Grading Every NBA Team's 2023-24 Season!

With the NBA season finally over, we reflect back on how each team performed this season. We look forward to what promises to be a busy and exciting offseason in the NBA! Comment below your thoughts, your favorite moments of the 2023-24 season, and what you look forward to this offseason!

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Hawks: C-

The Atlanta Hawks once again fell into mediocrity for the 2023-24 season. They had the 5th highest PPG total in the NBA but gave up almost 121 points a game, which was third worst in the league. They did deal with injuries as Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okungwu combined for 106 total missed games. With the decline of Clint Capela and the total disappearance of sophomore AJ Griffin, the Hawks simply did not have enough to compete even in a weaker East. 

Bright Spot: The emergence of Jalen Johnson is very exciting for the future of Atlanta. Johnson was easily on pace to win the MIP before having his season end with injury.

Offseason Question: What to do with Trae Young? Now I think that Trae Young's production does not get the credit it deserves. It is extremely rare for a guard to come into the league and have the elite offensive production that Young has had each year. I think it would be foolish of Atlanta to part ways with Young, but there have been some rumors. It will be interesting to see if Atlanta trades Young, or perhaps trades Murray to get more production, or maybe even trades the #1 pick!

Boston Celtics: A+

They finally got over the hump and won the Finals. The Celtics were the best team during the regular season, during the playoffs, and were crowned champions because of it.

Bright Spot: Brad Stevens' move for KP and Jrue were genius. This pushed them over the edge to be the champions that they are.

Offseason Question: Do they make any moves? Typically complete roster stagnation does not wield results but this roster is the most likely team to repeat winning the Finals since the 2017 / 2018 Warriors. Do they really need to change anything?

Brooklyn Nets: D

The Brooklyn Nets simply were not very good. They were bottom ten in the league in both offensive rating and defensive rating. This was a roster going into the year that was banking on Mikal Bridges becoming an all-star and it fell on its face when Bridges did not make the leap some expected. Add to the fact that there were reports that they declined offers for Bridges that included 5 first round picks. The future of Brooklyn looks dim for the time being, as they do not hold their own first round pick until 2028 and have no real building blocks on their roster.

Bright Spot: Cam Thomas. While there are still question marks about if he can be a truly productive player for a winning team, I think he showed enough offensive promise that fans can have some cautious excitement about. Not many players in the league can get hot as quickly as Thomas.

Offseason Question: Who is on the roster next year? Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, DFS, and others are expected to garner interest in the trade market this offseason. The organization has said they are committed to Nic Claxton as the franchise big man, but what if another team tries to outbid them in free agency? It will be interesting to see if Brooklyn will embrace a full on rebuild.

Charlotte Hornets: D-

The only reason the Hornets do not receive an F grade here is because it is in fact the Charlotte Hornets, and nobody really expected them to be better than they were. The Hornets were a really bad defensive team and a really bad defensive team. To their defense, the team only had 6(!) players play more than 50 games for their organization this season. No team will have success with that. I will say next year I am excited to see LaMelo and Mark Williams back, and to see Tre Mann get more opportunity.

Bright Spot: Brandon Miller had a stellar individual rookie campaign. 17 PPG on 55% TS as a rookie is a great first year in the league. Now I do expect his usage rate to go down next year with LaMelo back and it will be interesting to see how that impacts his sophomore year.

Offseason Question: Will we see a healthy LaMelo Ball? Due to only playing in 58 games the last two years, it is easy to forget LaMelo as one of the exciting young stars in the league. Hopefully we can see LaMelo return healthy next year. I want to see more than just 19 games of Ball and Miller!

Chicago Bulls: C-

Another year of being very average for the Bulls. Reaching the play-in game but failing to reach the playoffs. This offseason looks to be a fairly important one, seeing what the Bulls do with DeRozan and if they can ship off LaVine.

Bright Spot: Coby White was most deserving of MIP in my opinion, increasing his scoring by 10 ppg. He seems to be a guard that the Bulls can build around.

