With the 2023-24 season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to reflect on what was one of the most eventful NBA seasons in recent memory.
Some teams outperformed expectations, while others fell incredibly short. Outlined below are the final grades for every Eastern Conference team.
Click here to view our Western Conference grades.
Atlanta Hawks
Of all 30 NBA teams, there was perhaps no team more disappointing this season than the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks finished the season with a 36-46 record and were quickly eliminated in the first round of the Play-In by the Chicago Bulls. Led by Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, along with Jalen Johnson, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu, the sum is glaringly less than that of the individual parts.
The 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run seems like a distant memory for the Hawks, as that season continues to look like more and more of an outlier. With the first overall pick in this week’s draft and important decisions to make regarding the future of the Young-Murray duo, the Hawks must get this off-season right if they have any hopes of rebounding from an underwhelming 2023-24 season.
Final Grade: F-
Boston Celtics
After years of falling just short, the Boston Celtics have finally reached the promised land in the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown era.
Tatum and Brown led the Celtics to an impressive 64-18 record with a fourteen-game gap between them and the two-seed Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Boston went on to continue their domination in the playoffs, winning all four series in five games or less and ultimately winning a league-high 18th NBA championship.
While Tatum and Brown led the charge for the Celtics, the supporting cast of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis made up one of the best third-through-fifth option trifectas in recent memory. With this lethal starting five, the Celtics have cemented themselves as the team to beat and will be looking to raise banner No. 19 in the 2024-25 season.
Final Grade: A+
Brooklyn Nets
In their first full season removed from the dark cloud that surrounded their former superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets organization was excited for a fresh start.
That excitement wore off very quickly. Brooklyn finished the season with a disappointing 31-51 record that resulted in the in-season dismissal of head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Not only was this season a disappointment for the Nets, it’s tough to be optimistic about their position moving forward. Mikal Bridges had a solid season, but he’s clearly at best the third option on a contender. Cam Thomas can certainly score in bunches, but he hasn’t proven himself to be a winning player.
Brooklyn finds themselves in a position where the smartest move would likely be to blow it all up, but given that the team doesn’t own their own first-round draft pick until 2028, it makes it difficult to pull the trigger on a full-blown rebuild.
Final Grade: C-
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an absolute mess.
It feels like that has been the permanent state of the franchise for years. Between the countless off-court issues plaguing their roster and injuries to key players, this season was a complete failure. With an abysmal 21-61 record, the Hornets found themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference once again.
The only thing that saved the Hornets from receiving an “F” for the season was the home run they hit with the second overall pick in last year’s draft with Brandon Miller. Miller had an awesome rookie campaign and showed real glimpses into potential future stardom. If LaMelo Ball can stay healthy next season, he and Miller could be one of the most dangerous young duos in the league.
Final Grade: D-
https://theleadsm.com/who-should-the-hornets-2024-draft-targets-be/
Chicago Bulls
For years, it has seemed like the Chicago Bulls have been treading water.
The organization has seemed content fighting for a Play-In spot in recent years. This season was no different, as the Bulls once again participated in the Play-In Tournament, ultimately getting bounced out by the Miami Heat.
While this season was more of the same mediocrity, the only bright spot was the emergence of young talent on the roster. With Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls have found two very intriguing pieces for the future. If Chicago wants to start playing meaningful basketball anytime soon, however, they are going to have the rip the Band-Aid off and commit to a legitimate rebuild.
Final Grade: D+
Cleveland Cavaliers
After a disappointing end to last season — which saw them get handled by the New York Knicks in round one of the playoffs — the Cavaliers came into the 2023-24 season hoping to turn things around in Donovan Mitchell’s second season in Cleveland.
The Cavs finished the season as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and defeated the Magic in seven games in the first round of the playoffs before ultimately getting knocked out by the Celtics in the second round.
Losing to the eventual NBA champions — especially with Mitchell missing two games and Jarrett Allen never suiting up in the series — is nothing to be embarrassed about. However, the Cavs still have plenty of questions that need to be answered as they head into a crucial off-season.
The backcourt duo of Mitchell and Darius Garland has never reached its potential. The same could be said for the frontcourt duo of Allen and Evan Mobley. These issues ultimately led to the firing of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. On paper, there are not many teams across the league with a better top-four players than Cleveland, which is what makes it that much more infuriating that the Cavs haven’t been able to figure out a path to contention with this roster.
