Dec 11, 2024, 08:00 AM ET
We’re nearing the end of 2024, but nowhere close to the end of what’s been an intriguing 2024-25 NBA season.
After a slow start, the Milwaukee Bucks have made a comeback in the Eastern Conference standings. Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, after an unprecedented run in the inaugural NBA Cup last year, are struggling this season to stay afloat in the conference standings.
In the West, the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies are making their presence known, chasing the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who seem unmovable at the top.
In addition to our weekly rankings, our NBA insiders break down the biggest issues on offense or defense for all 30 teams. From slow starts to lack of defensive paint presence, here is what is plaguing teams on both ends of the court.
Note: Team rankings are based on where members of our panel (ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Michael Wright, Tim MacMahon, Dave McMenamin, Ohm Youngmisuk, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton) think teams belong this season.
Previous rankings: Preseason | Oct. 30 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 13 | Nov. 20 | Nov. 27 | Dec. 4
Last season’s NBA finals runner-up, the Dallas Mavericks, have been struggling so far this season after a successful offseason that added Klay Thompson to their superstar core. ESPN
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
Biggest issue: Elevating their defense
It’s hard to find any blaring issues with the defending champions and a team that’s seen as the favorites to repeat this season, but it will be interesting to see if Boston can improve on its solid, but not spectacular, showing defensively. The Celtics currently rank 10th in the league in defensive rating, well south of its No. 2 ranking last season. Kristaps Porzingis returning and getting up to speed should help. — Tim Bontemps
Biggest issue: Free throw attempts per game
To be fair, the only issue a healthy team with a 21-4 record can have is that it must wait four months for the playoffs. However, ranking 26th in free throw attempts with 20.6 per game is at least mildly concerning for a few reasons. It could mean Cleveland doesn’t attack the paint enough, it doesn’t get a good whistle, or both — a combo that can make postseason success more elusive. — Dave McMenamin
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2024-25 record: 19-5
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Previous ranking: 3
Biggest issue: Rebounding
Oklahoma City ranks second to last in rebounding rate (47.5%) after finishing 28th in that category last season. In this instance, however, there is a 7-foot asterisk. The Thunder have been an average rebounding team since Isaiah Hartenstein made his season debut, which was delayed by a broken hand. Hartenstein, who was signed to a three-year, $87 million deal over the offseason in large part to address this issue, averaged 12.8 rebounds in his first eight games entering Tuesday’s NBA Cup knockout-round matchup with the Mavs. — Tim MacMahon
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2024-25 record: 16-9
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Previous ranking: 8
Biggest issue: Luka Doncic‘s slow start
The Mavs have the league’s fourth-ranked offense despite one of Dallas’ scoring staples producing disappointing results. The Mavs average 14.1 field goal attempts off seven or more dribbles — third most in the league — but rank 27th in effective field goal percentage (42.9) off those shots. By contrast, Dallas ranked fifth in that category (52.9% eFG) last season, when the Mavs led the league with 15.1 such shots per game. The drop-off is primarily due to Doncic’s slow start after missing all of training camp and preseason due to a calf contusion. His effective field goal percentage on such attempts is a career-low 41.0%, but he’s improved since taking 10 days off to rest a sprained wrist and work on his conditioning (51.9% eFG in four games). Last season, Doncic had a 56.7% eFG on 683 shots off seven-plus dribbles, the best of the 28 players with at least 250 attempts. — MacMahon
Biggest issue: 3-point shooting
It’s tough to nitpick a team that has won nine of its past 10 outings, especially one that just snapped a 10-game skid against Boston on the road. Memphis ranks among the top seven in offensive and defensive rating. Offensively, the Grizzlies are putting up their best effective field goal percentage (56.1%) in a decade. But they lag just behind the rest of the league in 3-point shooting, ranked 17th in 3-point percentage heading into Monday’s games. If Desmond Bane (32.3%) gets back to his career average (41%) from deep, watch out. — Michael Wright
Biggest issue on offense: Poor shooting
