Just as we know the 2026-27 NBA season will feature first-time All-Stars, broken records and award-worthy play, we can be sure it'll also include its share of disappointments.
After spending an offseason forecasting the positive, we need to jump in during the early part of the year to balance the scales. That's right: It's time to predict some negative outcomes.
Here, we'll take a shot at something that'll work out worse than expected for every team. Maybe it's a guess about the downside of a risky transaction by, say, the Los Angeles Lakers. Or maybe we'll pour cold water on what may come after the Boston Celtics' likely regular-season success.
Let's check in on what will go wrong for each team as the 2026-27 season unfolds.
Atlanta Hawks: No Late-Season Snacks Available
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The Atlanta Hawks fattened up on junk food late last year, going 18-2 from Feb. 22 to April 3. Among their victims during that surge were Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Memphis, Sacramento, Washington and Dallas—all teams that had completely abandoned the goal of winning games.
That run was key to getting the Hawks up to 46 wins and the No. 6 seed in the East. Without it, they could very easily have finished behind the 43-win Miami Heat and missed the postseason entirely.
Thanks to lottery reform, teams like the ones Atlanta hammered down the stretch will no longer be trying to lose on purpose. That doesn't necessarily mean the Hawks are destined to disappoint, but it does suggest they'll have to earn their way back to the playoffs.
This time around, nobody's going to hand them a bunch of empty-calorie wins.
Boston Celtics: They'll Miss Jaylen Brown...Eventually
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It wouldn't be a surprise if the Boston Celtics won more regular season games this year than last. Their emphasis on winning the possession battle and dominating the shot-math game will only intensify without Jaylen Brown, who tended to pepper in more isolation actions than head coach Joe Mazzulla seemed to prefer.
We should expect Jayson Tatum to fit more snugly into Boston's three-hunting offense than Brown did, and growth from several young players—Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh—could make for a bottomlessly deep rotation.
If Mitchell Robinson's offensive rebounding creates even more kick-out three-point opportunities, long-range shooting records could fall.
All of that will be fine and dandy during the year, but Boston will run into trouble during the postseason when defenses are better at forcing opponents out of their preferred styles. Maybe it won't matter until the second round, but the Celtics will miss Brown's individual shot creation and on-ball defense at some point.
Keep that in mind as Boston racks up wins from October to April and Brown's absence occasionally feels like addition by subtraction.
Brooklyn Nets: Lottery Reform Will Wreck the Season
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Broadly, the lottery tweaks that disincentivize the most egregious and prolonged brand of tanking are a good thing. For the Brooklyn Nets, specifically, they shouldn't change what's been a years-long attempt to lose games.
Brooklyn owes its 2027 first-round pick to the Houston Rockets. Under the old system, Brooklyn would have felt a sense of freedom (it could lose or win as much as it wanted, since the pick would be gone either way), but the new one makes finishing in the bottom three the best course of action.
If Brooklyn isn't in the relegation zone, its odds of winning (and conveying) the No. 1 overall pick are greater than if it lands in the bottom three. If the Nets win the lottery, they wouldn't be allowed to in 2028—when they actually control their pick.
That means another year of tanking is on the horizon.
Charlotte Hornets: The Offense Is In Trouble
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Maybe things will balance out over the course of the season as the Charlotte Hornets' revamped core gets fully healthy. At the outset, though, it will be tough to recreate the high-scoring style that defined the team last season.
LaMelo Ball is gone via trade. While the move might ultimately position the Hornets to reach a higher level than they could have with the dynamic point guard, it will probably diminish their scoring punch in the short term.
Kon Knueppel's preseason hamstring strain and Coby White's calf tweak will all but assure offensive slippage.
Last year, Charlotte's elite attack fell to below-average scoring rates when Ball and Knueppel were both off the floor. That'll be the default more often at the start of the year. Things may not get back on track for a while as the Hornets adjust to their new circumstances.
Chicago Bulls: Shooting Will Be a Problem Again
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The Chicago Bulls hit 35.6 percent of their threes last year, a bottom-10 figure that was only partially offset by a shot diet focused on lots of threes and layups. Even after adding Norman Powell in free agency, the Bulls seem primed for similar struggles on the perimeter.
Josh Giddey doesn't worry defenses, even as his percentage ticks up. Caleb Wilson's apparent ability to hit from outside is welcome, but opponents will dare him to fire until he proves he's a true threat. Matas Buzelis is only theoretically dangerous. Nic Claxton has never been a gunner.