Offseason Question: What happens with LaVine? To me this is the biggest thing for the Bulls. His contract is going to be hard to get rid of but it seems the Bulls want to try and ship him off. I do believe that he is underrated in the league, but will the Bulls be able to get a haul they feel is adequate for LaVine?

Cleveland Cavaliers: B+

It feels like the Cavs season is a bit of a "what could have been". Garland, Mobley, and Mitchell all missed significant time due to injury, and their playoffs dreams were cast away with injuries to Mitchell and Allen. With that being considered, I think it was still a good season. Spida is a top 15 player (borderline top 10, I will die on this hill) and I think he is good enough to lead a team to a Finals appearance, Mobley has not quite taken the offensive leap Cleveland had hoped for but he is one of the top defensive players in the association, and Garland was never the same after his injury but I think there is still a very good player in there. Lots of rumors about some roster shake up, but I think the core is good enough to contend in the east.

Bright Spot: Donovan Mitchell's playoff performance. In ten games he averaged 30pts, 5rebs, 5asts and looked unstoppable at times.

Offseason Question: Will any players be moved? Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland have been heavily involved in trade rumors, as well as Donovan Mitchell. I do think that the Cavs will offload at least one of these players, but it will be interesting to see what direction they go.

Detroit Pistons: F

The Pistons again were the worst team in the league. They set an NBA record for most consecutive losses and to top it all off, their first round pick fell to 5th in the lottery. They are not close to competing anytime soon and it looks to be a dreary time to be a Pistons fan.

Bright Spot: N/A

Offseason Question: What will the development of Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson be? I believe Cade and Duren have shown enough to have cautious optimism about them, despite what some may think. Ivey is more of a question mark, especially with his fit with Cade. Ausar will eventually be a really good defender, but if his offense does not improve I do not see him having much of a role in the league in the coming years.

Indiana Pacers: A

Despite falling short against the Celtics, the Pacers saw an All-NBA season from their franchise player and made their first Conference Finals in a decade. I would call that an overwhelming success of a season. With the second fastest pace and second highest offensive rating in the league, the Pacers played a brand of basketball that was fun to watch. They impressed in the Playoffs defensively too. I hope that Indiana looks to avoid a similar situation to the 2021 Hawks and improve their roster, rather than essentially run it back. Of course they have great pieces, they would not have made it as far as they did without them, but winning consistently is hard and I look for them to try and plug some holes to improve for the 2024-25 season.

Bright Spot: Playoff success. You can look at Haliburton's season, but overall making a deep playoff run for the first time in a decade is pretty easily the thing to be most excited about if you are a Pacers fan.

Offseason Question: How do they look to build on their postseason success? I am curious to see what positions they address and how they address the Obi Toppin situation. Obi was a great acquisition for them and had a great postseason, but I find it hard to accept they draft Jarace Walker and let him sit behind Siakam (assuming they extend him) and Toppin. While they do not have any glaring needs, I would like to see them to be aggressive in the offseason to make whatever moves they feel they need to put them over the top.

Miami Heat: C+

I do not think that Miami is content barely scraping into the playoffs via play-in. Obviously that worked very well a year ago but is not what they should aim for. This season they lacked scoring punch but made up for it with "Heat Culture" defense. I am (in the minority probably) of mind that Jimmy Butler is perhaps not worth being the #1 option on a team. I know he can elevate his game for moments of importance, but he only* averaged 20 mpg and is 34 years old. Bam is an elite defender and someone who I think is being held back offensively and I look forward to him hopefully continuing to grow as an offensive player. While they Heat are definitely a team that has pieces to be competitive, I do not think they are contenders and I think they are an organization that is constantly looking to be consistent contenders. Therefore they get a C+ rating for the season.

Bright Spot: The All-Rookie campaign by Jaime Jaquez Jr. The 18th overall pick came into the league more advanced than some of the younger rookies, and immediately gave great value and impact to a playoff team. Cannot ask much more than that from a rookie.