Final Grade: B
Detroit Pistons
Let’s start off by saying that no one expected the Pistons to be playing in the NBA Finals this season.
However, a league-worst 14-68 record that included a record-high 28-game losing streak is simply not acceptable for a franchise that has been drafting in the top seven each of the last four years.
The dreadful season for the Pistons culminated in the firing of head coach Monty Williams one season into signing a record-setting $78.5 million contract with the team.
While Pistons fans have likely felt like they hit rock bottom many times in recent years, this season was the lowest of the lows for a team clamoring to regain relevance. With promising young talent in Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, hopefully their new head coach, whoever it may be, can begin to turn things around.
Final Grade: F
Indiana Pacers
There was perhaps no team that exceeded pre-season expectations to the degree that the Indiana Pacers did this season.
Finishing with a 47-35 record, the Pacers maneuvered through a beaten-up Eastern Conference all the way to an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics. While the Celtics sent Indiana home in a four-game sweep, this season was a success of unbelievable proportions for the Pacers.
For the first chunk of the 2023-24 season, the Pacers solidified themselves an incredibly difficult team to beat, putting up historic offensive numbers. However, they didn’t become a legitimate threat to the teams at the top of the East until they made the trade with the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam.
With Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, along with young talent in Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, the Pacers are in position to compete in the East for years to come.
Final Grade: A+
Here’s a look at Pascal Siakam’s four-year, $189.5 million max extension with the Pacers:
2024-25 = $42.3 million
2025-26 = $45.7 million
2026-27 = $49.1 million
2027-28 = $52.5 millionSiakam’s contract in Indiana will cover his entire prime years until he turns 34-years-old. pic.twitter.com/oxqALoSFxb
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 19, 2024
Miami Heat
The Jimmy Butler-led Heat have made it known in recent years that they don’t care about the regular season.
Every season, the Heat seem to sleepwalk through the regular season, before eventually going on a miraculous postseason run. The 2023-24 season was no different with Miami finishing with a 46-36 record and a spot in the Play-In Tournament. This season was different than the rest, however, with Butler suffering an injury in the Play-In, which led to the Heat getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
The Butler injury makes it difficult to evaluate Miami’s season. If anything, it proves why the team should take the regular season more seriously. Had the Heat finished the season higher up in the standings and matched up with anyone but the Celtics, maybe they could have survived the Butler injury in round one. Now, the Heat enter the off-season with legitimate questions surrounding the future of Butler in Miami.
Final Grade: C-
Milwaukee Bucks
On the surface, the 2023-24 season was totally fine for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Finishing as the third seed in the Eastern Conference with 49 wins is nothing to be embarrassed about. Giannis Antetokounmpo had an unbelievable (and sort of underrated) season, becoming the first player to average 30+ PPG on over 60 percent shooting from the field among a number of other achievements.
Giannis has won player of the week for the second consecutive week. Here’s his stats over that stretch:
– 41.2 PPG
– 15.2 RPG
– 61.2% FGHe’s the first player since 1975 (McAdoo) to average 40+ PTS and 15+ REB over a 6 game span 🤯 pic.twitter.com/u2YsGhEB5P
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) February 6, 2023
With injuries to Antetokounmpo and newly acquired Damian Lillard, the Bucks had legitimate excuses for getting bounced out by the Pacers in first round of the playoffs.
While everything noted above is entirely true, it’s when you peel back the layers that you realize how much of an unmitigated disaster this season was for the Bucks.
They hired Adrian Griffin as their new head coach only to replace him with Doc Rivers after a 30-13 start. The team seemed to lack any sort of intensity under both Griffin and Rivers, with their most passionate moment of the season coming in pursuit of Giannis’ 64-point game ball against the Pacers back in December. There didn’t seem to be any plan to build offensive rapport between Giannis and Dame, and Khris Middleton had a difficult time staying healthy once again.
The Bucks head into the off-season with little flexibility given their status as a second-apron team and will have to get really creative if they want to get their second championship in the Giannis era.
Final Grade: D+
https://theleadsm.com/2024-nba-draft-the-best-options-for-the-bucks-at-23-and-33/
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are back.
