The 2024-25 NBA season may be young, but several teams are already feeling the heat as their playoff chances dwindle with each mounting loss. While it’s still early, the pressure is undoubtedly building for franchises that entered the year with high expectations. As the standings begin to take shape, a closer examination reveals which squads find themselves reaching for the panic button.
Pelicans Plummet: Zion’s Squad in Freefall
No team has experienced a more dramatic decline than the New Orleans Pelicans. After surging to the league’s sixth-best net rating last season, the Pelicans now find themselves languishing at 28th. Injuries to stars like Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum have undoubtedly played a role, but the supporting cast has also struggled mightily. As a result, New Orleans’ playoff odds have plummeted from a preseason mark of 55.8% to a meager 6.1%.
With a daunting hill to climb and a crowded Western Conference landscape, the Pelicans will need to quickly right the ship to avoid falling completely out of contention. However, with key players still sidelined for the foreseeable future, the path forward remains murky at best.
Bucks’ Woes: Giannis & Co. Stumble Out of the Gate
The Milwaukee Bucks, fresh off a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard, were expected to be among the East’s elite. Instead, they’ve stumbled to a 4-9 start, one of the worst 13-game openings in franchise history. With both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo battling injuries and the team’s defense regressing, Milwaukee’s playoff chances have fallen nearly 30 percentage points.
While the forecast models still give the Bucks a fighting chance, the early returns are concerning. With trade rumors already swirling around the Greek Freak, Milwaukee must quickly steady the ship to avoid a complete unraveling.
Philly’s Conundrum: Embiid and the Absent Superteam
The 76ers’ star-studded trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George has yet to log a single minute together, as injuries and a suspension have derailed Philly’s early season plans. The Sixers currently sit outside the top 20 in both offensive and defensive rating, a shocking development for a would-be superteam.
When healthy, the Embiid-Maxey-George triumvirate is among the most talented the league has ever seen. But will we ever actually witness them at full strength? The clock is ticking in Philadelphia.
– A league source familiar with the situation
Mavericks, Wolves Underwhelm Out West
The Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, last year’s Western Conference finalists, have failed to build upon that success in the early going. While both still boast impressive net ratings that outpace their middling records, the lack of consistency is concerning.
For Dallas, the mercurial nature of the Luka Dončić – Kyrie Irving pairing remains an issue, while Minnesota is struggling to integrate offseason addition Julius Randle. With the West as competitive as ever, neither team can afford to keep squandering winnable games.
The Best of the Rest: Sputtering Contenders
Other preseason darlings have also failed to launch:
- The Sacramento Kings find themselves in NBA purgatory once again, as even sterling play from De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan might not be enough to avoid the play-in tournament.
- The Atlanta Hawks continue to struggle defensively under Quin Snyder, with Trae Young‘s limitations on that end still proving costly.
- The LA Clippers eagerly await the return of Kawhi Leonard as their playoff odds hover around 30%.
While it’s far too early to completely write off any of these squads, the clock is ticking. In a league where the margin for error is razor-thin, a sluggish start can quickly snowball into a lost season.
Silver Linings: Nuggets, Grizzlies Remain Confident
Amidst the early season turmoil, a few teams are keeping the faith. The Denver Nuggets continue to rely on Nikola Jokić‘s brilliance, while the Memphis Grizzlies have the underlying metrics of a contender despite some unevenness in the win-loss column.
For these teams, staying the course and trusting the process will be key. With ample time to right the ship, hitting the panic button now would be premature.
The Long Road Ahead: Navigating the NBA Marathon
As the season marches on, fortunes will undoubtedly rise and fall. Early struggles can give way to midseason surges, while fast starts can quickly fade. In the end, the teams that weather adversity and maintain a steady hand will be best positioned to make noise when the games matter most.
For now, the likes of the Pelicans, Bucks, and Sixers can only put their heads down and continue grinding. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, and there’s still ample time to reverse course. But make no mistake: the pressure is mounting, and the clock is ticking. How these teams respond in the face of early adversity may well define their seasons.