If the Bulls can't generate good spacing, their half-court attack will suffer. Lanes will close for Buzelis and Wilson. Claxton's elbow game won't work as well on a cramped floor, as clean looks will generally be tough to come by.
Cleveland Cavaliers: James Harden Will James Harden
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James Harden is a person, which makes him a noun. James Harden can also be a verb, as in: "That player failed to show up for a critical playoff game. He really James Hardened on that one."
Or, alternatively: "Is this guy going to James Harden us by demanding a trade midway through his contract?"
The Cleveland Cavaliers committed three years and $90 million to the noun version of Harden over the summer, which means they also signed up for three years of wondering when (not if) James Harden will James Harden them.
If you're looking for a fatal flaw in Cleveland's would-be contending roster, it's right there. At some point this year, one way or the other, James Harden is going to James Harden. It's inevitable.
Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg's Life Won't Get Easier
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Overburdened as a playmaker from the jump last year, Cooper Flagg still produced one of the greatest seasons by a teenager in NBA history. Though Kyrie Irving is back and new head coach Dusty May should have some fresh ideas, Flagg's second season will likely be as taxing as his first.
Irving's presence isn't the major load-lightener it seems. He's 34 and coming off a serious injury. Though preseason play suggested Irving still has plenty of juice, the Mavs will be careful not to overplay the veteran guard. Then there's the possibility of a mid-season trade removing Irving from the equation and thrusting Flagg right back into the do-everything role he occupied last year.
A roster overloaded with forwards, lacking guard play and quietly facing depth issues at center, as long as Dereck Lively II's health remains a question mark, will again force Flagg into difficult spots. In the unlikely event more shot-creators and finishers emerge, it'll just mean Flagg can use his energy to defend tougher assignments on the other end.
Denver Nuggets: Contention Isn't Realistic
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We've moved past the point where having Nikola Jokić on the roster automatically makes the Denver Nuggets title contenders.
That's not so much a statement about Jokić's ability as he enters his age-31 season. He's still a short-list MVP candidate who's all but guaranteed to keep the Nuggets' offense inside the top three. Instead, it's an acknowledgment that years of unwise spending and salary-cutting trades have led to a critical lack of depth, defense and athleticism.
Denver ranked 21st in defensive efficiency last year. Swapping Peyton Watson for DeMar DeRozan won't improve that ranking. Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun could stay healthier, but Jokić showed real slippage on D in 2025-26. You could make the case that, all things being equal, the Nuggets could manage something like the 17th or 18th-best defense with a few breaks.
That, even if paired with a No. 1 offense, won't be enough.
Detroit Pistons: Shooting Won't Cure Everything
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The Detroit Pistons' offseason suggested they thought suspect shooting was their only problem last year. That feels like a mistake.
Lots of numbers show the Pistons needed better spacing. For example, the offense was 10.2 points per 100 possessions better last year whenever sharpshooter Duncan Robinson was in the game. That's why going out and getting Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince—all 40.0 percent snipers—made sense.
All that shooting will only matter if someone not named Cade Cunningham can break down the defense off the dribble and set up a teammate.
Based on the risky five-year, $155 million extension they gave Ausar Thompson, the Pistons believe he can handle increased distribution duties. He's a speculative facilitator, at best. Daniss Jenkins broke out last year, but he's still the team's only proven creator besides Cunningham.
Detroit's offense has more weapons, but it didn't add the kinds of players who can utilize them. That's not going to be a problem during the regular season, but the Pistons are going to struggle to score in the playoffs.
Golden State Warriors: Steph, Jimmy and Porzingis Won't Play Together
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If Jimmy Butler is back on the floor just before the trade deadline, that'll leave about 30 games left before the end of the regular season. If Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis are relatively healthy at that point, they could be expected to play in 20-25 of those contests.
Maybe the stars will align, with rest nights not overlapping too often and the trio could share the floor 15 times or so. That's the optimistic outlook.
More realistically, Butler could be traded before or shortly after he returns (assuming that's before the deadline). If that happens, this prediction will be automatically correct. We also have to consider the possibility that a recurrence of runner's knee limits Curry as often as last year, when he logged just 43 games.
Porzingis remains out indefinitely to start the season.