It’s been a while since meaningful basketball was played in Madison Square Garden, but after a long wait, Knicks fans can feel the tide turning. In his second season in New York, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to a 50-32 record and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks won an intense first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers before getting eliminated in seven games by the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Even though the loss to the Pacers stung, Knicks fans should have eternal admiration of the season their team put together. Brunson proved himself to be a superstar in this league, capable of being the best player on a championship team. Julius Randle suffered a devastating season-ending shoulder injury in late January, while OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart and Brunson all suffered injuries causing them to miss time in the playoffs.
Even with the unprecedented number of injuries facing the team, the Knicks continued to fight until their last breath. While a crucial off-season approaches with Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein set to hit the open market, for now, Knicks fans should simply be proud of what their team accomplished this season.
Final Grade: A
OG Anunoby has declined his $19.9 million player option for next season, a league source tells The Athletic, an expected move. Anunoby will now officially become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Free agency begins June 30.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) June 24, 2024
Orlando Magic
In the last ten seasons leading up to this year, the Magic only won 40+ games once, finishing with less than 30 wins on six different occasions.
That’s what makes what Orlando did this season so special. Jamahl Mosley led the team to a 47-35 record and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference in his third season as their head coach. Orlando ultimately got eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Regardless of the postseason outcome, the Magic have officially arrived. Paolo Banchero is a star and at 21 years old, will only continue to improve. Jalen Suggs solidified himself as one of the best two-way players in the game. Franz Wagner honestly had an underwhelming season (shooting 28.1% on threes is shockingly bad), but clearly has the tools to be a star in this league.
To become a serious contender, Orlando will have to add shooting and playmaking to their young core of Banchero, Wagner and Suggs.
Final Grade: A-
Philadelphia 76ers
You could pretty much copy and paste the end-of-year evaluation for the Sixers from every year in the Joel Embiid era here.
When healthy, the Sixers looked like one of best teams in the league once again this season, but Embiid suffered yet another season-shattering injury. The Sixers ended the season with a 47-35 record before losing to the New York Knicks in six games in the first round of the playoffs in Nick Nurse’s first season as their head coach.
While the Sixers endured another disappointing end to their season, there was something that felt a little different about this iteration of the Philadelphia squad.
Even with serious injuries to his knee and face, Embiid played in every playoff game and the team showed real grit that fans could have pride in during their grueling battle with the Knicks. There were some real positives to take away from this season with Tyrese Maxey emerging as a bonafide star in this league and the never-ending Tobias Harris contract finally coming off the books.
Given their salary-cap flexibility this off-season, Daryl Morey will have the opportunity to build a team around Embiid and Maxey that can hopefully threaten the Celtics next season.
Final Grade: B-
Toronto Raptors
Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors finally ripped the Band-Aid off in the middle of this season with the trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
While it can be argued that the Raptors waited too long to move Siakam and Anunoby, it’s better late than never. The new-look Raptors led by Scottie Barnes and newcomers RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley finished the season with a 25-57 record in Darko Rajakovic’s first season as head coach.
The most disappointing aspect of the 2023-24 season for the Raptors is that even with finishing 32 games below .500, the team surrendered their first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs via the questionable Jakob Poeltl trade.
With that said, the Raptors will have to rely on the development of their young talent if they hope to return to the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Both Barrett and Quickley looked awesome in their brief time spent as members of the Raptors and will hopefully continue to grow in their new roles alongside max-contract Barnes next season.
Final Grade: D+
ESPN Sources: Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Scottie Barnes intends to sign a five-year maximum rookie extension that could be worth up to $270 million. Barnes is the franchise cornerstone and will become the highest paid player in Raptors history. pic.twitter.com/c5efNmNl4a
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2024
Washington Wizards
The Wizards finally entered a full rebuild this season, with the trades of Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.
These moves ultimately led to Washington sporting a dreadful 15-67 record, only one game ahead of the league-worst Detroit Pistons. With the teams’ struggles, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. was dismissed during the season.
While there was no expectation for the Wizards to be contending for a playoff spot this year, it was oftentimes infuriating to see that the team seemingly had no identity. With Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and Tyus Jones, the Wizards have more talent on their roster than their record would suggest.
With the second overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, hopefully, the Wizards can add an impressive young talent to their squad and take a tangible step forward in their rebuild.
Final Grade: F
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