Early 2015-16 Report Card Grades for Every NBA Team
With over a month of the NBA's 2015-16 season in the books, it's time to get out the red pens.
Which teams have earned stellar marks during the early portion of the campaign, exceeding expectations in a big way while asserting themselves as contenders? Which squads have crumbled miserably under the weight of similar expectations, sinking down toward the bottom of the league-wide standings?
There are plenty of both, though it's abundantly important to remember we're grading each team on its own scale. If you need an example, take these two hypothetical squads:
- Team A: Entered the season with legitimate dreams of earning its conference's No. 1 seed but has played to a .500 record.
- Team B: Entered the season expected to finish in the top spot of the race for the No. 1 lottery odds but has played to a .500 record.
The two units have identical win-loss marks, and they correspondingly sit tied in the standings. However, Team A has been massively disappointing, while Team B has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. The first squad will accordingly earn a poor grade, and the second will draw a shining review.
Already, the Association has produced plenty of teams that fall into each category. Each franchise is listed in ascending order by grade.
Houston Rockets
1 of 30
The Houston Rockets were set to follow up last year's trip to the Western Conference Finals with another finish near the top of the standings. Instead, they've sunk well below .500, falling outside the current playoff picture.
Already, the front office has decided to fire now-former head coach Kevin McHale, replacing him with J.B. Bickerstaff and hoping the change would put an end to the overwhelming levels of apathy present on the Toyota Center's floor. The switch hasn't worked wonders, as the Rockets have continued their failure to launch.
Granted, this team has been dealing with a number of maladies. Dwight Howard has only just started playing in back-to-backs, while the frontcourt rotation of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas has been stricken by the injury bug. Sam Dekker is dealing with a bad back, and Patrick Beverley has already missed time.
But that's not all.
Ty Lawson has been unbelievably ineffective during his short time with the Rockets, to the point that he's already been a healthy scratch. Without any confidence on the offensive end, he's borderline unplayable, and the move to acquire him is quickly emerging as a massive mistake.
Plus, James Harden isn't asserting himself as an MVP candidate. He's firing away far too often from three-point territory while shooting just 29.8 percent from downtown. He's struggling to connect from anywhere else on the court and his defense has been both uninspired and flat-out atrocious.
There's still plenty of time for the Rockets to recover, but they've quite easily been this season's biggest disappointment in the early going.
As Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes penned after Houston dropped a game to the Detroit Pistons on the last day of November, "It's not really accurate to call the Houston Rockets' 116-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons rock bottom—unless you can hit rock bottom four or five times in a month."
Grade: F
Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 30
It's tough to find many positives other than the quality play of Jordan Clarkson.
Kobe Bryant, incredible as his career may have been, has been absolutely atrocious on both ends of the court. His legs have completely given out, to the point that it seems possible he'll shoot an air ball on any given attempt. Far too often, he actually has.
And while the 37-year-old veteran has struggled immensely, so too have many of the young players billed as the future of this franchise.
Julius Randle's shot has been awry all season, and he doesn't look the part of a future Lakers centerpiece. Talented as he may be on the glass and when he can get to the hoop, it's troubling that the organization is now looking into retooling his jumper, per the Orange County Register's Bill Oram.
Meanwhile, the situation with D'Angelo Russell has been even worse.
That's not because the first-year guard has been awful (he hasn't), but because head coach Byron Scott and the coaching staff have botched too many situations that could've seen him get significant minutes.
It's inexplicable that Russell's receiving only 27.6 minutes per game, though it's easier to understand—and arguably even more unjustifiable—when you realize the clipboard-holders don't have confidence in him playing crunch-time minutes in close games but also don't want to waste him in blowouts.
This would all be fine if the Lakers meant to tank and were making a concerted effort to hang on to their first-round draft pick, which will be conveyed to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside the first three selections. As of now, they're on pace to keep it.
However, we can't overlook the internal preseason confidence that brighter things were in store for this organization. And even if the Lakers are tanking, they're hindering their own draft picks' growth in the process, which is a recipe for failure anyway.
Grade: F
Philadelphia 76ers
3 of 30
Maybe the process will eventually work?
Even with the knowledge that the Philadelphia 76ers are still in full-fledged tanking mode, it's impossible to justify a team being this bad.
Sure, the Sixers now roster more actual NBA players than they've boasted in the last few years. Sure, they've hung tough with a number of teams before collapsing at the end of close contests. Sure, they're set up to add even more top-tier talent through the draft and boast a great shot at landing a franchise-changing prospect such as Ben Simmons.
It doesn't excuse a 1-18 record, particularly when the two current centerpieces—Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel—have looked so bad while playing next to one another. The big-man duo has logged just over 276 minutes on the court together, and the team is being outscored by a ridiculous 25.7 points per 100 possessions in that situation.