These three, arguably Golden State's best players when available, aren't going to share the floor at all.
Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson Won't Improve
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If the Houston Rockets factored improvement into their calculations on Amen Thompson's $208 million extension, they're going to regret it.
Sure, the 23-year-old is at an age where growth is typically priced in. But Thompson is a player who thrives mainly on the strength of his athleticism, and that's not a characteristic that trends up over time. As a shooter, Thompson appears to be a lost cause. He attempted just 1.4 threes per 36 minutes last season, down from his first two years, and converted them at a 21.6 percent clip.
So if Thompson isn't going to get more athletic, and if he's never going to be a perimeter threat, it's hard to imagine how he might improve his performance. Considering he led the league in total minutes last year, he won't grow by adding volume.
The good news: Thompson is an elite perimeter defender who can pass the ball and impact the game in transition. He'll be a starting-caliber performer for the life of his deal. Anyone anticipating some kind of leap that might justify his price tag will be disappointed.
Indiana Pacers: Kelly Oubre Jr. Won't Fit
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The Indiana Pacers badly needed a bigger wing to compete against Eastern Conference foes with rangier, more physically imposing forwards. In that sense, Kelly Oubre Jr. fills an important role.
In several others, he's going to feel like a square peg in a round hole.
Basketball She Wrote's Caitlin Cooper highlighted the way Oubre's strong preference for driving from the right wing clashes with some of Indiana's most effective actions. This deep into his career, Oubre may struggle to adjust. More broadly, the lefty wing has never been a quick processor or intuitive passer on offense.
Oubre averaged 3.44 seconds per touch and about one pass for every minute he played last season, figures that don't jive with Indy's tendency to keep the ball moving at high speed.
Don't be surprised if Oubre, despite prized size and athleticism, doesn't find himself on the floor in key moments.
LA Clippers: 30 Wins Is the Ceiling
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Other than Darius Garland looking like the best version of himself during the preseason, the LA Clippers didn't see many early positive signs.
Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, Jordan Miller and Yanic Konan NIederhauser are all out for extended periods, Bradley Beal is dealing with knee inflammation and the center rotation of Isaiah Jackson and Brook Lopez might be among the weakest in the league.
The Clips are out five future first-rounders and probably wouldn't want to deal any picks to improve in the short term anyway. They're in for a protracted rebuild in which perhaps only rookie Keaton Wagler features as a long-term building block.
There are plenty of teams in for rough seasons, some of which are with the Clips out West. But as it stands now, it's difficult to imagine LA cobbling together more than 30 wins if almost everything broke right from here.
Los Angeles Lakers: Walker Kessler Isn't Worth It
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Wait, so Walker Kessler won't be worth $130 million over four years, or won't be worth the two unprotected firsts and two swaps the Los Angeles Lakers surrendered for the right to pay him all that money?
Pick one. It doesn't really matter for our purposes. The point here is that the Lakers gave up entirely too much, burning cap space and firing off their last tradable picks for a player who, while very good at his role, is not a needle-moving star.
The desperation that motivated such a reckless move is understandable. The Lakers lost LeBron James and needed to appease Luka Dončić by landing a big man who could anchor the defense and finish inside. Kessler does both well.
Unfortunately, Kessler's niche skills won't be nearly enough to make Los Angeles relevant in the championship picture. And that's where a team that just made a trade as consequential as the one that landed him should wind up.
For the deal to be worth it, Kessler would need to stay healthy all year, feature prominently on the DPOY short list and carry the Lakers to a top-five defensive rating. There's no way that's happening.
Memphis Grizzlies: Playmaking Is a Key Weakness
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Playmaking is one of rookie Cam Boozer's biggest strengths, but the first-year forward will find himself having to do way too much creation in a Memphis offense that could quickly find itself hurting in that area.
Ty Jerome's herky-jerky floater arsenal will work just fine as long as he's healthy. He racked up 45 points in Memphis' opener as proof.
This feels like a good time to mention he's played fewer than 50 games in all but one of his seven professional seasons. And while Scotty Pippen Jr. is a luxury backup, most of his contributions come on the defensive end.
Boozer can and should be used as a hub on offense, but the Grizzlies also need to surround him with guards who can initiate actions. Between Jerome and Pippen, it's hard to be confident in Boozer's support system.
