Midway through the NBA season with the trade deadline approaching, now is the perfect time to evaluate teams that are underperforming. Let’s analyze four teams’ disappointing starts and problems while figuring out how they can turn their season around.
The Four Most Disappointing NBA Teams Midway Through The Season
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers season has been filled with highs and lows. After winning the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have been on a 3-9 skid, falling to 17-18 on the season and 10th place in West. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis both having healthy and productive seasons, this is unacceptable. Talent-wise, there’s no reason the Lakers shouldn’t be a top-5 seed and legitimate contenders. While I still believe this is a dangerous playoff team, they need to turn it around quickly.
The lack of creators next to LeBron and Davis is problematic as is the floor spacing. The stats back this up: the Lakers rank 24th in offense, 29th in three-point attempts and 28th in three-point makes. Given these problems, I find it questionable that they aren’t starting Austin Reaves. He perfectly compliments the stars, alleviates the team’s biggest problems, and is the Lakers’ third most talented player. Recent Darvin Ham rumors support these concerns. Ultimately, look for the Lakers to make a big move at the deadline. Packaging D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura gives the Lakers the max contract spot with picks and possibly other players. The Lakers could land a true star.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are in one of the most curious positions in the league. They have a talented and experienced core but have had a lackluster season so far. With a 16-18 record, they are currently outside the Play-in Tournament. The distraction and suspension of Draymond Green have highlighted the Warriors’ year. With his absence not affecting the team’s level of play, a history of dirty plays, and the emergence of young players such as Jonathan Kuminga, it might be time to move on from Draymond. The Warriors are still competitive in most games but strangely struggle to close them out. They’ve played in a league-high 27 clutch time games, but only have a 13-14 record. Blowing double-digit leads has become common for them, most recently losing an 18-point lead in the last 6 minutes against the Nuggets.
Kuminga was having a productive 16-point 18-minute game, but Steve Kerr inexcusably benched him, leading to concerns about their relationship and the Warriors’ culture of prioritizing veterans at the cost of young players. Poor ball control, questionable coaching decisions, and a lack of consistent shot creation outside of Steph Curry are all central to the Warriors’ late-game problems. While plenty of the Warriors’ supporting cast makes positive all-around contributions, they lack a consistent secondary creator. Curry leads the team with 27.7 PPG. Klay Thompson is next with 16.9 PPG. Thompson is in the midst of an inconsistent shooting year and was never an elite shot-creator to begin with. The lack of secondary shot creation needs to be addressed at the trade deadline for the Warriors to be anything more than a first-round exit.
Atlanta Hawks
Many people expected the Hawks to make a jump this year with a full season under head coach Quin Synder. However, the opposite happened. After being a playoff team with a .500 record last year, the Hawks have taken a step back this year. Atlanta is currently outside the Play-in Tournament with a 14-19 record. The Hawks’ 27th-ranked defense and poor roster construction are central to their shortcomings.
The return of Jalen Johnson will certainly help the Hawks. However, it won’t fix all their problems. Ahead of the trade deadline, the Hawks must make a move and shake up the roster. At this point, a Dejounte Murray trade feels inevitable as the backcourt pairing of Murray and Trae Young has proven to be a poor fit. Finding the right package for Murray where the Hawks can get some win-now talent and not completely bottom out will be crucial, since they don’t own many of their future draft picks.
Phoenix Suns
With the big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal getting more court time together, the Suns’ season could be trending upwards. However, there’s no denying they’ve been disappointing 34 games into the season, with an 18-16 record and at 9th place in the West. Outside of Beal’s injuries the Suns’ awful bench depth, offensive sets and lack of playmaking are key issues. It’s clear this roster is overly dependent on their stars, and the lack of support around them is a massive problem.
However, unlike the other teams on this list, the Suns have no tradable assets, making it impossible to improve at the deadline. As a result, the Suns will have to depend on improved injury luck and internal improvements to solve these problems. Ultimately, the Suns are loaded with talent, so I’m confident they can be a playoff team. However, given their roster construction and injury concerns, it’s unclear if this is a championship-caliber roster, which is a massive disappointment considering what they risked to establish this core.
