NBA 2024/25 Quarter season grades: Eastern Conference

NBA 2024/25 Quarter season grades: Eastern Conference

Every team in the NBA’s eastern conference has played around a quarter of their games and that seems the perfect opportunity to hand out some quarter-season grades. The western conference will receive their report cards in a few days time, with the east un/lucky conference to receive their grades today.

We’ve listed each team in order of their record at the time of writing and are grading against the expectations of each team. The Wizards and Sixers, for example, sit at the same end of the standings, despite very different plans for season 2024/25. Spoiler: they will receive very different grades.

Unless otherwise stated, stats come courtesy of Basketball Reference and are accurate as to games played on Thursday December 5th, US time.

Cleveland Cavaliers (20 wins – 3 losses): A+

Well, waddaya know…coaching matters!

New Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has taken deluxe, if ill-fitting ingredients and done what JB Bickerstaff could not: cook up a fancy four-course meal. He has empowered Evan Mobley to become a more ball-dominant and creative offensive hub; he is leaning into Darius Garland’s off-ball shooting (it can’t be ignored that he’s undoubtedly benefitting from a healthy Garland in general), he’s giving Jarrett Allen room to operate as a lone big and has elevated Donovan Mitchell to another level.

The one concern with Cleveland’s hot start is their over-reliance on hot three-point shooting. Of their three losses, one has been to Boston in a classic contest but the other two have been to the defensively dynamic Atlanta Hawks, who have held them to around 30% from deep over the course of those two games.

Peak efficiency: who has most improved their efficiency in the 2024/25 NBA season

Boston Celtics (18-4): A

How could the defending champs be awarded anything but another A? Third in offensive rating, eighth in defense, second overall in net rating, the Celtics have their stuff together at both ends of the floor.

Jayson Tatum has come for blood after his frustrating Olympics experience and is perhaps only a ridiculous Nikola Jokic season away from MVP favoritism. Peyton Pritchard has morphed into the perfect Celtic: dogged, tireless defense and a gazillion threes both launched and made. On that point, Boston is on track to smash Golden State’s 2023 season record of 1,363 made treys in a single campaign.

Health at the pivot remains their only real concern as neither the old bones of Al Horford nor the brittle Kristaps Porzingis can be relied upon to play big minutes for extended periods.

Orlando Magic (16-8): A+

When Paolo Banchero, having an All-NBA calibre start to his season, went down with an abdominal strain, nobody was especially worried about the Magic maintaining their stellar defense. Would they be able to score enough, though? Step forward, Franz Wagner. After a terrible shooting season in 2023/24, the younger Wagner has re-emerged as an All-Star candidate, practically carrying the Magic’s offense whilst their main man recovers.

In the 18 games that Banchero has missed, Orlando has gone 12-6 with Wagner scoring an even 27 points a night, including a raft of clutch baskets, shots that would usually have gone Banchero’s way.

FRANZ WAGNER GAME WINNER OVER THE LAKERS 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/8yL14KwPIb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2024

The Magic are still short on three-point shooting, with off-season import Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seemingly leaving his jump shot somewhere in the Rockies. That said, they’re a young, deep and talented team. There is no reason that they can’t experience some internal growth or make a trade to bring in some shooting at some point. And once Paolo comes back…sheesh.

New York Knicks (14-8): B+

First in offensive rating? Eighteenth in defensive rating? This is all very un-Thibsian.

Perhaps even a stubborn old dog like Tom Thibodeau can learn new tricks? Mind you, he’s had no choice given the personnel he has available; and by extension the people he’s been missing (Mitchell Robinson/Precious Achiuwa). Maybe Thibs leans into defensively smothering, two-big lineups once his second line bigs have recovered?

In the meantime, just about everything has worked for New York. Karl Anthony Towns looks to have found another level, Jalen Brunson is having the most efficient season of his career, OG Anunoby has been playing to a borderline All Star level and Deuce McBride has been dynamic off the bench. They’ve even made Cameron Payne look good!

The one block left to fall into place in Mikal Bridges. The Knicks paid a King’s ransom for the 28-year-old wing. So far, he’s looked unable to revert to his days as a complimentary piece in Phoenix. Whilst his overall efficiency has actually improved, his re-worked jumper has been off and he has sometimes looked…lost; like he hasn’t found his place in the team yet. It’s not the worst problem to have, admittedly.

NBA 2024/25 Rookie Rankings – November

Milwaukee Bucks (11-10): D+

After a disastrous opening few weeks of the campaign, where this writer questioned if the Bucks were dying before our very eyes, Milwaukee has made a recovery of sorts over the past month to sit above .500.

