30. Philadelphia 76ers (23-56)
Preseason Ranking: 4th
Without question, the biggest drop in Rankings from the preseason expectation is the Philadelphia 76ers. At the beginning of the year, this team was legitimately being discussed as a threat to Boston in the Eastern Conference. Well, fast forward to today and Philly has lost 12 straight and its’ Big 3 have all been shut down due to various injuries. The offseason cannot come soon enough!

29. Utah Jazz (16-63)
Preseason Ranking: 22nd
The Jazz’s young talent was the reason for a higher Ranking in the preseason. Even as most of their roster remained healthy and no key players were traded, Utah has found its’ way to the worst record in the NBA.

28. Washington Wizards (17-61)
Preseason Ranking: 30th
One of the more accurate assumptions was how bad the Washington Wizards would be. No one had any expectations of this team entering the season and had it not been for acquiring a few veteran players at the trade deadline, they would be the lead dogs in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.

27. Charlotte Hornets (19-59)
Preseason Ranking: 28th
Following Michael Jordan’s sale of the Hornets, there seemed to be some expectation of a turnaround. There would be less attention on the franchise’s owner and more on the players actually playing the games. The problem is, this team’s best player is perpetually missing games, and largely bypassing the criticism that usually comes with frequent absences.

26. New Orleans Pelicans (21-57)
Preseason Ranking: 10th
New Orleans entered the season with 4 healthy All-Star caliber players: Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum. The chemistry was a valid question, yet that group of four rarely saw the court together this season. Injuries hit the Pelicans harder than almost any other team this season.

25. Brooklyn Nets (25-53)
Preseason Ranking: 29th
Is getting Ben Simmons off the roster the biggest win for Brooklyn this season? For as bad as Ben is, the rest of this roster for the majority of the season was comprised of G-League talent players. They were able to reunite with D-Lo for some highlights post-trade deadline.

24. San Antonio Spurs (32-46)
Preseason Ranking: 20th
The long-term was always the vision for San Antonio, even as Victor Wembanyama became a top-15 player in the league already. Serious health concerns for Wemby could derail such a bright future for him and the Spurs organization. Prayers up for a generational talent.

23. Toronto Raptors (29-50)
Preseason Ranking: 26th
Canada saw L’s on and off the court as their fanbassador Drake got smoked by Kendrick. It seems only fitting that like Drake, this Raptors team has fallen so far and abruptly from the pinnacle of the game only a few short years ago.

22. Phoenix Suns (35-43)
Preseason Ranking: 8th
I held back in saying that the Philadelphia 76ers were the most disappointing team in the NBA solely because of the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix, unlike Philly, had all of their starts healthy for the majority of the season and is on the verge of missing the Play-In Tournament. They have three all-time scoring guards and sit 8 games below .500 in April.

21. Portland Trailblazers (35-44)
Preseason Ranking: 27th
Portland is a team that I feel everyone can be happy for. Early on, they struggled as expected, yet in the second-half of the season, Chauncey Billups had this team overperforming and being competitive in most games. The GM was just given an extension for the Trailblazers and I am hopeful Chauncey is next in line.

20. Miami Heat (36-43)
Preseason Ranking: 17th
Every year there are unexpected trades that shake up the NBA, and one of those was Miami trading its’ best player, Jimmy Butler. The writing could be seen on the wall in the preseason when Butler was not given an extension and some public comments of his and Pat Riley’s were in clear opposition. All in all, both parties are probably better off without the other.

19. Sacramento Kings (39-40)
Preseason Ranking: 16th
Speaking of teams trading their best players, welcome to the party Sacramento. This one came as a bit more of a surprise since De’Aaron Fox seemed relatively happy with the Kings. Yet, in a very short period of time, the Kings fired their coach, a season-long winning streak ensued, and then poof, Fox was traded. It has been a whirlwind of a year in Sacramento.

18. Atlanta Hawks (37-41)
Preseason Ranking: 24th
The Hawks continue to sit in mediocrity and it raises questions about what to do with Trae Young. Young had arguably one of his most productive seasons this year and helped develop the young talent on this roster. It could be worth running it back for another year or two so the chemistry can grow and Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson can come into their own.

17. Dallas Mavericks (38-41)
Preseason Ranking: 3rd
One word to describe the Mavericks’ season is Karma. Luka Doncic was one of maybe five or six players in the NBA that you would have declared untouchable. Somehow who disagrees with you would be Nico Harrison, who made probably the wildest trade in NBA history in the middle of the night. Since that moment, Dallas has been stricken with innumerable injuries and the fans are in revolt mode.

16. Chicago Bulls (36-42)
Preseason Ranking: 23rd
For years, the Bulls have been paralyzed by being stuck in the middle of the pack. They finally made decisions to move on from both DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine a few years too late. Even without the former superstars, Chicago finished about where they usually do. The difference this time, is that the young players have more room to grow.