Offseason Question: Is Tyler Herro the guard for the Heat? I mentioned earlier that I would explore Jimmy Butler trades, but I do not think that is likely. What is more likely is the Heat looking to ship Herro. Herro has not improved at the rate that I think the Heat had hoped for, and I think you can replace his production.

Milwaukee Bucks: C

What a weird season for Milwaukee. Coming into the year I predicted them to win the East but they just never fully clicked. While Giannis had a historical season and deserved more MVP and All-Defensive love, the Dame and Giannis duo had a large adjustment time, Middleton missed lots of time, Lopez regressed, and their defense was not what it has been the last few seasons. Firing Adrian Griffin midseason was a baffling decision and hiring Doc Rivers as the replacement was somehow more baffling. With a duo of Giannis and Dame you would hope for a championship. Obviously Giannis missing the playoffs hurts you deeply, but that is why you trade for Dame. You would hope Dame and Middleton would be enough to beat a 6 seed. That being said, they had a decent regular season, but factoring in expectations they only earn a C.

Bright Spot: Giannis is still comfortably a top 5 player in the world. Anytime you have a top 15-20 player of all time still in their prime, your championship window is open. Next year with more time together hopefully the Dame x Giannis pairing takes a jump.

Offseason Question: Will the Bucks explore moving Lopez or Middleton? Two pillars of the last five or so seasons for the Bucks, it would likely be bittersweet for the fanbase to move on, but it might be time. To fully surround Dame and Giannis with a championship roster I think moving one or both might be in the cards.

New York Knicks: A-

The Knicks earned the 2 seed in the East and were a game away from the Conference Finals, likely reaching it if they were healthy. Knicks have star power, quality role players, and a gritty team identity that gives me no reason to believe that running it back won't be successful.

Bright Spot: When the Knicks signed Jalen Brunson to his contract in 2022, I do not think they could have thought that Brunson would be as good for them as he is. He now is on one of the best value contracts in the league. His leap into stardom has led to the Knicks going from 'good team' to 'championship contenders'.

Offseason Question: Will the Knicks look to bring back Isaiah Hartenstein? Mitchell Robinson has not been able to stay healthy and Hartenstein provided great value to the Knicks in both the regular season and playoffs whether starting or coming off the bench. Rumors are that he could receive up to $100 million in free agency. Do the Knicks cough up money for Hartenstein? Do they keep Robinson? Will be fun to see.

Orlando Magic: A-

The Magic took an impressive leap this year, increasing their win total by 13 games. For a young team their defense was impressive as they were 3rd in defensive rating and 4th in OPPG. The offense left a lot to be desired though and was often tough to watch, especially in the playoffs. They were bottom 10 in offensive rating, PPG, and dead last in 3PM. Look for them to add spacing in the offseason to make Banchero's life a little bit easier. 

Bright Spot: It would be easy to look at their star Paolo Banchero, but I am going to say the bright spot of their season has been the jump Jalen Suggs has made. Now a 40% shooter from three and one of the best defensive guards in the league, Suggs looks to be the best young guard on the roster.

Offseason Question: What moves do they make in the offseason? It seems now is a great time for Orlando to make win now moves with all their best players still on rookie contracts. Some names they have been linked to in free agency have been Malik Monk and Klay Thompson. I would love to see them also explore trying to acquire Tyus Jones, Khris Middleton or Michael Porter Jr. Not that those are necessarily the most realistic options per se, but some that I think are fun. Whoever they acquire, they need to add some more scoring punch to ease the load off of Paolo's shoulders. 

Philadelphia 76ers: C+

Simply put the 76ers are elite when Joel Embiid plays and not so much when he doesn't. Philadelphia was 31-8 when Embiid played in the regular season and just 16-27 when he didn't. No team is going to be as good when their MVP goes down but they will look to add some more reliable pieces to help contribute.

Bright Spot: The continued ascension of Tyrese Maxey. While I do not think he should have won the MIP (he was already really good), Maxey has solidified his name as one of the best young guards in the league.

Offseason Question: How do they improve the roster around Embiid and Maxey? They have a decent amount of cap space and could have enough money for a max contract. I look for them to be aggressive to reach the Conference Finals for the first time in Embiid's career!