Is Philadelphia set to become the worst team of all time? Probably not. It should see significant improvement during the season, and head coach Brett Brown would never just let his players quit.
But right now, the squad has a TeamRtng+ (explained in full here) of 94.09, which is a step in the wrong direction after last year's score of 95.6. According to my databases, that was already one of the 40 worst marks in NBA history, and 94.09 would beat out only the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets (93.98), 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks (93.14) and 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats (92.88).
Whatever the intentions may be, those numbers don't justify anything other than a failing grade.
Grade: F
Washington Wizards
4 of 30
Coming out of the preseason, it seemed like the Washington Wizards were ready to turn the proverbial corner. They'd finally made the proper adjustments on offense, learning from last year's postseason by eschewing long two-pointers in favor of better looks.
Once the year began, optimism reigned supreme. Led by a vastly improved version of Bradley Beal, who was playing with unabashed confidence, the Wizards won three of their first four games—highlighted by the 2-guard's game-winning jumper against the San Antonio Spurs.
Then, everything fell apart. The Wizards have gone just 4-7 since, a game below .500 and forcing themselves into an uphill climb just to get back into the playoff picture in the better-than-expected Eastern Conference.
How bad has this team become? Well, it joined the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers as one of the only three teams to post a bottom-seven mark in both offensive and defensive rating, as of Tuesday.
And here's where we have to point a finger at John Wall.
Even though he's become one of the league's best point guards in recent seasons, he's struggled immensely in 2015-16, hitting only 41 percent of his shots from the field and 31.3 percent of his three-point attempts. He's turning the ball over far too frequently, and his player efficiency rating is a low 17.8—not much above the league-average mark of 15.
Until Wall regains his departed confidence on the court, Washington will continue to struggle.
Grade: D-
Brooklyn Nets
5 of 30
Only the Philadelphia 76ers have posted a worse offensive rating than the Brooklyn Nets, whose 98.5 points per 100 possessions leave them as one of just four teams failing to break into triple digits. That would be more palatable if the Nets had emerged as a point-preventing force, but their bottom-10 spot in defensive rating doesn't exactly point toward that status.
So the Nets are tanking, right? They're parlaying their decisive lack of talent and fire into top lottery odds so they can add a top prospect (cough, Ben Simmons, cough) for 2016-17?
If only.
Brooklyn still owes the Boston Celtics an unprotected first-round pick this offseason, which means it's essentially playing for absolutely nothing. Even during a season in which it will likely finish right near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, there's literally nothing to be gained.
The Nets are just biding their time until Joe Johnson's contract comes off the books after this year and gives the organization a bit of spending power in the free-agent market. And given the uninspiring nature of play—both from Johnson and from the rest of the team—that can't happen soon enough.
Grade: D
Milwaukee Bucks
6 of 30
What in the world happened to the Milwaukee Bucks?
This team hasn't just regressed since shocking NBA fans with its quality play in 2014-15. It's fallen off a cliff, with the offensive rating only rising from 102.7 to 103.6 while the defensive rating skyrocketed from 102.2 (No. 3 in the league) to a second-to-last-place 110.7.
This was a team poised to ascend further up the Association's totem pole as the offense grew along with Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Michael Carter-Williams. Jason Kidd's second year in charge was supposed to be even better than the first after the offseason addition of Greg Monroe at center—one that came at the expense of suitors from much bigger markets.
Instead, the defense has been mind-numbingly awful, to the point that the Bucks are allowing more points per 100 possessions than nearly every other team in the league. Again, this squad had a distinct defensive identity just one year ago, and even with Monroe on board, that wasn't likely to change.
But change it has.
The results have been awful for a Milwaukee team that can't stop a nosebleed. Some growing pains were to be expected with such a young roster, but this level of futility goes far beyond simple growing pains.
Grade: D
New Orleans Pelicans
7 of 30
Given the ridiculous amount of injuries the New Orleans Pelicans have suffered while trying to adapt to the new stylings of head coach Alvin Gentry, it's a bit understandable they've struggled so dramatically in the early going. Despite the expectations of a second consecutive season in the playoffs, the Pelicans have been forced to play from behind the eight ball, and a slow start from Anthony Davis didn't help.
Norris Cole and Tyreke Evans are only just beginning to play for NOLA this season, while Quincy Pondexter (knee) and Kendrick Perkins (pectoral) remain out for significant periods of time. Davis has had a few minor injuries of his own, and Jrue Holiday has been prevented from playing in back-to-back contests.
That's been too much to overcome, especially when the Pelicans have played some of the worst defense in the Association.
Will they turn things around? Probably.
Should they? That's a different question entirely.