Miami Heat: Klay Thompson Can't Close
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The Miami Heat may not mind if a leap from Pelle Larsson is the reason free-agent signee Klay Thompson isn't in the game during the biggest moments. But it'll be a problem if Thompson's continued decline is the main explanation.
Thompson is unquestionably one of the greatest shooters in history, but last year saw him post career lows in field-goal and three-point percentage. Diminished lateral mobility meant Thompson could only guard power forwards, and the days of him scaring defenses as a cutter and inside-the-arc scorer appear long gone.
Tim Hardaway Jr. seems like the better option at this point if the Heat feel they need a shooter on the floor in the late going. Larsson is younger and more complete as an on-ball option, but he has yet to build a reputation as a spot-up threat.
Thompson could surprise with a bounce-back year, but most of the evidence suggests he's not going to be Miami's best option as a fifth closer alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins.
Milwaukee Bucks: Flipping Ain't Easy
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The Milwaukee Bucks did well to haul in so many assets in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but the next phase of their rebuild won't be as simple as it seems.
Normally, the Bucks would focus on juicing the value of the players they acquired in order to trade them for picks and more future-focused assets. Because so many of them overlap positionally, the process of upping one player's market appeal could come at the cost of others. In other words, it won't be easy to maximize Tyler Herro's minutes and production without taking away from Kasparas Jakucionis'—particularly with Ryan Rollins also deserving a major role at a guard spot.
The Bucks also need to give rookie Brayden Burries a ton of minutes after selecting him 10th in the draft.
On a squad that'll be losing lots of games while trying to apportion playing time, it won't be easy to build up the trade values of the players Milwaukee needs to move.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Jonathan Kuminga Will Lose His Starting Job
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will soon become the third team to learn that Jonathan Kuminga is not a reliable starter.
It took the Golden State Warriors four-and-a-half years to embrace that truth, but the Atlanta Hawks figured it out in a matter of weeks. Minnesota might accept reality even more quickly.
Kuminga has immense physical tools. He's a huge wing with boundless athleticism and the ability to power his way to the free-throw line. He also wants to play like a first option—one who generates his own shots off the dribble. The Warriors wanted him to leverage his athletic gifts in a do-it-all support role, which clashed with Kuminga's own opinions on how he should be used.
Minnesota didn't invest a lottery pick or any significant money in Kuminga, so it's not as committed as the Warriors once were. At the same time, the Wolves' very real depth issues at forward make Kuminga pretty important to the whole operation.
He'll begin the season as a starter, but that won't last long.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson's Dunk Rate Will Fall
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A small year-over-year uptick saw Zion Williamson dunk 10.3 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, better than the 8.5 percent he managed in 2024-25. Do not take that increase as evidence Williamson is on the way to reclaiming peak athletic form.
The days of Williamson posting dunk rates in the teens are in the past, and the longer arc of his athletic prowess continues to bend downward. Anecdotally, the relatively healthy version of Zion who played 62 games last year didn't have the same shocking burst or force that he showed at his apex.
That's not a surprise, given the conditioning issues and (probably) related injuries that marked most of his early 20s. Now 26, the likelihood of a trend reversal in the speed and lift departments is basically nil.
Pair that "Father Time is undefeated" fact with Williamson's total abandonment of his jump shot, and defenders will sag off to a degree that makes running over and through them even harder than it once was.
New York Knicks: One and Done
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Even before the New York Knicks disappointed Karl-Anthony Towns by surprising him with a public announcement that extension negotiations were officially tabled, the odds of a repeat championship were slim.
Now, with the vibes feeling less than immaculate, New York seems assured of being the eighth straight champion to relinquish the title.
The Knicks are coming off a 100-game season in which they authored multiple high-stress postseason comebacks. They lost key contributor Mitchell Robinson over money and feature several core players on the wrong side of 30.
Jalen Brunson is one of those, and while it's impossible to count him out, the sheer toll of playing such a high-usage style while battling through what feel like 15 ankle sprains per season is bound to catch up with him eventually. And as is so often the case, several other Knicks played at a level that could be fairly described as "over their heads" en route to the 2026 championship.
You can't assume everyone will be able to find that same rare form again, particularly given the fatigue of a deep run and exhausting offseason media tour.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Cason Wallace Doesn't Have Hidden Skills
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Cason Wallace has never averaged more than the 8.6 points and 2.6 assists per game he posted last season, and it's a mistake to assume he's primed for a statistical spike in what should be a larger role this year.