Toronto Raptors: C

While the Raptors probably did not win enough to warrant a very high rating, I am giving them some props for finally accepting a rebuild. Trading away OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam was probably a year too late, but in the end it was the right move. I think they have enough pieces that they can become play-in competitive fairly quickly.

Bright Spot: The Raptors have a trio of solid young players to build around. Quickley, Barrett and Barnes all can be very good players in the league and gives the fans some optimism for the future.

Offseason Question: Do they make any trades? I can see Kelly Olynyk, Jakob Poeltl, and Bruce Brown garnering trade interest from contenders, thought I likely see these guys being future trade deadline candidates.

Washington Wizards: F

The Wizards were abysmal and barely escaped having the most losses in the association by one game. The Jordan Poole experiment did not work, Bilal Coulibaly never showed anything to get truly excited about, and I expected Tyus Jones to be more of a scorer which did not happen.

Bright Spot: Cory Kispert and Deni Avdija both proved they are very good role players in this league. I think both will become pivotal players on winning teams, and Washington hopes that eventually is with the Wizards.

Offseason Question: Rissacher or Sarr? Those two names have been linked the most with the Wizards right now with the number two pick. Depending on what happens at one, the Wizards hope to land their future building block.

Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks: A

While they fell short in the Finals the Mavericks had a magical year. Driven by midseason trades the Mavericks were led by their dynamic backcourt duo and quality role players and finished the year representing the West in the NBA Finals. Now they will look to retool and make it back again in 2025.

Bright Spot: Dereck Lively's contributions, especially in the playoffs. Many times during their playoff run Lively was a spark plug and provided huge moments both offensively and defensively. Most rookies are not built for the moment but Lively clearly was.

Offseason Question: How can they retool to make it back to the Finals? The West is so competitive that running it back almost certainly will not be enough for Dallas next year. Derrick Jones Jr will hit free agency and they will try to replace his contributions. It will be interesting to see how they are going to look to improve along the margins.

Denver Nuggets: B

Coming off a championship, the Nuggets were once again in the upper echelon of teams in the NBA. After as successful regular season, Denver fell victim to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, keeping the pattern of reigning champions failing to make their conference finals. Jamal Murray missed time throughout the season and was a little disappointing in the playoffs, and the team just did not have enough depth to compensate for it. The Nuggets are still in a good spot and look to continue to be one of the better teams for the coming years.

Bright Spot: While he clearly did not have the full trust of Michael Malone just yet, I think Peyton Watson showed some really exciting flashes. Defensively I think he projects to become one of the elite wing defenders and I liked what I saw from Watson at times as a cutter and slasher. I look at him to be a MIP candidate next year with more minutes.

Offseason Question: How do they maximize the 'others' around Jokic? Murray, Gordon, and MPJ all bring value to the team but other than those three the Nuggets lacked depth. I look for Denver to potentially make some surprising moves (trade MPJ?) to try and create a little more depth around their MVP.

Golden State Warriors: C

It does seem like the Warriors run at the top of the league has come to a close. With the Draymond antics, the decline of Klay and Wiggins and even Steph (at a much more minimal rate albeit) the Warriors were just never able to escape the crowded middle of the pack in the West. They have shown they are not afraid to make moves and I expect them to be busy to try and stay competitive with Steph.

Bright Spot: The jump made by Jonathan Kuminga. With increased minutes and increased role Kuminga finally made the jump many thought we could eventually see when he was drafted in 2021. His best moments came after seemingly calling out Steve Kerr about his role, and it worked! I am intrigued to see if he can become a star wing or if he will excel more in that #3 role during his career.

Offseason Question: Have we seen the last of Klay Thompson in a Golden State uniform? Signs point to this being the case. While he is a legend in the Bay Area it seems as if a break-up is best for both sides. Who will overpay Thompson in free agency?