At this point, after losing all but four of their first 18 games, it may be time for the Pelicans to throw in the towel and view the 2015-16 campaign as a rebuilding year. Getting another top-level prospect would be far better than sneaking into the playoffs and playing the part of sacrificial lamb to a true contender for the second year in a row.
Grade: C-
Denver Nuggets
8 of 30
Evaluating the Denver Nuggets from a sheer win-loss perspective is a mistake.
This is a team that rosters plenty of young talent under a new head coach. The 2015-16 campaign was never meant to be much more than an opportunity for growth and the establishment of a distinct identity, allowing Emmanuel Mudiay to take charge as the point guard of the future while the other up-and-comers carved out roles of their own.
Thus far, Mike Malone has given all the youngsters plenty of opportunities. Gary Harris has received run as the starting shooting guard, while Mudiay is entrenched next to him in the backcourt. Even Will Barton has emerged as a sleeper for Sixth Man of the Year, thriving in the action he receives off the pine.
However, the Nuggets still haven't forged an identity.
Part of the issue is injuries, as the frontcourt has been absolutely ravaged by one malady after another. Jusuf Nurkic, viewed as one of the franchise cornerstones, has yet to make his season debut, while Joffrey Lauvergne (back) has missed significant time.
As such, it's hard to truly evaluate Denver at this point. The Nuggets are sinking toward the bottom of the Western Conference, but they're using the proper pieces—among those available—all the while.
There has to be some solace in that, despite the exceedingly poor nature of the current on-court product.
Grade: C
Sacramento Kings
9 of 30
If I told you DeMarcus Cousins was averaging 28.2 points. 11.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks while emerging as a three-point threat, you might reasonably assume the Sacramento Kings were in good shape. That belief would only be solidified when you learned Rajon Rondo was in the midst of a resurgent season, putting up 12.9 points, 7.1 boards and 10.7 dimes during his typical outing.
However, that's about where the positives end.
Cousins has played in only 11 of the team's first 19 games, the team has actually been worse with Rondo on the floor, Rudy Gay has struggled to remain consistent and the bench hasn't exactly aided the Sacramento cause.
Altogether, it's led to a disappointing 7-12 record during the season's opening salvo. And until the Kings learn how to play defense as a team, the losses will keep piling up.
Thus far, there's been precious little evidence of this turnaround happening.
Rejoice in the fact that there's a lot more talent on this roster than there's been in years past. Now, it's just a matter of getting all the pieces to fit together into a cohesive puzzle.
Grade: C+
Chicago Bulls
10 of 30
Wasn't first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg supposed to be an offensive mastermind who would substantially change the identity of the Chicago Bulls while pushing them toward the very top of the Eastern Conference?
Apparently, making the jump from the NCAA to the NBA is a difficult transition. Who'd have thought?
Just as was the case under Tom Thibodeau, the Windy City residents have been one of the best defensive squads in the Association. Given the prominence of one-way wing pieces like Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott, as well as the enduring presence of Pau Gasol in the frontcourt, that wasn't supposed to happen.
Then again, the offense wasn't supposed to be this bad, either.
Jimmy Butler can't do all the heavy lifting for this team, which desperately needs to get something more out of Derrick Rose, who is shooting just 35.7 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc. Strong as the defense has been, the offense has been so putrid that the Bulls are still outscoring their opponents by only 0.6 points per 100 possessions.
Don't be fooled by the Bulls' early win pace, which has them on track to finish the season with a sparkling 55-27 record. Despite the difficult nature of their schedule, it's a bit misleading.
That net rating provides a more accurate picture, and the corresponding Pythagorean win estimate (determined by points scored and allowed) actually has Chicago playing at a level just better than .500. My FATS projections (based on historical comparisons and explained in full here) concur, indicating the Bulls have played like a team that should end up winning 41.4 games over the course of a full season.
This team should trend in the right direction as the season progresses, but the early results haven't been as positive as they might appear on the surface.
Grade: C+
Memphis Grizzlies
11 of 30
The Memphis Grizzlies' 11-8 record may seem like a sterling one, but it's ultimately misleading.
Though they've registered the occasional win over a presumptive playoff team, they've usually feasted on the easy portions of their early schedule. And even more importantly, neither the eye test nor the underlying numbers back up the record.
The Grizzlies look slow.
That's not an indictment of their outdated penchant for playing plodding basketball, but rather an observation of what's happening within individual possessions. The offense is slow to move the ball to the open man, and the defensive rotations are slow to get to the appropriate spots. Marc Gasol, previously a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, has even been guilty, as his movements have transitioned from "perfectly timed" to "occasionally a step late."
Despite the winning record, the Grizzlies have been outscored on the season. Per 100 possessions, they're losing to the opposition by a disconcerting 2.8 points—the result of a struggling offense that ranks No. 23 and a defense that's only slightly better at No. 22.