The idea that Wallace has had to settle for a smaller, more dependent role than his skills warrant isn't completely off base. Playing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams means virtually everyone else has to slot into a lower-usage position.
But very little about Wallace's profile suggests he's got some dormant set of skills just waiting to be unleashed.
Last year, lineups featuring Wallace without SGA and J-Dub scored 11.6 points per 100 possessions, a 24th percentile figure. In games where Wallace, who averaged 26.6 minutes per game, played between 30 and 39 minutes, he only managed 12.5 points and 3.7 assists.
Wallace is a tremendous defensive guard who can reliably hit spot-up threes. He's not going to turn into some kind of top-tier offensive threat now that minutes vacated by Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe are available.
Orlando Magic: Cap Casualties Are Coming
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Anthony Black is a player the Orlando Magic should want to keep around, but their bloated books made a preseason extension too costly to consider. If the rangy guard sticks with the team, it'll be after a restricted free-agency scenario next summer.
If Black plays so well this season as to make himself indispensable, there's a great chance another of Orlando's key figures has to go. The Magic could have as much as $193 million committed to just eight players ahead of 2027-28, in which case a $20 million salary for Black would exceed the luxury tax line. And that's without filling out the rest of the roster.
If the Magic dramatically disappoint, anyone from Paolo Banchero to Franz Wagner to Jalen Suggs could be on the move.
The Thunder had already accomplished far more than this Magic team when they initiated some cost-cutting triage. Expect Orlando to trim real talent one way or the other.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid Won't Help
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For years, the key factor in analyzing the Philadelphia 76ers' potential for the upcoming season was the number of games Joel Embiid would be able to play. Based on what we've seen from the former MVP over the last couple of years, quantity is no longer the lone issue.
The quality of Embiid's performance isn't going to be good enough for him to matter all that much.
In his first preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 8, Embiid missed four of his five attempts from the field, coughed the ball up eight times in 23 minutes and could hardly get off the ground. He hasn't been nearly that bad since, but it was no less jarring to watch considering Embiid was theoretically fresh after a full, injury-free offseason.
Embiid should still be able to make spot-up shots and hit some elbow jumpers out of a triple-threat position, and he probably won't average a turnover every three minutes once he's accustomed to his new teammates. His defense was encouraging in the Sixers' opener against the Knicks.
But all the injuries he's suffered over the years have degraded his game to the point that availability is now only one of the worries Philly has to consider.
Phoenix Suns: Worse Record than Last Year
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The Phoenix Suns are among the teams most likely to be hurt by tanking reform, as the 24-7 record they ran up against losing teams last year won't be easy to replicate.
In addition to facing fewer record-boosting pushovers this time around, the Suns could also struggle to catch teams of all abilities off guard. It's certainly not a bad thing to be known for playing hard, but Phoenix snuck up on plenty of opponents with its aggression last year. Nobody will be taken unawares this time around.
Toss in some other factors—more Jalen Green may not be a good thing, youngster Khaman Maluach may not be ready for the big role coming his way, Dillon Brooks is freshly paid, etc.—and there are a whole bunch of reasons to expect a worse record than last year's 45-37 mark.
Portland Trail Blazers: Deni Avdija's Role Will Shrink
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Deni Avdija led the NBA with 27.8 drives per game last season, and his hard-charging, ball-dominant style was key to the Portland Trail Blazers' limited offensive success.
Instead of surrounding Avdija with a gaggle of shooters following his All-Star leap, the Blazers will instead integrate two high-usage guards who've only ever been effective with the ball in their hands.
Forget the obviously terrible fit of Damian Lillard and Ja Morant on the court together. The real issue here is the way neither of those players complement Portland's clear No. 1 option. At least in theory, Lillard has the shooting skill to provide off-ball value. But he's never played that role for any sustained length of time.
Morant isn't helpful unless he's controlling the offense.
Injuries could paradoxically solve the problem, but nobody should be rooting for Dame and Morant to miss time. As it stands, the Blazers' best player is in for a reduced role. Make it make sense.
Sacramento Kings: There's No Trading Out of This Mess
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The Sacramento Kings often feel like the biggest victims of lottery reform. They're going to be terrible as usual, only now they're less likely to be rewarded with a high draft pick. The counter would be: They failed to figure out how to win in 20-plus years of the old system, so nobody should feel bad for them in the new one.
