NBA preseason: Ranking the 10 best and 10 worst teams to start the 2024 NBA schedule, including the Knicks and Nuggets

Not every team can be a title contender as we enter the new NBA season. There are quite a few that are either lottery-bound. Or will have to fight for one of the last two Play-in Tournament spots in the spring. Here are the 10 worst teams at the start of 2024 NBA preseason.

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After months of trade rumors, the Atlanta Hawks finally broke up the failed duo of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. Now they go into the new season with Trae Young as the elder statesman on a young team. They will need top pick Zaccharie Risacher to be an impact player immediately or they are likely to be near the back of our NBA power rankings for much of the season.

In his first season in the league, French phenom Victor Wembanyama completely lived up to the hype. He led the San Antonio Spurs in many key statistical categories. And showed he can not only be the face of the league but it may happen sooner than some expected. He then followed that up by leading the French national team to the finals of the Summer Olympics.

This year will be all about seeing if the Spurs can compete for a play-in spot. With the addition of future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, they should have a real chance to do so this season.

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The Utah Jazz were one of the best stories in the NBA power rankings for much of the 2022-23 season. However, reality eventually set in and it has never let up ever since. In the summer the organization gave top star Lauri Markkanen a new long-term deal. But the pieces around him are still not good enough to be a serious playoff contender. However, Utah is a team to watch since they have the assets to make a move for a star that may become available.

The Washington Wizards were a disaster last season despite adding some nice players, like former Warriors bench ace Jordan Poole. In the offseason, they brought in worthwhile veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon. They also used their top pick on French big man Alex Sarr. On paper, this can be a competitive team in the East, but it will be new head coach Brian Keefe’s job to make that a reality.

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It was another lost season for the Chicago Bulls in 2023-24 after Lonzo Ball again missed the entire season due to a knee injury. The team is hopeful he can return this season. But they lost DeMar DeRozan in the summer and did not replace him with equal value. They will have to hope that head coach Billy Donovan can make magic with lesser pieces, or that Josh Giddey taps into his first-round pick potential more in Chicago than he did in OKC.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is on a very hot seat this season. They have a roster that can be far more competitive than they were last year. Billups must finally get the pieces to fit, as well as elevate the game of Scoot Henderson. Or he will be looking for work in the new year.

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While Scottie Barnes elevated his game and grew into the new face of the Toronto Raptors, the team went into rebuild mode last season after shipping off OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakim before the trade deadline. That will likely be the case in the new season as they look to find a new rising star to pair with Barnes after signing a huge extension this summer.

Can it be former Knicks Immanuel Quickley, who got a massive five-year, $162 million contract this summer? Either or both’s growth could make or break their chances in 2024-25.

The Charlotte Hornets disappointed again in 2023-24. And top star LaMelo Ball mirrored his brother Lonzo as a gifted player who had trouble staying on the court. The expectations are low for the team this season. But, last season rookie Brandon Miller gave hope that the franchise could have a second All-Star level player on the roster. Nevertheless, they remain near the bottom of our NBA power rankings to begin training camp.

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This could be a very ugly season for the Brooklyn Nets. Yes, they have a couple of nice young players in Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton. But the club is completely in rebuild mode this season and expectations are very low. They will likely be aiming for ping pong balls in next year’s draft throughout the season.

The hope last season was that new head coach Monty Williams could bring the Detroit Pistons back to respectability like he did when he won a Coach of the Year award with the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, the losing ways of 2022-23 actually got worse under Williams and it led to his stunning firing after the season.

Outside of adding veteran Tobias Harris in the summer, many of the same players from last season are back. However, Detroit’s new management will be hoping new head coach JB Bickerstaff can elevate the games of Jadey Ivey and Ausar Thompson to better complement top star Cade Cunningham.

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We are just a few weeks away from the start of the 2024-25 NBA schedule. But before the regular season kicks off teams must do the early preparation for a title run in training camp during October. With that in mind, here are the 10 best teams in the league entering the 2024 NBA preseason.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will return with much of last year’s team. And that is not a bad thing. Especially since Donovan Mitchell signed the extension many believed he had no interest in. However, the one big change is JB Bickerstaff is out and Kenny Atkinson is in as their new head coach. The long-time assistant showed his potential in Brooklyn. The big question in the preseason and the early months of the regular season will be on the changes he makes to take this group to a higher level.

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The Sacramento Kings surprisingly regressed a bit last season. That doesn’t mean they can’t be a force again in the West this season. They have the same players that took the league by storm two years ago. Plus, Keegan Murray is a year older and they now have the grit and leadership of DeMar DeRozan. The Kings are flying under the radar right now but don’t be surprised if they end up in the top five of our NBA power rankings sooner rather than later.

The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the most fascinating teams to watch in 2023-24. They had a pair of elite stars and a strong roster but they had to deal with the drama of firing a first-year head coach and then replacing him with an old-school bench leader in Doc Rivers. The goal of training camp and the preseason will be all about further installing Rivers’ system so they can hit the ground running and be a force again in the East.

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While they were not a dominant force like the defending champions of the past, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were elite again in 2023-24. However, the playoffs showed they had serious competition when they were bounced by a fast-rising Timberwolves team. Much of last year’s core is back for the new season and Jamal Murray has a brand new extension.

The thing to watch will be how head coach Mike Malone makes use of former MVP Russell Westbrook. Can he be the missing ingredient to another title team or a problem waiting to happen?

The Philadelphia 76ers will be a major player in the East this season. They added future Hall-of-Famer Paul George to the mix and guard Tyrese Maxey showed he has perennial All-Star potential last season. But like every other season, Joel Embiid’s health will be a story to watch. It doesn’t help that George has also had trouble staying healthy in recent years.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the best squads in the NBA all of last season. While there was a lot of doubt about whether this group was for real after a red-hot start, they maintained their strong play and did so with an outstanding defense. Many thought Karl-Anthony Towns would be traded this summer but he is back and the Wolves will be a serious title contender in 2024-25. Can Anthony Edwards take another step closer to being a top-five NBA player? He has the potential to do so.

The New York Knicks were one of the big surprises in the league this season. Not because they were good, many expected that, but after a pair of big trades before the deadline, they had a team that seemed primed for a trip to the Conference Finals. But the injuries changed those projections.

Much of that group is back in the new season and they also added two-way stud Mikal Bridges to the mix. The Knicks have become a popular pick with many analysts this season because this is the first serious title contender the organization has had since the 1990s.

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There was a lot of pressure on the Dallas Mavericks after a horrid showing at the end of last season. They had a whole training camp and preseason to find chemistry between superstars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the team. While it didn’t happen right away, it all came together just in time for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

They should be a powerhouse in the West again in 2024-25 and the big story will be on whether future Hall-of-Famer Klay Thompson is the missing piece to a title team this season.

Also read: 2024 NBA power rankings

After a breakout performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2022-23, the Oklahoma City Thunder became one of the best stories in the league last season. Without a doubt, SGA played a massive role with an MVP-level season, but the rise of Chet Holmgren and the strong play of their other young players was an impressive development.

They added underrated center Isaiah Hartenstein and defensive ace Alex Caruso in the offseason. Those moves help to make them the team to beat out west until further notice.

The Boston Celtics were one of the top teams in our NBA power rankings throughout last season. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were dynamite, and new additions like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holliday proved the be the final pieces in getting Boston their 16th NBA Championship in the spring. They are sure to remain at the top of our rankings well into the new season as they defend their latest championship.

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