It might seem strange to panic about a team that currently sits over .500 and has such an impressive track record over the last few years. And truthfully, it may not yet be time to pound the big red button.
But the glass cover can safely be lifted away already, and your hand can reasonably hover right over it. According to FATS—which is admittedly swayed by the 50-point blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors when dealing with such a small sample—the Grizzlies have played like a 20.3-win team as of Tuesday, better than only the Philadelphia 76ers (20.2).
Grade: C+
Portland Trail Blazers
12 of 30
Remember when the Portland Trail Blazers had stormed out to a 4-2 record, taking advantage of a slate of opponents that largely overlooked them after 80 percent of last year's starting lineup skipped town this offseason?
That's but a distant memory now, as Rip City has since regressed to the mean.
Skilled as Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum may be, there's not enough established talent on the Portland roster to hang with competitive teams during a rigorous NBA schedule. Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis have looked good while receiving 27.7 and 22.3 minutes per game, respectively, but Lillard, Plumlee and Davis are the only ones on the roster with positive box plus/minus (BPM) scores.
No team will ever win games on a consistent basis with only three above-average players, unless all are playing at an All-Star level.
With that in mind, it really shouldn't be surprising that the Blazers are ranked only No. 13 in offensive rating and No. 24 in defensive rating. They're still scrambling to figure out which pieces work at the same time, and that makes it rather difficult to determine a legitimate identity.
Sadly for Portland, letting Lillard and McCollum do everything on offense isn't going to work every night.
Grade: B-
Atlanta Hawks
13 of 30
Depending on whom you asked before the season began, the Atlanta Hawks were either in perfect position to remain right in the thick of the chase for the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed, or they were doomed to drop off significantly. Those in the latter camp believed the loss of DeMarre Carroll would be too much to overcome.
The reality has been a compromise between the two sides.
Kent Bazemore has done a remarkable job filling Carroll's shoes during his first season with such a large role, and the remaining plethora of wings—Thabo Sefolosha, Justin Holiday and Tim Hardaway Jr.—have helped as well. But without Jeff Teague playing like he's ready to make his second All-Star squad in two seasons, it hasn't mattered.
Tasked with even more offensive responsibility, the point guard has struggled with his shooting efficiency, clanging floaters off the rim and failing to connect from inside the three-point arc with any sort of frequency. Throw in some turnover problems, ineffective defense and a lack of quality play from his backup (Dennis Schroder), and the Atlanta point guard rotation has been a mess.
The Hawks remain in striking distance of that No. 2 seed, but they've failed to assert themselves as contenders in the follow-up to the franchise-best 60-win campaign.
Grade: B-
Los Angeles Clippers
14 of 30
The 2015-16 season has been a seesaw affair for the Los Angeles Clippers, even with Blake Griffin continuing to take strides in the right direction. Not many of the bench additions have worked out for head coach Doc Rivers, which has left him relying heavily on the incumbent members of his roster.
After winning each of their first four games, the Clippers appeared to be on the right path. Then they dropped a road contest to the Golden State Warriors, and things began to fall apart. Soon enough, the Dubs were coming to town, and LAC's record had fallen to a mediocre 6-4.
That's when things really went sour.
The Clippers managed to blow a 23-point lead against the undefeated Warriors, bringing back memories of their utter collapse against the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 2015 playoffs. All of a sudden, the un-clutch narrative was back in full force, and it didn't help that they soon slipped below .500, bottoming out with a 7-8 record.
But Los Angeles won each of its next three games to push back above the break-even mark, and the underlying metrics show that this team is better than its record would indicate. According to FATS, it's played like a 51.8-win squad thus far, leaving it as one of the four best units in the Western Conference.
Don't be too quick to dismiss the Clippers, even if the early portion of their season has been a bit underwhelming.
Grade: B-
Detroit Pistons
15 of 30
Andre Drummond is an absolute monster.
Averaging 18.4 points and 16.9 rebounds, the Detroit Pistons center is squarely in the midst of a breakout season, asserting himself as a man capable of clogging up the middle in Stan Van Gundy's four-out, one-in system. His ability to grab offensive rebounds and score on second-chance opportunities has helped the Pistons immensely, as has his improvement on the rim-protecting side.
But the rest of the Pistons aren't playing at nearly the same level. With Brandon Jennings (Achilles) yet to debut and Jodie Meeks rehabbing his surgically repaired right foot, there's not enough depth in the Motor City to help out Drummond and the remaining members of the starting five.
In fact, Drummond (25.2) and Reggie Jackson (20.4) have been the only rotation players with above-average player efficiency ratings through the first 18 games of the season. According to HoopsStats.com, the Detroit bench actually ranks No. 30 in offensive efficiency and No. 29 in defensive efficiency, which isn't exactly a beneficial combination.