15. Orlando Magic (38-40)
Preseason Ranking: 11th
Throughout constant ups and downs, Jamahl Mosley has kept the Magic afloat and gotten them into the playoffs for the second straight season. That is no small feat with the injuries that befell Orlando. Hopefully, they can enter this playoffs fully healthy and we can see what they do when the games really matter.

14. Detroit Pistons (43-36)
Preseason Ranking: 25th
The biggest surprise this season bar none the Detroit Pistons. The turnaround this team has had in just one year, after winning just 14 games last season is nothing short of remarkable. Cade Cunningham has taken the next step to stardom and the veteran leadership of Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. should not be ignored.

13. Memphis Grizzlies (46-32)
Preseason Ranking: 12th
Preseason Ranking almost nailed this one right on the head. Memphis is a good team and at times can be great. The immaturity though on the roster is noticeable and Taylor Jenkins seemed to hold it in check. Clearly, something is not right when a team near the top of its’ Conference fires a coach three weeks before the playoffs start.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (44-34)
Preseason Ranking: 9th
For some reason, it seems like Milwaukee has been out of the public spotlight for the majority of the season. And during that time, Giannis has quietly been killing. He is putting up stats better than his previous MVP season and right now doing it without his co-star, Damian Lillard, in the lineup. Ever since Jrue left the Bucks, something just feels off.

11. Indiana Pacers (47-31)
Preseason Ranking: 13th
Coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers might have felt disrespected with a preseason Ranking of 13. After all, they were one of the last four teams remaining last year. Entering this year’s playoffs, Indiana looks a lot like last year’s team, yet the confidence in them remains tempered.

10. New York Knicks (50-28)
Preseason Ranking: 5th
For the annual disappointment Knicks’ fans face, this team has largely not disappointed. Many in the media picked them as a preseason candidate for the Eastern Conference Finals and they can still make that happen. The doubt that creeps in has to do with the significant underperformance by New York when they play the best teams in the league.

9. Denver Nuggets (47-32)
Preseason Ranking: 6th
The more you watch the Nuggets play, the more in awe you become of Nikola Jokic. It seems all but inevitable that SGA will win the MVP this year, however watching Denver, I cannot see why Jokic should truly not be the frontrunner. The other thing you notice watching them play though, is that he has to carry such a substantial load that you wonder how sustainable that will be when playing the best in the West.

8. LA Clippers (46-32)
Preseason Ranking: 19th
Call the preseason doubt in the Clippers a result of the uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard. That uncertainty is more than warranted, yet when he is playing at his best and actually healthy, it is no surprise this team is a top-10 candidate. LA is a dark horse for this year’s playoffs.

7. Golden State Warriors (46-32)
Preseason Ranking: 18th
A beneficiary of the hectic trade deadline was the Warriors. Golden State started the season with a remarkable run, but quickly regressed back to their mean. It felt a bit sad watching the end of the dynasty even if Steph gave us a big performance every now and then. With Jimmy Butler now in the Bay, this team has transformed into a legitimate title contender overnight.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32)
Preseason Ranking: 7th
Minnesota was the surprise team in the Western Conference last postseason. A lot of the surprise came due to the fact the team was led by Anthony Edwards who was only 22 years old. After a turbulent offseason where they traded Karl Anthony-Towns, the Timberwolves seem to have found their stride at just the right time.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (48-30)
Preseason Ranking: 15th
It is understandable why many people hate the Lakers. They are almost always a title contender and rarely are in rebuild mode. Just when you thought they were a few years from LeBron James retiring and a slump on the horizon, they miraculously acquired Luka Doncic. Now with Luka alongside LeBron playing as good of basketball as ever even at 40, the Lakers are a team no one wants to face in the postseason.

4. Houston Rockets (52-27)
Preseason Ranking: 21st
The Western Conference version of the Pacers is the Houston Rockets. Preseason, they were a team many viewed as too young and lacking any superstars to make an impact. Heading into the playoffs, they are in the driver’s seat for the 2nd seed in the West behind an impressive coaching job by Ime Udoka and veteran leaders helping to develop the Rockets’ youth.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (62-16)
Preseason Ranking: 14th
If you saw Cleveland having the best record in the Eastern Conference before the season started, I hope you bet it and made some big money. Cleveland has definitely overperformed and held the best record in the league for most of the season. Kenny Atkinson has figured out how to maximize Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland playing alongside each other and pairing them with one of the best frontcourts in the league. Can they continue this success into the playoffs?

2. Boston Celtics (58-20)
Preseason Ranking: 1st
Coming off their first NBA title since 2008, Boston was a clear cut favorite at the top of The Rankings at the onset. They have had some questionable losses throughout the course of the season, yet they are peaking at just the right time. That should be no surprise as this team has substantial playoff experience and in my opinion should be the favorite to win their second Championship in a row when the playoffs start.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (64-14)
Preseason Ranking: 2nd
OKC was the hot pick to make noise in the Western Conference last season. Following an offseason of acquiring Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein and gaining valuable playoff experience, the Thunder now enter this year’s playoffs as the odds-on title favorite. They are no longer an underdog lacking experience. Can they handle the pressure this entails? Only time will tell.