There are some lingering concerns, though. The Bucks have beaten just one team with a winning record all season long and even then, they were lucky to escape with a one-point win against Houston. They’re still almost entirely reliant on megastar duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The eventual return of Khris Middleton should help, though nobody knows what he has left in the tank.

On the positive, Doc Rivers finally relented and played a young person or two. AJ Green especially has looked good in his minutes. Dame and Giannis have often been great. Brook Lopez continues to give the middle finger to the aging process.

This team, if healthy, will be a tough out in the playoffs but their championship window has certainly closed. When you have so much invested in the group, that is not a good place to be.

Miami Heat (10-10): D+

That fairytale run to the 2022 NBA finals feels like an age ago.

With largely the same core, the Heat’s formula of stingy defense + Jimmy Buckets (X Spoelstra genius) has failed them. A previously elite defense is ranked 11th in the NBA and Jimmy Butler has looked every one of his 35 years (plus whatever tyre wear playing for Thibideau earlier in his career has added). Spoelstra can only do so much and the stress of making a silk purse from a sow’s ear every season is clearly starting to take its toll.

Bam Adebayo’s defense remained elite, but his anticipated offensive leap hasn’t eventually and you have to wonder at this point if it ever will. With nobody of any great offensive potential in the pipeline for the Heat it does appear as if a great generation of underdogs has finally run its course.

Atlanta Hawks (12-11): B

It hasn’t been all plain sailing for the Hawks. Nobody in 2024/25 wants to lose back-to-back game to the Washington Wizards – the only two wins the Wiz have, incidentally. Yet, overall, Atlanta has shown signs of life.

Trading away Dejounte Murray was supposed to be addition by subtraction but the borderline Defensive Player of the Year form of Dyson Daniels has reframed the trade as straight up addition. Zaccharie Risacher was seen as a C+ pick in a D+ draft. So far, he’s looked quite a way better than that. Those two, with ascendant star Jalen Johnson, give Atlanta an intriguing group of wings to build around. Trae Young seems at long last to have embraced playmaking as his transcendent skill, rather than his frankly overrated shooting, leading the NBA in assists.

That said, the Hawks are still wildly unpredictable in both their effort and quality of play. That’s fine for this year as they coalesce around another new core though they would want to find some consistency next season.

Brooklyn Nets (10-13): A-

It’s tempting to give the Nets, who signaled their intent to tank over the off-season by trading to get their own draft picks back, a hearty F grade, simply because they’ve performed so damn well! Instead, we’ll award them an A- for playing a long, long way above expectations.

New coach Jordi Fernandez has this island of misfit toys humming. They’re playing a hard, physical brand of basketball that is keeping them in with a punchers chance in most contests. The Cams, Johnson and Thomas have enjoyed career years to this point, whilst Dennis Schroder should earn the Nets, at worst, some juicy second round draft picks at the trade deadline.

Ah, yes. The trade deadline. How many of these Nets will be wearing different threads come February 7th? Five? Six? All of them? Long time Nets GM Sean Marks understands the assignment. Expect a flurry of activity in the first few weeks of the new year.

They’re not exactly a purist’s delight, these Nets. They play at a pace that would make Mike Fratello wince, especially when Ben Simmons (another player looking revitalised) sits. But they’re winning games of basketball. And that is better than what we – read: me – expected.

Chicago Bulls (10-13): B-

The Bulls are not good. I don’t think I’m breaking any news, there. Yet, they’re still better than many though.  

Zach LaVine is still here, despite being in trade rumors since 1992 (subs, please check) and veteran centre Nikola Vucevic looks rejuvenated, but both of them could well be gone by the end of the campaign as the Bulls look to join the Cooper Scoopers (shouts to Wosny Lambre) at the bottom of the standings.

There is some talent on this roster. Josh Giddey continues to frustrate but does show flashes. Coby White is genuinely good at basketball. Rookie Matas Buzelis is starting to find his feet. Patrick Williams is…uhh… and ambulant human being.

Look, they’re still a long way off but at least Chicago is inching towards a lane, now.

Indiana Pacers (9-14): C-

Remember when the Pacers took the league by storm last season? A Tyrese Haliburton led pack of greyhounds, racing up and down the floor and shooting threes like it would sustain life itself? Well, that side is now sputtering along with the 14th ranked offense and, typically, the 26th ranked defense.

Pascal Siakam has been solid if not exactly spectacular. Bennedict Mathurin has shown flashes of stardom. Haliburton still looks like an All-Star at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, averaging 10 more points than away from home, with a 14% increase to his True Shooting percentage. That’s a fair reflection of the team he leads, who are 7-3 at home and 2-11 away.