The eventual returns of Jennings and Meeks should help, but it's already clear the hot start was a bit misleading. This is a middling team with the potential to be more, though that potential has yet to be realized in 2015-16.
Grade: B
Phoenix Suns
16 of 30
If you expected the Phoenix Suns to emerge as a middling team in the Western Conference, one that played high-quality offense but struggled a bit on the defensive end, you were exactly right.
Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe have both been excellent in the backcourt, carrying the squad on most nights. That was even easier to predict than the ultimate fate of the team as a whole, seeing as Bledsoe has become one of the NBA's most underrated players and Knight had a full offseason to adjust to his desert-dwelling role.
It's the frontcourt that has held back the Suns, and that's partially due to some of the rotations chosen by head coach Jeff Hornacek.
Though it's possible Phoenix is just trying to preserve Tyson Chandler, he should be playing far more than 24.1 minutes per game. Perhaps even more troubling, P.J. Tucker, 30, has continued to get run at T.J. Warren's expense, even though the latter is younger (22), filled with more upside and already is just flat-out better than his positional counterpart.
In other words, don't be surprised when this team gets even better as the season progresses and the rotation smooths out.
Grade: B
Boston Celtics
17 of 30
The Boston Celtics have found their identity.
Though the wins haven't been flowing into the TD Garden quite yet, head coach Brad Stevens has turned his deep squad into a defensive juggernaut, one allowing only 99.1 points per 100 possessions during the opening salvo of the 2015-16 campaign. Just the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat have been more stingy.
It's offense that has been a bit more problematic, though the struggles aren't for a lack of trying.
Isaiah Thomas, who is admittedly struggling to find twine on a consistent basis, is averaging 20.8 points and 6.2 assists. Avery Bradley appears to be in the midst of a mini-breakout, while players such as Jae Crowder and Evan Turner are trending in the right direction.
When Marcus Smart's knee is fully healed, this Beantown bunch will have an inordinately deep backcourt and even more firepower on both ends. Of course, that might mean a trade is necessary in the next few months, though it remains to be seen if Boston will emerge as a buyer or a seller at the deadline.
Grade: B
Utah Jazz
18 of 30
Were the expectations a bit too high for this Utah Jazz squad? Perhaps, even though it played like a team capable of winning more than 50 games once the 2015 All-Star break had come and gone.
Ultimately, the Jazz haven't been able to maintain their level of defensive excellence during the current season. They've been great at smothering opponents, but not to the point where they're the most stingy unit in the league, which is what they need to be with a fairly limited offense.
As Gordon Monson wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune, this young Jazz team still needs to learn how it can win the tight games it will inevitably find itself in with alarming frequency:
"Thing is, if you're good enough to make the count 104-103 with 16 seconds left and the ball in your hands, aren't you good enough to win?
That's the gap the Jazz now have to bridge, especially since, with the way they play defense, with their more deliberate style, they will not often blow out teams, nor get blown out of games themselves. To their credit, they will almost always be within shouting distance at the end, regardless of the quality of the opponent.
That's the exact reason they must become masters of the last minute.
"
This was in response to Utah's failure to take advantage of a final-minute opportunity to end the Golden State Warriors' undefeated run, but it's just as significant that the team took the defending champions into such a crucial moment.
The Jazz have emerged as another one of those teams with a misleading record. This time, it's a good thing.
Grade: B
New York Knicks
19 of 30
The New York Knicks may still be outside the early playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, but that doesn't mean they haven't improved. The fact that they're hanging around on the bubble and flirting with a .500 record still represents a massive uptick after the last few seasons of unmitigated futility.
Kristaps Porzingis has already turned draft-day boos into game-day cheers with his inspired play and flair for dramatic putback dunks. He's been far better than expected both on defense and when crashing the boards, which has been enough for head coach Derek Fisher to keep him in the starting lineup.
Fisher's rotations have admittedly been shaky at times, as he displays far too much affinity for Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic. But it's hard for that to trump all the positives about the first exciting Knicks team in a long while.
Winning games even as Carmelo Anthony has struggled to knock down looks from the field is such a huge step in the right direction for the Knicks.
The Knicks figured to ride an improved defense to a respectable record, and that's exactly what's happened thus far. But as the individual pieces continue to build chemistry and the established players on offense (see: Anthony, Carmelo and Afflalo, Arron) begin hitting more shots, New York could trend even further in the right direction.
Grade: B
Orlando Magic
20 of 30
"Since new coach Scott Skiles split up [Victor] Oladipo and [Elfrid] Payton as starters, the Magic have won three straight games and have broken new ground in their rebuild," Brian Schmitz noted for the Orlando Sentinel on Nov. 29. "The Magic improved to 9-8—the first time they've been over .500 this deep into a season since Dwight Howard led a 12-5 start in 2011-12."
