It’s already April. The time has come for the regular season to end and the playoffs to kick in. This NBA season has been surprising, to say the least. From the absolutely broken Western Conference to nearly record-breaking loss, it’s safe to say that some of these thirty teams have defied all expectations, for better or worse.
Before we begin, I’d just like to make one thing clear. This is not based on how many games a team won; in that case, it would be just as easy to look at the standings and call it a day. I’m also taking into account how much the team has improved this season to decide whether 2023-24 was successful for them in my view.
Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics – Let’s get the easy ones out of the way. 
Western Conference standings
Coming off of a championship and harboring arguably the best player in the world, drumroll please, we have the Denver Nuggets at the top of the West! The Western Conference has been undeniably off the charts this year, with even the tenth-ranked team being well above a .500 rating. Yet this team stands above them all. Plus, they have Nikola Jokic. It’s safe to say that the Denver Nuggets have had a more than successful season.
On the other side, quite literally, we have the Boston Celtics hailing from the East. The Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led Celtics have dominated the Eastern Conference, and the league in general. The Nuggets currently have a rating of .692, and will most likely remain around that number. Meanwhile, the Celtics have a rating of .792. That’s exactly .100 more than the best team in the West. Boston has had an incredibly successful season.
Pistons, Wizards, Trail Blazers, Nets, and Hornets – Still getting the easy ones out of the way.
Eastern Conference standings
The Detroit Pistons lost 28 games in a row to start the season. Twenty-eight. They have officially tied the record for the longest losing streak ever in the NBA. Congratulations! Seriously though, they have only marginally improved since then, relying on a plethora of younger players trying to compete with the immense number of superstars in today’s league. The Pistons can call this season a strong failure.
A little ways South, competing for last place in the East, we have… the Washington Wizards! After seeing how bad Detroit has been, and realizing that the Wizards were at times worse? I feel sorry for all Wizards fans. However, that doesn’t stop me from putting them firmly in the ‘F tier’ of the NBA.
For similar reasons, due to being just genuinely bad without having improved, the Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, and Charlotte Hornets have failed this season.
San Antonio Spurs – One of the greatest prospects we’ve seen.
The Spurs have been awful, and are actually below the Trailblazers in the West. They were also just as bad last year. Yet something (someone) else has earned them their own section from me. You guessed it: Victor Wembanyama. We knew he was incredible when he started playing at star levels as a rookie. Recently, Wembanyama carried the Spurs to a win against the Brunson-led Knicks. Jalen Brunson had a whopping 61 points, and Victor responded with 40 points and 20 rebounds, immeasurable numbers for a rookie. The Spurs failed this season, but with Victor Wembanyama now in their arsenal, next season may be different.
Milwaukee Bucks – The epitome of instability.
The Bucks are a great team with one of the three best players in the world leading them, coupled with another superstar/all-time great. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard haven’t worked together as perfectly as we’d all like to see. However, the Bucks are still a fantastic team. They’ve maintained the two-seed (meaning they’re second in their conference) through having their head coach fired (and replaced with Doc Rivers) halfway through the season, injuries, and other turmoil. In addition, Dame and Giannis grow more accustomed to each other every game, as Lillard stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated. The Bucks haven’t had the best season, but they’ve performed well through an unstable year, which sounds to me like they’ve been fairly successful.
Atlanta Hawks – Professionals…
…at crushing hopes. A couple of seasons ago and maybe even last year, people believed in the Hawks to take a leap and be around a top-six-seed in the East. They’re the ten-seed, and well below a .500 rating. Fans went from being high on hopes to wondering if Trae Young and Dejounte Murray even work together. I honestly believe that the Hawks are months away from a full rebuild in the coming offseason. Over the last few years, they have been incredibly okay, if even that, and haven’t shown a sign of change. The Atlanta Hawks have failed this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Incredible.
The OKC Thunder have probably had the most successful season of any team this year. Yes, the Celtics and the Nuggets have both outperformed the Thunder, but it’s not about that. Last year, OKC was a sub .500 ten-seed. This year, they’re well above .600 and competing for the one-seed. This massive change can be mainly attributed to Chet Holmgren improving both their offense and defense considerably, as well as Shai and Jalen Williams taking leaps in their game. In my opinion, the Thunder are one of the most fun teams to watch, mainly because of the team chemistry and the vibes that the players give off (cough Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cough). That’s a major change from last year, only furthering that the Oklahoma City Thunder have succeeded this season.
Los Angeles Lakers – I‘ll make this quick.
I like the LA Lakers, which is why it’s all the more saddening that they’re the eight-seed and competing to even stay in the playoffs. Keep in mind that this is a team with LeBron James and peak Anthony Davis. The Lakers also had a great offseason in terms of getting people on good contracts and retaining talent, leading many to believe that the Lakers would at least be safely in the playoffs. But they’re not, and it’s hard to figure out why. They’ve not even been that bad, and are 12 games above a .500 rating. However, when the Western Conference is as good as it is, those 12 games can’t take you far enough. Other teams have found ways to win more than the Lakers have, leading to the Los Angeles Lakers not having a fruitful year.
What do you think about these teams? Do you agree or disagree? One thing’s for sure: the NBA is evolving. We get to see which of the 30 teams will adapt, and which of them will fall flat.
