As the dust settles on the hardwood courts of the 2023-2024 season, the league witnessed an intriguing narrative unfold, showcasing teams that, despite fervent efforts, found themselves at the bottom rungs of the competitive ladder. Here are 5 of the worst teams in the NBA right now. It’s been a challenging season for these teams so far and it’s not what the fans are hoping for their franchise right now.
5. Charlotte Hornets
Yeah, we understand your concerns, Hornets fans. LaMelo Ball was playing like an All-Star this season before getting injured and 2023 2nd overall pick Brandon Miller is doing pretty well so far. However, despite having many young talented players, this team doesn’t seem to have an identity just yet.
They aren’t that bad per se, but considering how this franchise hasn’t even had a sniff of playoff success in the last 20 years or so, it’s really not a great feeling for Charlotte’s fanbase.
4. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have been out of the playoffs since the Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker era ended many years ago. But, now that they’ve drafted an exceptional player in Victor Wembanyama, things may be soothed in San Antonio.
However, without Wemby, SAS is significantly performing worse. They’re at the bottom of the league in terms of defensive and offensive rating so far, but Wembanyama changes that every time the super rookie steps on the court. They have the worst record in the West right now, but why are they only 4th on this list? Well, that is mainly due to the fact that, if the basketball Gods are in favor of the Spurs, this franchise could turn around in the next couple of seasons as their young core develops, unlike the next teams on this list that are just flat out … disappointing.
3. Chicago Bulls
It’s very messy in Chicago and the Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan project most definitely did not work out. There were times when this club, with the help of All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic, was looking like contenders in the East.
After this season, it’s already evident that the Bulls will look into putting their stars on the market. The Los Angeles Lakers are heavy suitors for DeRozan and a possible reunion with defensive point guard, Alex Caruso. Meanwhile, Lavine, who’s been sidelined due to injuries, may well be in another team next year.
2. Washington Wizards
Wizards fans thinking that Jordan Poole would be a perennial superstar only for him to turn out into a huge disappointment was actually not a shocker. Fun fact, Poole may be the worst star in the NBA right now. He’s got the lowest plus/minus among all players, with a -202. Meanwhile, his co-star, Kyle Kuzma, also has a -168. Truly, the team’s supposed leaders are currently the worst-performing duo in the NBA. Is it time to call Poole and Kuzma the “trash bros”?
The Wizards are incomprehensibly bad on so many levels. They don’t look like they’re tanking, but their record says otherwise. So far this season, the Wizards only managed to get 3 wins, one of those wins is over the worst team in the NBA right now which is the No.1 on our list.
1. Detroit Pistons
Talent-wise, the Pistons are actually pretty decent. They’ve got young players with huge upside and they are just developing. Cade Cunningham is having his best year so far, while Ausar Thompson is solidifying himself as one of the best defenders in the league. On the other hand, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren can be reliable scorers when it matters.
Unfortunately, their roster looks equally bad as it looks good. They took James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III, two former top picks who turned out to be NBA busts (somehow) and would probably be out of the NBA soon if they continue to underperform. The Killian Hayes project has proven to be an absolute disaster. They may have a solid head coach in Monty Williams, but the former Phoenix Suns coach hasn’t figured things out with this young team yet. Moreover, the Pistons have an offensive rating of 109.1 (4th worst in NBA).
Overall, it’s either make or break for the Detroit Pistons. They’re the worst team in the league so far in terms of record and offensive firepower. To add, they also don’t have the best asset to build around Cade Cunningham, if that’s the route they choose to go.
Also, it won’t be a guarantee that they’re getting the first pick in the 2024 draft. They may, however, hope to get a steal in the draft just like Jaime Jarquez Jr. or Dereck Lively II. This all means that it’s not going to look good for Pistons fans in the next couple of years. The only thing they can hope for is for Cunningham, Ivey, or Thompson to develop into perennial superstars. But, as of now, the city of Detroit must settle with continuously losing games and missing the playoffs.