Houston gets it done on the defensive end, but the Rockets rank 16th in offensive rating due in large part to poor shooting. Houston ranks 27th in effective field goal percentage (50.3%), but its saving grace has been offensive rebounding. The Rockets are No. 1 in offensive rebounds per game (14.2), gobbling up their misses. Houston’s starting backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green are shooting below 40% from the field, and opponents have outscored the Rockets in the paint in their past six games. — Wright
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Biggest issue: Karl-Anthony Towns‘s slow defensive start
Towns’s advanced defensive metrics have improved in recent weeks, however he’s still allowing opponents to shoot 6.5 percentage points better than their seasonlong averages near the basket. That’s the worst rate among NBA centers who have played 15 games and defended at least four rim attempts per outing. Because of that, it will be worth watching how often coach Tom Thibodeau plays Towns with Precious Achiuwa, the backup big and rim protector who recently made his season debut after returning from an injured hamstring. — Chris Herring
Biggest issue: Balancing a deep rotation
Steve Kerr has been using 11-to-12-man rotations, touting the depth of the roster. But with De’Anthony Melton out for the season and other injuries that have kept key players out, Kerr has been experimenting and even shortening his rotation to 10 during their 12-3 start. Perhaps the most important thing is finding the right lineup to maximize Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. The Warriors are starting Kuminga to see if he can be the much-needed scorer they need alongside Stephen Curry. Kerr would love to start Draymond Green at center alongside Kuminga but doesn’t want to wear out Green against bigger centers and could settle on bringing him off the bench and starting Kevon Looney. Also, finding the right lineup to get Hield humming from 3 again will go far. — Ohm Youngmisuk
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2024-25 record: 17-10
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Previous ranking: 6
Biggest issue: 3-point shooting
Only once in the past nine seasons have the Magic ranked outside the NBA’s bottom seven in 3-point percentage, but this year’s league-worst 31% accuracy would be a new modern low. (Orlando shot 29.5% in 1989-90, the franchise’s inaugural season.) The Magic figured newcomer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would help, but he’s shooting a career-worst 30%, while Jalen Suggs has slipped from 40% last season to 32%. Orlando’s biggest concern is healthy oblique muscles. Improbably, Franz Wagner suffered the same oblique strain that has sidelined Paolo Banchero, leaving the Magic without their top two scorers. — Kevin Pelton
10. Denver Nuggets
Biggest issue: Perimeter defense
While they held Atlanta to 9-of-40 shooting from behind the arc in a much-needed win Sunday, the Nuggets’ defense has been poor. In each of its past five losses, the Nuggets surrendered 122 or more points, including allowing 145 to the Knicks in a 27-point rout back on Nov. 25. In their previous four losses, the Nuggets allowed 16, 22, 18 and 19 3-pointers to opponents and gave up 122 points to a Washington team that had lost 16 straight. It’s bad when Nikola Jokic says maybe the Nuggets need a different kind of motivation. “In my country, after this kind of stretch, you’re going to get a paycheck that is a little bit less than you had hoped,” Jokic said after that Washington loss. “Maybe that’s what we need to do.” –Youngmisuk
11. Miami Heat
Biggest issue: Terry Rozier‘s efficiency
It might be a little unfair to single him out, but things haven’t gone as hoped for Miami since acquiring Rozier in January 2023. This season, the Heat are seven points per 100 possessions better with Rozier on the bench. Jimmy Butler has moved into a more of an on-ball role in recent games as Rozier comes off the bench. — Bontemps
12. LA Clippers
Biggest issue: Scoring
The Clippers’ defense has been outstanding, keeping them in almost every game. Offensively, Ty Lue will have to find enough points to win games. The Clippers average 108.7 points this season, seventh to last in the league. Outside of James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers have to find more offense, especially off the bench. With Derrick Jones Jr. — one of five Clippers to average 10 or more points this season — out for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury and Terance Mann out with a finger injury, the Clippers will need guys like Kevin Porter Jr. to provide more offense. — Youngmisuk
13. Milwaukee Bucks
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2024-25 record: 13-11
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Previous ranking: 14
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Biggest issue: Perimeter defense
The Bucks have had major challenges defending the perimeter for the past two seasons, ever since they swapped Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard, and those issues have been highlighted even more frequently this season. One of the major issues for Milwaukee during its 2-8 start was how teams attacked its guards on defense, forcing it into the fourth most on-ball screens in the NBA during that span, per ESPN Research. The key for the Bucks defense is for their guards to provide some resistance to give Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo a chance to protect the rim. — Jamal Collier
