As the season approaches the end of its first quarter, let’s take a look at four teams who made the playoffs last season, but currently find themselves struggling mightily and on the outside looking in this year.
NBA Playoff Teams Off to Slow Starts
Houston Rockets – The Rockets’ struggles have been well documented and are quite surprising, especially after their run to the Western Conference Finals last season. After a 4-7 start, ownership decided to make a bold move by firing head coach Kevin McHale with the hope that it would kickstart this team. Unfortunately, it hasn’t done much. The Rockets sit at 8-11 and are still one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. It’s a shame that a defense anchored by Dwight Howard has struggled so much, but James Harden’s laziness and a lack of communication have been at fault for Houston on the defensive end. Daryl Morey’s prized offseason acquisition, Ty Lawson, was supposed to be an offensive playmaker and take some of the burden off of James Harden; however, he has been nothing but a headache for this team, losing his starting role to Patrick Beverley and sitting on the bench during the end of close games. The Rockets can certainly (and probably will) make the playoffs, but this team is nothing close to the championship contender they were believed to be before the season started.
Milwaukee Bucks – Jason Kidd’s first year as head coach of the Bucks could not have gone much better. He took over for a team that finished with worst record in the NBA in 2014 and then guided them to a .500 finish in 2015, good for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Unfortunately for Kidd and the Bucks, the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign has resembled the Bucks team that finished in last place much more than it has resembled the team that made the playoffs. The Bucks are 7-12, which is the third worst record in the Eastern Conference. Ever since Milwaukee traded Brandon Knight at last season’s trade deadline, they haven’t been able to space the floor well, as current point guard Michael Carter-Williams is a turnover machine who has no shooting ability from the perimeter. Before they traded Knight, the Bucks were the second best defensive team in the NBA. Since then, they rank dead last in team defense, and a turnaround doesn’t seem likely with the current personnel on the roster. Ownership’s decision to pay Greg Monroe a max contract instead of Brandon Knight, which is essentially what they did by trading Knight at the deadline and then signing Monroe over the summer, has continued to look like a monumental mistake. Monroe hasn’t played poorly, but Milwaukee was a much better team when Knight was on the court. Unless the Bucks make some trades and find players that fit better together, I’m not too sure they will be able to reach the playoffs this year.
New Orleans Pelicans – Last season, the Pelicans surprised many around the NBA by winning 45 games and snagging the eighth seed in the playoffs from the Oklahoma City Thunder. After replacing head coach Monty Williams with Alvin Gentry, which many saw as a surprising yet beneficial move, the expectations rose in New Orleans. They were supposed to join the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff picture. Anthony Davis was supposed to guide his team to a 50 win season and be a top candidate for league MVP. Instead, the Pelicans have been stricken with injuries to some of their key players, most notably Tyreke Evans, and are off to a dreadful 4-15 start. Alvin Gentry’s up-tempo style of play hasn’t translated to much success, and it may not be the best system for this team. The player most affected by Gentry’s system has been Omer Asik, who went from starting center to a bench player seeing only 13 minutes per game. With just four wins into the beginning of December, the outlook is bleak for New Orleans, and if the losses keep piling up, a playoff berth will soon be out of reach for good, if it isn’t already.
Washington Wizards – The Wizards’ promising playoff run last year, which included a first round sweep of the Raptors, gave hope for improvement in the 2015-16 season. Many people, including myself, expected the Wizards to take a leap, solidifying themselves as one of the best, if not the best, team in the East besides the Cavs. So far this season, Washington is just 7-9, sitting in the basement of the Southeast Division. As much as John Wall has progressed over the past few years, it appears as if he’s taken a few steps back early on this season. His scoring and assist totals are down from previous years, and he is shooting just 41% from the field, a stat that must improve if Wall wants to lead this team deep into the playoffs. Just when it seemed like a huge road win in Cleveland could help jumpstart this team to a couple of victories, the Wizards lost at home last night to Kobe Bryant and the lowly Lakers, getting rid of any momentum that the win in Cleveland could have given them. Washington should still make the playoffs in the East, but they need to start playing better basketball if they want to build off of last year’s success.