This might not be a permanent shift, especially because Schmitz indicates Oladipo is less than thrilled with the change. However, the young guard has been fantastic in his new Manu Ginobili role, coming off the bench to provide a huge spark for a team that needed one in the worst way.
If this continues, the Magic will be ahead of schedule in their long-term rebuild. General manager Rob Hennigan acquired a ton of valuable young pieces, and Skiles is now putting them together advantageously.
Their 10-8 record, in fact, might not even give them enough credit.
Simple rating system (SRS), Basketball-Reference.com's one-number metric that looks only at margin of victory and strength of schedule, has Orlando slotting in at No. 14, which would leave it just outside the playoff field in the Eastern Conference. As of Tuesday, my FATS projections indicated the Magic have performed like a 46.8-win squad, putting them at No. 7 in their half of the NBA.
Skiles will likely experiment more as the season progresses, but he's had the Midas touch thus far.
These Magic should only keep getting better.
Grade: B+
Dallas Mavericks
21 of 30
Dirk Nowitzki's decline was supposed to continue, as Father Time doesn't typically loosen his hold once he starts attacking. Instead, the German 7-footer has averaged 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 44.6 percent from three-point range and 90.6 percent at the charity stripe.
Deron Williams was supposed to be completely washed, ravaged by injuries and declining confidence after the last few years of substandard play. Instead, he's thrown down his first dunk in seasons while playing significantly more efficient offensive basketball.
Chandler Parsons was dealing with a mysterious knee injury, and he was supposed to take a while to re-adjust to the rigors of the NBA schedule. Instead, though he hasn't played all that much, he's been fairly effective when on the floor—at least from a per-minute standpoint.
Wesley Matthews was supposed to fit in with the post-Achilles narrative, one that doesn't allow for high-quality play after suffering such a devastating injury. Instead, he's made some big plays in crucial moments and submitted a slightly below-average season on both ends of the floor, which is more than could've been expected.
The center position was supposed to be problematic. Instead, Zaza Pachulia has played fantastic basketball in his limited role, rebounding and passing with aplomb as he provides efficient scoring contributions.
Basically, head coach Rick Carlisle is a genius.
Grade: B+
Miami Heat
22 of 30
As Jason Lieser explained for the Palm Beach Post on Nov. 28, the Miami Heat have been winning with their defense, despite entering the season with hopes of becoming an offensive juggernaut:
"The Heat are exactly the opposite of what almost everyone thought they would be.
Loaded with scorers and marked by defensive uncertainties, Miami looked like a team capable of an overwhelming offense while hoping it could patch together a respectable effort at the other end of the court. Instead, this is one of the best defenses in the NBA, which is buying the Heat time to smooth out some awkwardness offensively.
They are the toughest team to shoot against in the league. They are second in defensive efficiency, they have the game’s most dominant shot blocker in Hassan Whiteside, they give up minimal fastbreak points and hardly anyone makes 3-pointers on them.
"
Outside of Hassan Whiteside, it doesn't seem like anyone is playing as well as we know they're capable of on the more glamorous end.
Dwyane Wade may be averaging 18.0 points per game, but he's doing so while connecting from the field at a 42.1 percent clip. Never before has he connected on less than 46.5 percent of his looks during live action. Chris Bosh is similarly struggling from the field (43.5 percent), and Goran Dragic's offensive game has been a disaster in the early going.
Still posting only 10.6 points and 4.4 assists during his typical outing, the Slovenian floor general has struggled immensely with his shot, failing to hit from the outside with any semblance of consistency and displaying an inexplicable lack of touch around the basket.
Some of this will change as the season progresses, and the Heat will benefit from the individual advancements. But even while the offense is struggling, the defense has been so good that Miami hasn't had any trouble remaining right near the top of the Eastern Conference.
Grade: B+
Charlotte Hornets
23 of 30
In the wake of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's potentially season-ending shoulder injury, one that occurred before the campaign had even tipped off, doom and gloom reigned supreme. Take this from CBS Sports' Matt Moore, which pretty much summed up the prevailing opinion:
"Charlotte is doomed. You can look at MKG's 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and think of the perception that his jumper is totally ruined, but bear in mind with Kidd-Gilchrist it's the dimension he gave them with a slashing, athletic forward who was a terror in full court and on defense. He also shot 47 percent from the field last year, which is better than most people expect. The ramifications from this are several-fold, but the general, big-picture takeaway is that the Hornets' odds of being able to make the playoffs are significantly diminished by this injury. It's bad all around.
"
In 2014-15, the Charlotte Hornets outscored opponents by 3.9 points per 100 possessions when Kidd-Gilchrist was on the floor, providing suffocating defense at all times. But when he went to the bench, the opponents were the ones doing the outscoring, this time by a gaudy 8.3 points over the same stretch.
