NBA Power Rankings: Ranking the Most Undisciplined Teams in the NBA

Team discipline is one of those things that can make a good team great, but a lack of discipline also has the possibility of making a team with a lot of raw potential very bad, and we've seen that first hand this year.

Whether it's teams lacking discipline in the locker room, in their offensive sets or on the defensive side of the ball, there's no doubting that there are teams in the NBA that lack discipline more than others. 

The teams that managed to make this power ranking, aren't necessarily bad teams, but they all have one thing in common, and that's that their performance on the court is being seriously held back by their lack of discipline.  

Ahead is a power ranking of the most undisciplined teams in the NBA.  Enjoy.  

6. Golden State Warriors (5-9)

The Golden State Warriors are an incredibly inconsistent team.

They beat teams like the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, then they manage to lose to the Charlotte Bobcats and the New Jersey Nets.  The main reason why the Warriors are so inconsistent is because they lack leadership and discipline on the court, which starts on the defensive side of the ball.

The Warriors allow 99.6 points per game, which is 26th in the NBA, and that displays the lack of discipline they have on the defensive side of the ball.  A large reason the Warriors give up so many points per game is because they also commit the most fouls out of any NBA team, with an average of 24.6 fouls committed per game.

The fact that the Warriors give up so many fouls a game, simply shows how undisciplined they are on the defensive side of the ball which is the main reason why they can't find ways to consistently win games.

If the Warriors are going to turn the corner and become a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, they need to play gain discipline, which starts with someone on the roster stepping up and becoming a leader.

If somebody on the Warriors' roster like Ellis, Wright or Lee are able to step up and start leading the team, the Warriors have potential to be a playoff team in the West, and if not, they will continue to struggle.   

5. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-3)

The Thunder easily find their way onto this list, especially after the dud they dropped against the NBA's worst team, the Washington Wizards.

It's amazing that the Oklahoma City Thunder are able to win games with such an undisciplined roster.  I guess that just shows how truly talented Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are.  While the Thunder are off to an NBA-best 12-2 overall record, they still struggle night in and night out from a lack of discipline which is in large part due to their youth, with the average age of their starting five being 24 years old.

The Thunder rank 26th in the NBA when it comes to technical fouls, committing at least one technical foul at least every other night (0.6/night).  The Thunder also average the 10th-most turnovers per game, with an average of 15.6 tog, that is in large part due to the turnover prone play of point guard Russell Westbrook.

The Thunder's lack of discipline was put on display when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant went at it on the bench early on in the 2011-12 season.  More disciplined stars would have waited to make that confrontation in the locker room, behind closed doors.

Luck for the Thunder, their lack of discipline doesn't hurt them as much as it does other teams, and they have Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins and Russell Westbrook's offensive production to thank for that.  The Oklahoma City Thunder won't make it to an NBA Finals until they start playing with more discipline though, and that's something they need to understand.  

4. Detroit Pistons (3-12)

Detroit has one of the worst records in the NBA, sitting at 3-11 overall, and that's in large part due to their absolute inability to score and rebound the basketball.

The Pistons rank dead last in the league in both scoring and rebounding, with an average of just 85.0 ppg and 37.4 rpg.  The main reason why the Pistons rank last in both categories isn't the lack of talent on their roster, although their roster does lack depth.  The reason why Detroit is such an abysmal team this year is because they lack leadership, which results in a lack of team discipline.

The Pistons' most veteran players are Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, who never developed into leaders because plays like Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups led their team during their 2003-04 championship run.

The lack of discipline on the Pistons has also led the team to the 25th-best shooting percentage in the NBA, with an average FGP of 42.4 percent.  The Pistons are going no where fast, and that's in large part due to the lack of leadership on the team, which has helped them become one of the most undisciplined teams in the entire NBA.

The Pistons will stay at the bottom of the NBA pecking order until they get a legitimate leader on their team; there's really no way around it. 

3. Sacramento Kings (4-10)

The Sacramento Kings aren't just one of the worst teams in the NBA, they're also one of the youngest, with an average starting lineup age of 24, and they also happen to be one of the most undisciplined.

You can't really blame the Kings, because aside from John Salmons, they really don't have any veteran talent on their team at all.  The Kings lack of discipline is evidenced by the fact that they give up the most points per game, with an average of 101.8 ppg, and they average the least amount of assists per game, with a per game average of 14.6 apg.

The Kings need to learn a lot of things, but they need to start with figuring out how to play defense and how to share the ball, both of which they don't seem to know how to do. Sacramento also needs to learn how to take smart shots in their offense, because they currently are the only team in the NBA that averages a field goal percentage below 40 percent, with an abysmal 39.6 percent field goal percentage per game average. 

The Kings on-the-court problems aren't necessarily their only problem, with disgruntled PF DeMarcus Cousins demanding a trade at the beginning of January.  The way the Kings handled the situation, immediately benching Cousins and banning him from traveling with the team, wasn't necessarily the most mature way they could've handled the situation.

Either way, the Kings lack discipline, it's as clear as that, and until they find some sort of leadership and discipline, they're going to continue to struggle night in and night out.   

2. New York Knicks (6-8)

While the 2011-12 NBA season is still very young, there hasn't been a more disappointing team than the New York Knicks.

The Knicks are on a four-game losing streak, with an overall 6-8 record, which is undoubtedly below the expectations many placed on them.  The Knicks recent losing ways are mainly because they lack discipline in nearly every sense of the word.

The Knicks lack of discipline starts with their front office, who made a poor decision by releasing Chauncey Billups to clear up cap room to sign underperforming center Tyson Chandler.  It wasn't a poor move because they miss his offensive performance. It was a terrible move because the Knicks seriously lack the veteran leadership that he brought to the team last year.

The Knicks lack of discipline is evidenced by two statistics.  First, the Knicks lead the league in technical fouls per game with an average of 0.8 per game, which displays their immaturity.  Next, the Knicks rank 26th in the NBA in assists per game, with an average of 18.0 apg, which shows the selfish offensive play that has hindered their season so far.

Many thought Tyson Chandler would bring some leadership to the Knicks roster, but it's evident that he has failed to do that yet.  Carmelo Anthony will never be a leader, and unless the Knicks are able to find a player on their roster who can start leading the team, they will be stuck in mediocrity for the rest of the 2011-12 season. 

1. Washington Wizards (2-12)

Kudos to the Washington Wizards for getting their second win of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who before this loss had the best record in the NBA (12-2).  Alright, putting that win aside, let's get back to who the Wizards truly are.

While the Wizards have one of the brightest futures in the NBA, with a lot of young talent on their roster, they're also the most undisciplined teams in the NBA, hands down.  The Wizards rank last in the NBA in overall offensive efficiency, with a rating of 89.9, being the only team in the NBA to have an efficiency rating in the 80s.

Across the board, the Wizards rank near last in almost every major statistical category.  They rank 29th in assists per game (15.9), 28th in points per game (86.2), 29th in team field goal percentage (41.0 percent) and they give up the 24th-most points in the NBA, with an average of 98.1 ppg.  The Wizards also average one technical foul every two games, which ranks 21st in the NBA.

The Wizards lack of discipline is in large part due to their youth, which was put on display when JaVale McGee thought it would be a good idea to throw down an off-the-backboard dunk down six in the third quarter in their loss to the Houston Rockets.

The Wizards are going to struggle, there's no doubt about that, but the one thing they can and need to improve on is their discipline both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.