An 82-game NBA season gives teams plenty of time to recover from a rough start. More than half the league reaches the playoffs, and four more teams get a shot through the play-in tournament. There are still five months to go, with plenty of back-to-backs and stretches of three games in four nights along the way.
Most teams can stumble early and still be fine. Others already look in trouble. Just over two weeks into the season, six teams seem especially far from contention. Some were expected to struggle; others came in hoping to make the playoffs. And with new lottery rules taking effect ahead of the 2027 draft, finishing near the bottom may not even guarantee a top pick. There’s a lot of season left, of course, but these teams have made a rough first impression.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings looked short on answers before the season began, and the main question now may be whether they can avoid becoming the worst team of the decade. That dubious distinction currently belongs to the 2023–24 Pistons, who won just 14 games.
Rookie guard Darius Acuff is the brightest spot, though he’s been thrown into a huge role right away. He leads the league in minutes per game and is just behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in field-goal attempts. Sacramento could probably shift some of Acuff’s workload to Domantas Sabonis, but it would still be a bad team. At least the rookie is getting plenty of chances to learn, even if some of those lessons come the hard way.
Keegan Murray’s ankle injury is a bigger concern. He played only 23 games last season, and now he’s hurt again. The Kings looked like the league’s weakest team heading into the year, and, well, they still do. Fans may have to settle for watching the ups and downs of Acuff’s rookie season; there isn’t much else to grab onto right now.
Chicago Bulls
There is some hope in rookie forward Caleb Wilson, who looks like he might become the kind of franchise player Chicago has lacked for years. The less encouraging part: the Bulls may need to find four new starters around him.
Matas Buzelis has had a disappointing start. He looked like a keeper in his first two seasons under Billy Donovan, but he’s regressed and seems to have fallen out of favor with new coach Tiago Splitter. One especially worrying issue is his inability to take advantage when smaller guards are switched onto him.
Josh Giddey has struggled, too, and may not be around by the time Chicago is competitive again. First-round pick Dailyn Swain hasn’t even found playing time during blowouts. The Bulls’ perimeter defense is poor, they’re near the bottom in defensive rebounding, and no team has shot worse from three. It’s a grim picture. Their opening schedule has been difficult and should ease up eventually, while Wilson’s flashes of promise may at least give fans something to look forward to.
Milwaukee Bucks
After trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee was always facing a difficult season, and so far it’s going about as expected. The Bucks have stayed competitive in plenty of games under new coach Taylor Jenkins, but they don’t yet have enough talent to close them out. They force the fewest turnovers in the league and rank near the bottom in both free-throw rate and free-throw percentage. They’re not finding many easy points, which is a tough way to win.
There are a few bright spots. Rookie guard Brayden Burries has looked promising despite struggling with his shot early, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro are playing well enough to have some trade value. Kel’el Ware, on the other hand, has been a disappointment so far. In fewer than 19 minutes a game, he’s been prone to turnovers and fouls, while his jump shot hasn’t fallen. If Ware can settle in alongside Burries, Milwaukee’s season might at least feel a little less bleak.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns were one of last season’s more appealing stories, winning 45 games through effort on the offensive glass and by creating defensive turnovers. This year’s team needed to build on that, especially after trading away its last remaining future first-round pick for Miles Bridges. So far, that move hasn’t paid off. Bridges hasn’t made much of an impact at either end, and Phoenix has other problems to sort out.
For one, the Suns continue to give Jalen Green minutes ahead of Collin Gillespie, even though Gillespie seems like a better fit. Phoenix could still turn things around if it starts using its best point guard, but the situation at center is harder to fix. Khaman Maluach doesn’t look ready to start, while Oso Ighodaro has offered more on offense but is undersized for the position. The defense has also struggled badly with him on the floor.
Devin Booker is expected to carry a lot of the load, but he hasn’t been able to make enough tough shots to cover for his limited trips to the rim. There’s still more potential here than with some of the other teams on this list. The early results, though, are concerning.
Utah Jazz
I thought Utah might make the playoffs this season, but that optimism started to fade when Jusuf Nurkic suffered a foot injury in the preseason opener. Jaren Jackson Jr. was injured soon after, leaving an already thin front court in a difficult spot.
The bigger surprise has been the offense, which currently ranks near the bottom of the league. The Jazz have plenty of scoring talent on paper, but they’ve shot just 31.5 percent from three. Rookie Darryn Peterson is still working out where he’s most effective, and he’s taken too many difficult two-point shots away from the rim. That’s hurt his efficiency.
Utah also lacks the kind of high-level passing that could help Lauri Markkanen find a rhythm. The trade for Jackson looks increasingly questionable. This was meant to be the year the Jazz moved past rebuilding and started competing in earnest, but the play on the court hasn’t come close to matching that ambition.
Los Angeles Clippers
The NBA’s investigation into the Clippers’ dealings with Kawhi Leonard has badly damaged the team’s future, but they still had some hope of being competitive this season. That hope is already starting to disappear.
Brandon Ingram arrived at training camp with a partially torn Achilles, Max Strus is only now returning from a foot injury, and the Clippers’ big-man group looks among the league’s weakest. Darius Garland has been turning the ball over at a high rate, while rookie Keaton Wagler has struggled to score inside the arc. The Clippers give the ball away more than any other team, and only a few teams allow opponents to score more efficiently.
To make matters worse, their 2027 first-round pick belongs to Oklahoma City. Ty Lue is a respected coach, but there may not be much he can do to fix this situation.