If you're still inclined to be sympathetic, there's another angle: Sacramento also can't trade its way out of this mess.
The Kings already bought out DeMar DeRozan, and they may need to do the same with Zach LaVine and his much larger salary. Nobody is sending positive value to Sacramento for $49 million worth of empty scoring.
Domantas Sabonis has two years and $94 million left on his deal, and he's also a negative asset.
Unless somebody wants De'Andre Hunter's expiring money or believes Malik Monk could get back to his best days as a star Sixth Man, the Kings don't have anything worth dealing.
San Antonio Spurs: The Three-Guard Lineup Will Pose Problems
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Dylan Harper, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama are probably the San Antonio Spurs' five best players, but they do not make up the team's best lineup. Despite that, head coach Mitch Johnson seems committed to starting them together.
Fox's postseason struggles and Harper's simultaneous emergence as a potential superstar created a tricky dynamic. The former is too established and highly paid to come off the bench, while the latter is simply too good. Even if it doesn't necessarily lead the team in minutes, this lineup might be necessary just to avoid bruising egos.
Tactically, it's exciting to get three playmaking guards on the floor together. But all three of Fox, Harper and Castle come with questions about their three-point shots, and using all of them at once means there's no longer a setup man coming off the bench.
Another concern: San Antonio keeps exploring the idea of using Wembanyama as an initiator, which doesn't play to his strengths as an elite play-finisher. He started 0-of-12 in San Antonio's opener against the Thunder.
Plopping three suspect-shooting guards on the perimeter certainly doesn't make things easier for Wemby.
The assembled talent is so good that the whole thing might work anyway. But it's a mistake to think this is the smoothest, most sensible way for the Spurs to play.
Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Won't Be There When It Counts
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The Toronto Raptors are going to have a hellaciously good defense, and a load-managed Kawhi Leonard will provide the offense with an organizing central figure whenever he's available. Those two factors should lead to a whole mess of regular season wins.
The issue for the Raptors, who'll be able to play with virtually anyone from October to April, is that Leonard won't be able to help them outside that six-month window.
That's what recent history suggests, anyway.
Leonard finished the 2025 postseason healthy, a notable feat because it was the only time since the 2020 bubble that he held up through the end of the year. For the vast majority of his seasons with LA, Leonard broke down before the conclusion of the campaign.
So while Toronto has the makings of an every-night behemoth, it can't be counted on to profile as a contender. Leonard simply hasn't been a reliable postseason presence. Unless he bucks that trend, the Raptors aren't a true title threat.
Utah Jazz: This Is A Bottom-Five Defense
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The Utah Jazz will be trying to win games this season, but effort isn't everything.
A pair of guards who certainly aren't notable for their work as stoppers and a concerning lack of rebounding will combine to keep the Jazz in the bottom five of defensive efficiency.
Last year's No. 29 ranking probably isn't repeatable as long as Jaren Jackson Jr. stays healthy, but Utah is going to have an extremely hard time cutting off penetration if Keyonte George and Darryn Peterson struggle on D as expected. From there, neither Jusuf Nurkić not Jaxson Hayes profile as reliable paint protectors.
Top that off with a cast of wing defenders that might be the worst in the league unless Ace Bailey takes a leap, and it's difficult to see where the Jazz can avoid being exploited.
The good news: Head coach Will Hardy's offense could be as potent as the defense is toothless. If Utah can score at a top-five rate, it'll stay in games all season and push for a win total in the low 40s.
Washington Wizards: Trae Young Can't Carry the Offense
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In one sense, it might not be the worst thing if Trae Young isn't good enough to function as the be-all, end-all for the Washington Wizards' offense. That would mean other players, including younger options like AJ Dybantsa, Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and even Kyshawn George would get more time on the ball.
Overall, though, Young's likely failure as an offensive engine will be a massive problem.
Washington gave him a four-year, $213 million contract to run the show. That money will be very ill-spent if Young's preseason struggles drag deeper into the year. After a solid debut, he shot just 2-of-13 from deep and piled up 18 turnovers against 26 assists in his next three games.
Whether the Wizards succeed in getting some off-ball value from Young or not, errant shooting and a lack of ball control will do real damage to the whole operation. Young was once an offense unto himself. Now, it's possible he's not very helpful even if playing a smaller role.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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