesn’t suffer any concussions. If Ball is successful in his recovery, could you imagine him guarding the perimeter with Alex Caruso?
Coby White showed up, but injuries limited the Bulls’ potential. With key players entering free agency, is it an opening to rebuild?
Detroit Pistons
2023-24 record: 14-68
Cade Cunningham improved in Year 3, increasing his scoring, assists, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage (he shot 39.6% from deep after the All-Star break). Detroit can add more talent around them with another lottery pick. Plus, the Pistons have the cap space to upgrade in free agency. Six of Detroit’s recent first-round picks are still playing on their first contracts, which helps with financial flexibility.
Golden State Warriors
2023-24 record: 46-36
Maybe they’ve slowed down a step. But Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson can still take the Warriors deep into the postseason. Hopefully the front office can find a way to bring back Thompson, a free agent. Golden State saw positive development from Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga, and let’s not forget that the Warriors finished the regular season 10-2. Finances will drive the decisions, but the Warriors have a general manager in Mike Dunleavy who is committed to keeping his team in contention.
Houston Rockets
2023-24 record: 41-41
New coach Ime Udoka led Houston to a 19-win increase from last season, putting the Rockets in position to make another jump in his second season. Houston added solid vets last summer in Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green to lead a talented group of youngsters led by Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. Udoka and the veterans instilled winning habits almost immediately. And the Rockets bring back their entire starting five.
Memphis Grizzlies
2023-24 record: 27-55
Injuries led to Memphis using 51 different starting lineups throughout the season as the Grizzlies missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. But now, Memphis can bring in a lottery pick to play alongside Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. Another benefit of Memphis’ injuries is that backups GG Jackson, Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams have needed more minutes, thus accelerating their development.
Portland Trail Blazers
2023-24 record: 21-61
Portland finished No. 2 in most games lost to injury as the Trail Blazers used 40 different starting lineups in the first season without superstar Damian Lillard. Portland has four picks in the top 40 of the 2024 Draft, and there’s a chance two of those picks could go in the lottery. Additionally, the Trail Blazers have two potential stars in Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Sacramento Kings
2023-24 record: 46-36
The Kings missed the postseason for the second consecutive season with two losses in the Play-In Tournament. It appeared that injuries to Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk proved to be too much to overcome. However, Sacramento is led by a pair of stars in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Keegan Murray averaged a career-high 15.2 points as the No. 3 pick. The talent is there to bring it back, especially if they can re-sign Monk, a free agent.
San Antonio Spurs
2023-24 record: 22-60
Victor Wembanyama. He embodies hope for the entire franchise. As a rookie, the Frenchman performed better than the organization expected, only heightening the importance of making the right moves to build around the franchise superstar. Fortunately for Spurs, Wembanyama is in line with the team’s slow, conservative approach. San Antonio has plenty of capital to make moves this offseason. But Spurs and Wembanyama agree that building for sustained long-term success is most important.
Relive some of Victor Wembanyama’s top games and moments from the 2023-24 season.
Toronto Raptors
2023-24 record: 25-57
Out of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, Toronto heads into the offseason looking to rebuild around All-Star Scottie Barnes and his cohorts of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl and Gradey Dick. The cupboard is not bare. And despite their 9-32 record after the Pascal Siakam trade, we saw promising signs when Barnes, Quickley and Barrett shared the field. The Raptors can also make some moves to free up cap space.
Utah Jazz
2023-24 record: 31-51
With the potential to generate about $40 million in cap space, Utah could end up with three picks in the top 31 of the 2024 Draft. That’s flexibility for a young Jazz team with eight players under 23 in need of more development. The veterans are solid, led by All-Stars Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton, who finished last season averaging a career-high 4.9 assists. Utah has shown restraint, and it’s about to pay off.
Washington Wizards
2023-24 record: 15-67
Once the Wizards settle on a coach, they can focus on what direction to take in a long rebuilding process that will require patience. Despite Washington finishing last season with the fewest wins in franchise history, we still saw growth from players like Deni Avdija, rookie Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert, who played 74-plus games for the third consecutive season and they averaged 13.4 points in their career.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can send him an e-mail herefind its file here and follow him X.
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