Houston Rockets: C+

The Rockets competed for the play-in spot for most of the season, falling just short in the final few weeks of the campaign. The Rockets were fairly in the middle for most statistics and that was mirrored in their 41-41 record. They have a ton of nice young players with Sengun, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, and it intrigues me to see which of these players the Rockets commit to for the future.

Bright Spot: Alperen Sengun is going to be an all star. There are question marks about his defensive limitations but you simply cannot deny the offensive talent. Some people want to highlight his flaws, but I choose to appreciate the 21 year old, third year player, averaging 21 9 and 5.

Offseason Question: Do they trade Jalen Green? I do not think so yet. I think he has one more year to prove his worth to the organization, but I do think he is the most likely candidate to be shipped out of their young core.

Los Angeles Clippers: B

The Clips were a pretty good team this year. Pretty good is not quite the expectation they have set with the (aging) superstars that they have on their roster. Kawhi played the most games he has since the 2016-17 season and made an All-NBA team, but was unavailable for most of their disappointing playoff run. An aging team looking to win now, it'll be interesting to see the direction the Clippers go.

Bright Spot: The availability of Kawhi in the regular season led to him earning All-NBA Second Team honors.

Offseason Question: Do they Clippers re-sign James Harden or Paul George? My gut says they re-sign only one of them, and look to make other moves to address some other positions on the roster.

Los Angeles Lakers: B-

The Lakers may have been the most competitive team to get gentleman swept in the first round in NBA history. However, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on your team, sneaking in the playoffs via the playin is not meeting expectations.

Bright Spot: A career year for LeBron from behind the arc. As he (slowly) ages and loses a step athletically he shot 41% from 3. This could be a huge development as another way he can attack defenses in the future.

Offseason Question: There are a lot of things I could write here, but I think the biggest is who is going to take on the task of being the Lakers head coach?

Memphis Grizzlies: F+

It was a guessing game for who would even play for the Grizzlies each night as they set the NBA record for most players used in a season, beating the record previously set by the...Memphis Grizzlies! For a team with expectations to compete at the top of the league entering the season, this season ended up being a total disaster. The Grizz ended up with the worst offense in the league and only 27 wins. The only reason they earned a + on their rating is the emergence of GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr as players who could serve pivotal roles next year as Memphis hopes to return to the upper echelon of the league in 2024-25.

Bright Spot: GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr look to serve as key contributors next season after impressing with their larger than expected roles this season.

Offseason Question: Do the Grizzlies make a move for a center? There are many directions the Grizzlies front office could go this offseason, but the consensus #1 priority seems to be getting another big man to pair next to Jaren Jackson Jr. Whether that is through the draft, free agency, or a trade remains to be seen.

Minnesota Timberwolves: A-

The Wolves proved the doubters of the Gobert trade wrong this year. After a leap into near superstardom for AntMan and anchored behind a historic defense, Minnesota made the conference finals for the first time in 20 years. 

Bright Spot: The lockdown defense. Lead by Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert the Wolves lead the league in defensive rating this season. This was a key factor to their regular season success and gave them an identity to build upon. 

Offseason Question: What do they plan to do with KAT? Offensively I still do not think him and Gobert work together, and frankly I do not think you can win a championship relying on KAT to be a go to option. I wonder if the Wolves finally capitalize on his talents and cash in via trade.

New Orleans Pelicans: B-

The Pelicans once again made the playoffs by winning play-in games before getting swept by the 1 seed Thunder. They were led by an elite defense and an in shape (post IST) Zion Williamson the Pelicans teased potential to be slightly better than they were. That being said they still have plenty of building blocks to try and reach the upper echelon of the west next season.

Bright Spot: Herb Jones three point spike. Jones has already established himself as one of the NBAs elite defenders and is potentially the best POA defender in all of basketball. In previous years his offensive short comings sometimes led to him being less effective, but his 41% three point shooting led to him being a true threat on offense. We will see if this is a one off or the shot is legit.