Of course his absence doomed the Hornets.
Except it didn't.
Behind a breakout season from Kemba Walker, strong play from Jeremy Lamb, a bounce-back year from Nicolas Batum and an offense that has coalesced rather quickly under head coach Steve Clifford, Charlotte won 10 of its first 17 games, showcasing one of the more effective offenses in the Eastern Conference. And perhaps even more importantly, it doesn't feel like a fluke, as the underlying metrics all back up the winning record.
Grade: A-
Toronto Raptors
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The San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are the only three teams to post offensive ratings and defensive ratings that both fall within the league's top 10, but the Toronto Raptors are quite close to making it four:
| Offensive | 106.1 | No. 5 |
| Defensive | 102.1 | No. 11 |
This is a legitimately dangerous team that's working to collectively overcome the absence of Jonas Valanciunas. It's taken advantage of a relatively easy schedule since the big man fractured his hand against the Los Angeles Lakers, but things will get harder.
In some ways, that could be a positive, as the Raptors aren't ever going to be in danger of missing the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. The Valanciunas void forces them to become more comfortable playing Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo, which should be beneficial down the road.
Plus, Toronto still boasts the services of Kyle Lowry, who has excelled in his role leading this squad. Averaging 20.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.6 steals while shooting 41.9 percent both from the field and beyond the three-point arc, he's emerged as one of the premier point guards in his half of the NBA.
Grade: A-
Oklahoma City Thunder
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Though he's missed time to recover from a hamstring injury, Kevin Durant has looked like an MVP candidate while on the floor. He's averaging 28.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 blocks while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 47.3 percent from beyond the arc and 91.1 percent at the stripe, putting him in position to join the 50/40/90 club yet again.
His 31.4 PER isn't too shabby, either.
Meanwhile, his running mate, Russell Westbrook, has been even better than he was in 2014-15, trending upward in nearly every important category. He's not scoring as many points per game, but that's basically the lone exception for a player who's seen his own PER rise from 29.1 to 31.8.
Devoid of the triple-doubles and MVP narrative, Westbrook is playing much more efficient basketball, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are 17.5 points better per 100 possessions when he's on the floor. Last season, that number stood at "only" 6.6.
The issue in OKC is the rest of the roster is struggling.
Serge Ibaka's offense has regressed, while Enes Kanter's defense is so bad it trumps his scoring contributions. The wing positions have been disastrous, especially because first-year head coach Billy Donovan is still trying to figure out his rotations and is too hesitant to insert Anthony Morrow into a more significant role.
The Thunder are still near the top of the Western Conference, and they'll ultimately be fine. There have just been a few more issues than previously foreseen, particularly given the levels at which the two superstars are playing.
Grade: A-
Indiana Pacers
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Even without Roy Hibbert and David West to anchor the interior of the Indiana Pacers, this team has excelled on the defensive end. Only the San Antonio Spurs have allowed fewer points per 100 possessions, which is incredible for a team making such substantial changes to the lineup.
After all, these Pacers were supposed to be a team that relied on offense. Instead, they've used small-ball lineups as well as possible, forcing everyone on the floor to remain committed to defense. Even Monta Ellis has a positive defensive box plus/minus (DBPM) for the first time in his career.
Writing for 8 Points, 9 Seconds, Jon Washburn took an in-depth look at the previously porous guard's point-preventing prowess, concluding with the following:
"It's possible that Monta's best years are behind him offensively, but it's also possible that he's starting to come into his own on the other end of the floor. He has incredible anticipation skills, he fights hard against larger players, and has made large strides in Indiana's team defensive concept. Monta may not have it all, but he has more than enough to be an above average defensive player for the Indiana Pacers.
"
Of course, defense is only half the battle.
The offense hasn't thrived to the same extent, but one player is keeping it more than afloat. Paul George might be playing better than he did before his devastating leg injury, shooting with unbridled confidence while averaging 27.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists on a 45.9 percent clip from the field and 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.
He's done more than just get back on the basketball court and fight off the mental demons; he's emerged as a bona fide MVP candidate (admittedly in the non-Stephen Curry division) while leading his team to the forefront of the race for No. 2 in the Eastern Conference.
Grade: A
Cleveland Cavaliers
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The 2015-16 season has been a strange one for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Forced to play the early portion of their schedule without either Kyrie Irving or Iman Shumpert, the Cavaliers have already asserted themselves as the top dog in their half of the NBA, on pace to win 59 games over the course of a full campaign. The win total isn't a fluke, either, as Cleveland joins the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs as one of only three teams with a top-10 spot in both offensive and defensive rating.
But LeBron James still doesn't seem satisfied.