Biggest issue: Defending without Rudy Gobert on the floor
The Wolves have still been an elite defense this season when Gobert is at center, holding teams to 107.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. It’s when the four-time Defensive Player of the Year sits when the Wolves struggle, surrendering 113.2 points per 100 possessions. That’s the difference between what would be the No.1 defense in the league in efficiency and an average defense. — Collier
15. Phoenix Suns
Biggest issue: Points in the paint
Phoenix averages just 15.3 points in the paint, which puts it 27th in the league. The stat is damning for a few reasons, starting with the clear lack of offensive firepower the team gets from centers Jusuf Nurkic, Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro. And perhaps the most alarming issue is that the Suns rely heavily on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal‘s jump shots to generate points, which ultimately makes them easier to defend if they don’t diversify their shot locations. — McMenamin
Biggest issue: Opponents fast-break points per game
There are myriad issues plaguing the Lakers, but a persistent pain in their side all season has been giving up easy points in transition. Teams are scoring 15 fast-break points per game against L.A. — the only three teams that allow more (Portland, Utah and New Orleans) are all well below .500. To make things worse, the Lakers have gotten their turnovers under control — 7th best with 12.5 miscues per game — meaning that they just aren’t getting back fast enough on defense. — McMenamin
17. Atlanta Hawks
Biggest issue: Perimeter defense
Atlanta has been a slightly above-average club at forcing misses near the rim, holding opponents a little more than one percentage point beneath their seasonlong field goal rates. The Hawks would also gladly take being an average club on the perimeter. Instead, they rank dead last in the NBA in 3-pointers allowed, 3-pointers attempted and opponent 3-point percentage — even though newcomer Dyson Daniels has been one of the most disruptive wing defenders in the association to this point. — Herring
Biggest issue: Slow starts
San Antonio sits at .500. But you can look back at 10 of their 12 losses and quickly point out the devastating impact slow starts have had on the Spurs. Part of it is inconsistency with lineups considering San Antonio still hasn’t played with the starting five it envisioned coming into the season due to injuries to Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. But the Spurs have also lost the opening quarter in 10 contests, owning a net rating of minus-31.4 over 120 first-quarter minutes. It’s an issue San Antonio recognizes but hasn’t been able to solve. — Wright
19. Sacramento Kings
Biggest issue: Opponent 3-point shooting
Remarkably, only the Thunder — the league’s best defensive team — are allowing fewer 2-pointers per game than the Kings. That’s partially by design. Without a strong rim protector, Sacramento tends to help aggressively on drives, resulting in the league’s highest 3-point attempt rate on defense — 46% of all shots they face. Opponents are making those 3s at a 38% clip, second highest in the NBA, and while that typically doesn’t carry over, the Kings might be an exception. They’ve ranked in the league’s bottom five in opponent 3-point percentage each of the past four seasons. — Pelton
20. Brooklyn Nets
Biggest issue: Defense inside the paint
No one sends opponents to the line more per shot attempt than the Nets, a slightly surprising stat considering how well they’ve been playing relative to the preseason expectations that they would be in the running for the 2025 No. 1 draft pick. The Nets have allowed opponents to shoot nearly 67% from inside of six feet, tied for the league’s third-highest rate. (Similarly, or perhaps even worse, the team is allowing the highest effective field goal rate in the league.) The inability to stop clubs from converting that close in leaves Brooklyn in a position where it is often fouling inside the paint. — Herring
21. Indiana Pacers
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Biggest issue: Tyrese Haliburton’s offensive struggles
The Pacers’ run to the NBA Cup and Eastern Conference finals was fueled by a dynamic offense, which ranked second in the NBA last season behind the champion Celtics. That’s fallen to 19th in offensive efficiency to start this season, the biggest difference for a struggling Indiana team. The Pacers are fueled by Haliburton, who last season was one of the league’s breakout stars, and have not been able to generate the same electric offense this year. Put simply, the Pacers need Haliburton to perform like the player who carried their offense last season. — Collier
22. Chicago Bulls
Biggest issue: Point of attack defense