Ultimately the Pacers need to find some sort of consistency if they want to compete, even in a toddler pool shallow eastern conference.

Detroit Pistons (9-15): B+

It’s unlikely that former Detroit coach Monty Williams has watched any Pistons games since his unceremonious firing. It’s also highly unlikely that he watched any prior to being hired. In fact, I would argue that he barely watched the games that he actually coached.

The change in this teams play since moving from Williams to JB Bickerstaff has been striking. Defensively, Detroit is in the top half of the league, their 14th ranked defense so much better than what passed for defense last season, as Bickerstaff has picked the low hanging fruit to bring his team to a professional standard.

Cade Cunningham has taken steps towards stardom whilst Jaden Ivey, freed from a reserve role behind (checks notes) Killian freaking Hayes, has thrived as the fire to Cunningham’s ice.

A concern is that the third of their young building blocks, Jalen Duren, is struggling mightily. After putting up 13.8 points and 11.6 boards as a sophomore, he has regressed to 8.7 and 9.2 this season, though he has increased his block numbers. He looks shorn of confidence, evidenced by his free throw percentage dropping from 79% to 57.6% on the same number of attempts per game. He turned 21 less than a month ago, so has plenty of time to find his groove again.

Toronto Raptors (7-16): B+

The Raptors have been in most of their games down to the last minutes and with a little more luck/composure (delete as appropriate) could have a better overall record, given they’re 3-9 in games decided by six points or less.

That matches the eye test, as Toronto’s young cadre of prospects looks to be progressing well. Scottie Barnes, who has missed considerable time with a fractured orbital bone, hasn’t found his stroke but stuffs the stat sheet. RJ Barrett has broken out, though his production is heavily reliant on home cooking. Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji have emerged as legitimate options on the wing.

Jakob Poeltl has thrived as the adult-in-the-room, especially given fellow vets Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown have yet to play a second so far this campaign. Neither has Immanuel Quickley, who will obviously help overall but would likely give the team a huge boost in clutch contests.

Charlotte Hornets (6-16): D+

Sure, LaMelo Ball is fun to watch but he is quickly becoming this generations poster boy for the ‘good stats, doesn’t help winning’ posse. He is an incandescent scorer and creator, able to manufacture shots and execute passes that few in the world could even conceive of, let alone perform. Yet his ball dominance, lack of defense and…let’s call it ill-discipline, consistently undermines the good that he brings. New Hornets coach Charles Lee has benched Ball at times this season, likely in an attempt to make him accountable for his actions (perish the thought).

MaMelo aside, the maligned Brandon Miller pick is looking better by the week as he continues to develop into a prime-time scorer. Josh Green is paying stellar defense (though actually shooting the ball once in a while wouldn’t hurt) and Mark Williams has at long last made his return from injury.

Philadelphia 76ers (5-15): F

Is it possible to award something less than an F?

There can be no doubt that the Sixers have been by far the most disappointing club in the NBA. Whilst an old-fashioned injury crisis – at one point, the Sixers had all three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George sidelined – has clearly hurt, it’s all the peripheral noise that continues to make this an unserious team.

The lack of transparency around their injuries; Nick Nurse looking utterly fed up; the new signings not contributing; Embiid accosting a reporter in the locker room (actually, this one was probably fair enough). Embiid being more upset about a leak from a team meeting than the subject of the leak being his own lack of professionalism tells its own story. Each incident on its own is not a major concern, when pieced together is created a damning jigsaw.

Of course, when (if?) the Sixers get their full complement on the court together, they have the ability to reel off a 10-game winning streak and suddenly all of their problems are footnotes. Who knows if that will ever happen.

Is the Philadelphia 76ers’ sluggish start too late to salvage?

Washington Wizards (2-18): C-

The Wizards are bad at basketball. That much is obvious. Last in net rating; last in offensive rating; second to last in defensive rating (woo, hoo!!!). They are, however, designed to be bad at basketball, so we do have to grade the Wiz against their own expectations, perhaps more than any side in the conference.

With an army of projects getting serious minutes, it’s no surprise that the Wizards only have two wins (thankyou, Atlanta) and have not tasted victory since the end of October, their losing streak now at 16 games. When Malcolm Brogdon doesn’t play, there is no structure. When Jonas Valanciunas sits, they get mauled on the glass. When Kyle Kuzma is off the floor, they struggle – even more so – to score.

The are slivers of light. Alex Sarr is a project, but the payoff could be huge. He’s already very good defensively. We’re starting to see proof of concept in Bilal Coulibaly. Bub Carrington looks lively. Corey Kispert has the makings of a quality shooter on the wing. Johnny Davis is…a mistake. Can’t win ‘em all!

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