2023-2024 End-Of-Season NBA Power Rankings
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
After a hard-fought few months, the 2023-2024 NBA regular season has finally come to an end after Sunday’s games. The 76ers finished with a 47-35 record and the 7 seed in the East, disappointing the Philly-faithful after a 54-win season in 2023.
See below to find out where among the rest of the league they ranked in PSR’s 2nd Annual end-of-season power rankings:
30: Detroit Pistons (14-68)
The Detroit Pistons have young talent and upside for the future with players like Cade Cunningham yet to hit his prime. However, there isn’t a single player at the moment on the Pistons who is anywhere close to the All-Star level causing them to be one of the worst teams in the entire NBA. Detroit went on a 28-game losing streak earlier in the year, tying the 76ers for the longest losing streak in NBA history.
29: Washington Wizards (15-67)
In the middle of the season, Kyle Kuzma said “At this point, it’s like ‘don’t be that team'” in reference to losing to the Detroit Pistons. Just a few weeks later, the Washington Wizards surpassed Detroit for the most losses in the NBA up to that point. While the Pistons ended with a slightly worse record, the Wizards were unable to notch even 20 wins in an incredibly disappointing season. They are going to hope that the draft goes their way in the off-season to get themselves out of the below-play-in position that Washington is in.
28: Charlotte Hornets (21-61)
Charlotte had a below-par season and was unable to make it to even the Play-In Tournament despite the decent rookie season from Brandon Miller. The Hornets are a promising team with multiple young players who could improve into stars in the next few years, but for right now, Charlotte is a disappointing squad that could use LaMelo Ball. Unfortunately for them, Ball is almost always injured and only played in 22 of the team’s 82 games this year.
27: San Antonio Spurs (22-60)
The San Antonio Spurs have shown shades of promise throughout the season, and if this was a list of teams with the most potential, San Antonio would be top 5. However, despite an incredible beginning to the career of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs were unable to do any damage in the Western Conference.
26: Portland Trail Blazers (21-61)
The Blazers disappointed many with a lackluster season in 2024. The selection of Scoot Henderson so far has not worked out well, and in the first year without Damian Lillard, Portland looked out of sync. They didn’t seem to really ever get used to each other and had issues on both the offensive and defensive sides of the game.
25: Memphis Grizzlies (27-55)
The absence of Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season completely altered the Grizzlies’ trajectory for this season. Memphis didn’t make even the Play-In Tournament despite still having an All-Star caliber player in Jaren Jackson Jr. It was a sub-par season for the Grizzlies and they look to improve in 2025.
24: Toronto Raptors (25-57)
When Toronto traded Pascal Siakam to the Pacers, all seemed to fall apart. The best players on the team turned into Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickly. This is not a playoff-worthy lineup and the 905 will really need to rebuild and regroup over the off-season to make it back to the postseason.
23: Utah Jazz (31-51)
Utah never seemed to have a goal insight in 2024. The Jazz could have decided to be buyers at the trade deadline and try and get starpower to make it to the playoffs. They also could have chosen to be sellers and attempt to rebuild in the offseason. Utah instead chose to stick with the squad that they had, which was not winning games consistently and was stuck in an unfortunate situation, where it would be very unlikely for them to snag the first pick and yet didn’t lose enough to make it to the Play-In.
22: Brooklyn Nets (32-50)
The fall off of the Brooklyn Nets from 2021-2024 is unbelievable. This team went from having James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving all on the same team to having Mikal Bridges leading the team to barely 30 wins. Brooklyn finished as the top team in the East to not make the Play-In, with the Atlanta Hawks finishing a few games above them in record.
21: Houston Rockets (41-41)
The Houston Rockets may have finished as the 11 seed in the West, but they have a lot to look forward to in the future. Alperen Sengun had a breakout year, and while he likely won’t win Most Improved Player over the likeness of Tyrese Maxey, he still had an excellent season. Jalen Green still can improve and become elite as he was expected to early in his career.
20: Atlanta Hawks (36-46)
Atlanta sneaked their way into the Play-In, despite a disappointing 36-46 record. Trae Young is going to try and lead the Hawks past the Bulls in their first game of the Tournament, then defeat the loser of the 7 seed-8 seed game to make it to the Play-in. The Hawks were expected to be better than they were and, unfortunately, Young is wasting the best years of his career on a team that can’t find a way to win.
19: Chicago Bulls (39-43)
DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls had a mediocre season and look to sneak their way into the Playoffs. Zach LaVine was the subject of multiple trade rumors, per usual, but the Bulls decided to stick with the roster they had at the trade deadline. It’d be a surprise if the Bulls win their way out of the Playoffs.
18: Golden State Warriors (46-36)
The Warriors went through turmoil this season, with the on-and-off performances by Klay Thompson and the Draymond Green shenanigans, but they were able to hold on for a serviceable above 500. record. Steph Curry is still at the top of his game and has yet to have any major regressions throughout the years, and this year was no exception. Curry averaged 26, 5, and 5 in his age 36 season.
17: Sacramento Kings (46-36)
Sacramento fell into a free fall, all the way down to the Play-In after being near the top of the West for quite some time. Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox sent the Kings to the postseason for the 2nd year in-a-row, after having the longest postseason drought in North America in 2022.
16: Los Angeles Lakers (47-35)
LeBron James led the Lakers to a decent 47-35 record and they look to do damage in the Western Conference Play-In. LeBron averaged 26, 7, and 8 and Anthony Davis averaged an impressive 25, 13, and 4 in Los Angeles’s serviceable season.