Offseason Question: What to do with Brandon Ingram? The subject of many trade rumors, it seems unlikely the Pelicans extend him. Where can the Pelicans send their former all-star, who should be able to get them a decent return.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A

The Thunder earned the 1 seed in the vaunted western conference and their superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an MVP type season. Being a young team, they will look to build off their success this season and make a deeper playoff run next year.

Bright Spot: Chet Holmgren had an all time rookie season. Due to the unicorn that is Victor Wembanyama, it seems like the greatness of his rookie year got a little muffled. He brought elite defense and rim protection while averaging and 16 points a game in only 29 minutes. Next year I look for him to already joining the uppermost echelon of centers in the NBA.

Offseason Question: How can the Thunder optimize their championship window? The Boston Celtics proved this year that roster optimization is key to winning a championship. Championship windows can evaporate quickly and the Thunder need to do whatever is necessary to give Shai, JDub and Co. the best chance to win a ring. I wonder what moves they make, whether it being signing Hartenstein, trading Giddey or Dort, or others.

Phoenix Suns: C

The Suns front office threw all their eggs in the big 3 basket and it clearly did not work to the extent they had hoped. The roster lacked depth and in the end that proved to be a pivotal mistake. The Suns are in a bad position as they pay three players most of the cap salary and do not have many tradable assets.

Bright Spot: Grayson Allen had an elite role player season, earning him a well deserved extension. He was probably the only "other" who provided good assistance this season.

Offseason Question: What can the organization do to improve the depth? They do not have lots of money and they must be creative in their roster construction this offseason.

Portland Trail Blazers: F

The Blazers were not expected to be very good but finishing last in their conference is always a disappointing season. They do have some intriguing young players and the 7th overall pick to continue expanding their young core.

Bright Spot: I was impressed with Deandre Ayton and Dalano Banton. This was perhaps Aytons best season in my opinion and post all star break he averaged 23 and 13. Banton impressed when getting moved from Boston. By being given an expanded role Banton averaged 17 a game and had a couple 30 point games.

Offseason Question: Can the Blazers perhaps get even more assets for Malcolm Brogdon and/or Jerami Grant? Neither of them fit the Blazers timeline and it makes sense for the Blazers to look to ship one or both off for a decent return.

Sacramento Kings: B-

The Kings didn't much decline from their exciting 2022-23 season, rather they just did not improve. Fox was still playing at an all star level, Sabonis earned All-NBA honors, and Malik Monk was robbed of the 6MOY award. Sacramento seems stuck in 'good-not-great' territory and it will be interesting to see how they try to change that.

Bright Spot: De'Aaron Fox is still one of the most electrifying guards in the league, and is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the league. He led the Kings in +/- and was the 8th leading scorer in the entire league.

Offseason Question: Can the Kings get another shot maker? My guess in Malik Monk goes elsewhere this offseason, and the Kings desperately need another player who can make a shot for themselves outside of Fox. I look forward to seeing how Sacramento tries to address this issue.

San Antonio Spurs: F

Again the Spurs were not good but they became near box office TV solely due to the greatness of Victor Wembanyama. The french rookie gave us one of the best NBA debut seasons of all time and it is clear he will be one of the best in the league very soon. The Spurs will look to get pieces around him ASAP.

Bright Spot: Wemby was everything he was promised to be and more. Nothing much more to say.

Offseason Question: Do the Spurs get aggressive and try to get Wemby an elite guard already? Garland, Dejounte Murray and Trae Young have all been linked at some point to the Spurs and I would be very excited to see a great point guard paired up with Wemby.

Utah Jazz: D

The Jazz lost 6 more games this season than last year and did not see much improvement anywhere. Lauri Markkanen has proven to be an All-Star level player and young players such as Keyonte George impressed. 

Bright Spot: Keyonte George had an All-Rookie season. He will look to improve his percentages but showed better playmaking than I had expected from him coming out of Baylor. I expect Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton to be gone next year (at some point) and look for George to get an even bigger role.

Offseason Question: Will the Jazz look to capitalize on their veterans? Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, and Collin Sexton are all quality players who probably do not fit the Jazz timeline. I figure they can ship one or all of those players off this season.