#30: Houston Rockets – Current Record: 1-14
A team’s record does not always tell the tale about how good or bad they are, but in regards to the Rockets, their record makes sense. Being one of the youngest teams in the league, the Houston Rockets are rebuilding and it is definitely going to be a long journey for head coach Stephen Silas with this young group.
Hopefully Houston gives him the time he needs to develop these young guys and they do not give up on him after a few years because Silas does know what he is doing in Houston. Time is the ultimate factor right now with the Rockets because they cannot rush this process.
Guys like Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, Alperen Sengun and Kenyon Martin Jr. present a lot of hope for the future of this franchise, but it will be interesting to see what direction this organization goes this season. John Wall, Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin and Danuel House Jr. are all players on the trade block right now, making Houston a team that possibly gets a lot of deals done at the deadline this year.
#29: New Orleans Pelicans – Current Record: 2-14
The Pelicans are just 2-14 on the season and already being 12 games back from .500 does not put them in a good position to possibly contend for a playoff spot this year. In fact, FiveThirtyEight gives them just a 13% chance of making the playoffs, the 6th lowest projected percentage out of all 30 teams in the league.
Of course Zion Williamson not playing a game yet and Brandon Ingram missing about half of his team’s games to this point do not help this team in any way, but the Pelicans just look like a franchise that is searching for answers right now.
It seems like every year or so, this team is looking to flip their best talents for future value and New Orleans is stuck in this endless cycle of making wrong decisions. They made a bad move trading Chris Paul in 2011, then they did the same with Anthony Davis in 2019 and recently, they moved on from high-level talents such as Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball over the last two years.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Predictions For Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Bagley, Brown, Wall, Simmons
With no stability within this organization and really no future planned out, things do not look good for the Pelicans right now and ultimately, it would not be surprising to see both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson on new teams within the next two years. Unless Zion comes back soon and this team turns things around in a hurry, this organization is going to be doomed once again.
#28: Detroit Pistons – Current Record: 4-10
The Pistons definitely have to be pleased that they have picked up three wins in their last five games, but we should not anticipate this being a common theme for Detroit the rest of the season. Cade Cunningham and Jerami Grant together make up a really strong duo and with other young talents in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, the Pistons are heading in the right direction, but they need and want another Top-3 pick.
With Kelly Olynyk now sidelined though due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, the question for the Pistons is going to be if they go after a key frontcourt player ahead of the trade deadline this year.
Marvin Bagley III has been a rumored name to keep an eye on in regards to the Pistons and if they add the former second overall pick to their roster, they could be well on their way to having a really strong looking core led by Cunningham and Grant.
#27: Orlando Magic – Current Record: 4-11
Much like the Pistons, our expectations for the Magic this year should be very low, but two of their four wins this year have been against the New York Knicks and another was against the Utah Jazz! This young, athletic team is going to be competitive all year long and it will be fun to watch them play when both Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac return from injuries.
Cole Anthony has been a revelation for this team in the backcourt and with Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba forming a strong frontcourt duo, Orlando definitely is well ahead in their rebuilding process. This team is not going to win more than 25 games this year, but the foundation for a successful future has definitely already been built.
The key for the Magic this season is going to be what they decide to do with guys like Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and Michael Carter-Williams. Both Harris and Carter-Williams are in the final years of their contracts and with Ross possibly being a key trade target for playoff contenders, Orlando could have the means to acquire quite a few future first-round picks.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Predictions For Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Bagley, Brown, Wall, Simmons
Nonetheless, expect this team to be competitive from now through the end of the season and pull off a few more surprising upsets before the playoffs begin.
#26: San Antonio Spurs – Current Record: 4-11
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are not walking through the doors for the Spurs this season… Well maybe Ginobili is as a Special Advisor for the Spurs, but you get where we are going with this!
Rebuilding with Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and other young, athletic talents, the Spurs definitely have a solid foundation in place, but where do they go from here? They are just about the only team in the league that you can look at and truly say that they do not have All-Star talent, which is going to be a problem for them moving forward.
The Spurs have always had “homegrown” talents and have built their championship teams from within, but in today’s league that is dominated by All-Stars, San Antonio is going to have to look to make a move for a high-level talent sooner than later.
Still being an impactful defensive team under Coach Popovich, San Antonio will likely be a competitive team all year long that could slip into the play-in tournament as the 9-seed or 10-seed in the Western Conference, but it is hard to imagine them doing anything else this year.