The Bulls knew they were going to have a lot of challenges when they traded their best defender, Alex Caruso, in exchange for Josh Giddey, an offensive first point guard. Their defense ranks 27th in efficiency because of their inability to put pressure on ball handlers, which often results in easy driving lanes and opposing guards getting into the paint, especially with forward Patrick Williams sidelined recently with a foot injury. — Collier
23. Detroit Pistons
Biggest issue: Turnovers
This is unsurprising for a team whose two primary ball handlers (guards Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey) are 23 and 22, respectively. Cunningham’s 4.7 turnovers per game lead all qualifying players, and Detroit is one of five teams with multiple players averaging at least three turnovers. As a result, the Pistons have the league’s third-highest turnover rate. Those miscues are limiting an offense that still ranks 22nd in per-possession scoring. — Pelton
Biggest issue: Lack of star driven offense
The biggest issue with this team is health. But from a strictly on-court perspective, the team is mired at 27th in offensive rating, thanks to ranking 28th in 3-point field goal percentage. One easy fix? The team’s superstars must hit their shots. Joel Embiid is just 3-for-23 from 3 this season, while Tyrese Maxey (29.3%) and Paul George (31.2%) have also struggled — not a good look from a trio with high offensive expectations entering this season. — Bontemps
Biggest issue: Defensive rebounding
There’s no shortage of issues for the Blazers, who rank in the bottom 10 in three of the four factors on offense and defense, but they’re dead last in defensive rebounding. Among Portland’s primary starters, only center Deandre Ayton is grabbing defensive boards above the league’s average rate, and the Blazers sink even lower when Ayton is on the bench. Portland has been rebounding slightly better during its current four-game skid, but there have been few misses to secure. Opponents are shooting a league-high 53% from the field in four losses this month. — Pelton
Biggest issue: Inability to draw fouls
The Hornets’ biggest problem, aside from not having LaMelo Ball due to him missing time with a calf strain, is the club’s inability to generate trips to the line on offense. No NBA team has a lower free throw attempt rate — in terms of free throws per game, or free throws taken per shot attempt — than the Hornets; an ugly reality considering that Charlotte also ranks dead last in 2-point shooting percentage. Getting better efficiency from the line or from inside the arc wouldn’t hurt given that the Hornets have played an NBA-high 16 clutch games, where the score is within five points or fewer in the final five minutes. — Herring
27. Toronto Raptors
Biggest issue: 3-point shooting
Toronto’s overall struggles are a bit by design in the rebuilding of the Raptors roster. But as the team continues to progress, one thing to monitor is whether it can increase its 3-point attempt rate. The Raptors are 29th in the league in 3’s attempted per game, ahead of only the Nuggets — a number that would automatically be helped by the return of Immanuel Quickley, who has been limited this season with an elbow injury. — Bontemps
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Biggest issue: Inconsistent paint presence on defense
You can trace back all that ails New Orleans to injuries. But it’s uncertain whether a fully healthy squad could have avoided the team’s current struggle to consistently defend near the basket. Yes, there are issues with transition defense and half-court offense. But the Pels rank 29th in opponent points in the paint (54.7 per game). Roster construction has a lot to do with that. Coach Willie Green has complimented the efforts of starting center Yves Missi. But Missi is a 6-11, 20-year-old rookie. Behind Missi, the Pels have two centers in Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Daniel Theis who stand at 6-8. — Wright
29. Utah Jazz
Biggest issue: Turnovers
Utah averages 18.4 turnovers, 1.5 more than any other team. The Jazz have many flaws — and until recently were at the bottom of the Western standings — but turnovers might be their worst on both ends of the floor, as Utah also leads the league in points allowed off of turnovers (23.7, 2.6 more than any other team). Second-year point guard Keyonte George leads the team with 3.3 turnovers per game, but he’s far from the only culprit. Five Utah players average at least two turnovers. — MacMahon
Biggest issue: Defense
The Wizards have a lot of issues after another throwaway season, but the biggest on-court matters revolve around their defense. Outside of its stunning win over Denver on Saturday when it held the Nuggets to 113 points, Washington has given up 121 or more points in five of its past seven games — all losses. In their past two defeats, the Wizards have allowed 137 and 140 points each to the Mavericks and Grizzlies. Everyone knows this is a rebuilding season for Washington, but certainly management wants to see some incremental improvements to remain competitive. — Youngmisuk