15: Orlando Magic (47-35)
Paolo Banchero led the Magic all the way to the 5 seed after being a 12 seed in 2023, changing the losing narrative in Orlando into a winning one. Banchero stayed dangerous after his Rookie of the Year award he earned last year. The Magic will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1st Round, which could cause issues for this young and inexperienced Orlando squad, but despite their youth, they will give the Cavs a good fight and it will be one of the most entertaining series of the 1st Round.
14: Miami Heat (46-36)
Jimmy Butler and the Heat are dangerous. Their record may not scare teams like the Celtics, but should Miami meet them in the 1st Round, things could get ugly. The Heat can compete with the best team in the league on any given night, but a problem that has arisen is if the shots aren’t falling, Miami is in trouble. Butler is going to need to really show up throughout the Play-In, moving into the Playoffs in order to push the Heat forward to further than the 1st Round.
13: New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)
Zion Williamson finally was able to stay healthy in 2024, playing in 70 of the Pelicans’ 82 games this year. Not only was Williamson healthy, but he was also finally the great player he was hyped up to be. Zion averaged 23, 6, and 5 to give New Orleans their best record in team history.
12: Indiana Pacers (47-35)
Tyrese Haliburton started the season on fire, clearly being one of the best players in the entire NBA. However, after the All-Star Break, it seemed as if he lost his touch and he never really got it back. Haliburton’s been extremely inconsistent in the final few games, from one night scoring 30 points to the next only 8. If the Pacers want to be dangerous in the Playoffs, they need to start getting back in a groove and playing more consistently.
11: Phoenix Suns (49-33)
The Suns sneaked their way out of the Play-In and into the 6-seed slot for the Playoffs. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker look to prove that the Suns are a legitimate threat after going down in the Western Semis last season. Phoenix will do battle with Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1st Round of the Playoffs.
10: Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)
Philadelphia would be ranked a top 5, maybe even top 3 team in the entire NBA if Joel Embiid was healthy in 2024. The Sixers were 31-8 with Joel Embiid in the lineup, making them on track to go 65-17 if he played all 82 games. This stat alone shows how dominant a healthy Philadelphia is with Embiid. The Sixers finished the season on an 8-game win streak and are the hottest team in the NBA. The Miami Heat will have a lot of trouble in the Play-In against a healthy 76ers squad in Philadelphia.
9: Dallas Mavericks (50-32)
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving finally figured out how to play successfully together after a disappointing 2023 campaign. This is the duo that was expected a year ago, and finally, they pulled it together and became a competitive team. Doncic and Irving averaged a combined 59.5 points per game, which is one of the highest combined PPGs by a duo in the NBA. The Mavericks’ matchup against Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden in the 1st Round could be one for the ages.
8: Los Angeles Clippers (51-31)
In October, the Clippers made a trade with the Sixers to acquire James Harden and at first, things didn’t work out so well. Harden and the Clippers had a rough start, but after some time they got things going and started winning consistently. Now Los Angeles sits as the 4 seed in the West and has a huge opportunity to finally make a deep run in the Playoffs.
7: Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)
The Milwaukee Bucks are a difficult team to rank. Prior to the questionable mid-season Adrian Griffin firing, the Bucks were top 3 in the NBA. The Bucks finished 17-19 with Doc Rivers and currently seem to be a non-threat in the East. The Pacers have a very good chance of taking down the 2021 NBA Champions in the 1st Round, possibly in fewer than 7 games.
6: New York Knicks (50-32)
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks surprised many with a 50-win season in 2024. This is the best season for New York since 2012 when Carmelo Anthony led them to the Eastern Conference Semis after putting up 54 wins. Brunson has been excellent for the Knicks while players such as Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart found the perfect roles for themselves.
5: Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34)
The Cavaliers record may not be the best team by record, but they can compete with the best teams in the league. The trio of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland is lethal and is one of the best young cores in the NBA. Cleveland will have a fun series with the Orlando Magic, but chances are that they will end up on top.
4: Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26)
The Minnesota Timberwolves went from a team that finished just a game above .500 in 2023 to a team that was only 1 game back from the 1 seed in 2024. The improvement of Anthony Edwards is incredible and Karl-Anthony Towns finally started to turn into a legitimate threat. The T-Wolves don’t have that much different of a team from last year, yet found a way to be dominant. The Suns will definitely be worried about Minnesota in their 1st Round matchup.
3: Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25)
Oklahoma City shocked the NBA with the Big 3 of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams snagging the 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder hasn’t had a team this good since the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook era about a decade ago, and OKC looks to bring home their first-ever NBA title. Oklahoma City has never made it to the Finals, not including the Seattle SuperSonics and this season is the best chance they have had in years.
2: Denver Nuggets (57-25)
Nikola Jokic is in the final 3 for the MVP Race once again and he looks to win his 3rd MVP, but more importantly, he seeks back-to-back championship titles. Jokic put up 27, 12, and 9 per game this past season and led the Nuggets to the 2 seed in the West. Denver will take on either New Orleans or the Lakers in the 1st Round.
1: Boston Celtics (64-18)
Last year, the Celtics had one of the best regular seasons in team history yet they found a way to one-up that in 2024. The key stat that experts look at for championship contenders is that a team reaches 40 wins before 20 losses. The Celtics never even reached the 20-loss mark. Jayson Tatum and Boston is clearly the best team in the world and it’s going to be very difficult for any team not named the Celtics to make it out the East.
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