Asserting himself as another early candidate for MVP, the 30-year-old forward has averaged 25.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. It just hasn't been enough when he compares himself to the Golden State Warriors.
"We haven't done anything," he said after a mid-November loss to the Detroit Pistons, per Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon. "We didn't win anything. We lost. We lost in the Finals. So, that's enough motivation for myself. I think we need to understand that. Like, we lost in the Finals. We didn't win. And the team that beat us looks more hungry than we are. So it shouldn't be that way."
At times, the Cavs have looked lethargic, as if they're going through the motions and know they're going to be in prime position at the end of the regular season. It's led to a few inexplicable dropped games, brain-farts from James himself and early players-only meetings.
Were you only reading the tabloids, you'd be forgiven if you thought Cleveland was struggling to win games. However, this is more the case of a team holding itself to an incredibly high standard—playing great basketball but demanding perfection because there's a squad out there actually achieving that supposedly unattainable ideal.
Lest we forget, the Cavaliers are still right at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and have yet to receive a single minute from a three-time All-Star in Irving, who's still moving toward his prime.
Grade: A
Minnesota Timberwolves
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If you haven't stopped to watch a Minnesota Timberwolves game yet, please remedy that immediately.
Despite the youthful nature of this team, it's overflowing with entertaining players. Ricky Rubio is always must-watch television when he's racking up dimes, Andrew Wiggins is blossoming into a superstar and Karl-Anthony Towns already looks like the future of the center position. And that's saying nothing of Kevin Garnett's old-man tricks, Shabazz Muhammad's post-up game, Zach LaVine's athleticism and so much more.
The Wolves are rebuilding the right way.
They're done bottoming out, and though it might be frustrating that they're handing so many important minutes to Tayshaun Prince and Andre Miller, they're actually remaining competitive. It would no longer be shocking if this team honored Flip Saunders' memory by playing above its level of collective experience and earning a .500 record.
It's hard to give Minnesota a perfect mark because it's still not a contender. But considering what Sam Mitchell is working with and the realistic possibility that the Wolves could've finished right near the bottom of the Western Conference standings yet again, what this team has already done is quite impressive.
Grade: A
San Antonio Spurs
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"We're not going to be good offensively until March, probably," San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich recently revealed, per the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald.
It must be nice to pick at those kinds of nits.
The Spurs already have one of the league's 10 best offensive ratings while attempting to fully incorporate LaMarcus Aldridge into the lineup.
Kawhi Leonard has been fantastic on the scoring end, breaking out of the traditional San Antonio system to create his own offense effectively. The guards have been beneficial. And—as if we should be surprised—the typically steady Tim Duncan has been typically steady, albeit in smaller doses.
Oh, and the Spurs have played defense better than anyone else. Allowing just 95.2 points per 100 possessions, they're well clear of the Indiana Pacers (98) and the rest of the league. In fact, my databases show that their era-adjusted defensive rating of 109.03 is set to supplant the 1960-61 Boston Celtics for the seventh-best mark in NBA history.
So if they're not going to be good on offense until March, this could be one terrifying team when the playoffs roll around.
Grade: A+
Golden State Warriors
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Take a wild guess at what grade the Golden State Warriors are going to earn.
Winners of their first 19 games—no other team in NBA history has opened a season as the victors in more than 15 consecutive contests—the defending champions are clearly the class of the NBA. In fact, they're absolutely blowing away the rest of the league, as Bleacher Report's Dan Favale made quite clear in a recent article:
"On average, the Warriors are outscoring opponents by 16.1 points per 100 possessions. That's 5.8 points more than the second-place San Antonio Spurs—the exact net rating of the 2014-15, 60-win Atlanta Hawks.
In other words: Golden State is the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks better than the rest of the league.
"
After the Warriors beat the Utah Jazz on the final day of November to earn win No. 19, that net rating fell to 15.4, but the point still stands.
You simply can't look to the other 29 teams in the Association for comparisons; historical matches provide the truer test. And yes, we're looking at the famed 1995-96 Chicago Bulls here, since it's their record-setting 72-win mark that the Dubs are currently chasing.
According to my TeamRtng+ metric, which looks at how much better or worse a team is than the league-average offense and defense before averaging the two marks, those Bulls had the best regular season in NBA history, earning a score of 106.38. The second-best mark belongs to the '96-97 Bulls (105.71), and the 2014-15 Warriors came in at No. 8 (104.91).
Right now, the current Golden State bunch is on pace to post a score of 107.48.
We could wax poetic about Stephen Curry's heroics, Draymond Green's triple-doubles and the merits of the small-ball "death lineup." Or we could just point to the unblemished record and the fact that this team is playing at a level heretofore unreached by anyone in NBA history.
Grade: Perfection
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com or my own databases and are current heading into Dec. 2's games unless otherwise noted.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
