Top 5 Most Disappointing Teams in the NBA
Some teams in the NBA haven’t lived up to their expectations that fans had hoped for this year, and the top five are listed here.
New Orleans Pelicans
With the number one pick in the NBA draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Zion Williamson — a freak of nature. With this pick, the Pelicans were expected to come hot out of the gates, and unfortunately, that did not happen.
Williamson was injured during the preseason, and underwent surgery to repair a torn right lateral meniscus. Williamson was expected to propel this team to the top of the NBA — even as a rookie.
The Pelicans were also traded a young core in former Lakers’ players: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Ingram has been a key element for them while Williamson has been out with his injury, proving to the league what a lethal scorer that he can be.
The Pelicans are 2-8 in the league, certainly missing their number one draft pick, and hopeful that he can return soon.
Golden State Warriors
It comes to no surprise that as the Golden State Warriors are without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and a healthy Draymond Green that this team is not what fans have been used to seeing.
The Warriors have been to the NBA Finals for the past five years in a row, and by the looks of the team this season, it’s probable that they will not even make the playoffs.
Although the Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell, it’s unlikely that he will be enough to get this team to the playoffs alone. Curry, and Thompson, the “splash brothers,” will not be returning this year due to their injuries.
The Warriors are currently last in the western conference at 2-9, and as their next game is against the Los Angeles Lakers, does not appear that their record will be improving anytime soon.
Sacramento Kings
With De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield on the same team, the Sacramento Kings looked to be quite promising. Last season, the Kings were one of the fastest teams in the league, but during this off-season, made some changes.
One of the most controversial changes is that the Kings fired their head coach, Dave Joerger. and replace him with former Los Angeles Lakers‘ head coach, Luke Walton. Walton was unsuccessful with the Lakers, claiming by many that Walton was not ready to be a head coach just yet.
As Joerger had this team on a successful track, Walton has destroyed that as the Kings are now ranked as the 23rd worst defense in the league, and 27th worst in offense. The Kings ranked 3rd in Pace with 103.88 last season but so far this season, they are ranked 26th in pace with 99.93.
The Kings hold a record of 3-6 in the western conference, and with Walton as their head coach, it appears that this team is headed straight for disaster.
Chicago Bulls
After some changes made during the off-season, it appeared that the Chicago Bulls would be playoff contenders. However, by the team’s play this year, that seems to be false speculation.
In the draft, the Bulls selected Coby White and in free agency, signed veterans Tomáš Satoransky and Thaddeus Young. With these additions, the team looked promising on paper, but can not seem to get it together on the court.
The head coach of the Bulls, Jim Boylen, has not been doing an excellent job this season either, and his team’s record is reflecting that. Boylen’s inability to stagger the minutes of Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, and give his other player’s minutes has been a huge question mark for the Bulls.
The Bulls certainly have some things to fix if they want to turn this season around. They are currently 3-7, sitting at 13th in the eastern conference.
Orlando Magic
After the Orlando Magic made the playoffs last season for the first time since Dwight Howard was traded, this looked like a team that looked ready to contend again for another playoff spot.
The Magic re-signed Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, and in addition, picked up Al-Farouq Aminu in free agency. This looked to be a promising team, but as of right now, that does not seem to be the case.
Nikola Vucevic, and Aaron Gordon having horrid starts to the season has impacted this team drastically. Vucevic is averaging 17 points, and 11 rebounds, but his shooting is at a 43.6%, and 24.3% from three-point land.
The Magic are 3-7, sitting at 12th place in the eastern conference. At this point, the Magic will need a miracle to turn their season around.
Thanks for reading! Tristan is an NBA Writer for Playmaker HQ who covers all 30 teams. You can follow him on Twitter @TristanRyan720. Stay tuned for future articles.