5 NBA Teams That Have Disappointed to Start the Season

Ben DiGiacomo
Host · Writer
Washington Wizards
Calling the Washington Wizards a disappointment isn’t saying much since many expected them to be the worst team in basketball, but they’ve been way worse than I’m sure anyone expected. Yes, they have a win, but their five losses have been by an average of 15 points, and nothing on their roster is exciting. Jordan Poole thinks he is playing street ball, Kyle Kuzma is putting up empty stats it feels like, and none of the young prospects look special. It’s going to be a long basketball season in Washington, and I’d be shocked if this team wins more than 15 games.
Memphis Grizzlies
Obviously, the loss of Ja Morant for the first 25 games hurts, there is no debating that, but what has this Memphis Grizzlies season come to? They look absolutely dreadful! In 21 games without Morant last season, the Grizzlies went 11-10 and in the 2021-22 season where Ja missed 25 games, the Grizzlies went 20-5. On paper, the Grizzlies don’t even put out a bad team. Marcus Smart is an above-average point guard in this league, Desmond Bane just signed a massive contract extension, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the league’s best defensive players. It’s not like the Grizzlies have played a gauntlet of a schedule as they’ve lost to the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and the Portland Trail Blazers. There is no real answer for the Grizzlies’ woes, they just need to play out of this funk.
Chicago Bulls
The NBA is a better product when the Chicago Bulls are competitive, so it’s aggravating to see time and time again the Bulls trot out a mediocre team and expect different results. Instead of blowing it up last summer like they should have, the Bulls ran it back with their trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic and now, it looks like the Bulls have another lackluster season in store. There is nothing more to say than this team just isn’t good, so hopefully, the Bulls become sellers sooner rather than later.
Sacramento Kings
Many people were sleeping on the Sacramento Kings coming into the season which I really didn’t understand. They were the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season and basically brought the entire team back, but after two weeks, I’m starting to see why. I know De’Aaron Fox is sidelined, but this team just doesn’t look right. Domantas Sabonis appears to have regressed, Keegan Murray hasn’t stepped into being this team’s third scoring option as many have anticipated, and the role players that carried them last season haven’t performed well. Once Fox returns maybe everything comes back together, but I need to see it to believe it.
Miami Heat
I called the Miami Heat taking a step back before the season started, but I think I was too generous. From what I’ve seen from the Heat and from some other teams in the Eastern Conference, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if the Heat missed the playoffs. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have looked better but besides them and Jimmy Butler, this roster stinks. Until they get a resemblance of a bench, I’m not buying into the Heat. They can put on their court what their “culture” is, but looking at their three wins, there has been no resemblance of a culture. They blew fourth-quarter leads to the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers even though they won both games by a single point and they beat the Washington Wizards, the worst team in basketball. Miami can be in all the offseason rumors they want, but they lack talent still and won’t be anything until they add to this roster.
Washington Wizards
Calling the Washington Wizards a disappointment isn’t saying much since many expected them to be the worst team in basketball, but they’ve been way worse than I’m sure anyone expected. Yes, they have a win, but their five losses have been by an average of 15 points, and nothing on their roster is exciting. Jordan Poole thinks he is playing street ball, Kyle Kuzma is putting up empty stats it feels like, and none of the young prospects look special. It’s going to be a long basketball season in Washington, and I’d be shocked if this team wins more than 15 games.
Memphis Grizzlies
Obviously, the loss of Ja Morant for the first 25 games hurts, there is no debating that, but what has this Memphis Grizzlies season come to? They look absolutely dreadful! In 21 games without Morant last season, the Grizzlies went 11-10 and in the 2021-22 season where Ja missed 25 games, the Grizzlies went 20-5. On paper, the Grizzlies don’t even put out a bad team. Marcus Smart is an above-average point guard in this league, Desmond Bane just signed a massive contract extension, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the league’s best defensive players. It’s not like the Grizzlies have played a gauntlet of a schedule as they’ve lost to the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and the Portland Trail Blazers. There is no real answer for the Grizzlies’ woes, they just need to play out of this funk.
