10 Biggest Disappointments of the 2024-25 NBA Season So Far
It's fun to celebrate the good of the NBA's 2024-25 season, but not everything has gone to plan. Several heralded teams have fallen far short of expectations.
From the inevitable injuries to an entire conference falling flat, the year has already had a fair share of letdowns.
The following lists the 10 biggest disappointments through the season's first 21-25 games.
Injuries
1 of 10
News broke on Saturday that the Orlando Magic are losing Franz Wagner for at least a month with an oblique injury. That's not a typo; Paolo Banchero has been out with a similar (relatively uncommon) issue since the end of October.
Injuries can derail a franchise or at least change its trajectory.
The 18-5 Oklahoma City Thunder survived Isaiah Hartenstein's fractured hand but are still without Chet Holmgren (hip). They have enough depth to hold onto the top seed in the Western Conference, but others haven't been as lucky.
Notable injuries (some since healed) have hit: Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Zion Williamson, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Kawhi Leonard, Dejounte Murray, Cam Thomas, La Melo Ball, Grant Williams, Lonzo Ball, Luka Dončić, DaRon Holmes II, Khris Middleton, Ausar Thompson, De'Anthony Melton, Steph Curry, James Wiseman, Isaiah Jackson, Terance Mann, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, Zach Edey, GG Jackson II, Jose Alvarado, Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams III, Donovan Clingan, Matisse Thybulle, Tre Jones, Bruce Brown and Taylor Hendricks, among others.
Injuries are inevitable but always disappointing.
The Eastern Conference
2 of 10
Heading into games Sunday, the Eastern Conference has a 48 percent winning percentage, compared to the West's 52 percent. Only six teams can boast winning records in the East vs. 10 in the West.
A few franchises will be called out on the list, and injuries have played a part in the imbalance. Still, some NBA executives expected the East to be a greater regular-season challenger this season with a long list of dependable teams that should outperform shakier squads in the West (like the LA Clippers, Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, who are faring better than the sources anticipated in October).
Perhaps that was down to misplaced expectations, but the East shouldn't be as bad as it's been this season.
Los Angeles Lakers (12-11)
3 of 10
The Lakers started strong under new head coach JJ Redick but have faltered recently.
Blame it on injuries (Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, Rui Hachimura) or minimal offseason improvements (outside of drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James); the team is consistently inconsistent.
LeBron James hasn't been as dominant as the Lakers need, especially with the lack of depth. L.A. may not have enough to contend at the highest level at full strength; the team isn't built to absorb regular injuries.
The final straw was a pelvis injury to Austin Reaves. The Lakers are currently running on fumes.
Miami Heat (11-10)
4 of 10
The Heat survived Jimmy Butler's early-season injury, but they haven't been able to win consistently. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was a surprise success story last year but hasn't taken a broad step forward in his second season.
Bam Adebayo's efficiency has also dropped from 52.1 percent from the field last season to 43.6 percent. Some of this is due to taking more three-point attempts (up from 0.6 to 2.8), which he's converting at a low rate (32.2 percent, down from 35.7 percent).
Perhaps Miami rounds out for a strong second half of the year (which the team is known for doing when healthy), but with the East as weak as it has been this year, the Heat should be capitalizing on the struggles of others.
Sacramento Kings (11-13)
5 of 10
This summer, the Kings' significant investment was in 35-year-old scorer DeMar DeRozan, who has been everything he's supposed to be (22.7 points a game, efficient in the mid-range, weak from the outside at 29.3 percent from three).
The concern at the time, which may have something to do with the team's losing record, is that DeRozan isn't a natural fit for the team's two stars: De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Yes, he can score, but DeRozan isn't the athletic wing defender needed to offset what Fox and Sabonis don't do well together.
DeRozan is, arguably, taking away shot attempts from Keegan Murray, the 24-year-old forward who is still growing and developing. It's still early in the year, Malik Monk has missed time and the Kings can still find a path forward in the West, but the franchise was expected to have a winning record 24 games into the season.
Denver Nuggets (11-10)
6 of 10
Disappointment is usually an imbalance between expectations and reality. Denver has arguably the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić, so it shouldn't lose to the now 3-19 Washington Wizards despite 56 points from the Serb.
The Wizards, who are rebuilding, had low expectations and seem successful in their pursuit of a prime lottery position for the 2025 NBA draft.
The Nuggets, who won the championship two years ago, have progressively worsened each season with finances limiting flexibility. Gone are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and other proven veterans in their system.
Denver may have Jokić, but lack of depth is a problem, and that's reflected in the standings.
Minnesota Timberwolves (12-10)
7 of 10
Minnesota faced a difficult decision over the offseason.
The team's payroll was above the NBA's restrictive second apron, but the team made an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals (falling to the Dallas Mavericks). Instead of holding, financial pressures led to the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks.
The Timberwolves are still adjusting to a very different style of player, Julius Randle, who has had a strong individual season but is more of a ball-dominant figure than Towns.
While Towns isn't known for his defense, he had found ways to contribute on both ends of the floor alongside Rudy Gobert—and Randle is still finding his way.
Donte DiVincenzo was a motivating factor for Minnesota in the deal with New York, but he's not played well in the new situation. The Timberwolves are still among the potential contenders in the West, but the team doesn't look anywhere close to as strong as it was a year ago.
Indiana Pacers (10-14)
8 of 10
The Pacers were one of the brightest stories of 2023-24, climbing from the lottery a year prior to the in-season tournament championship game (losing to the Los Angeles Lakers) and the Eastern Conference Finals (falling to the Boston Celtics).
But this season, Indiana has been positively mediocre. The team lost size to injury (Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman) and has struggled to keep Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard on the court.
More worrisome, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton's scoring has dipped from 20.1 points a game to 17.8. His three-point shooting has similarly fallen from 36.4 percent (and above 40 percent each season prior) to 34.3 percent.
Indiana has time to get healthy, perhaps find a center via trade and tighten its defense for another strong playoff run, but the franchise has underperformed.
New Orleans Pelicans (5-19)
9 of 10
The Pelicans addressed their most significant need this offseason by acquiring point guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. On paper, the franchise should compete among the best in the Western Conference.
Instead, it's been a litany of injuries, including Brandon Ingram, who was recently felled with an ankle issue. Star forward Zion Williamson (hamstring) is a crucial loss (out indefinitely), and even Murray was lost to start the season with a hand injury.
When the Pelicans get healthy, it may be too late even to visit the Play-In Tournament.
Philadelphia 76ers (6-15)
10 of 10
Injuries have been the main story for the 76ers, but that was the risk in building the team around two over-30 stars with spotty track records of durability.
Joel Embiid (31 in March) and Paul George (35 in May) have struggled to stay healthy recently. The Sixers would love to have both on the court for a sustained period before judging this team as a failure.
The team also lost Tyrese Maxey (24) for a stretch but struck gold with scoring guard Jared McCain, the No. 16 pick in the 2024 draft.
If the franchise can get and keep its players on the floor, it should be able to climb the standings to the play-in and possibly as high as the No. 5 seed. But the 76ers need to get that momentum rolling quickly.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.
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